How to Enjoy Germany in Winter

The land of beer will melt your heart in Germany’s winter wonderland.

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas then you really need to do yourself a favour and visit Germany in the winter. You’ll find blankets of snow atop fairytale castles, brightly-lit Christmas market stalls lined up on cobbled-stone town squares, and beer halls aplenty to keep you warm at night.

Things to do

Christmas Markets

Germany is Christmas Market Ground Zero – but some are much better than others. Nuremberg’s wins on prettiness – all wooden stalls, glühwein and cobbled streets – while Dresden’s Striezelmarkt is the oldest, having run since 1434. It also has a reputation for attracting good quality crafts. Blown glass, Meissen pottery and indigo prints are amongst the specialities rather than the usual identikit tat that infests lesser markets.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany. — When enveloped by snow, Neuschwanstein Castle looks straight out of a fairytale.

Skiing

Ski resort town Garmisch-Partenkirchen clears 110 kilometres of walking trails around Mt Zugspitze, making for idyllic winter walks through snowy forest landscapes and past cute log cabins. As most visitors have come with skiing in mind, hikers don’t have to go far to have the landscapes pretty much to themselves.

Nuremberg: Christmas market — Nuremberg Christmas market

Beer drinking

Munich’s beerhalls are more convivial when drinkers have to squash up on communal benches inside, rather than sprawling around the beer gardens. A few of the best to tick off your list while you’re there are the 16th century three-floor beer hall Hofbräuhaus, the less touristy Augustiner-Keller, and the more modern-feeling Tap-House which has over 200 European craft brews with 40 of them on tap.

Sites to see

Neuschwanstein Castle

The classic Disney-esque fairytale castle in the Bavarian Alps, Neuschwanstein Castle, looks its most magical in winter with a photogenic sprinkling of snow. Once the home of King Ludwig II, the castle was opened to the public after his death in 1886 and is now known as ‘the castle of the fairy-tale king’. You’ll need to get your tickets at the Ticketcenter in the village of Hohenschwangau below the castle before you venture up (tickets start at 12 euros per person) or reserve them online in advance.

Dresden

The picturesque city of Dresden in eastern Germany is covered in snow during the winter months but it only manages to make this city even more beautiful. People come to Dresden to see the many art museums, the famed dome of the baroque church Frauenkirche, and to gaze upon the architecture of the reconstructed old town. But at this time of year it is all about the Stollen! The traditional German fruit bread is filled with nuts, spices and coated in icing sugar (kind of like a tea bun), it originated in Dresden and is enjoyed during the Christmas season.

The Harz mountains

Head to north-central Germany to ride the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen steam train through the Harz mountains and town-hop between the charming villages of Wernigerode, Nordhausen and Quedlinburg. It’s a sight you won’t forget in a hurry.

Family activities

Berchtesgaden Salt Mine

Also in the Alps, the teen-thrilling tours of the 496-year-old Berchtesgaden Salt Mine involve rafting on an underground lake, novelty trains and slides, plus staggering subterranean salt chambers.

ChocolART, Tübingen

If a five-day chocolate festival sounds like your family’s paradise, then you really need to make your way to Tübingen (southwest Germany) in the first half of December to experience ChocolART. It’s the country’s biggest chocolate festival and you can wander the market-lined square for tastings, join in on a workshop, cooking class or start your Christmas shopping early. Entry is free which means you can spend more time loading up on chocolate for the road.

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Tollwood Winter Festival, Munich

During the last month of every year the Tollwood Winter Festial comes to Munich and with it a whole host of activities to entertain children and adults alike. The festival grounds come alive with circus shows, dance, music, plays, cabarets, markets and more food and drink than you can possible sample in one night.

Tips and tricks

Trains

The English version of Deutsche Bahn’s site does a superb job of collating most European train timetables.

Car hire

Most continental car hire agreements allow you to cross borders, but not leave the car in another country. A superb starting point for cheap deals is Car Rentals. Road rules (speed limits, having to carry breathalysers or snow tyres etc) annoyingly vary between countries.

Accommodation

Local booking engines – such as Late Rooms or Venere – often have better deals and more choice than more globalised competitors. Hostelworld is excellent for B&Bs and guesthouses. Also look for sales from big hotel chains such as Accor and IHG during the (quieter) winter months.

Flights

The Christmas and New Year period is the most expensive time of year for flights from Australia to Europe, but prices drop substantially in mid-January. Occasionally spectacular deals can be found if you’re prepared to fly on Christmas Day itself.

Why is it so hot in Europe?

Signs of a hot summer loomed in May, when the mercury hit unprecedented spring highs. Now, extreme high temperature warning alerts have been issued in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, England, the Netherlands and Germany.

France saw its hottest day on record on Wednesday, with an average temperature of 30°C across the day and night. This surpasses the average temperature for June, which is 15°C to 25°C. Dozens of people have died, including 40 from drowning.

In Spain, 212 deaths have been linked to the heatwave.

The UK recorded its hottest June day ever on Wednesday with temperatures soaring to 36.1°C. In an article published by the Met Office – the UK’s national meteorological service – Professor Stephen Belcher CBE, Met Office Chief Scientist, shared his concerns about June’s heat. “To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply,” he said.

Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in Europe and the UK, neither of which is prepared for such extremes. The World Meteorological Organization reported that in 2025, at least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures and that the continent was heating up twice as fast as the global average.

How travel is impacted

A pharmacy sign displaying 40 degrees Celcius

A pharmacy broadcasting local weather data. (Credit: Getty/Dragoncello)

During a heatwave, power grids, water systems and transport networks can be affected, resulting in disrupted itineraries for travellers. In France, power outages have left thousands without electricity and early closures have been implemented for two of Paris’s biggest attractions, the Eiffel Tower (early afternoon rather than late at night) and the Louvre (two hours early). Eurostar cancelled its London to Paris and Paris to London services from the 22nd to the 25th, and major UK rail companies have been advising travellers to avoid using trains where possible, or to travel during early hours.

If a heatwave is predicted, being flexible with your itinerary and having fully refundable/changeable tickets is key, as extreme heat can force the cancellation of outdoor activities, impact rail and flight services and change the opening hours of sites and eateries.

Why does summer in Europe often feel hotter than summer in Australia?

People swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris to cool off. (Credit: Rachael Thompson)

With some of the highest UV levels in the world, Australians are no strangers to the heat, adapting well to intense weather. But our infrastructure is largely equipped to withstand soaring temperatures with climate-responsive passive design, refrigerated air conditioning or evaporative coolers, as well as swimming spots aplenty.

Buildings in Northern and Western Europe and the UK, however, are constructed to retain heat and handle frosty winters. The lack of universal air conditioning means it generally feels hotter even though the temperature on your app might not look it. During a heatwave, it can feel like you’re in a sauna as cities act like heat traps.

How to stay cool and prepare for another heatwave

Relief is expected across Europe and the UK later this week, but more heatwaves are still possible in the coming months. Summer heat typically peaks in July and August.

Public transport often doesn’t have air conditioning, and buses in particular can be swelteringly hot. If you’re heading outside or your accommodation has no air conditioning, it’s worth buying a spray bottle and a handheld fan from a pharmacy or tourist stand. Check ahead of time if restaurants and cafes have air conditioning and make a booking in advance. The highest temperatures typically hit between 3pm and 6pm, so aim to head outdoors outside of these hours.

Rising temperatures invite travellers to enter a more intentional era of seeing the world. Now more than ever is the time to embrace lower-impact “coolcations” and off-season getaways.

How to enjoy the best of Germany in winter