Is very late August, early September good time?

We were in Munich and Salzburg at that time 8 years ago. It was really hot, especially in Salzburg. Things were very busy but not overrun or anything. It was all lovely. Just hot.

I do recall one of our taxi driver's in Vienna said it was back to school day while we were there; around Sept 4 of that year.
Enjoy your trip!

July into mid-Sept expect temps to be intense and very much Summer conditions, the time frame you're looking at sits right within this period. This is also prime tourist season, not just for non-Europeans but, Europeans themselves. August is traditionally when vacations are taken, with some spilling their dates outside of August so, there's going to be a lot of people on the road and about.

Sounds like a lovely trip! I think this is a good time- I like to take holidays within Europe in mid September myself as that's right after children have gone back to school so things are a bit less crowded but the weather is still good. I was in Salzburg at the very end of August in 2020 and was wearing a light jacket most of the time, so it wasn't very hot. Especially in the mountains it tends to be cooler- I also did a trip to Munich and Salzburg in early August 2023 and that wasn't particularly hot either, tho of course it can vary a lot from year to year. I can't think of any reasons major sites would be closed but it's always best to check for local public holidays that can impact opening times. Good luck with the planning!

We are considering the dates of August 29-September 12. Would areas still be crowded from the summer tourists during this time

It is during the summer vacation times of German southern states Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg - both until mid of September. Some Austrian states' vacations end Sept 7.

if you put Venice at the end be sure that you don't need to get to the airport before dawn and check out of your Venice hotel well before that - there's that lagoon in the way, and while you can get transport in the middle of the night it won't be much fun. Many flights from Venice to the US and Canada start with a connecting flight to Rome or Milan or elsewhere in Europe where you connect to the big plane home. In order to make those connections many are at 5 or 6 am with all that entails in lost sleep and expense.

Conventional wisdom is to arrive into Venice and depart from another main airport.

Thank you everyone!

We may see about trying mid-September if I can rearrange my work schedule. We’re Southerners, so “hot” isn’t the same for us as some, but also the possible lack of AC at night might be a problem! I’ve heard being in Munich for Oktoberfest isn’t that crazy as long as you aren’t in the beer tents! I was in eastern Germany in early October this past year and thought the weather was great, but maybe a bit cold for traveling in a higher altitude like the Alps.

I appreciate the tip about flying into Venice and out of Munich, I hadn’t really considered that, so thanks!

To affirm your comment about Munich during Oktoberfest- I went several years ago prepared for it to be unpleasantly crowded, but it was actually absolutely fine- even at the Theresienwiese, where the beer tents are, it was very well organised and I never felt overwhelmed. I'm not a big fan of crowds so I was very impressed. The only thing to consider is that the accommodation does get significantly more expensive during that period and sells out very early so book as soon as you can.

Re Ocktoberfest...we were in Munich then but not specifically for the festival. Dad was thrilled ..I imagined it ti be terrible. We loved it...99.9 percent of people were not sloppy drunks but just enjoying a lovely time. We enjoyed the food stalls and meet some lovely people in the tents. So don't let that dissuade you. But it is expensive