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8 ways to enjoy summer like a German

From a prolonged vacation to lake days and eating seasonal produce, here's how to make the most of summer in Germany like a local.

Published: 2 August 2024 10:54 CEST

A restaurant in Berlin with a holiday notice on the window. Photo: Rachel Loxton

Shut up shop for weeks (or enjoy the quiet)

You know it’s summer in Germany when your local restaurant, cafe or shop closes.

And it’s never just one or two days off – you can expect businesses to close for weeks on end. Usually, people shut up shop for two to six weeks in the summer over July and August. You’ll find notices on doors and windows telling customers: ‘Wir sind im Urlaub!’ (we are on holiday).

Take a cue from the Germans and book your own prolonged vacation from work, whether you’re travelling or not.

Or you can simply enjoy the peace and quiet in your neighbourhood or city. It won’t last long – as soon as September rolls around, things will get busy once more.

Take a Hitzefrei

If the temperatures climb up into the late 20s or 30s, you can expect some businesses to close simply because they find it too hot.

Often you’ll find a cafe with a note on the door explaining that they’ve taken a ‘Hitzefrei’ (heat free) day. Sometimes they’ll say outright that they have gone to cool off in the water. You can’t say that Germans aren’t direct.

If your boss doesn’t allow you to go home due to the weather, take a tip from the Germans and book a vacation from work when it’s forecast to be super hot. You’ll be happy to sip on an ice cold drink rather than be stuck in an office.

Hitzefrei written on a board at a school in Dresden. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Sebastian Kahnert

Go to a lake

Is there any more beloved summer activity than having a day trip at a lake? Germans love getting out into the fresh air and nature at any time of year, but during summer is when the lake culture really hits a high.

According to the Federal Environment Agency, there are more than 12,000 lakes in Germany, with most situated in northern Germany and the foothills of the Alps.

To do lakes like a German involves being meticulously prepared. You need plenty of sunscreen, access to shade and water. Bring homemade snacks, picnic blankets, towels and fresh swimwear to change into after you’ve had a swim (Germans rarely sit in their damp bathing suit). Bonus points if you embrace the FKK (Freikörperkultur) tradition and head to a nudist beach.

With the changeable weather this summer, an umbrella might also be handy for the walk back to the train station or your car.

Enjoy seasonal produce

Although many supermarkets stock fruit and veg all year round, Germans still like to eat seasonally.

And now that Spargelzeit (asparagus season) has been and gone for the year, we are into Erdbeersaison (strawberry season).

Delicious strawberries are often sold at the side of the road in little stalls, and there are also the famous stands run by Karls Erdbeerhof that pop up all over cities. Other summer fruit favourites are watermelon, blueberries and cherries.

Germans also tuck into chanterelle mushrooms (Pfifferlinge) in the warmer months. They can be expensive at the supermarket, but you can often get a better deal from local punters selling them at the side of the road in the countryside or the outskirts of cities.

Eat (spaghetti) ice cream

Germans like to tuck into ice cream even when it’s chilly outside. But the art of a beautiful Eis comes into its own in summer. Ice cream parlous extend their hours in the summer months so you can get an Eis even when it’s 9, 10 or 11pm.

One thing we absolutely recommend is a German phenomenon known as Spaghetti-Eis – pasta shaped ice cream.

The sweet treat was invented by Dario Fontanella, the owner of Eis Fontanella Eismanufaktur Mannheim in the German city of Mannheim.

German Spaghetti-Eis.

German Spaghetti-Eis. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Uwe Anspach

The ice cream expert reportedly came up with the concept in 1969. It’s made by putting vanilla ice cream through a chilled Spätzle press to create ice cream noodles. The fake pasta is then arranged on whipped cream and topped with strawberry ‘tomato’ sauce and finely chopped ‘parmesan’ white chocolate.

Nowadays, you’ll find it in lots of ice cream parlours across Germany, including variations such as a chocolate and hazelnut ‘carbonara’ (and also vegan versions).

Fontanella, whose family emigrated to Germany from a town outside Venice in 1932, has previously said he just wanted to recreate the Italian national dish.

Take a staycation

Whether it’s a day-trip or a week away, Germans love to explore their own country.

And it’s no wonder. From stunning lakes and mountains to rivers and beaches or bustling cities, there is a ton of diverse destinations to consider for your staycation.

