Best time to go to Germany

The best time to go to Germany, if you don’t know it already, is when you’re ready to receive a bit of a surprise treat. Because Germany’s a country that hides its colossal beauty under a bushel, doesn’t play the big mass tourism game, and just humbly holds its own. And we love it all the more for that. Although it’s well known for city breaks, Oktoberfest and Christmas markets, its multi-seasonal treats stretch far beyond these clichés. The Black Forest is revitalising in spring but also wonderfully quiet. The German Alps are cooling and reviving during summer heatwaves, and hiking here in Herbst, as autumn is called in German, brings its own natural highs and nature fests, without the crowds. Especially if you’re cycling or hiking through the vineyards or forest-filled Rhine Valley, with their array of autumnal colours. And if your wanderlust stretches into winter, hiking the Malerweg Trail is Germany at its crispiest. For more details, see below.

Best time to go to the Black Forest (Schwarzwald)

One of the most iconic walking destinations in Germany, the Black Forest always lives up to expectations, especially when you include a trek up Feldberg, the Schwarzwald’s highest peak at 1,493m. As well as proffering the most exquisite walking trails, with tranquil forests and secret waterfalls, keen wild swimmers should always have swimwear to hand, with the likes of Schluchsee and Titisee lakes beckoning along the way. Although, as our trips run as early as April and as late as October, when average daily temperatures are 12C, you may just dip your toes. However, summer temperatures can get as high as 26C in the Black Forest, the average being around 20C.

Lake Titisee is the starting point for a hike up to Mount Feldberg, the Black Forest’s highest peak, and perfect in autumn.

Best time to explore the Rhine

All of our holidays along the Rhine run between April and October, so you have three seasons to explore this iconic river. And several ways to do so too, whether you’re cycling the Rhine Cycle Path or hiking the Rheinsteig trail. One of our hiking holidays takes you through the Rhine Wine Region, and being there for the grape harvest in September and October adds to the adventurous aroma of it all. There are also many wine festivals during this period, such as the annual Mainz Weinmarkt, at the end of August and into early September. Or the Koblenz Wine Festival, although this is a summer affair, and is spread out for weeks between May and July.

Whining about the weather may be a feature on some days if you go as early as April, as temperatures can drop as low as 5C, but they zoom up to 15C on a good day. You’re more likely to get rain in autumn than spring, however, and you’re also likely to get temperatures as high as 30C in summer, which surprises some Germany newbies. In addition, if you take your holiday in September you can time it with the Rhein in Flammen Festival, when both sides of the Rhine have firework displays from their castles and clifftops.

Best time to hike the Malerweg Trail

Malerweg means ‘painters’ way’ and it’s named after the 18th century artists from the nearby Dresden Academy of Fine Arts who immortalised its landscapes in their work. This 115km walking trail leads you through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in a region known romantically as Saxon Switzerland, because it takes you through the Saxon region’s impressive mountain terrain. These trips run between April and October and so you traverse three seasons which, being in the east of Germany, have summers averaging around 19C, with March, April and October hovering around 13C.

The rainiest season is actually during July and August so, back in the day, painters must have created their masterpieces in spring and summer to keep their canvases dry. They are usually only short summer showers, however, and you will still get to appreciate the full palette of flora in summer, with generous spreads of orchids, poppies, cornflowers and foxgloves, to name but a few.

We’ve also recently introduced a couple of winter options for walking the Malerweg, which takes you through these unique landscapes when they’re frosty, fresh and fairytale-like, with tours between November and March. Temperatures average 2-3C but they are actually the driest months too.

Hiking the Malerweg in spring and early summer adds even more colour to these sandstone landscapes.

Best time to go to Bavaria

Our tours in Bavaria spread far and wide in this region that’s officially known as Freistaat Bayern, or the Free State of Bavaria. A state where you can experience a real sense of freedom, in a landscape that’s dominated by the Alps. The tours also have a good seasonal spread, with adventures available between April and October. In April, for example, you can cycle around the Bavarian Lakes, or through the Allgäu region when the melted snows leave a refreshing chill in the air, but the hills are alive with the sound of cycling bells.

For springtime hiking, the Altmühl Panorama Trail is open and ready for exploring, and some of these holidays run through as late as October. It’s also a superb family option in the summer holidays, staying in 3-star, family-friendly Bavarian hotels and guesthouses. In summer you have temperatures of between 20-30C, but there is plenty of shade in forested areas in Bavaria. In spring and autumn, the temperatures vary between 5-15C, so layer up, and be prepared to look up, because you’ll get some superb clear skies, day and night. In autumn, the changing foliage creates a colour fest, with areas like the Altmühl Panorama Trail and the Bavarian forests lifting the soul, before winter kicks in.

If you’d like to time your visit with Oktoberfest, the main event of which takes place in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, at the end of September into the beginning of October, then get ready to party. It’s a huge event and has been going for nearly 200 years.

Best time to go to Germany’s Alps

Also called the Bavarian Alps, they are worthy of their own section in this best time to go to Germany blog. That’s because our German Alps holidays tend to be at higher elevations than some of our other Bavarian holidays. In addition, as they form a natural border with Austria, some treks take in both countries. Such as on the 125km Lechweg Trail, which follows the alpine Lech River between Lech am Arlberg in Austria’s Arlberg Mountains range and Füssen in Bavaria, which is surrounded by the Ammergau Alps. All of our tours in this region run no later than September because, at higher elevations, the weather isn’t always suitable for hiking or cycling. Temperatures range from between 7-17C in May, going up to daytime highs of 24C in June, with nights as low as 14C. You may not get much higher than that in July and August either, and of course, given that it’s the mountains, rain is possible at any time.

On Zugspitze, the highest mountain in the German Alps, at 2,962m, there are similar temperatures to those mentioned above on the Zugspitze Circuit holiday. This is because you don’t summit it, just circumnavigate it but you still get that dramatic duo of both Austria and Germany en route. It’s a popular route too, so best to head there out of the peak season, with tours available between May and September.

Hiking amongst the Ammergau Alps, near Fussen in Bavaria.

Best time to go to Germany’s Baltic Coast

For a very different side of Germany, you can explore the northern Baltic coast by bike between April and September, or on this bike and boat holiday, between May and September. With sandy beaches, pine forests and Hanseatic towns of Lübeck and Stralsund topping and tailing this trail, the Baltic is breezy and beautiful. It isn’t always Baltic temperatures, however, and our tours, temperatures range between 10-18C during the months when they are available. If you time your visit for the beginning of June, the Hans Kultur Festival takes place in Lübeck every two years, celebrating the Hanseatic heritage of the region. The next ones are in 2026 and 2028.

You might not come to the Baltic for baking heat, but you may come for the birdlife, as its shores and wetlands are home to migratory birds in September. So put some binoculars in your pannier and keep an eye out for whooper swans, geese, Slavonian grebes and eider, to name but a few. There’s another big annual gathering of sailors on the coast too, in early August every year, when they flock in to take part in the Hanse Sail event. However, we don’t book holidays during that time, as it gets pretty booked out.

It’s not always Baltic temperature-wise, but the Baltic Coast always has a rugged beauty.

We hope that this has helped you sort out which of Germany’s unexpected natural surprises appeal to you, and when you might time your adventures there. For more blogs that feature Germany, take a look at the following: Our top walking trails in Germany; Exploring Germany by train; Best wine routes in Europe; and our River Danube travel guide. And for further information, please don’t hesitate to contact our adventure specialists.