Germany Travel Tips

Social Conventions
Handshaking is customary, and it is considered rude to address people by their first name unless invited to do so. Normal courtesies should be observed. Before eating, it is normal to say Guten Appetit to the other people at the table to which the correct reply is Gleichfalls. It is customary to present the hostess with unwrapped flowers (according to tradition, one should always give an uneven number and it is worth noting that red roses are exclusively a lover’s gift).

Courtesy dictates that visitors should utter a greeting such as Guten Tag (or Grüss Gott in Bavaria) before saying what it is that they want; to leave without saying Auf Wiedersehen or Tschüss can also cause offence. Similarly, when making a telephone call, asking for the person you want to speak to without stating first who you are is impolite. Casual wear is widely acceptable, but more formal dress is required for some restaurants, the opera, theater, casinos and important social functions. Smoking is prohibited where notified and on public transport and in most public buildings.

International Travel:

Getting There by Air
The national airline is Lufthansa (LH) (website: www.lufthansa.com).

Departure Tax
None.

Main Airports
Frankfurt/M (FRA) (Rhein/Main) (website: www.airportcity-frankfurt.com) is Germany’s major air transport hub, 13km (8 miles) southwest of the city. To/from the airport: Regular buses connect the airport with the city center (main railway station). S-Bahn (website: www.rmv.de) rail lines S8 and S9 go to the city’s main rail station (Hauptbahnhof) from directly beneath the Terminal 1 arrival hall (journey time - around 15 minutes). S8 also goes directly to Mainz and Wiesbaden (journey time - 40 minutes). Intercity ICE trains also stop at the airport station. Taxis are available around the clock (journey time to city center - 20-30 minutes). Facilities: Left luggage, medical facilities, duty-free shops, banks, restaurants, bars, conference rooms, post office, tourist information and car hire.

Berlin-Tegel (TXL) (website: www.berlin-airport.de) is Berlin’s international airport, located 8km (5 miles) northwest of the city center (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Buses go to the city every 5 to 10 minutes from 0500-2400. Facilities: Duty-free shop, banks/bureaux de change, left luggage, 24-hour medical facilities, post office, restaurant, bars, tourist information, conference rooms and car hire.

Munich (MUC) (Franz Joseph Strauss) (website: www.munich-airport.de) is 28.5km (18 miles) northeast of the city (journey time - 45 minutes). To/from the airport: Direct links with the S-Bahn S8 and S1 run every 10 minutes from Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) from 0330-0030. The Airport City Bus runs every 20 minutes from 0700-1930 to the Hauptbahnhof and every 30 minutes from 0800-2100; further bus services are available. Coach Oberbayern runs every 10 minutes to the city center. Facilities: Duty-free shop, left luggage, 24-hour medical facilities, snack bar, restaurants, post office, banks, conference center, car hire and bars. The airport also has a Visitors’ Park, an aircraft simulator, cinema and a play area.

Getting There by Water
Main ports: Bremen (website: www.keyports.de), Bremerhaven (website: www.bremen-ports.de), Hamburg (website: www.hafen-hamburg.de), Rostock (website: www.rostock-port.de) and Kiel (website: www.port-of-kiel.de).

The following shipping lines serve routes to Germany (via other countries) from the UK:
DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955, in the UK; website: www.dfds.co.uk): Newcastle-Amsterdam.
Stena Line (tel: 0870 570 7070, in the UK; website: www.stenaline.com): Harwich-Hook of Holland, Gothenburg-Kiel.
P&O Ferries (tel: 0870 598 0333, in the UK; website: www.poferries.com): Dover-Calais, Hull-Rotterdam, Hull-Zeebrugge.
SeaFrance (tel. 0871 663 2546, in the UK; website: www.seafrance.com): Dover-Calais.
Norfolkline (tel: 0870 870 1020, in the UK; website: www.norfolkline.com): Dover-Dunkerque.
Superfast Ferries (tel: 0870 234 0870, in the UK; website: www.superfast.com): Rosyth-Zeebrugge, Helsinki-Rostock.

Ferry connections also exist from Germany to Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, and the Russian Federation.

Getting There by Rail
Germany’s rail network is operated by Deutsche Bahn (tel: 11861; website: www.bahn.de).

Eurostar: If traveling from the UK, Eurostar operates direct high-speed trains from London (St Pancras International) and Ashford International to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186, in the UK, or +44 1233 617 575, outside the UK; a £5 booking fee applies to telephone bookings; website: www.eurostar.com); from Brussels, there are direct connections to Cologne and Frankfurt, and onward high speed trains to all major German centers. With opening of the TGV Est line in 2007, journey time between Paris and Frankfurt has been cut to less than four hours.

There are excellent connections between Germany and other main European cities. For more information, contact Deutsche Bahn in the UK (tel: 0871 880 8066; website: www.bahn.co.uk).

