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Germany Information

Overview

‘Think Germany – now think again’ ran the slogan on the German National Tourist Office’s UK promotional campaign posters launched late in 2006 to encourage more British visitors to consider the country as a holiday destination.

It was appropriate, and topical. After 60 years of trying, Germany finally managed to shake off the guilty shadows of its past during the immensely successful football World Cup staged in the country during the summer of 2006.

Once again, it became ‘OK’ to wave the national flag with pride and without fear of being accused of inappropriate nationalism, and the whole country seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at its new-found ability to express its distinctive national character again.

Modern Germany has come of age, and while it is still suffering the economic consequences of reunification in October 1990, it is clearly a nation coming to terms with itself.

The country is the product of a long history of division, first as a loose collection of independent (and often warring) states before original unification during the 19th century, and latterly as West and communist East Germany following WWII.

For this reason alone, it is a country of remarkable diversity, with cultural differences clearly evident as one travels around the various states that make up the modern Federal Republic.

Germany is a heady mix of history and nature, fine arts and youthful rebellion. Its capital, Berlin, has a reputation gained from its decades as a divided city, as a hedonistic, ‘on the edge’ community where almost anything goes. In contrast, the quiet academic surroundings of historic university cities like Heidelberg, convey a quiet gentility quite at odds with the atmosphere of the capital.

One thing is certain: wherever one ventures in Germany, there is something interesting to see or do. It is a goldmine for the adventurous tourist in search of something different to the norm.

Author

Sylvia Huber

Top Things To See

Stroll around Berlin, Germany’s largest city and capital (website: www.berlin.de/english). The new German Parliament (Reichstag), designed by British architect Norman Foster, testifies to the construction boom in the German capital (website: www.bundestag.de).

Don’t miss the Brandenburg Gate, at the western end of Unter den Linden, potent symbol of German unity, which stands close to the Reichstag, right by where the wall stood until 1989.

Visit the Berlin Wall Museum (Mauermuseum) at Checkpoint Charlie, where people crossed from West to East and vice versa, and learn about the history of divided Berlin (website: www.mauermuseum.de).

Take a cruise on the Rhine from Koblenz (website: www.koblenz.de), with its hilltop fortifications opposite the mouth of the Moselle river to Bingen, past fairytale castles, pretty villages and 120m- (394ft-) high Lorelei Rock, legendary home of a siren who lures boatmen to their demise.

Head into southwest Bavaria near Füssen, close to the Austrian border, to see the impossibly fantastical Neuschwanstein castle (website: www.neuschwanstein.com), built in the 19th century by Bavarian King Ludwig II (‘Mad King Ludwig’).

Visit the attractive island of Mainau on the north shore of Lake Constance, with its historic buildings and multicoloured roofs. Owned by a private foundation, it is maintained as a garden island and is famous for its flowers (website: www.mainau.de).

Marvel at the architecture of Cologne Cathedral, which remained intact despite suffering 14 bomb hits in WWII. Construction of Germany’s biggest church began in 1248, but it was not completed for 600 years.

Visit one of Germany’s host of romantic university towns. Freiburg (website: www.freiburg.de) is gateway to the Black Forest, with its gothic Cathedral (12th to 15th centuries) with magnificent tower. Heidelberg on the Neckar River is Germany’s oldest university town (website: www.cvb-heidelberg.de).

Experience architectural heritage in one of Germany’s UNESCO World Heritage Site towns: Bamberg, northern Bavaria (website: www.bamberg.info), Goslar in Lower Saxony (website: www.goslar.de), and the jewel in the crown, former Hanseatic port Lübeck, on the Baltic coast to the north (website: www.luebeck-tourism.de), are highlights.

In Hessen, (website: www.hessen-tourismus.de) follow the German Fairy Tale Road. Schwalmstadt (website: www.schwalmstadt.de) was the home of LittleRedRidingHood. In the Reinhardswald, Sababurg (now a castle-hotel, website: www.sababurg.de) inspired the Brothers Grimm to write SleepingBeauty.

Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Frankfurt am Main’s historic Römer district, which contrasts starkly with the modern skyline of the city nowadays known as ‘Mainhattan’, due to its shiny skyscrapers and financial power (website: www.frankfurt.de).

