Getting There&Away

AIR

The main arrival and departure points in Ger­many are Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf and Berlin. Flights to Frankfurt are usually cheaper than to other German cities.

From the US, Lufthansa Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, Delta Air Lines and Sin­gapore Airlines have the most frequent flights. You can often get the best fare by flying with another European carrier and changing planes for Germany at their home-country hub. Asian carriers offer the cheapest - but often the most indirect - flights from Australia and New Zealand.

Lufthansa has many flights to the Eastern European nations, but the region's national carriers are cheaper.

LAND Bus

It's generally cheaper to get to/from Ger­many by bus than by train or plane, but you trade price for speed. Eurolines is a consor­tium of national bus companies operating throughout the continent. Some sample one­way fares and travel times for routes include:

 

London-Frankfurt - 72€ - 14 hours

Amsterdam-Frankfurt - 36€ - 6 hours

Paris-Hamburg - 55€ - 12,5 hours

Paris-Cologne -  34€ - 7,5 hours

Prague-Berlin - 35€ - 6,5 hours

Barselona-Frankfurt - 85€ - 20 hours

 

Eurolines has a youth fare for those aged under 26 that saves around 10%. Tickets can be bought in Germany at most train stations. For information (but not bookings), contact Deutsche-Touring GmbH (069-790350, fax 7903219;  www.deutsche-touring.com; Am Romerhof 17, 60486 Frankfurt/Main).

Train

Trains are a lot more comfortable (albeit more expensive) than buses. Long-distance trains between major German cities and other countries are called EuroCity (EC) trains. The main German hubs with the best con­nections to/from major European cities are Hamburg (Scandinavia); Cologne (France, Belgium and the Netherlands, with Eurostar connections from Brussels or Paris going on to London); Munich (southern and southeast­ern Europe); and Berlin (Eastern Europe). Frankfurt-am-Main has the widest range of, but not always the quickest, international connections.

Generally the longer international routes are served by at least one day train and often a night train as well. Many night trains only carry sleeping cars, but a bunk is more com­fortable than sitting up in a compartment and only adds from €21/14 to the cost of a 2nd-class ticket in four/six-berth compartments.

Car & Motorcycle

Germany is served by an excellent highway system. If you're coming from the UK, the quickest option is via the Channel Tunnel. Ferries take longer but are cheaper. Choices include taking a hovercraft from Dover, Folkestone or Ramsgate to Calais in France. You can be in Germany three hours after the ferry docks.

You must have third-party insurance to enter Germany with a car or motorcycle.

Hitching & Ride Services

Lonely Planet does not recommend hitching, but should you decide to try it you may en­counter delays getting to Germany via the main highways.

Aside from hitching, the cheapest way to get to Germany from elsewhere in Europe is as a paying passenger in a private car. Such rides are arranged by Mitfahrzentrale (ride-sharing agencies) in many German cities. You pay a reservation fee to the agency and a share of petrol and costs to the driver. Local tourist offices can direct you to local agen­cies, or call the city area code and 19440 in large German cities.

SEA

If you're heading to or from Scandinavia or the UK, the German port options are Ham­burg, Liibeck, Rostock, Sassnitz, and Kiel. In eastern Germany, there are five ferries in each direction daily year-round between Trelleborg (Sweden) and Sassnitz near Stralsund (see the Riigen Island section later in this chapter for more information). There are daily services between Kiel and Gothenburg (Sweden) and Oslo. More ferries run to other destinations in Scandinavia, including Helsinki.

 

Getting Around

BUS

The bus network functions primarily in sup­port of the train network, going where trains don't. Bus stations or stops are usually near the train station in any town. Schedule and route information is usually posted. Consider buses when you want to cut across two train lines and avoid long train rides to and from a transfer point. A good example of this is in the Alps, where the best way to follow the peaks is by bus.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) agents have infor­mation on certain key regional services, otherwise check with tourist offices. Eurolines operates within Germany as Deutsche-Touring GmbH, a subsidiary of the German Federal Railways (Deutsche Bahn). Eurolines services include the Romantic and Castle Roads buses in southern Germany, as well as organised bus tours of Germany lasting a week or more. See the Romantic Road section later in this chap­ter for details, or contact Deutsche-Touring GmbH ( 069790350; www.deutsche-touring.com), in Frankfurt/Main.

TRAIN

Operated almost entirely by the Deutsche Bahn (DB; www.bahn.de), the German train system is arguably the best in Europe. Information is on its website.

Schedules are integrated throughout the country so that connections between trains are tight, often only five minutes. This means, of course, that when a train is late connections are missed. Put some slack in your itinerary so you won't miss a connection and be stranded.

German trains fall into specific classifica­tions; Zuschlag (supplements) for faster trains are built into fares. From fastest to slowest, these include InterCityExpress (ICE) trains, Intercity (1C) or EuroCity (EC) trains, Inter-Regio (IR) trains, RegionalExpress (RE) trains, StadtExpress (SE) trains, RegionalBahn (RB) trains and S-Bahn trains (not to be con­fused with U-Bahns, which are run by local authorities who don't honour rail passes). EN, ICN and D trains are generally night trains.

It's always better to buy your ticket before boarding; buying from a conductor carries a penalty (€ 1.50 to €4.50). Ticket agents cheer­fully accept credit cards, as do most machines. During peak travel periods, a seat reservation (€2.50) on a long-distance train can mean the difference between squatting near the toilet or relaxing in your own seat. If you don't have a reservation, try the end carriages.

A host of special train fares offered by DB allow you to cut costs for journeys. Most ticket agents are quite willing to help you find the cheapest options for your intended trip. For schedule and fare information (available in English), you can call 01805996633 from anywhere in Germany (€0.13/minute).

Travel agents outside Germany sell Ger­man Rail Passes valid for unlimited travel on all DB trains for a given number of days within a 30-day period. Eurail and Inter-Rail passes are also valid in Germany.

CAR & MOTORCYCLE

Although having a vehicle can be a great way to tour the country, it's expensive. For infor­mation, contact Munich-based Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC; 089-76760, fax 76762801); it has offices in all major cities. Call the ADAC road patrol (0180-2222222) if your car breaks down.

BICYCLE

Radwundem (bicycle touring) is very popular in Germany. Favoured routes include along the Rhine, Moselle, Elbe and Danube Rivers and around the Lake Constance area. Cycling is strictly verboten (forbidden) on autobahns. There are well-equipped cycling shops in al­most every town, and a fairly active market for used touring bikes. Simple three-gear bicycles can be hired from around €8/32 per day/week, and more robust mountain bikes from € 10/48. The DB publishes Bahn&Bike, an excellent handbook covering bike rental and repair shops, routes, maps and other resources.

A separate ticket must be purchased when­ever you carry your bike on most trains (gen­erally €3-6). Most trains (excluding ICEs) have a 2nd-class carriage at one end with a bicycle compartment.

The central office for the main cycling or­ganisation in Gemany is the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad Club (ADFC; 0421-346290, fax 3462950; www.adfc.de) in Bremen.

BOAT

Boats are most likely to be used for basic transport when travelling to or between the Frisian Islands, although tours along the Rhine and Moselle Rivers are also popular.

LOCAL TRANSPORT

Local transport is excellent within big cities and small towns, and is generally based on buses, Strassenbahn (trams), S-Bahn and/or U-Bahn (underground train system). The sys­tems integrate all forms of transit; fares are determined by the zones or the time travelled, or sometimes both. Multiticket strips or day passes are generally available and offer better value than single-ride tickets.

In some cases you will have to validate your ticket in a little time-stamp machine on the platform or once aboard. The fine for not having a ticket is a non-negotiable €30.