Rail Passes
InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months. Available from The Eurail Group (website: www.eurail.com).

Getting There by Road
Germany is connected to all surrounding countries by a first-class network of motorways and trunk roads.

The Channel Tunnel: Eurotunnel (tel: 0870 535 3535, in the UK; website: www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for all types of vehicles between Folkestone in Kent, and Calais. Vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. Passenger terminal buildings contain a variety of shops, restaurants, bureaux de change and other amenities. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform and around 1 hour from motorway to motorway. There are up to four passenger shuttles per hour at peak times, 24 hours per day and services run every day of the year. Passengers pass through customs and immigration before they board, with no further checks on arrival. Tickets may be purchased in advance from the travel agents, or from Eurotunnel Customer Services in France or the UK with a credit card.

Coach: There are numerous and excellent road links with all neighboring countries. Eurolines (tel: 0870 580 8080, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services from the UK to Germany. Passes: Travelers can book a 15- or 30-day pass.

Overview
Büsingen and the Isle of Heligoland are treated as being outside of the EU for the Duty Free section. The following goods may be imported into the Federal Republic of Germany without incurring customs duty by visitors arriving from countries outside the EU:

• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco.
• 1l of spirits with an alcohol content exceeding 22% by volume or 2l of spirits or liqueurs with an alcohol content not exceeding 22% by volume or 2l of sparkling or liqueur wine.
• 2l of any other wine.
• 50g of perfume or 250ml of eau de toilette.
• 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extracts.
• Personal goods to the value of €175.

(a) The tobacco and alcohol allowances are granted only to those over 17 years of age. (b) Wine in excess of the above allowances imported for personal consumption and valued at less than €128 will be taxed at an overall rate of 16%.

Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU
On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another. Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use only. Member states may follow the EU’s guide levels of: 10l of spirits; 20l of fortified wine; 90l of wine; 110l of beer; 800 cigarettes; 400 cigarillos; 200 cigars and 1kg of tobacco.

Internal Travel:

Getting Around By Air
Internal services are operated by Lufthansa (website: www.lufthansa.com), Air Berlin (website: www.airberlin.com), Germanwings (website: www.germanwings.com) and several other regional airlines. Frankfurt/M is Germany’s major air travel hub, and all airports in the Federal Republic of Germany can be reached in an hour or less from here. There are numerous airports in the country apart from those listed in the Getting There section which offer internal air services.

Helgoland (HGL), Sylt (GWT) and some other Friesian Islands are served by seasonal services operated by regional airlines or air taxi services. Connections by air operate daily between Berlin, Bremen, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/M, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Westerland/Sylt (summer only). The majority of western airports offer daily flights to Leipzig and several flights a week to Dresden.

Getting Around by Water
Regular scheduled boat services operate on most rivers, lakes and coastal waters, including the Danube, Main, Moselle, Neckar, Rhine and the Weser, and also on Ammer See, Chiemsee, Königssee and Lake Constance. Ferry services are operated on Kiel Fjord and from Cuxhaven to Helgoland and to the East and North Friesian Islands as well as to Scandinavian destinations. Besides these scheduled services, special excursions are available on all navigable waters.

The KD German Rhine Line (tel: (0221) 208 8318; website: www.k-d.de) covers the Rhine and Moselle rivers, and has comfortable ships that operate daily from April to late October. In conjunction with the ‘White Fleet’ Dresden, the KD also organizes cabin cruises on the Elbe between Dresden and Hamburg. Further routes include the rivers Saale and Elbe, several lakes and the Mecklenburger Lake District.

Lake Constance is served by regular steamers, pleasure boats and car ferries between the German, Swiss and Austrian shores. The Lake Constance Adventure Passes (Bodensee-Erlebniskarte) (website: www.bodensee-erlebniskarte.info, German only) give free travel on many rides listed in the Bodensee Adventure Planner, throughout the Lake Constance area, as well as discounted admission to attractions. This includes scheduled ferry services offered by the German, Swiss and Austrian railways as well as some bus, local train and mountain railway routes. The pass is valid for seven or 14 days. Children up to six years of age travel free. In addition to the pass, there is a Family Ticket which is available free of charge and allows children between six and 16 years of age free travel; unmarried young persons between 16 and 26 years of age pay half price.

Getting Around by Rail
InterCity and high-speed ICE connections (website: www.bahn.de) run every one or two hours to around 30 destinations (mainly in Germany but trains also run to Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, France and Switzerland). Within Germany, ICE trains also operate on the following routes: Berlin-Frankfurt/M-Karlsruhe, Berlin-Cologne-Basel, Munich-Frankfurt/M-Berlin and Hamburg-Berlin-Dresden with direct links to Prague. The ICE Sprinter runs non-stop on the following routes: Frankfurt/M-Berlin, Hamburg-Cologne, Frankfurt/M-Hamburg, Cologne-Stuttgart and Frankfurt/M-Munich. Seats on these services have to be booked in advance. Generally, reservations are advised on all services. Children aged 14 and under travel free of charge when accompanied by their parents or grandparents; those aged six to 14 traveling on their own pay half fare. For latest information leaflets, contact Deutsche Bahn in the UK (see below).

