Germany: In the country

Accommodation

Hotel reservation websites: Hotel reservations

Eating Out

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.

Getting Around

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Urban transport services: BVG (Berlin)
Taxi services: 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

Train reservation services: The Deutsche Bahn website

Major airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
Lufthansa	Major	Yes	Yes
Germanwings	Low cost	Yes	Yes
Easyjet	Low cost	No	Yes

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling By Yourself

Car rental agencies: Avis
Budget
Europcar
Sixt
Real-time traffic conditions: Adac

Rules of the Road

National Roads Organizations: Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

Time and Time Difference

Current Local Time: It is %T:%M %A In Berlin
Summer Time: Summer time from March (last Sunday) to October (last Sunday)

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

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.
Hotel reservation websites: German Meteorological Agency (Deutscher Wetterdienst)

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems

System of Measurement Used: Metric
Unit of Measurement of Temperature: Degrees Celsius

Use our service Measurement converter.

Electricity
Voltage: 230 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of Telephone Socket: US RJ-11, German (5 types). 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.

To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator

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.

Emergency Numbers

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

Communications

Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From Germany, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in Germany, Dial +49
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.

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