Climate and winter

This page gives information about the climate in Germany, and how best to get through Germany’s winters.

Climate

Germany’s climate is temperate and maritime. Generally speaking, summers are moderately warm, and winters are moderately cold and cloudy. Average daytime temperatures vary between roughly 0°C in winter and 25°C in summer, whereas average nighttime temperatures vary between roughly -5°C in winter and 15°C in summer. Precipitation (mostly rainfall) falls evenly throughout the year, with slightly more in summer than in winter. Even though Germany lies fairly far north, the warm waters of the Gulf Stream keeps it warmer than other parts of the world at the same latitude (e.g. southern Alaska, or Tierra del Fuego).

Areas of southeastern Germany are furthest from the sea, and therefore have more pronounced temperature variation between seasons when compared with areas closer to the sea. The warmest part of Germany is in the southwest, near the French and Swiss border, whereas the coldest part (excepting the mountain areas in the Alps) is around Dresden. The sunniest parts are near Freiburg im Breisgau (in the southwest), and on the islands in the eastern Baltic Sea (e.g. Rügen).

Winter

Visitors and immigrants from warmer climates occasionally struggle during their first German winter.

Clothing

Winters in Germany can get cold, but not as super cold (unlike e.g. Scandinavia, Canada, and some parts of Russia). Daytime temperatures rarely drop below -15°C, and -5°C is a reasonable minimum in most urban areas.

The key to dressing in winter is to dress in layers. Not only does the outside temperature vary significantly from week to week in winter (it can be 10°C one week, and -10°C the next), but you will likely be moving frequently between warmer indoors and colder outdoors (e.g. walk from your house to the train station, take the train, walk from the train station to your office, work indoors, etc). Layers allow you to adapt to the outside conditions throughout the year.

When summer comes to an end, you will likely start wearing a light sweater, long trousers, and closed shoes. As autumn gets colder, you will likely add a wind- and waterproof outer layer, and wear a warmer sweater and thicker socks. As temperatures continue to drop, you can add a warm hat, a scarf, and some light gloves. In the middle of winter, you can add warmer (insulated) boots, thermal underwear, insulated gloves, and replace your t-shirt with a long-sleeved shirt.

If you’ve just arrived in Germany, you don’t need to buy everything at once. Instead, keep adding individual items of clothing as you need them, and combine them into layers.

The most important items of clothing for the coldest times of the year are:

A good outer jacket, which must be wind- and waterproof. Rain and wind will likely cause you more discomfort in winter than the cold will. Many manufacturers offer so-called “3-in-1” jackets, which are made up of a waterproof outer layer and an inner thermal fleece. You can remove the fleece to have a light jacket for spring and autumn (and/or wear the fleece by itself indoors), or zip them all together to make an insulated winter jacket.
Waterproof boots. Your feet probably cool down the quickest (as they are always in contact with the cold ground), and since your shoes will likely get wet (from rain or melting snow), your shoes also need to keep your feet dry. Depending on how cold it is, you can wear thicker or thinner socks.
Hat and scarf. Your head and face will get cold very quickly, and keeping them warm is an important part in feeling comfortable in winter.
Gloves. Even in your pockets your hands will get cold fairly quickly outdoors, so wear gloves. They don’t need to be super thick, but should be at least windproof and water-resistant.

This should be enough to get you through a German winter, unless you live in mountain areas (e.g. in the Alps, or in some of the higher Mittelgebirge), where you’ll encounter colder temperatures and non-trivial quantities of snow. When planning your clothes, also take into account how long you will be outside. If you’ll be spending several hours outside (e.g. going for a longer walk, or visiting a Christmas market), then you should wear warmer clothes compared to if you’re only walking from your house to the bus.

Darkness

People from more equatorial countries are often unprepared for the short hours of daylight in winter. While it’s nothing compared to our friends further north, for example, Hamburg (in northern Germany) gets less than eight hours of daylight (and over sixteen hours of darkness) a day in the middle of winter. Since the sky is often overcast, this means that you may not see the sun for weeks at a time.

This can affect everything from your mood to your body’s metabolism. A few things which can help:

Go outside! Don’t let the weather put you off - there is a German saying, “there is no such thing as bad weather, there is only inappropriate clothing”. Put on those winter boots and get some fresh air. A stroll along a river, through a forest, or even along the seaside, is surprisingly refreshing.
Don’t reduce your social contacts in winter - isolation further dampens your mood. Plenty of people from warmer climates take the onset of winter as a cue to go into social “hibernation”, and the social isolation makes the winter blues worse. Resist this temptation - make plans to see friends, whether it be for an evening of board games, for an outing to a Christmas market, for a walk through silent fields and forest covered in frost, or for an outing to the latest movie or a good concert.
Light things up. There is a reason Christmas lights exist - abuse them. Hang those lights everywhere, inside and out, so that when you come home in the evening, you’re greeted with a soft light from every direction, as opposed to darkness punctured by individual points of light. You may also wish to consider buying a lightbox if you really suffer from lack of sunlight. If you can, get some bright lamps which have a similar spectrum to daylight, and turn them to full for a few hours a day.
Try to get out of the “expat bubble”. I know that’s easier said than done, but if all your friends are struggling with winter, then you can’t help but feel dragged down too. Try to hang out with Germans (who grew up with winter and so are as lively as at any other time of year) - if you’ve got a mixture of expat and German friends, then the latter can help prop you up during the winter.
Consider taking some vitamin D supplements to counteract your body’s reduced production. You can get smaller doses over the counter, but you should see your doctor if you think you may need a higher dose.
The cold outside air is very dry, so make sure that the air in your apartment contains sufficient moisture (ideally 40%-60% relative humidity). If your indoor air is too dry, then air-dry your laundry inside and it should shoot right back up.
Saunas! Germany has a great sauna culture, and relaxing in a warm room before running out into the freezing cold is incredibly invigorating. Many public swimming pools have saunas, and some are really extensive, with half a dozen different types, pools, rest areas, food and drinks, etc.

Other advice

When temperatures start to fall below freezing at night, be aware of ice on the paths and roads in the morning. An unlucky fall is painful and can even cause non-trivial injuries. Driving and cycling on icy roads is also fairly dangerous - consider walking and/or taking public transport until you’re sure the roads have been cleared.

By law, all cars in Germany must be fitted with weather-appropriate tyres. For half of the year (broadly speaking from October to March, but this varies by location) this means your car must have either snow or all-weather tyres. If you drive with summer tyres in winter, then not only is your car very unsafe, but if caught you’ll pay a fine, and you will likely be held partially at fault in case of an accident.

Wintertime also means changing some of your habits regarding ventilation and combating condensation in your apartment. In particular, even with very cold temperatures outside you will still want to ventilate your apartment by opening the windows fully for a few minutes at least twice a day. See our guide to problems with housing for details.