A survey conducted in 2023 found that Germans’ favourite at-home holiday destination is the seaside, with 57.8 percent of respondents saying they love to visit the North Sea or the Baltic Sea (Ostsee).

Other coveted destinations for a getaway were the Allgäu, a Bavarian region at the foot of the Alps, Bodensee, the Black Forest, Mecklenburg Lake District and hiking favourite, Saxon Switzerland.

The Sauerland mountains in the west and the Spreewald region near Berlin, which is famous for its waterways and pickles, also made the list.

If you’re travelling by train, there is a downside to consider: summer is also the time that construction projects get underway so you may have to grapple with more delays and diversions than usual.

A pickle statue outside a tourist shop in Lübbenau, Spreewald.

A pickle statue outside a tourist shop in Lübbenau, Spreewald. Photo: Rachel Loxton

Attend a festival, Biergarten or picnic

Whether it’s joining a neighbourhood get-together, heading to an electronic music festival or attending a picnic in the park, this is one of the best ways to make the most of the summer in Germany.

Festivals take place all year round, but the best time to enjoy them is in the warmer months when there are longer days and fewer super-cold temperatures.

If going to an event like this isn’t your thing, there are still plenty of green spaces to enjoy in cities. Bring a picnic or set up a barbecue – but make sure to grill in the correct area so you don’t land on the wrong side of the Ordungsamt.

If you don’t fancy that, you can always rely on a Biergarten. Sitting at a long table enjoying a beer or juice al fresco is one of the joys of the German summer.

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Head to Spain

Although Germans enjoy taking a holiday at home, they are also known for hopping on a plane and heading to a Spanish island like Mallorca or Tenerife.

In these spots you will find plenty of German being spoken – and even some German-run facilities, such as restaurants and cafes.

Famously, tens of thousands of Germans sheepishly flew to Mallorca on holiday during the pandemic in spring 2021, even though the German government was urging people not to travel at the time due to Covid.

Not much can come between Germans and their love of a seaside break in the sun.

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Five 'coolcation' spots you can reach by train from Germany

Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece or Turkey – these are probably the first summer vacation destinations that come to mind for most Germans.

But soaring temperatures and increasing tensions between local residents and tourists are turning some of Southern Europe’s dream destinations into nightmares for tourists.

In Greece major attractions have repeatedly been closed due to extreme heat waves this summer, and three tourists reportedly succumbed to heat-related deaths.

In Spain, vacationers suffer both heatwaves and also unwelcoming residents in some locations. Tourist hot spots have seen increasingly loud anti-tourism protests as residents complain that tourists push the cost of living up for locals.

Some Italian cities have seen similar protests, and one city temporarily banned tourists this year over concerns around the water supply.

Taken together, these and similar incidents seen across Southern Europe suggest that the combination of climate change and local frustrations are bound to have dramatic effects on Europeans’ travel habits.

In fact these changes are already being seen to an extent. Swapping a beach vacation for a “coolcation” – that is a trip to a place with a cooler climate – is already being reported as a major travel trend this summer.

So if a coolcation sounds more appealing to you this year, here are five destinations near Germany. What’s more, you can skip the flight and take a train there if you like.

Malmö, Sweden

Relatively unknown among travellers, compared to say Stockholm or Copenhagen, the southern Swedish city of Malmö is gaining a reputation as one of the Nordic’s most underrated cities.

It’s a small, and very green city that allows guests to have a Northern European experience without navigating the large crowds and higher costs seen in the larger cities.

And with average daily temperatures ranging between 14 and 22C even in July and August, it’s certainly a good place to escape the heat.

Malmö

Just a bridge or a short train ride from Copenhagen, Malmö is an underrated Swedish city to visit. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-tmn | Francoise Hauser

Getting there:

Copenhagen, Malmö and Stockholm and all accessible from Germany by car or train, and Sweden’s Snälltåget train offers a direct night train connecting to Hamburg, Berlin and Dresden.

Departures from Germany leave Dresden at 5:26 p.m., stopping in Berlin close to 8 p.m. and Hamburg around midnight.

Then at 7 a.m. the next morning the train stops in Copenhagen, and on to Malmö by 7:25. From there the train stops in several more Swedish cities before arriving in Stockholm by 1:20 p.m.

The complete train schedule can be found on the Snälltåget website.

