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Living in Germany · Winter
Your First Winter in Germany: How to Prepare Your Body, Home, Car and Mind
I recently filmed a squirrel in a park here in Germany, running around with its cheeks full, burying food for the months ahead. It knows exactly what's coming. A lot of newcomers don't.
If you come from a warmer country, your first German winter can be a real shock. Not because of one dramatic snowstorm, but because of the small things that add up: it's dark when you leave for work and dark when you come home, the pavement is a sheet of ice, your flat suddenly has a mould problem, and you haven't seen the sun properly in two weeks.
The good news: almost all of it is easier if you prepare before December. Here's what actually matters, from what to wear to the rules you didn't know you had to follow.
Winter in Germany in numbers
~7.5–8.5 hbetween sunrise and sunset around 21 December (north to south)
1 Oct – 30 Aprthe usual heating period in rented flats
20 °Cdaytime minimum your landlord's heating must reach in living rooms
€60 + 1 pointfor driving on summer tyres in snow or ice
Temperatures vary a lot by region. Cologne or Hamburg often stay around 0 to 5 °C with grey drizzle, while Bavaria, the east and anywhere near the mountains regularly drop well below zero. Expect at least a few weeks of frost wherever you live.
1. Dress for the cold (properly)
The classic newcomer mistake is buying one thick, expensive jacket and wearing a T-shirt underneath. Germans dress in layers (the Zwiebelprinzip, the "onion principle"), because you go from −3 °C outside to an overheated U-Bahn to a warm office several times a day.
Your basic winter kit
- A warm, windproof jacket that covers your hips. Down or a good synthetic filling.
- Thermal underwear (Thermounterwäsche) for really cold days or if you wait outside for buses.
- Waterproof shoes with grip. Snow turns into grey slush quickly, and smooth soles on ice are how people end up at the doctor.
- Hat, scarf and gloves. You lose a lot of heat through your head and hands, and touchscreen gloves make life easier.
Money tip: you don't need to buy everything new. Check Kleinanzeigen and second-hand shops in October, and look at Decathlon, Primark or TK Maxx for thermal layers. We also collect a few useful winter basics in our Find Around Amazon storefront.
2. Get your flat ready
German flats are built to keep heat in, which is great for your bills and terrible if you don't ventilate. Condensation on cold walls and windows is the number one cause of mould in rentals, and mould is a fight with your landlord you don't want.
Heat and ventilate the German way
- Stoßlüften: open the windows fully for 5 to 10 minutes, two to four times a day, ideally with a cross draught. In winter, a few minutes is enough.
- Don't leave windows tilted (gekippt) for hours. It cools the walls without really exchanging the air.
- Keep rooms evenly warm, even the ones you don't use much. A cold bedroom next to a warm living room is where mould starts.
- Watch the humidity. A cheap hygrometer helps: around 40 to 60% is a good range.
- Keep furniture a few centimetres off outside walls so air can circulate.
We explain all of this in detail, including what to do if mould appears and who pays, in Heating, Lüften & Mold: How to Survive Your First German Winter in a Rental.
What your landlord owes you
During the heating period, the heating has to work. Tenant associations and courts generally expect around 20 °C during the day in living rooms (more in the bathroom) and roughly 16 to 18 °C at night. If the heating breaks, report it to your landlord or Hausverwaltung in writing with a short deadline, and write down the room temperatures. Don't simply stop paying rent without advice.
Don't let pipes freeze. If you travel home over Christmas, don't switch the heating off completely. Leave it on a low setting (the snowflake or "1" on the thermostat). Burst pipes from a freezing flat can end up being your responsibility.
3. Look after your mood: the dark months are real
Nobody warned me about this part. In December the sun rises after 8 am and sets before 4:30 pm in much of the country, and on grey days it barely feels like it rose at all. Many people feel tired, flat or unmotivated, the so-called winter blues. For some it becomes Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a real, treatable condition.
What helps:
- Get outside in daylight, even 20 to 30 minutes at lunchtime. Daylight on a cloudy day is still far brighter than indoor light.
- Keep a regular sleep routine, including weekends.
- Move your body. Gyms, swimming pools, the Volkshochschule (VHS) and sports clubs (Vereine) all run through winter.
- Stay in touch with friends here and family back home. Schedule calls instead of waiting for them to happen.
- Ask for help if low mood, exhaustion or loss of interest lasts for weeks. Your Hausarzt is the first point of contact, and the TelefonSeelsorge (0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222) is free, anonymous and open 24/7.
