Hi Sarah!

The weather will likely still be cold in February but you could have some sunny days. Rain (or even snow) is always a possibility so bring an umbrella or even a waterproof jacket or shoes.

To best answer your other questions, I recommend booking either an itinerary review or a one-on-one consult in Zoom. I’ve helped hundreds of clients answer questions just like yours. 🙂 You can check out both options and read what previous clients have said here: https://www.mygermanyvacation.com/services/

I’d love to help you get your trip sorted so you have the best trip to Germany ever!

Hello,

We’re planning a trip to Germany at the end of February next year. What is the weather typically like during that time? Our itinerary includes arriving in Frankfurt, spending a day in Cologne, then heading to the Black Forest for about three days, followed by three days in Zurich, and returning to Frankfurt for three more days. Do you think this plan is good, or would you suggest any changes? Additionally, what places would you recommend visiting? Lastly, do you think purchasing a Eurail Global Pass is worthwhile for this trip?

Thank you!

If you’d like to fly out of the Düsseldorf airport, you could spend the second part of your trip in Cologne so you could visit the markets there, in Bonn, and surrounding area (e.g. a day trip to Aachen).

If you’re ok with flying out of a different airport, you could go to Stuttgart (good Christmas markets in the area and a couple castles), Munich (good markets and day trips) or Berlin (good markets and day trips) and fly out of any of those airports.

Most everything will be closed on Dec 25 and the latter half of Dec 24 so keep that in mind when doing your daily planning.

Hope that helps with your planning!

Hi Cate , I have visited Germany but only Düsseldorf for my sugery.
I will like to take my wife and kids with me this time I have an appointment in December might use the opportunity to take them for Christmas holiday . I have 12’night in total . 5 night in Düsseldorf can you please advise which city we can visit for the rest days and we are not leaving Germany until 26th. So I want them
To enjoy the Christmas but I don’t know which city to choose .I will you to please give me where the kids can enjoy the trip age 8 ,6 and 3 . Do we fly back from
Düsseldorf or from
Another city ?
Thanks for your help.

Hi Marco! Yes, you can rent a car with just your US driver’s license. While not required, an int’l driver’s license can be helpful if you get pulled over or in an accident (you can get on at AAA). You can check distance between those cities via google maps (it’ll show you both driving and trains). I always add 25% to the times they suggest because there’s a good chance you’ll encounter traffic somewhere. We use google maps for all of our road trips in Germany. You could definitely do Frankfurt – Stuttgart – Munich – Berlin – Frankfurt (stay near airport on the last night) in 14 days. If you don’t want to drive from Munich – Berlin – Frankfurt, you could return the car in Munich and then take the train to Berlin and back to Frankfurt. Hope that helps you get started on your trip planning!

You’re welcome! Glad you joined the group! 🙂

@Cate, thank you for your quick response and feedback! I’ll check out the links you shared and I’ve joined your Facebook group.

Hi Lea Ann, you’ve got the makings of a magical winter trip! All of the places you mentioned will be beautiful in December because of the Christmas markets. Stuttgart, for example, has a huge, old Christmas market (plus there are 2 other really beautiful ones nearby) and there are 2 nearby castles you can visit. Hamburg and Cologne and also wonderful cities (Frankfurt too but I’d skip it on a short trip unless you have a specific reason to go there).Amsterdam is also a lot of fun and a great place to fly in or out of.

It’s a lot to fit into 8 nights so you’ll definitely need to hone in on just a few places, otherwise you’ll spend your entire trip packing/unpacking/driving. 🙂

You can use google maps in Germany and that’ll make getting from place to place easy. But unless you want to stop at specific sights between cities, you could easily take the train, since you’re going to big cities (you don’t need a car in any of the cities you want to visit). If you don’t mind parking the car at each hotel in the city, a car can give you more flexibility.

You can also stay in a castle in Germany! We’ve got a guide for that right here so you can see which one you like best.

It’s hard to get more specific about an itinerary here in the comments without taking to you and getting a better sense of your interests and needs but we’ve got lots of resources to help you — Christmas market guides (definitely take a look at the Stuttgart one!), city and hotel guides, and we’ve also got a Germany Travel Bundle with an interactive Germany Travel Map, City Cheatsheets, and other resources, and I do one-on-one trip planning consults.

And be sure to join our travel planning Facebook group!

We plan to rent a car and I will be doing the driving. We live in Colorado so I’m familiar with winter driving, but wonder if I can use Google maps while traveling through Germany.

Would love your thoughts or suggestions on this.

Thank you,
Lea Ann