December in Bavaria - Car or Train?

We lived in Germany for 6 years with our car and made many happy trips, but December is pretty unpredictable. Rain and cold can also make roads slippery as well as snow.

Since 2006 we have made several trips back to Germany, including 5 trips in December for Christmas Markets. I have had 2 knee replacements over the times of the December trips. . Our mode of travel has been trains, which I prefer now. If you take the train, pack light and be prepared to dismount as soon as the train arrives at the station. I still have to take time and care dismounting from some trains. Do not let anyone rush you.

I much prefer trains at my age and level of health.

Thank you. We've driven all over Ireland on the 'wrong' side of the road, because it was our only option, but have loved public transit in all of Switzerland. Unless we get other responses to the contrary, I think we will go with trains due to the weather challenges! Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Hello Shirley,
No one can guarantee road conditions on any certain day in winter. My guess is that major roadways will have snow removal services. The more important question is how confident are you in winter driving? I lived in Northern Minnesota for three years and I am pretty confident in the snow. Even so, my personal preference would still go to the train/ public transport. I worry that winter driving on unfamiliar roads would carry with it a level of stress that would take away from my enjoyment of the trip.

Low temps are a higher risk than snow only because rain or high humiity on frozen ground creates very dangerous conditions. In Germany we have the naming Blitz-Eis for situations when out of the sudden dangerous slippery surface is created in minutes.

All I can say is that it happens also in December but would not place a likelihood number to it. At higher altitudes more often, on open landside more often than in towns, be especially careful when passing budges or high(est) points of hills.

If you plan taking a rental car winter tyres are mandatory by law.

Do not forget to ensure the validity of your driving license for use in Germany; maybe added by IDP if driving license is from a US state or a Canadian provence. Without IDP you do not have a valid driving permission, even if driving license is valid.

For the places you mention trains work well

Every year is not exactly like others. This is what happened to me in 2001.

I've only been in Germany once in December - 2001. We flew from Denver on Christmas day evening, arriving at FRA in the morning of December 26. They had just had a snow storm in southern Germany that morning. We didn't have any problem getting from T1 (Pier Z) to the Fernbahnhof because it is all inside.

We changed trains in Mannheim, all under cover, with out difficulty.

In Karlsruhe, we had to go out to the Bahnhof Vorplatz to catch the street car. Again, I don't remember any difficultly, the snow had apparently been cleared away.

We took the streetcar from in front of the Karlsruhe station up to Bad Herrenalb in the Black Forest. When we got there, there was a couple of feet of wet snow on the ground, in the street, everywhere.

At that point I was glad I was not driving.

On this page you can inform yourself about map and facilities at a German train station, example Nuremberg:
https://www.bahnhof.de/en/nuernberg-hbf

Be aware to enter the correct German station names. Take also care of -berg and -burg.

I'd drive, but be aware the weather can, and will, change. DEC is always cold and wet, sometimes with snow. Expect temps in the 20's, especially at night. If you are not comfortable driving in such conditions don't. Germans drive very differently than do folks from the USA and it can seem aggressive.

But I have issues recommending the train, they have not been very reliable lately. Plus Rothenberg is a pain to get to by train vs. a fairly quick drive.

I can't recommend Fussen, especially in winter. I assume you're going there to see the castles? Don't waste your time. Linderhof is the only one worth visiting in DEC unless you get the one clear day that comes every 3-4 years. If you have to go down there go to Garmisch; it closer, it's near the castles, and it's a easy drive. But it will be full of folks skiing. (Your husband with the gimpy leg will fit right in.)

You could always take the train to Nuremberg. Rent a car there to go to RodT, and then take a train to Garmisch and then back to Munich, but I'd drive. (I've done both, train and drive, between Nuremberg, Munich, and Garmisch in the past 6 months. I've been to Fussen too.)

With a car, you have to consider more than just the actual driving. Finding parking can also be a problem. And with your husband's mobility issues, you can find yourself walking a long way from available parking. With trains, you can usually find taxis at rail stations.