Chris C asked:
Will the weather be bearable in early April? Will it be crowded Easter weekend? If I have two days for travel outside Munich, what places should I go – (I love mountains)? The castles? Salzburg? Romantic Road? And if I travel from Munich to Berlin by train, is an overnight train a good idea? Danke for bearing with me on all these questions!
April weather can change still very fast if you go to the mountains take warm clothing.
Easter is VERY crowded a lot of people take short trips.
I would suggest Garmisch Partenkirchen in the Alps and from there visit some castles Linderhof for example
Overnight trains are a very good idea for the rather long journey Munich Berlin.
Hi,
we have a saying in Germany “April macht was er will”, that means the weather can change from snow to rain to sunny, from hot to cold within hours.
If you’re lucky it’ll be warm with sunshine but you might also want to bring your jacket…
As for trips outside Munich, I can recommend Neuschwanstein castle, Oberammergau and also the Alps.
And yes, Easter will be very crowded.
> Will the weather be bearable in early April?
Usually yes if you’re accustomed to Central European (that’s something like New York) climate. It can be rainy, and snow in early April is rare, but CAN happen. You should have some weatherproof clothing with you, and a pair of boots I’d strongly recommend. If you’re from a warmer climate zone (say, Arizona or Florida), I’d also recomend some woollen sweaters.
> Will it be crowded Easter weekend?
It will. Easter is the time when German kids are on school vacation, and companies give their employees some spare time to spend with their kids. So there’s lots of people around travelling.
> If I have two days for travel outside Munich, what places should I go – (I love mountains)?
Try Garmisch-Partenkirchen if you love mountains; that’s not so far away from Munich, and you can see the Alps from there. Schloss Neuschwanstein (the castle) I wouldn’t visit during Easter holidays; it will probably be overcrowded.
> Salzburg? Romantic Road?
If you only have two days, no. Salzburg is actually located in Austria, our southern neighbor country, but it will take you hours to get there. And travelling the Romantic Road sure is a good thing, but you should have enough time for it to really enjoy. Maybe you’ll come back some day with a fortnight to spare, and rent a car. Then you’ll love the Romantic Road.
> And if I travel from Munich to Berlin by train, is an overnight train a good idea?
Definitely NO. I never knew someone who could sleep on “sleeper coaches”; it will only cost you extra money. Rather get up early and take the earliest fast train you can get from Munich to Berlin. Considering that you’re on limited time, you shouldn’t waste a second. And travelling by daylight will also give you the additional benefit of seeing some of Germany’s landscape; on a night train, all you can do is sleep or drink some beer.