Relive the days of the Roman Empire at the Saalburg, a reconstructed Roman settlement near Bad Homburg in the forested Taunus hills to the north of Frankfurt am Main (website: www.saalburgmuseum.de).

Pause for thought at Dresden’s reconstructed Frauenkirche, destroyed in the firebombing of the city in February 1945. Now rebuilt and re-consecrated, it is a poignant symbol of the past (website: www.frauenkirche-dresden.de).

See the southern 1,000-year-old town of Weimar, home to many great men, including Goethe, Luther, Bach, Liszt, Wagner and Schiller. An important cultural centre of the past, the city experienced its golden age in the 18th and 19th centuries (website: www.weimar.de).

Take a train ride east from Freiburg into the spectacular countryside of the Upper Black Forest, a year round holiday area, popular for winter sports in winter, and walking, boating and nature trails in summer.

See ContactAddresses for further tourist information.

Top Things To Do

Explore the past at Berlin’s Pergamon Museum, with its antiquities, Near East and Islamic Art collections. Situated on the capital’s Museum Island, it is surrounded by several other fine museums and galleries (website: www.smb.spk-berlin.de).

See how the other half lived at baroque Charlottenburg Palace, on the east side of Berlin. It is the biggest surviving palace in the capital, and was built for Sophie Charlotte, wife of Prussia’s King Friedrich I, in the late 1660s.

The Harz Mountains, Black Forest (Schwarzwald) and the Bavarian Alps are some of the best areas for walking, skiing and other winter sports. The network of marked walking trails amounts to some 132,000km (82,500 miles).

Enjoy spectacular riverside fireworks displays on a dinner cruise during the ‘Rhein in Flammen’ (Rhine in Flames) festivals that take place throughout the summer at various points along the river.

Ride on a historic narrow-gauge steam train. Germany has a number of preserved railways, notably in Saxony, the Harz Mountains, and on the coast of Mecklenburg-Lower Pomerania.

Take the kids to Europa-Park, Germany’s biggest theme park, at Rust, near Freiburg in the southwest. For the brave it features Europe’s highest rollercoaster (website: www.europapark.de).

Take in a football (soccer) match. Germany’s top teams include Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen. Many stadia are new, built for the 2006 World Cup tournament staged in Germany.

Pay homage to Germany’s famous car manufacturers at Mercedes Benz World in Stuttgart, the new BMW Welt in Munich and Autostadt in Wolfsburg, home of Volkswagen.

Visit some of the many vineyards on the banks of the Rhine, Neckar and Moselle rivers, following one of the numerous specially designated Wine Roads (Weinstrassen) in the region.

If in Germany in the weeks before Christmas, browse the Christmas Markets (Weichnachtsmarkt) which are staged in almost every town and city of any size. Warming glühwein and apple fritters are a must on a cold winter’s day.

Be pampered. Germany has over 300 spas and health resorts that offer a wide range of traditional and modern treatments. The most famous spa town is Baden-Baden, in the southwest (website: www.baden-baden.com).

Germany is one of the great brewing nations. Indulge in some of its finest beers during Munich’s two-week Oktoberfest, which takes place from late September and attracts 6 million visitors to the Bavarian capital each year (website: www.oktoberfest.de).

If able to get tickets (waiting lists are long), head for northeastern Bavaria and Bayreuth, to witness the famous Wagner Opera Festival, which takes place every year from late July to August (website: www.bayreuther-festspiele.de).

Drive down the Romantic Road, which connects the northern area of Bavaria with the south, and is the most famous of all the German scenic roads. The towns along the way give visitors an excellent insight into the region’s history, art and culture.

In late August each year, celebrate the traditional Baked Fish Festival (Backfischfest) at Worms, the biggest wine and food festival on the banks of the Rhine (website: www.backfischfest.de). It is dedicated to the Fishermens’ Guild, Germany’s oldest such organisation.

See ContactAddresses for further tourist information.

