Travel Tips For Germany

Thursday, July 23, 2009 ·

By Graham McKenzie

Planning a trip to Germany will mean that a valid passport is required for non European union members and a valid visa will be required for U.S. citizens if they are staying for longer than 90 days due to business.

Although the main language spoke in Germany is German you will find that many people do speak English. It is still recommended that you learn enough German to get by, it could be very useful for ordering off a menu or asking directions, especially if you are planning to visit non tourist areas.

When travelling anywhere in Europe you want to travel light. Only bring what you feel is absolutely necessary. If your items will fit comfortable in the overhead in the airplane then you can expect they will fit nicely in the save provided on the trains in Germany and throughout Europe.

Germany has a beautiful countryside that you will want to see more of than you will have time for. Make a list of the priority places that you want to visit before you arrive. If you try to see too much or do too many things you could end up exhausting yourself and your trip will not be as enjoyable. Central Germany offers great ski resorts and hiking trails for those who are more athletic and southern Germany is a great place for the history buff that would enjoy one of the many castle tours.

It is best to choose one area to stay in. You can spend a tremendous amount of time running from place to place and checking into hotels if you try to see too much at once. Keep your vacation specific to one area for the most enjoyable trip.

By staying in one area you will get to familiarize yourself with the locals and become a part of the charming town you are staying in. The vacation will feel more like a visit to home and will have you yearning for your return visit.

If you plan your trip with a travel agents help you will be able to join some of the group tours. Group tours are a great way to see the most famous areas of Germany for first time visitors or people travelling alone.

Your visit to the local restaurants might surprise you when you get charged for a glass of water and you might also be surprised that you will be seating yourself. When you walk in to the bar or the restaurant you simply choose your favorite spot and have a seat. Wait staff are paid more in Germany than in the states so tipping is much less, for great service you could shell out one or two EUR and it would be considered a good tip.

The grocery stores may seem a bit odd to the Americans visiting as they will be forced to leave a deposit to unlock their cart and use it, you get the deposit back only by returning the cart to location in which it was taken. You will bag your own groceries and pay for the bags you use as well. This does cut down on cost to the store and the prices are lower on the items they sell.

Your cell phone will come in handy while in Germany if you are planning on making any calls. Public phones are hard to find unless you are lucky enough to run into an internet caf

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