Surviving Our First Summer in Germany Without AC

Most German apartments don’t come with central AC, even new ones. When we moved to Stuttgart, we thought fans, open windows, and rolladen shutters would be enough to get us through our first summer. Here’s what it was really like — the sticky nights, the cultural surprises, and why we realized shutters weren’t a substitute for air conditioning.

Sticky Nights Without Sleep

Our first summer in Stuttgart was a scorcher — and it also happened to be the same summer we moved in. We told ourselves we could tough it out with just open windows and shutters. And we did survive… but not comfortably.

Nights were long and sticky, with both of us tossing and turning until 3 or 4 AM. Just as we finally dozed off, the sunrise crept in around 5 AM, waking us again in sweat-soaked sheets. Even glasses of cold water were sweating on the bedside table.

Fans and Rolladen: Our “Air Conditioners”

During the day, we experimented with every trick we could find. Rolladen down? The apartment turned dark, almost “back to bed” dark — not exactly ideal for working from home. Cross-breezes with tilted windows? Better in theory than practice, especially when the outside air was just as hot and humid.

We even repositioned our one tiny Amazon Basics fan in every direction imaginable. Pointed at us, pointed out the window, pointed away from the room. At best, it just pushed the warm air around.

The Culture Shock of No AC

Coming from North America, we knew in theory that European homes didn’t have central AC. But experiencing it firsthand was different. No ceiling fans. No thermostat. No relief during a humid heatwave.

Our Killesberg apartment was a neubau (new build), but even then, there were no provisions for any kind of AC system. That was the real shock — in Canada or the U.S., modern apartments would almost always have some cooling option built in.

We admired our German colleagues who swore by shutters and patience. But for us, working long hours and trying to sleep through hot nights, it quickly became clear: this wasn’t sustainable.

Can you survive German summers without AC?

Yes, but it’s uncomfortable.

Fans, rolladen, and open windows will get you through, but expect sleepless nights, sticky mornings, and an endless battle with humid air.

We got through that first summer with creativity, patience, and a lot of sleepless nights. But “surviving” isn’t the same as “living well.” When the next heatwave rolled in, we knew it was time to invest in something better — and that’s when we started researching portable AC options.