What's on in Berchtesgaden, Germany through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Germany, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Avalanche season

  1 Jan – 15 Apr · usually

  The Bavarian avalanche service rates these mountains daily through the winter, and the danger on steep ground climbs again as the temperature comes up from February into April. Level three and above means a guide. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Avalanche season (1 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)), Ski season (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Busy — Easter holidays in Germany, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Easter holidays

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekClosuresCrowded

  Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays everywhere, and shops close on Friday, Sunday and Monday. Good Friday is a quiet day with dance and loud-event bans in most states, and Germans use the four-day weekend to travel, so trains, motorways and holiday towns are busy. Source ↗

Still on: Avalanche season (1 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)), Ski season (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Easter holidays, Easter holidays in Germany

• Holiday

  Ascension and Whitsun

  14–25 MayNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  Ascension Day, a Thursday 39 days after Easter, and Whit Monday 11 days later are public holidays nationwide. Shops close on both, many people bridge them into long weekends, and trains, motorways and hotels in holiday areas get busy. Source ↗

Still on: Avalanche season (1 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)), Easter holidays (3–6 Apr), Ski season (15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ascension and Whitsun, Whitsun/Pentecost holidays in Germany

• Opening

  Eagle's Nest road open

  10 May – 25 Oct · usuallyTrail season

  The bus road up the Kehlstein runs roughly mid-May to late October and not a day longer; outside that the mountain's main sight is simply shut. Buses go from Obersalzberg only. Source ↗

Still on: Ascension and Whitsun (14–25 May)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  High trail and hut season

  10 Jun – 10 Oct · usuallyTrail seasonBook early

  The Watzmann traverse and the huts above the Koenigssee run from about mid-June once the snowfields go, to early October. Outside it the high routes need an ice axe, not boots.

Still on: Ascension and Whitsun (14–25 May), Eagle's Nest road open (10 May – 25 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Germany, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Eagle's Nest road open (10 May – 25 Oct (usually)), High trail and hut season (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Germany, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Eagle's Nest road open (10 May – 25 Oct (usually)), High trail and hut season (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Festival

  Almabtrieb cattle drives

  12 Sep – 5 Oct · usuallyHarvest

  The herds come down from the summer pastures wearing larch and rosette headdresses, through the villages rather than around them. The date moves with the weather and is set late. Source ↗

Still on: Eagle's Nest road open (10 May – 25 Oct (usually)), High trail and hut season (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — Autumn holidays in Germany, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Eagle's Nest road open (10 May – 25 Oct (usually)), High trail and hut season (10 Jun – 10 Oct (usually)), Almabtrieb cattle drives (12 Sep – 5 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Closure

  Between-seasons shutdown

  1 Nov – 10 Dec · usually

  The Kehlstein road is closed, the lifts are not turning yet and a good share of the guesthouses take their break. The Koenigssee boats still run, and that is about it. Source ↗

Busy — Christmas holidays in Germany, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Buttnmandl and Krampus runs

  4–8 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New Year

  Straw-wrapped figures with cowbells run the villages around Saint Nicholas night. It is a working local custom, loud and physical, not a staged show for visitors. Source ↗

• Season

  Ski season

  15 Dec – 10 Apr · usually

  Three small areas rather than one big one: the Jenner above the Koenigssee, the Rossfeld on the border ridge and the Goetschen. Snow is less reliable low down than the altitude suggests.

Still on: Between-seasons shutdown (1 Nov – 10 Dec (usually))