Going Out

Food and Drink

The main meal of the day in Germany is traditionally lunch, with a light snack eaten at about seven in the evening, but this is changing along with working patterns. Breakfast usually consists of a boiled egg, bread rolls with jam, honey, cold meat and cheese slices, juices and coffee. Available from snack bars and cafes are grilled, fried or boiled sausages (wurst) with a crusty bread roll. Sausages are a popular snack, served either boiled or grilled with a bread roll (brötchen). In restaurants, a salad plate will often be produced before a main course, whether or not a starter has been ordered; it is not a side dish, waiting staff will expect this to be eaten before the meal is brought – it can cause confusion for non-Germans. There is an emphasis on meat, potatoes and noodles, but fish dishes are also popular. International speciality restaurants, such as Chinese, Greek, Turkish and others, can be found everywhere in the western part of the country.

Things to know : Bars can either have table service and/or counter service, although often drinks consumed are simply marked on a beer mat to be paid for on leaving. Minors are allowed to go into a bar if accompanied by an adult. Opening hours depend on the proprietor but generally bars in major towns and resorts are open all day and close around midnight or later. Exceptions are Berlin and Hamburg where every pub can open for 24 hours.

National specialities :
• Bratwurst (grilled sausage).
• Eisbein mit sauerkraut (leg of pork) and mashed potatoes.
• Schwäbische maultaschen (large savoury ravioli from Stuttgart).
• Eierpfannkuchen (pancakes).
• Schwarzwälder kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau).

National drinks :
• Beer of many varied kinds.
• Ebbelelwoi (apple wine – principally in Hessen).
• Schnapps (available in hundreds of varieties).
• Kirschwasser (cherry spirit, principally from the Black Forest).
• Rhineland wines.

Legal drinking age : 18.

Tipping : It is customary to tip taxi drivers, hairdressers, cloakroom attendants, bar and restaurant staff; a 10% tip is standard.

Nightlife

In all larger towns and cities in western Germany and also in the major eastern cities, visitors will have the choice between theatre, opera (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburgische Staatsoper and the National Theatre in Munich are some of the most famous names), bars with live music, and nightclubs catering for all tastes. Berlin, in particular, is famous for its large selection of after-hours venues. Traditional folk music is found mostly in rural areas. There are bierkellers in the south and wine is drunk in small wine cellars in the Rhineland Palatinate, Franconia and Baden region. Hamburg’s Reeperbahn is the country’s best known centre for ‘adult’ entertainment.

Shopping

Special purchases include precision optical equipment such as binoculars and cameras, porcelain, handmade crystal, silver, steelware, Solingen knives, leatherwear, sports equipment, toys from Nuremberg and Bavarian Loden cloth. Special purchases in eastern Germany include musical instruments, wooden carved toys from the Erzgebirge Mountains, and Meissen china (the workshops in Meissen are open to the public). Cuckoo clocks, contrary to popular myth, did not originate in Switzerland, but from the Black Forest region.

Shopping hours : Most large shops are open Mon-Fri 0900-2000, and Sat 0900-2000. All shops, except a few bakeries, are closed on Sunday.

Climate

Temperate throughout the country with warm summers and cold winters, but prolonged periods of frost or snow are rare. Rain falls throughout the year. The average January daytime temperature is 3°C (38°F) and in July is 22°C (72°F). Extremes commonly reach -10°C (5°F) in winter and 35°C (95°F) in the summer months.

Required Clothing

European clothes with light- to mediumweight in summer, medium- to heavyweights in winter.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2008-December 2009 period.

2008
1 Jan  New Year’s Day.
6 Jan* Epiphany.
21 Mar Good Friday.
24 Mar Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
1 May Ascension.
12 May Whit Monday.
22 May* Corpus Christi.
15 Aug* Assumption.
3 Oct Day of German Unity.
31 Oct* Day of Reformation.
1 Nov* All Saints’ Day.
19 Nov* Repentance Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

2009
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Jan* Epiphany.
10 Apr Good Friday.
13 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
21 May Ascension.
1 Jun Whit Monday.
11 Jun* Corpus Christi.
15 Aug* Assumption.
3 Oct Day of German Unity.
31 Oct* Day of Reformation.
1 Nov* All Saints’ Day.
18 Nov* Repentance Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

Health

Diphtheria

Special Precaution: No

Hepatitis A

Special Precaution: No

Rabies

Special Precaution: No

Malaria

Special Precaution: No

Tetanus

Special Precaution: Yes

Typhoid

Special Precaution: No

Yellow Fever

Special Precaution: No

Health Care

For European visitors who are taken ill or have an accident during a visit to Germany, free or reduced-cost necessary treatment is available – in most cases on production of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). For non-EEA citizens, insurance is highly recommended. The emergency telephone number is 112.

