Late Oct family trip Germany

Hi Jennifer, Without more specifics, I'll say our experiences during trips in earlt to late Oct. '01, '03, '06 and '07 to Bavaria and Austria we had cool to mild days (a couple very warm ones thrown in) and chilly to cold nights. Rained maybe 2 or 3 times out of all these trips (approx. 40 days/nights). Halloween, we didn't see kids "trick or treating" during our one Halloween stay in the Berchtesgaden area. On mountain excursions, you'll likely see snow. We saw quite a bit of snow on the drive along the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse in mid Oct., snow at the top of the Zugspitze in mid Oct. and a few times in the Innsbruck area, even though the days were mild, we'd wake up to see the mountains had new snow on them. We also stayed 4 nights in Wengen (Berner Oberland) in mid October. While it didn't snow, the peaks had snow. Keep in mind it will be quiet there. During our stay, Wengen was "mildly" busy during the day, probably with people taking a look around on their journey to the Jungfraujoch, and extremely quiet in the evening and at night. We pretty much felt like we were the only people there while taking walks at night. We loved our stay though. Hope this helps. Paul

I think in Europe, at least in Germany, their version of Halloween is April 30, Walpurgis Nacht. From Wikipedia, "In Germany, Walpurgisnacht, the night from 30 April to 1 May, is the night when witches are reputed to hold a large celebration on the Brocken and await the arrival of spring." I was in Bavaria one time in early to mid October, and the weather was very nice. Not cold but not too hot either - no rain. According to the weather chart in one of Rick's books, October is the least rainy month in Munich. I was in western Germany (the Mosel, Köln, the Harz) in November and it was colder, no snow, but I did have rain 2 days out of 14.

Jennifer... I have been in southern Germany and Austria at the end of Nov. and really saw very little snow. Only 1 or 2 days on the drive from Munich to Salzburg. Of course, there was snow off on the mountain peaks, but that's it. But, I do know it is variable and we planned for snow storms. We were lucky and had beautiful weather and I would definitely recommend Salzburg... easily walkable, especially with a 3 year old. On one trip with an 11 year old grandson we did a sort of 'castle tour' (or palace) and had a wonderful time. Your boys should love it. (Chelsea, Mi??? if so, we are neighbors)

Berner Oberland weather can be unpredicable in adv. So you must be flexible there. It is beautiful but storms may reduce your sight seeing alittle in Oct. You will see snow by then. They have monitors to give you daily weather everywhere in the area so you do not get stuck.

Halloween in the cities is starting to take hold, but more with kids having private parties where they get to dress up, and of course bars. It is taking a while though. Many stores sell costumes, decorations and carving pumpkins is getting popular. Going trick or treating pretty much only happens on military bases, or in some neighborhoods where lots of people know each other. The best Halloween extravaganza is at Burg Frankenstein, which is near Darmstadt. They do have childrens day on Sundays, but no one under 6 can go.

I've read that Europa Park does a Halloween theme. We've been debating checking it out this October.

Thanks for all your advise. Any thoughts on the 14 day trip following Ricks Plan with the kids? Should we shorten down and stay only a few place? Our Kids have traveled all over the world so they are pretty much use to planes. I thought taking the train from place to place would be neat and a new adventure.

Keep in mind, the suggested itineraries in Mr. Steve's books are written for summer travel. By late October, there are a number of factors you need to consider: 1) Reduced daylight hours. During the height of summer, the sun rises well before most people wake up and doesn't set until nearly 10,30 at night. By late October, it will be completely dark by 6 in the evening. Many smaller towns seem virtually deserted once the sun goes down. Unlike in the US, German towns usually have only minimal artificial illumination at night. This is less of a concern in cities, however. 2) Weather. Although it is unlikely to be particuarly cold, except in the mountains, by late October, the weather usually becomes rather overcast. Sometimes there can be heavy fog that lasts for most of the morning. Meaning, you won't see all those brightly colored postcard-perfect scenes of the countryside. Everything will look kind of dull, gray and hazy more often than not. Don't expect the rich hues of a New England autumn. 3) Most of the tourist infrastructure in the Berner Oberland shuts down by late October and doesn't re-open until the start of the ski season in December. You may as well cut this destination and spend your time in one of the larger towns of the Bavarian or Tyrolian Alps instead. 4) You will likely see snow on the peaks of the mountains, but not elsewhere. At lower elevations (like in Garmisch, for example), there is occassionally an overnight snow shower this early, but it usually melts quickly.

RE: Burg Frankenstein. On a clear day, a visit here is worth it for the view alone. You can see the entire area, including Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Bingen, Darmstadt, Mannheim, Worms, the course of the Rhine and the Taunus, Hunsrück, Odenwald and Päflzerwald mountains. There's a decent restaurant attached. The castle itself is of average interest, for a ruin. Can't comment on the Halloween party, though.