More useful information for planning a trip to Malmö or other Swedish cities can be found at our sister website The Local – Sweden.

The Alps

Central Europe’s tallest mountains are probably the first place that comes to mind when most Germans think about a coolcation, and for good reason.

The Alps offer cooler temperatures (the higher you go the cooler it is) as well as stunning hiking, natural views and crystal clear lakes for a refreshing dip.

While a summer trip is a common idea for many, the mountain range is extensive enough that you can avoid the crowds easily enough by travelling beyond the main tourist hubs.

Getting there:

Some parts of the Alps are only accessible by car (and then foot if you want to go really remote). But there are train routes from Germany that will bring you to some great coolcation destinations in the Alps in Switzerland, Austria or Italy.

Nightjet, operated by Austrian railways (ÖBB) has a line that connects Berlin to Zürich, stopping through Leipzig on the way. Alternatively, there’s a night train from Amsterdam that stops in Bonn close to midnight, and another from Hamburg and stops in Karlsruhe around 6 in the morning.

On the Austrian side, a number of trains from Munich head into the Alps via Innsbruck or Salzburg. For those coming from further afield, there’s a Nightjet train from Amsterdam that can take you directly to Innsbruck from Düsseldorf, Würzburg or Nuremberg, and another from Hamburg that also connects to Hannover and Göttingen.

Some of the trains that connect Munich to Innsbruck also continue on to the Italian Alps. For example, from Munich Hauptbahnhof you can catch an EC train toward Bologna and get off at Bolzano or Trento to access the Italian Alps. The ride from Munich takes about four and half hours.

Slovenia

Less developed than its neighbours to the north and not having as much coastal access as its neighbours to the south, Slovenia remains a hidden gem among European travel destinations. But maybe not for too much longer, as its mountain lakes in particular have gained notoriety in recent years.

Lake Bled, with its castle on a cliff overlooking a crystal blue alpine lake is among Slovenia’s best known attractions. Not too far away, the Bohinj Valley offers similar sights and experiences, including an equally beautiful lake and summer sports galore.

Another natural coolcation draw is the Soča River, which is surrounded by gorgeous hiking trails and offers activities like river rafting and fly fishing.

Lake Bled

Lake Bled in Slovenia is a prime destination for swimming, hiking and summer adventure sports. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Antonio Bat

Getting there:

You can get to Bled in Slovenia in about six hours via train from Munich. You’ll typically have to transfer twice in Villach and Jesenice.

From the station at Bled Jezero you can catch a local bus to your destination at Lake Bled, or Lake Bohinj or other destinations in the area.

Poland’s Baltic Coast

For a more budget friendly vacation, and one a bit more off the beaten track, Germany’s neighbour to the east shouldn’t be overlooked.

Poland’s southern mountains offer hiking, summer sports and rafting that can also make for an exciting summer break.

But if you’re really looking to escape the heat, the Baltic Coast is generally your best bet.

Szczecin, which is accessible from Berlin in about three hours with the Deutschlandticket, and is near the Baltic Sea, can be an easy city to visit for a quick overnight or weekend getaway.

Further away, but more properly situated on the coast is Gdańsk, from where you can access plenty of beaches along the coastline in either direction.

Getting there:

Trains connect Berlin to Gdańsk in about seven hours, depending on the transfers.

The fastest route is via Frankfurt Oder and transfers in central Poland in Poznań. There’s also a route through Szczecin, but it takes a bit longer, about nine hours.

Alternatively you could take a Flixbus to Gdańsk (also transferring in Poznań) in about 10 hours.

Baltic sea coast

Swimmers take a cooling dip in the Baltic Sea off the Polish coast. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stefan Sauer

Germany’s coolcation locations

If you don’t have the time or the energy for an international train journey, it’s possible to have a domestic coolcation right here in Germany.

The coast near the Baltic Sea (Ostsee in German) is generally where the coolest temperatures are recorded in the summer months, and the region’s white same beaches are among Germany’s top summer destinations.

Or if you’re closer to the south, you can explore the edge of the Alps along Germany’s border, including the country’s highest peak, the Zugspitze.

Of course, almost anywhere you go in Germany, you can find a refreshing lake to cool off in. But for the coldest waters, it helps to get as close as possible to the mountains. The rivers coming down the mountains into Southern Germany, such as the Isar in Munich effectively carry snowmelt from the Alps directly into Bavaria.

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