Rooms without AC

Of the 150+ days I've spent in Germany in the last 15 years, 4 weeks were in summer months. There was only one night where I would have wanted AC. Germany reminds me of the east coast in the summer - high humidity, doesn't cool off at night.

Sometimes it is miserable here and other times not. Where are you going? If you are going to be in the mountains, it will be cooler than in a city. Have you contacted the hotel to ask them? If they aren't on a busy street, you just open the windows at night, keep the shades or shutters down all day and see if they have fans.

Hi Jane- if the room description doesn't mention A/C, you should assume there is no A/C. FYI, the same comment goes for smoking/non-smoking rooms, elevators (lift), breakfast included, parking, payment in cash only, etc ... Have a great trip!!!

It's impossible to generalize, but it might be fair to say that Northern Europe doesn't think of air conditioning in the meat-locker sense that many Americans (myself included) do. One hot summer, we stayed in the Leipzig Hilton and a luxury hotel, the Bristol Kempinski in Berlin, and the A/C just couldn't keep up with the heat. Longer ago, we were in Scandinavia during a heat wave, and no one even imagined needing permanent central air conditioning in a hotel. Sometimes, an older hotel that has installed split-ductless units as a retrofit actually do better than big-box business hotels.

In July 2006 my first trip to Europe started off in a heat wave in Germany. We didn't have AC and it was HOT! And I live in a hot climate. I was able to get a fan at a couple of places. I was glad I had packed a couple of wash clothes, as some nights I could only cool off enough to sleep by getting it wet and covering my face. I lived to tell the tale and am going back for the 6th time this year.

Thanks for all the replies. Our trip is for 2 weeks - Boppard, Trier, Baden-Baden, through the Black Forest, to Salzburg, Munich, flying home from Frankfort - stops along the way. We are excited for our trip and appreciate all your tips!

It was miserably hot in Bavaria last year in late July due to a heat wave. Even in the mountains. Also a couple of years before that. You might luck out and enjoy cooler temps, or not. I would play it safe and look for places w/AC.

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) said: "We never have AC in Europe, so it didn't bother me at all.". On the other hand, they carried an American player off the court.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/san-antonios-foreign-players-didnt-131658979.html

I lived in the Seattle area for about 20 years. I lived in Nuremberg 3 years. Only one of those 3 German summers was warm and dry enough to hang my clothes out on the lines off my kitchen balcony. Neither our house in WA nor my apartment on the top floor in Germany had AC. It is not common in either location.

Although I suppose it can be hot (one person's warm is another's sweltering), the averages are not that direction. You can pick from the towns here -- http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=DE&name=Germany. You will get a nice chart with averages for several weather issues. I just looked at Munich and found that the highest recorded temperature in July was 97, but the average high is 72 and the average low is 54.

I'd watch the forecasts (which you can also find at the website I linked as well as many other places) as you are packing and plan based on the week that they show.

Perfect! Thanks for the website. That is a big help.

Well it is about 92-95° here in Frankfurt today and it was the same yesterday and close to it on Sat. No A/C here, but lots of fans going in the apt. Staying inside today as really don't want to go out in the heat. Fortunately, thunderstorms are expected tonight and the temps should go down for the next few days. Hope the weather is cooler for you in July, but I have seen it hit 100 in both July and in Aug. just not every year. Hard to predict the weather 2 weeks from now or next month.

Hi,

True, last June of 2013 I was in Germany when the heat wave was going on...a broiler.. The general rule is not to expect AC, even at 3 or 4 star hotels. You might not even get a fan. The Pensionen offer neither AC nor a fan. I have seen 2 star hotels where if you want AC you pay extra for it. I turned the offer down, refuse to pay for AC.

Averages are meaningless when planning a trip. The weather is what it is at the time you are there, not what it was three years ago or even the average for the past thee years. Or 100 years. What are the consequences if you prepare for hot weather and it is cooler than expected? You are out the extra money you spent for AC. What happens if gamble on cooler weather and lose? Your vacation is toast -- and so are you.