I prefer May as the weather is warm and the chestnut trees will be in bloom in the beer gardens. At the beginning of May, the world's largest Spring beer festival, Frühlingsfest ( http://www.stuttgarter-fruehlingsfest.de ) will be in Stuttgart. My other favorite month is September when the grapes will be ripening on the vines. In Stuttgart there are two large events during this month, from late August to early September, the Weindorf ( http://www.stuttgarter-weindorf.de ), Germany's most attended wine festival; and the Cannstatter Volksfest ( http://www.cannstatter-volksfest.de ) from late September to early October, the world's second largest beer festival and at the same time largest fun festival. From about the beginning of September to the first weekend in November, the excellent palace at Ludwigsburg hosts the world's largest pumpkin exhibition in the gardens ( http://www.blueba.de ). Almost a half million pumpkins of over 450 varieties will be on display including Europe's largest pumpkins and squash; there are large themed sculptures made out of these vegetables; and there is food and drink made from them. Just an excellent day when coupled with the longest and best palace tours that I've been on in Europe, and the fairytale garden. The walks through Stuttgart's vineyards ( http://www.stuttgart-weinwanderweg.de ) in September are particularly pleasant, with places to sample wine and eat and drink along the way. We particularly enjoy the one between Obertürkheim and the Wine Museum at Uhlbach.

Before Christmas, December is nice for Stuttgart's Christmas Market, one of Germany's largest, oldest, most visited and most beautiful with all of the rooftops of the booths highly decorated, probably better than anywhere else in Germany. 15 minutes away are two other smaller large themed Christmas Markets that each attract over a million visitors: Esslingen ( http://www.esslingen.de ) Medieval & Christmas Market set amidst the excellent well-preserved medieval center of this town, particularly nice at night when lit by torches; and Ludwigsburg ( http://www.ludwigsburg.de ) Baroque Christmas Market set close to Germany's largest perfectly preserved palace, also particularly nice in the evening when the large angels are lit-up.

My least two favorite months of the year are November (gray and possibly rainy with short days) and March (when the weather can't decide whether it's Spring or Winter). All of the other months have their highlights.

For things to do in and around Stuttgart, have a look at what I recently wrote in #1 of http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187275-i116-k6068438-Stuttgart_as_a_base-Germany.html#46656711 .

One other thing I forgot to mention. Those more rural places (although excellent) that see small numbers of tourists may be closed in the colder months between Oct/Nov and Mar/Apr or have reduced opening hours then. Even some accommodations in summer tourist destinations such as Lake Constance may be closed then.

I like September.

Many people have gone back to work or to school and it is easier to get the less expensive rooms. There is an excellent chance for good weather, which makes the trip much more enjoyable.

I also like to attend some of the many fall festivals. There are many festivals that are just as much fun as the Oktoberfest in Munich but without the crowds.

How does Germany in September compare to September/October in the Pacific NW?

It's similar to New England.

No idea about Pacific NW, sorry :)

So it seems June is not the best month to visit.

There's nothing wrong with June, it's a pleasant month and the weather will be warm. Precipitation is about evenly divided every month of the year. Even in summer temperatures can be quite cool, perhaps with some highs being 10C or a little warmer, with the highest highs probably being less than 38C.

Schools in the south of Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria) have their vacations in August through mid-September. In the north summer vacations will start in June, with other German states continuing to have slightly later vacations as you proceed south. The start of these vacations can result in huge traffic jams on the autobahns.

Baden-Wuerttemberg has over 5,900 special events a year distributed throughout the year with most occurring in the warmer months, so there is no lack of special events and festivals whenever you visit.

The weather in Germany in September and October corresponds well to New England or the Pacific Northwest at those times.

I'd say March and April are a bit colder than the Pacific Northwest. One March, I had a cold northern wind pursue me for two weeks in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. The only day I could sit outside on a park bench, in any comfort, was the last day of my visit. I still had fun, but less than if the weather had been fine.

Thanks for your reply.

I am still struggjng I should go there in June or October

...... :(