Munich in January

Who really knows what airfares will be if you hold out for a lower price. You can check daily on Orbitz, Kayak or similar website to see if any sales occur. I have done so myself before. The prices can also go up.

We have found that changes in airfare rarely significantly (percent wise) affect the overall cost of the trip. But, we live in a place from which it is hard to find discount fares.

Weather. We have traveled to Germany the last two Decembers and are going again this year. We like the cold weather and the lighter crowds. In Munich and other major cities, little will close for the off season; that might not be true for smaller tourist destinations. You will share places more with locals than tourists. As a tourist in the off season, you might in a some instances be more appreciated than if you arrived with the crowd.

I think that it would be a wonderful time and place for a honeymoon.

We were there in January, and, boy, was it cold. That and the fact the it was still dark at 9 AM when we left the hotel and dark again around 5 PM when we returned. We went out to Nymphenburg and the swans were almost frozen into the ponds.

The highlight of the visit was on Tuesday, the 8th of January, Narrhalla, (I don't know if it is always the second Tuesday or always the 8th), they crowned the King and Queen of Fools at noon in front of the Rathaus, part of the Fasching celebration.

I've been to other areas of Germany in January, not Munich, but here's some general advice for winter-time travel to this part of Europe. Unless you want to go skiing, plan on seeing less of rural areas and more cities. As Lee and James have alluded, it gets bright late and dark early, and outside of German urban areas, artificial illumination is kept to a minimum. It really is quite dark. The cities, however, are adequately lit, if a little dimmer than we are accustomed to in the US. So, I would plan to spend most of your time in cities.

Hi, Damien,

My family and I just spent Dec 26 '09 thru Jan 1 '10 in Bavaria and New Year's in Munich. We had a blast. Yes, it is cold, but if you invest in a good coat, scarves, boots, and gloves, you should be fine. You don't have to spend a fortune. Some days we were fine with layers under a good sweater. We visited the museums and the beer halls and other places in between. Rick Steves' book was a huge help. If you've never been and you want me to send you a few pointers we learned through two trips there, privately send me a message. My husband and I stayed in a hotel near Wombat's Hostel and our ADULT children stayed at Wombat's. They thought it was great (and you can get a room for two). Just telling you that if you are on a budget. We got a good deal on our hotel, too.

The most wonderful times we had were when we were able to sit and talk with the locals over a good stein of beer.

If you will be renting a car, take a trip to Andechs Monastary and get the Weissbier in their beer hall. I think it's the best beer I've ever had and I would pay again just to go back for the beer. :) Driving in Germany is easy peasy once you figure a few things out. I'd rather drive for the side trips than rely on other forms of travel while there. Just makes scheduling easier and you can sleep in. :) I'm sure others may feel differently.

As to plane fare---I booked our flight directly through Lufthansa on Sept 9. I paid $661/person for non-stop out of Chicago. That was the best price I saw before or after. They overbooked the return flight and all five of us got bumped up to Business Class. The same thing happened on our trip out the first time we went. We really love that airline for lots of reasons. If you are flying from CA, you may have gotten a good deal.

I am so envious of your trip and wish you a wonderful time. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.