Helpful Info

Categories of Restaurant

• Fast Food restaurant (Schnellimbiss)

Hot dogs, French fries, currywurst (sliced sausage covered in ketchup and curry), doner kebab and beer.

• Bakeries and butcheries

Sandwiches and take away meals.

• Beer gardens (Biergarten)

Spaces especially set up for the consumption of beer and where one can bring own food.

• Beer hall (Brauhaus) and communalt fixe menu full course meals (Gasthaus)

Traditional.

• Restaurants

Gourmet dishes, German, Chinese, French, Italian, Turkish, Indian, Spanish and Greek cuisine, etc.

Rules For Eating Out

Leaving a tip of about 5% is recommended. In Berlin it is possible to order late at lunch and at dinner. On the other hand, in other cities be careful of opening/closing times.

Food Specialties

Examples of German culinary specialties:
– Wurst (sausages)
– Schinken  (pork products, about 1,500 varieties)
– Brot (the famous German bread, more than 200 varieties)
– Eisbein mit Sauerkraut (ham hock with fermented cabbage)
– Apfelstrudel (apple strudel)
– Stollen (fruit bread)
– Mohnkuchen (poppyseed cake)German culinary specialties vary according to regions, including Bade Wurtenberg’s Spätzle (a type of pasta).

Drinks

Germany is known for its wide variety of beer- producing about 5,000 different brews. As the home to 1,800 breweries, Germany is the world’s second biggest producer and the biggest exporter of beers. A refreshing drink- a Radler, is a beer diluted with lemonade. When it comes to non-alcoholic beverages, Germans prefer sparkling water to still water. Another favourite is Apfelschorle, apple juice diluted with lemonade.

Dietary Restrictions

Generally speaking, there are no dietary restrictions in the country. That being said, there are some Germans that are vegetarian and some that do not partake in certain products due to religious affiliations.

Table Manners

Continental.

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation

Taxis are easily available day and night at reasonable rates. You can ask your hotel or restaurant to order a taxi for you. To get a receipt, ask for “eine Quittung, bitte.” Drivers can usually speak English.In large cities, the tramway network (Strassenbahn), metros (U-Bahn), the express metro network (S-Bahn) and buses are a less expensive alternatives to taxis.

Maps of Urban Networks

Map of the Berlin subway and sample itineraries
Map of the Munich subway
Map of the Hamburg subway
Map of the Frankfurt subway
Maps of other German subways

Urban Transport Agencies

BVG (Berlin)

Find an Itinerary

Journey planner for  Berlin

Taxi Companies

Taxi.de

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Essen – Mülheim (ESS) (in German)	7 km / 4 miles of Essen, 5 km / 3 miles of Mülhein, 24 km / 15 miles of Dusseldorf	–	Available to Essen	–	–
Berlin – Schönefeld (SXF)	16 km / 10 miles	EUR 30-35 / 25-40	EUR 2.80	EUR 2.80	Available
Berlin – Tegel (TXL)	9 km / 6 miles	EUR 15 / 20-30 min	EUR 2.1 / 20 min	–	Available
Stuttgart – Echterdingen (STR)	10 km / 6 miles	EUR 22-28 / 20-30 min	Available	EUR 3 / 27 min	Available
Hamburg Intl (HAM)	10 km / 6 miles	EUR 20-25 / 20-30 min	EUR 5 / 15-25 min	–	Available
Munich (MUC)	30 km / 19 miles	EUR 55-65 / 35-45 min	EUR 9.5 / 40 min	EUR 8.8 / 45 min	Available
Frankfurt – Main (FRA)	9 km / 6 miles	EUR 20-30 / 20-30 min	Available	EUR 3.30 / 12 min	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation

Choose the ICE (InterCity Express) train between the main cities: Frankfurt – Berlin (4 hours), Frankfurt – Cologne (1 hour 15mn), Berlin – Leipzig (1 hour), Berlin – Hamburg (1 hour 30 mn). On these transit routes, the motorway network is often saturated and cannot compete with the train.For longer distance trips, such as Munich – Hamburg, Munich – Berlin or Stuttgart – Berlin, air transit is recommended.

Rail Companies

The Deutsche Bahn website

Airlines

You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling By Yourself

Recommendation

The motorway network (Bundesautobahn) is a practical form of transit because it is free for cars. There is no speed limit but a lot of maintenance work slows down traffic frequently, so be sure to allow extra time to arrive at appointments on time. Refuelling is not an issue or concern.

