Travel to Germany in October/November? (crime, country, places, rent)

[62mike]

I was planning on taking my 90 year old father-in-law for a return visit to Germany. I have never been myself he will be a returning veteran. Due to his age I don't want to wait if he is able to go now.

October or November would be the earliest we could travel is this a good time to be in Germany or Europe in general? I guess weather is my first concern. Is October still warm enough to do most anything and is November getting to cold or even snow?

Is there a cheaper time of year to visit? I would rather it not be to cold during his visit.

Also, are rental cars similar to here in the US as far as getting one and getting unlimited mileage for a week say? What about taking it from one country to another?

Thanks for any help.

[Rob702]

In October you might be lucky. There can be a lot of really nice, warm days. Warm as in warmer than 50 degrees, sometimes even up to 70. It can also be very cloudy, windy and rainy. November is usually colder, very foggy and rainy. Snow occasionally, most of the trees won't have any leaves so the everything is somewhat dreary. Of course it depends on the area and some years are better than others. I personally would recommend to go in May or June. But if you only have the choice between October or later in fall/winter: Go in October!

Fall and winter are probably the cheapest seasons to visit. Most Germans go on vacation in July and August, schools close for summer break as well, so definitely avoid those months.

No idea about the rental cars though.

[elnina]

Depends what part of Germany, but overall it will be much cooler, and more rainy days.
Make sure that you have a warm jacket, warm socks, and a neckerchief.
The fall colors would be still beautiful.
You are going from where to where? I would tell you the price difference.
I am going on Sept. 22nd and getting a pretty good price on my trip.
There are trips and TRIPS... if you are traveling with a 90 y.o. you might have to check on other things beside the price. DM me if you want.

[Janpor]

Once on European soil you can travel freely to all 27 countries of the European Union, plus Switzerland and Norway. With your rental car.

Also, the mileage is unlimited - but be aware that gasoline here is way more expensive than in the United States. Currently it is about €1,4/Liter.

The weather in October/November can vary much. I would reccomend Ocotber - it can rain and all, but there also could be chance that with some luck you could rest outside on a bench and enjoy the autumn-sun, instead of freezing to death. Overall, the temperatures should vary between 10°C and 15°C.

[meet4]

Originally Posted by Janpor

Once on European soil you can travel freely to all 27 countries of the European Union, plus Switzerland and Norway. With your rental car.

Thats not true. Check with car rental company in Germany first. You can try Hertz or other big chain.

There is a lot of limitations. Traveling around old EU countries is usually without limits or with little fees.

[elnina]

Rent a cars are mostly manual, you will pay more for an automatic.
Hotels are not cheap, compared to US, and for the price you pay - you would expect much more than you get.
Food is much better and healthier, but that has a price - breakfast ($8), lunch ($15), dinner ($20) on a budget, not much drive through, mostly sit-down.
current, per liter, in euro ( 1 euro = $1.27 )
or ~$7 per gallon.
You need at least 2 credit cards: one Visa and MasterCard - some places take this or that.

[irman]

Rental cars.

If you happen to work for a rather large company, ask your HR department if your company has a corporate account you could use for car rentals and or hotels. Then make sure to ask them which *chains* they use.

OTOH, in Germany it is fun to stay at a *Gasthaus*.
Hopefully you do speak some German.

Which country are you flying *in to* ?

[MelanieGermany]

I recommend "BUCHBINDER" as car rental company. Its much cheaper than the big chains!!! Cars starting at 29€ per Day (these are small cars with advertising on it from the company).

You need only 1 credit card for renting a car there.

***********

If you want to go to poland with your car, ASK before! There are too many car thefts and some car rentals dont want you to go there...

Melanie / Germany

[MJay]

Originally Posted by MelanieGermany

I recommend "BUCHBINDER" as car rental company. Its much cheaper than the big chains!!! Cars starting at 29€ per Day (these are small cars with advertising on it from the company).

You need only 1 credit card for renting a car there.

***********

If you want to go to poland with your car, ASK before! There are too many car thefts and some car rentals dont want you to go there...

Melanie / Germany

Denmark, UK, Norway, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Finland, Portugal, Czech Republic and the Netherlands have even more car thefts.

Car thefts (per capita) by country. Definition, graph and map. (http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_car_the_percap-crime-car-thefts-per-capita - broken link)

[Stefan_from_Germany]

Definately try and avoid November. The weather is almost certainly miserable that time of the year. October is frequently still pretty nice.

There are some good value hotels such as holiday inn express which are often very new and modern and usually reasonably priced (60-70 Euros/room//night including breakfast). A new chain I realy like is Motel One. Much better than it sounds. Quick google search will find them.

Rental cars can be had fairly cheaply if you look around on the web. There are restriction on where you can take them that vary from company to company. Some will charge extra for insurance that covers poland, italy etc. especially fo expensive luxury or sports cars.

Feel free to ask here or contact me directly for any more info.

Enjoy the trip!