Tübingen is at its most enjoyable from late April to September, when the riverbanks, beer gardens and Stocherkahn boats are all in use. The town's main festivals — the Stocherkahn race in June and the Umbrisch-Provenzalischer Markt (an Italian-Provençal food and crafts market) in May — fall in this window.
Winter is much quieter and the cafes and old-town wine bars are at their cosiest. The Christmas market on the Marktplatz, while smaller than the famous ones in Stuttgart or Nuremberg, is one of the most atmospheric in the region.