Germany in January

Cold, short days; cheap city breaks and museums; skiing in the Bavarian Alps.

• North and the coasts · Hamburg, Bremen, Baltic and North Sea islandscool

  Wind and drizzle in any month; the coast season is June–August, when island ferries and beach chairs (Strandkörbe) are booked out.

• Berlin and the east · Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Brandenburg lakescool

  Continental: cold dry winters (around 0 °C), warm summers with 30 °C spells; lake swimming from June.

• Rhine and the west · Cologne, Frankfurt, Rhine and Moselle valleys, Heidelbergcool

  Mildest winters; wine harvest and river trips at their best in September–October.

• Bavaria and the Alps · Munich, Bavarian Alps, Black Forest, Lake Constancecool

  Summer thunderstorms in the mountains; skiing January–March at Garmisch and Berchtesgaden. Foehn wind brings clear warm days in autumn.

• Berlin3° / -2°, 10 rain days

Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.

• New Year's Day

  1 Jan

  Shops closed; New Year's Eve fireworks leave streets messy and some transport disrupted.

Crowds · Germany

Low

Prices · Germany

Low

• Layers: a fleece or light jacket

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