German National Railways (Deutsche Bahn) operates tens of thousands of passenger trains each day. Work on the 3,200km (2,000-mile) fast-train network has already started and should be completed by 2010. The network does not radiate around the capital as the federal structure provides an integrated system to serve the many regional centers. More than 50 cities, including Berlin, Erfurt, Dresden and Leipzig, are served hourly by InterCity trains - and increasingly by high-speed ICE InterCity Express trains; regional centers are connected by local trains such as the RegionalExpress, RegionalBahn and S-Bahn. Details of up-to-date prices, and where tickets can be bought, are available from Deutsche Bahn (tel: 0871 880 8066, in the UK; website: www.bahn.co.uk) or the German National Tourist Office.

Rail Passes
A range of Bahncards is available from Deutsche Bahn, offering a number of different discount schemes for travel within Germany, and varying advance purchase discount options are also offered.

InterRail’s One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Germany. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the right. Germany is covered by a busy modern network of motorways (Autobahnen). Use of the network is free at present, but the introduction of a road toll is being discussed and charges have been levied on some sightseeing roads in Bavaria. Although motorways in eastern Germany are of a reasonable standard, many secondary roads are still being improved to match western Germany’s standards.

Bus: Buses serve villages and small towns without railway stations. There are few long-distance services. Europabus (tel: (069) 790 3261; website: www.romantischestrasse.de) runs services on special scenic routes such as the Romantic Road (Wiesbaden/Frankfurt to Munich/Füssen) and the Castle Road (between Mannheim/Heidelberg to Rothenburg and Nuremberg).

Car hire: Self-drive cars are available at most towns, airports, and at over 40 railway stations - all major international car hire companies are present in Germany.

Regulations: Traffic signs are international. Speed limits in Germany are 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas and 100kph (62mph) on all roads outside built-up areas. Unless otherwise indicated, there is theoretically no maximum speed limit on Autobahns, but 130kph (81mph) is recommended. Some motorways and dual carriageways carry varying speed limits and are signposted. Seat belts must be worn in the front and back, and child seats used for small children. In winter, snow chains must be carried or winter tires fitted. The minimum driving age is 18.

Emergency breakdown service: The Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC) (emergency tel: 0180 222 2222, in Germany; website: www.adac.de) is the principal national assistance network. In almost all cases, the number to dial for emergency services is 110.

Documentation: Insurance is mandatory. EU nationals driving their own vehicles are advised to obtain a Green Card. Members of the EU, the USA and Australia do not need an international driving license to drive in Germany.

Getting Around Towns and Cities
All urban areas have efficient bus services, complemented in a number of larger cities by trams, and underground or suburban trains. In most larger cities, tickets for a local transport journey have to be purchased from ticket machines before boarding the suburban train (S-Bahn), underground (U-Bahn), bus or tram. Ticket inspections are frequent, with on-the-spot fines for miscreants. Taxis are widely available in the main cities, and operate from designated ranks. They can be advance booked by telephone.

Berlin: The city’s excellent public transport includes an extensive network of buses, underground and S-Bahn in three travel zones. In the eastern part of the city, tram services and the ferries of the Berliner Verkehrs-Betriebe, BVG (Berlin Public Transport) (tel: (030) 19449; website: www.bvg.de), in conjunction with east Berlin’s ‘White Fleet’, provide further services. Day and longer period passes are available covering all services. Taxis are generally available throughout the city (tel: 0800 263 0000, in Germany; website www.taxi263000.de).

Frankfurt: An extensive tram network, S-Bahn and bus services serve the Rhine-Main region, operated under the auspices of the Rhein-Main Verkehrsverbund (tel: (01805) 768 4636; website: www.rmv.de). As in Berlin, 24-hour passes for all types of public transport (Tageskarten) are available, as is a large fleet of cream-colored taxis. The central taxi booking number is (069) 230 001.

Munich: The Bavarian capital has some trams, plus comprehensive bus, underground and suburban rail services. Services are operated under the aegis of the Münchner Verkehrs-und Tarifverbund (tel: (089) 2103 3282; website: www.mvv-muenchen.de). Again, taxis are widely available. Taxis can be booked on (089) 21610 or 19410.

Note: Pedestrians should be aware that it is an offence to cross a road when the pedestrian crossing lights are red, even if there is no traffic on the road. Offenders can risk on-the-spot fines.

Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Berlin to other major cities and towns in the Federal Republic of Germany.

	Air	Road	Rail
Cologne	1.05	6.00	4.25
Frankfurt	1.05	5.30	4.10
Hamburg	-	3.00	1.30
Munich	1.10	6.00	6.15

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