What to Wear in Munich in October

Dress for the city after the Wiesn. NOAA's figures for the DWD-run Nymphenburg station give Munich's October 14°C / 57°F by day and 6.1°C / 43°F at night, with 67mm of rain over about 12 days. Oktoberfest closes on Sunday 4 October; then the month shortens fast. Statistisches Amt München counts about 123 hours of sunshine against 170 in September, and on the 25th the clocks go back, pulling sunset from about ten past six to about ten past five. The bright days belong to the Föhn, a warm, dry wind off the Alps that DWD says lifts temperatures well above the seasonal norm. Pack for the Lange Nacht der Museen on the 17th and the Auer Dult the next morning: wool you open indoors, a trench you belt outside.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Camel double-breasted trench, belted, knee length

   Wear it open at noon and belted after dark. A camel trench to the knee sheds a 67mm month without the weight of a wool coat, and the double-breasted front closes over a cashmere crew when the night settles at 6°C / 43°F. It is what you queue in at Odeonsplatz for the Lange Nacht shuttle, and it folds over an arm in every heated gallery after that.

2. 
   02

   Charcoal boiled-wool Trachten cardigan, round neck, engraved buttons

   Of everything worn at the Wiesn, this is what carries on past 4 October. The muenchen.de outfit guide calls the Janker jacket "suitable for cooler evenings", and a charcoal boiled-wool cardigan in that cut, with a round neck and a column of engraved buttons, covers a tent on the 1st and a Schwabing Wirtshaus on the 20th. Boiled wool shrugs off a passing shower that soaks a plain knit.

3. 
   03

   Heather-oat crew-neck cashmere sweater

   Seven hours of galleries rest on this layer. The Lange Nacht der Münchner Museen runs from 18:00 to 01:00 on 17 October across more than 100 venues, in and out of heated rooms and onto shuttle buses, and a cashmere crew keeps you warm at a 6°C / 43°F stop without overheating you indoors. Heather-oat stops the charcoal cardigan and the brown trousers reading as one dark block.

4. 
   04

   Very dark brown wool-flannel trousers, pressed crease

   Wool flannel stays warm at 6.1°C, where cotton chinos go cold the moment the light goes, and after the 25th that happens at about ten past five. Choose a brown so dark it reads almost black under gallery lighting, then let the camel, chestnut and oxblood warm it in daylight. One pair covers the Dult on a Sunday morning and a Wirtshaus table the same night.

5. 
   05

   Chestnut leather Chelsea boots, elastic sides

   Plan to walk on Sunday 11 October. The Munich Marathon starts at 9am from Olympiapark and runs past the Siegestor, through Marienplatz and the Englischer Garten, so the centre belongs to runners that morning. Chestnut leather sheds a shower across about 12 wet days, elastic sides pull on in one move at the hotel door, and the plain toe still looks right at dinner.

6. 
   06

   Long oxblood wool scarf

   Add it on the 25th. When the clocks go back, a 6pm walk that still had light on the 24th happens in the dark, and the temperature falls with the light toward 6°C / 43°F. A long oxblood scarf wraps twice at the open throat of a trench, and it is the only colour in a capsule of camel, charcoal, oat and brown.

7. 
   07

   Tan-brown slouchy leather shoulder bag, zipped pockets

   Carry it to the Auer Dult. About 250 stalls of enamelware, ceramics and antiques fill Mariahilfplatz from 17 to 25 October, open 10:00 to 19:00, and zipped pockets keep a wallet shut while your hands turn over a jug. The long strap goes across the body in a crowd, and tan-brown leather sits between the chestnut boots and the camel trench.

8. 
   08

   Black compact folding umbrella

   October is drier than September, 67mm against 80, and only about 7 of its 12 wet days bring more than 2.5mm. That is compact-umbrella weather, not full-canopy weather. It folds into the shoulder bag between shuttle buses on the Lange Nacht, and the other five wet days are drizzle the trench handles on its own.

A suggested look — camel trench coat, heather-oat cashmere crew, dark brown wool-flannel trousers, chestnut chelsea boots.

What to avoid

• A dirndl or Lederhosen after 4 October — once the Wiesn closes, full Tracht reads as costume
• Dressing for a Föhn afternoon — the average day is still 14°C / 57°F, the night 6°C / 43°F
• A tent seat on Saturday 3 October — German Unity Day is marked very busy from 3pm
• Suede boots — about 12 wet days water-mark them by midweek
• Daylight plans after five from the 25th — the clocks go back and sunset comes an hour earlier