4. Your health: vitamin D, medicines and the Apotheke
From roughly October to March, the sun in Germany is too low for your skin to produce much vitamin D. That's why you'll see vitamin D everywhere in drugstores. But more isn't better: don't start high-dose supplements on your own. Ask your Hausarzt whether you need a test or a supplement and at what dose.
Also stock a small winter cabinet at home: what you normally take for fever, pain, a sore throat or a blocked nose, plus a thermometer. In Germany even basic painkillers are only sold in the Apotheke, not the supermarket, and on Sundays you'll need the emergency pharmacy (Notdienstapotheke) listed on every pharmacy door.
Get sick in winter? Our step-by-step guide A2 German at the Doctor: From the Phone Call to Your Sick Note covers when to call your Hausarzt, the 116117 on-call service or 112, and how the Krankschreibung works.
5. Cars, ice and the winter tyre rule
Germany doesn't have a fixed date for winter tyres. Instead there's a situational rule (§ 2 Abs. 3a StVO): if there's black ice, snow, slush or frost on the road, you must drive on winter or all-season tyres. Since October 2024 they must carry the Alpine symbol (a mountain with a snowflake). Old tyres marked only "M+S" no longer count.
| Situation | Fine |
|---|---|
| Wrong tyres in winter conditions | €60 + 1 point in Flensburg |
| …and you obstruct traffic | €80 + 1 point |
| …and you endanger others | €100 + 1 point |
| …and you cause an accident | €120 + 1 point |
Your insurance can also pay less after an accident if you were on the wrong tyres. Germans use the rule of thumb "von O bis O": from Oktober to Ostern (Easter).
Keep in the car
- Ice scraper and snow brush
- Windscreen washer fluid with antifreeze (Frostschutz)
- Gloves, a blanket and a phone charger
Not driving? Then Glatteis (black ice) is your main enemy. Take smaller steps, keep your hands out of your pockets, and leave earlier, because trains and buses run late in snow.
6. The snow rule nobody tells you about
In Germany, someone is legally responsible for clearing the pavement in front of every building: the Räum- und Streupflicht. It's the owner's job, but many rental contracts or the Hausordnung pass it on to tenants, often on a rota. Check your contract and the notice board in your stairwell.
- Typical hours are roughly 7 am to 8 pm on weekdays (often from 8 or 9 am on Sundays). The exact times depend on your city.
- Paths to the entrance, bins and bike cellar usually have to be clear too.
- Many cities don't allow salt on pavements. Use grit or sand (Streugut).
- Working, being sick or on holiday doesn't cancel your turn. Swap with a neighbour or arrange someone else.
Why it matters: if someone slips on a path you were supposed to clear, you can be held liable. This is exactly the kind of case a cheap private liability insurance covers. Read Haftpflichtversicherung in Germany: The Cheap Insurance Every Expat Should Have if you don't have one yet.
7. Everyday routine: small habits that make winter easier
- Check the forecast every evening (the DWD WarnWetter app sends official weather warnings for free).
- Add 10 to 15 minutes to your commute on frosty mornings.
- Moisturise your hands, lips and face. Heated air plus cold wind dries your skin out fast.
- Drink enough water, even if you don't feel thirsty.
- Plan things to look forward to: a weekend trip, a sauna day, a class, a Christmas market with friends.
Don't spend the winter alone
Winter is hardest when you're far from family and your usual environment. The good news is that German winter has its own social life. Christmas markets start in late November, thermal baths and saunas are a national hobby, and clubs, choirs, language cafés and VHS courses keep running. Saying yes to a Glühwein with colleagues is a good way to make friends here.
And you're not the only one going through it. Ask questions and meet other newcomers on our Find Around Facebook Page.
Your first-winter checklist
- Warm jacket, thermal layers, hat, scarf, gloves
- Waterproof shoes with good grip
- Heating checked, routine for Stoßlüften set up, hygrometer bought
- Rental contract checked for snow-clearing duty
- Private liability insurance (Haftpflicht) in place
- Hausarzt registered, 116117 saved in your phone
- Basic medicines and a thermometer at home
- Winter tyres with the Alpine symbol, ice scraper and antifreeze (if you drive)
- A plan to get outside in daylight and to see people every week
Our Take
Your first German winter isn't dangerous. It's long, dark and a bit grey, and it catches people off guard because nobody explains the small rules: open the windows fully, clear the pavement, use the right tyres. Sort out your clothes, flat and paperwork in November, protect your daylight and your social life in December and January, and you'll be one of the people telling newcomers next year that it really isn't that bad. Like the squirrel: prepare early, and the cold months are much easier.
Your turn
Is this your first winter in Germany, or have you survived a few already? What surprised you most? Tell us on our Find Around Facebook Page.
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