Note

Further Health Information

We advise you to check health requirements for the country you are traveling to with your GP, practice nurse or travel health clinic as health requirements and vaccinations can change at short notice.

Money

Currency

Euro (EUR; symbol €) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Cheques are very rarely used.

Currency Exchange

Foreign currencies and traveller’s cheques can be exchanged at banks, bureaux de change, post offices, airports, railway stations, ports and major hotels at the official exchange rates.

Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs

These are widely accepted in most shops, petrol stations, restaurants and hotels. All major credit cards are accepted, but it is advisable to carry cash as well.

Traveller's Cheques

Generally provide the best rate of exchange. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in Euros, Pounds Sterling or US Dollars. Visitors are advised to have their traveller’s cheques exchanged at bureaux de change as banks often refuse to change them and they are not accepted as payment in stores.

Banking Hours

Generally Mon-Fri 0830-1300 and 1400-1600, Thurs 0830-1300 and 1430-1730 in main cities. Main branches do not close for lunch. Bureaux de change in airports and main railway stations are open 0600-2200.

Passport/Visa

British

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No/2
Return Ticket Required: No

Australian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

Canadian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

USA

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: No

Other EU

Passport Required: 1
Visa Required: No/2
Return Ticket Required: No

Passport Note

Germany is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement.

Passports

Passport valid for length of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except:
1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.

Visas

Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for the following durations:
(a) nationals of EU countries for an unlimited period;
(b) nationals of Australia, Canada and the USA for stays not exceeding 90 days in a six-month period; stay begins when nationals enter any of the Schengen countries.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).

Visa Note

2. Nationals of EU countries intending to stay for three months or more must register with the German authorities within seven days of arrival.

Contact Addresses

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the UK

23 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PZ, UK
Tel: (020) 7824 1300 (general enquiries).
Website: www.london.diplo.de
Opening hours: 0900-1130.
Consular section: 1-6 Chesham Place, Belgrave Mews West, London SW1X 8PZ, UK
Tel: (020) 7824 1463 (passport enquiries, Mon-Thurs 1330-1530, Fri 1330-1430 only) or 09065 508 922 (recorded visa information; calls cost £1 per minute) or 540 740 (24-hour automated visa appointment booking service; calls cost £1 per minute) or (020) 7824 1465/6 (individual visa enquiries Mon-Thurs 1330-1530, Fri 1330-1430 only).
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1130.

German National Tourist Office in the UK

PO Box 2695, London W1A 3TN, UK
Tel: (020) 7317 0908.
Website: www.germany-tourism.co.uk

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the USA

4645 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Tel: (202) 298 4000.
Website: www.germany.info

German National Tourist Office in the USA

20th Floor, 122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10168, USA
Tel: (212) 661 7200 or 1 800 651 7010.
Website: www.cometogermany.com

Travel Advice

Warning

Most visits to Germany are trouble-free.
 
Travellers should be aware of the general threat from terrorism in Germany. Such attacks could be indiscriminate, including in public places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. On 4 September, three individuals were arrested and charged with membership of a terrorist organisation. Although the German security authorities have averted serious terrorist attacks, they assess that the threat from terrorism remains high and urge individuals to maintain a high level of vigilance.

A number of British nationals have been arrested for possessing counterfeit currency. Travellers are advised against changing currency anywhere other than banks or legitimate Bureaux de Change.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organisations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel

• Germany Overview
• Germany Things to See
• Germany Things to Do
• Germany Events
• Germany Climate
• Germany Public Holidays
• Germany Health
• Germany Currency
• Germany Passport & Visas
• Germany Contact Addresses
• Germany Travel Advice