I'd like to go in the Winter and I'd like to fly out of JFK, but I'm open to other options.

Does anyone know the best time to go to Germany from NYC?

Does anyone know of any good deals?

Can anyone reccommend an airline?

Any help is appreciated!

Welcome to Flyertalk

If you are into Christmas, I think visiting the Christmas Markets in some of the small towns of Germany is a wonderful trip.

It's a great way to kick off the holiday spirit, though after many beers and hot spiced wines, that could be the holiday spirits talking.

you should take an airline that boosts your frequent flyer program....

if cheap is what you want, use expedia/kayak/other to see what is available on your date[s]....get a travel agent, perhaps....good luck....

jaitiruak, welcome to FlyerTalk! Please follow the discussion as the thread moves to the Travel->Germany Forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

why do you want to go in the winter?.....oct is popular, but pricey.....mid jan-mid march is apt to be cheaper overall....

What are your interests and how much time do you like to spend over here?

The places you like to go might also have an effect on the airports you want to fly to (i.e. Heidelberg FRA, Alps MUC, Berlin TXL). Out of JFK there are plenty options. Are you holding a frequent flyer status somewhere? ON which program do you collect miles? Do you want to fly F, C or Y?

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your responses!

The reason I wanted to go in the winter is because we promised some people that we'd visit them around New Years time. Obviously, if that's not possible we'd just go some other time but we'd like to honor our promise. Plus, the holiday markets that cordelli mentioned sounded really nice

They live near Munich so we thought Munich was best, but we are planning on staying an extra few days to maybe see some other cities like Berlin.

I really just started traveling about 2 years ago. I'm only part of Jetblue's TrueBlue program. I'd really like to join an international frequent flyer program because I do plan on traveling much more often. Is there a frequent flyer program that would be best for someone that flies probably 3-4 times a year (domestic and international)?

Go to Munich in the weeks before Christmas so you can see the Christmas markets for which Germany is known. They close December 24.

Berlin is a common NYE destination...

Can you go around Thanksgiving instead? Airlines (especially Lufthansa) usually have great deals for travel around that time, because most Americans stay home. The upside is that you'll be able to catch the start of the Christmas markets in late November, though the downside is that those sales usually have short travel windows (say, leave Nov 22-26 and return by Dec 2 or so)

As for miles, probably your best bet is to establish yourself with a U.S.-based airline and credit the miles from a partner. For example, you could fly Lufthansa and credit the miles to United, or fly British Airways and credit to American.

The christmas market (Chrsitkindlmarkt) in Nurnberg is quite famous as well and it is not far from Munich.

Good call on Thanksgiving, SFOSpiff! I was looking only to go for 5 days anyway so it works out great. The flights were cheaper and I really did want to see those markets.

Shoot for TG and choose the airline that has the best price and most convenient flight times to your destination. With a 5-day trip you really want short flights, ideally non-stop. Then you sign up for their FF program BEFORE you actually book the flight. This way you can enter your member number when you book and the flight will be automatically credited to your FF account.

You may think of maximizing miles and certain privileges by applying for a credit card affiliated with an airline. Continental Presidential Plus (Chase Mastercard) has excellent benefits, like priority check-in, boarding, luggage, security, lounge access for you and members in your party and two free checked suitcases per person traveling on any flight, as well as double points on flights booked from the Continental website.

Downside is that it is not inexpensive at $395 per year but sometimes they have special offers where the first year will be free.

Till

IMHO the best time of year to come here is mid May - June. Days are long, often the weather is really good. Air Berlin has a good deal on flights from JFK-DUS (D�sseldorf) direct. From the Dusseldorf airport you can take the train or fly onward....

I'm going to second the vote for around memorial day. Everyone's coming out from the winter, the whole country is green and the weather is near perfect. The asparagus is in season, and the biergartens are open and people are visiting them after work. Some parts of northern germany can get very cold in the winter.