Hi
Like to have some advice about driving. Plan is to drive from Berlin to Nürnberg, then to Munich to fussen, Rothenburg and back to Berlin.
My concern is whether it is difficult to drive during winter. Would it be snowing at this time of Dec? Will all car rental car comes with winter tyres and chain? We have no experience driving in winter.
Hope someone can advice.
We lived in Augsburg, on the Romantic Road in Bavaria for four years from 87-91. It can snow in mid-December and it can affect the roads. The Germans are pretty good at keeping the highways passable, but if you have a big storm, it could delay your driving.
The percentages are with you, a bad storm that time of the year is possible but not likely.
You have 8 days and a lot to cover in that time.
If you plan t see Berlin, Nurnberg, Munich, Fussen and the Romantic Road (Rothenburg), you won't have enough time to do it right. I suggest that you pare back your plans. Consider eliminating Berlin and Nurnberg for another trip.
Any rental should come with winter tires, or at least M&S. German law requires them during icy conditions. Snow tires are not a silver bullet. You still need to drive with caution and can slip and slide with winter tires too. Your trip is early, but you could possibly see some snow and ice. German Winterdienst (winter road clearance) is some of the best in the world, so no worries. No need for chains unless you are in the higher Alps (mostly). If you do get into bad road conditions (Icey roads, heavy snow etc), you could stop and wait, or take your time following the traffic. Be safe not sorry.
Agree, far too many places in too few days.
If you will be traveling such long distances to big cities like Nuremberg and Munich, if you have no winter driving experience, and if you are concerned about snow, it is curious that you aren't asking about the obvious solution to city driving and road dangers - train travel. ALL your destinations are connected by train - no chains, no winter tires, no environmental stickers, no traffic jams or accidents, no rental contracts.
By train it makes sense to adjust your itinerary:
Berlin > Nuremberg (stay, make a day trip to Rothenburg by train) > Füssen > Munich > Berlin
Find the train travel times, ticket costs, and other details below:
I think you can do this as envisioned. I doubt weather will be a problem. Train travel is an option. Parking in the big cities will be a problem. A longer stretch back to Berlin. I definitely would make reservations ahead at you profred overnights with parking..
We are flying into Munich on Dec. 1 for a week then over to Salzburg for a few days. I'm following this thread with interest as, having never been to these cities, we are hoping the trains will get us to most of the outlying areas for day trips. What is the best site to visit to see complete train maps and routes?
appreciated. Will continue to follow this thread...
Dody
Atlanta GA
While nobody can predict the actual weather I can confirm that in the past 10+ year December has been a relatively mild (yet rainy) month. If you google "Glühwein" + "Weihnachtsmarkt" and sort by the years you'll see that people have been complaining about it being too mild to enjoy mulled wine...
Dody,
I find the following website to be a wonderful resource for any kind of train travel in Europe:
www.seat61.com
What is the best site to visit to see complete train maps and routes?
This German Railways page will provide all details for any journey in all of Europe, and of course in Germany. That includes a map for your specific journey:
https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de//bin/query.exe/en
Here is a railway map for all of Germany - and parts of other countries too. Just zoom in to the area that interests you:
Unless you have a reason to go back to Berlin, instead fly back from Munich. The price shouldn't be much different than a roundtrip in to and out of Berlin. Use the "Multi-city" fare rather than two one-way fares.
Trains will likely be much easier and safer than a car. If you drive, spend some time getting familiar with local traffic signs and laws.
While you can't predict the weather months ahead of time, you can get reasonable estimates. Try a good weather site, like this one:
https://weatherspark.com/m/70544/12/Average-Weather-in-December-in-N%C3%BCrnberg-Germany
Over the course of December in Nürnberg, the chance of a day with only rain remains an essentially constant 21% throughout, the chance of a day with mixed snow and rain remains an essentially constant 2% throughout, and the chance of a day with only snow remains an essentially constant 2% throughout.