Driver’s License

A license obtained in another European country is valid even after a stay beyond one year. Licenses obtained in other countries need to be exchanged for German ones with the  “Führerscheinstelle” after six months of residence in the country.

Conditions For Renting a Vehicle

You must have a driver’s license, show a credit card and proof of identity.

Rental Agencies

Avis
Budget
Europcar
Sixt

Tolls or Taxes

German motorways are free. However, trucks over 12 tonnes must pay a tax. (LKW-Maut, tarifs).

Road Maps

Viamichelin
Mappy
Falk
Meine Stadt

Find an Itinerary

Viamichelin
Mappy

Traffic Conditions Online

Adac

Parking Facilities

Hotels have parking lots, and it is also possible to find other parking places in public parking lots. Parking is not free during the daytime.

Rules of the Road

Minimum Driving Age

18 years old

Side of the Road For Driving

On the right

Speed Limits

Theoretically, there is no speed limit on the motorway however in practice, there may be limits set due to frequent maintenance work. Be careful not to slow down suddenly as German drivers diligently gear down when slowing! Outside motorways, the maximum authorized speed limit is between 30 and 50 km/hour in towns and between 70 and 100 km/hour outside towns.

Safety Belts

Compulsory for both driver and passengers.

Permitted Amount of Alcohol in the Blood

0.5g. A level alcohol ranging between 0.5g and 0.8g leads to a fine. A higher level leads to criminal prosecution.

National Roads Organizations

Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

Climate

Type of Climate

The country has a continental climate with wide variations in temperature between the seasons. The northern regions have a milder oceanic type climate, while the southern regions have a continental climate with more rain. In the summer, the anticylones bring hot, sunny days, but the nights are cool. In winter, the days are short.

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems

System of Measurement Used

Metric

Unit of Measurement of Temperature

Degrees Celsius

Electricity

• Voltage

230 V

• Frequency

50 Hz

Type of Electric Socket

Type C and F.

Type of Telephone Socket

US RJ-11, German (5 types), RJ-45. Standard TAE (Telekommunikations Anschluß Einheit).

DVD Zoning

Zone 2

Paying

Domestic Currency

Euro

ISO Code

EUR

To Obtain Domestic Currency

ATMs take most credit cards- they are plentiful and easily accessible, in airports, town centres and throughout the country.

Possible Means of Payment

Cash payments are very widespread, and credit cards are increasingly accepted- although some restaurants will only take cash. Further, some establishments only take the “EC” card (a payment card, issued by German banks, which is not a credit card).Payment by cheque in shops or restaurants is not possible.

Speaking

Official Language

German.

Other Languages Spoken

Most Germans have a very good knowledge of English. Quite a few of them speak French. Additionally, though less frequently, Italian, Spanish and Russian are also spoken.

Business Language

The business languages are German and English.

Getting Some Knowledge

Use the travlang website. For a translation service, visit ContexTrans. To take lessons, consult the Goethe Institutes website.

Free Translation Tools

Dico Leo : Translation and pronunciation tool

Emergency Numbers

Police	110
Fire services and assistance	112
Credit card loss	116 116

Communications

Quality of Communications

The telecommunications network in Germany is excellent. The 4 mobile telephone networks work well everywhere.

Telephone Codes

To Make a Call From Germany, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in Germany, Dial +49

Number of Digits of National Telephone Numbers

City codes (Vorwahl) : 030 Berlin, 040 Hamburg, 089 Munich, 069 Frankfurt, 0221 Cologne, 0211 Düsseldorf. Small towns have a longer code.
The number of digits after the code varies: eight digits in Berlin, far less for small towns.
For mobile phones: 4 figure code + 7 digits.
The code allows you to recognize the operator: T-Mobile: 0151, 0160, 0170, 0171, 0175 / Vodafone: 0152, 0162, 0172, 0173, 0174 / E-Plus: 0157, 0163, 0177, 0178 / O2 : 0159, 0176, 0179

Mobile Telephone Standards

Dual band. Roaming agreements between German operators and foreign operators enables you use your mobile phone everywhere in Germany.

National Mobile Phone Operators

Four operators: T-Mobile, Vodafone, E-Plus, O2.

Availability of Internet

Internet Suffix

.de

National Internet Access Providers

T-Online, Arcor, Alice

Access in Public Places

Excellent in big cities.
WiFi is available in many cafés and restaurants.

Access in Hotels

WiFi is available in most hotels. Sometimes as a free connection, its use is mostly restricted hotel clients. Ask at reception for access codes.