Horse Carriage, Neuschwanstein © Travel Signposts..

Getting to Neuschwanstein Castle from Hohenschwangau:

If you’re in Hohenschwangau village and want to go up to Neuschwanstein Castle, you have three options:

On foot:

• The walk up takes about 30 minutes going uphill and less coming down.

By horse-drawn carriage:

• Departure point: Hotel Müller, Alpseestraße in Hohenschwangau.
• From the horse-drawn carriage stand at the top it is about a 300m walk (approx. 5 minutes) to the castle entrance.
• Costs:  Uphill journey € 6  | Downhill journey € 3 (prices as at Sep. 2010)

By Bus:

• Departure point: Schlosshotel Lisl. The bus goes via Bleckenaustraße to the “Jugend” lookout point (Marienbrücke) from where it is about 600 m or a 10-minute walk on a steep downhill path to the entrance of the castle. This path is not suitable for the disabled.  Note: The bus does not run if there is snow or ice on the roads!
• Costs:  Uphill journey € 1.80 | Downhill journey € 1 | Return ticket:  € 2.60 (as at 2008)

Getting to Hohenschwangau from Neuschwanstein Castle:

Schloss Neuschwanstein Bus © Travel Signposts

From the castle exit, if you intend walking back to the village or taking a ride on the horse-drawn carriage, take the path down to the right.

To return by bus, take the path to the left to the lookout point where you were dropped off.

Horse-Drawn Carriage

It was cold and wet and we had 30 minutes to get back to Hohenschwangau village from the castle. We took the path to the right and in approximately 5 minutes we saw the stand for the horse-drawn carriage. We decided to take a ride down but when no carriages were in sight we got a little concerned about our timing. A guy who was doing some work there told us that a carriage would arrive in a few minutes and it did. A few minutes later, a few more carriages arrived.

The carriages take about 8-10 people and travels at a leisurely pace. Just before we reached the village, they did a horse change. Apparently after 6-8 trips, the horses are given a rest. So the whole journey probably took as long as if we had walked, but I’m glad that we did the horse-drawn carriage as it was an enjoyable experience – once you got used the smell of the horse!

It’s easy to find out a German phone number online, there are several efficient German telephone directories available.

Germany’s Telephone Country Code is 49, and telephone area codes in Germany have two to five digits, not counting the leading zero. The leading zero must be dialled when calling from within Germany and omitted when calling from abroad (to call abroad from within Germany, dial 00 before the country code).

016 or 017 are the prefixes of mobile (cell) phone operators, so watch out when dialling these numbers, it can be expensive! Deutsche Telekom had a monopoly until 1998, but competition since has reduced call charges; however, even local calls are timed.

Free telephone number search

DAS TELEFONBUCH
http://www.dastelefonbuch.de/english.html
Official white pages phone book for people and businesses in Germany. This is the English version. Click on "English" in language list across top of page, if needed. The German version of city names must be entered, even on the English language edition of the site. For example "Muenchen" for Munich and "Koeln" for Cologne. If you type in a letter the dropdown menu will suggest towns, useful where there’s an umlaut involved!

How to find entries quickly and simply:
Input a name in the “Who/What“ search field (e.g. “Müller“), a search term (e.g. “Hairdresser“) or a phone number (reverse search).
In case of names and search words, you can abbreviate your input after 4 characters with an (*): For example “Chin* Restaurant”, will find all entries for “China Restaurant” and all entries for “Chinesisches Restaurant”.
If you leave the “Where“ search field blank, DasTelefonbuch finds entries throughout Germany.

GELBE SEITEN
http://www.gelbeseiten.de/yp/quick.yp
Yellow pages classified business directory for Germany. In German, but translating via the Google tool bar is fine.

KLICKTEL WHITE PAGES
http://www.klicktel.de/telefonbuch/
In German but a Google tool bar translation is OK. Also KLICKTEL YELLOW PAGES
http://www.klicktel.de/branchenbuch/. Reverse and map search, too.

DEUTSCHE TELEKOM GERMAN TELEPHONE DIRECTORY
http://www.teleauskunft.de/ Simple basic search that interestingly prominently advertises the websites given above, presumably because it owns them!

As of January 1, 2002, the euro (€) replaced the national currency of 12 countries within the European Union, including Germany. You can exchange currency at any bank branch (hours are listed below). Automatic cash machines can be found in most commercial centres.

German Euro Banknotes

The seven Euro banknotes carry the theme of the "Ages and Styles of Europe". Each of the notes has gateways and windows on its front and bridges on the back designed in a specific architectural style. Gateways and windows are intended to symbolize the European spirit of openness and co-operation, whereas bridges symbolize the close co-operation and communication between Europe and the rest of the world.

The 5 euro note represents the classical architectural style, the 10 euro note has a romanesque design, the 20 euro note has a gothic motif, the 50 euro note represents the renaissance period, the 100 euro note depicts the baroque and rococo periods, the 200 euro note displays iron and glass architecture and the 500 euro note depicts modern 20th Century architecture.

German euro banknotes
	5 Euro (€5)
	10 Euro (€10)
	20 Euro (€20)
	50 Euro (€50)
	100 Euro (€100)
	200 Euro (€200)
	500 Euro (€500)

German Euro Coins

The front of each coin features one of three designs common to all twelve euro area countries showing different maps of Europe surrounded by the twelve stars of the European Union. The reverse side of each coin shows individual designs relating to the respective member state. (Euro coins can be used anywhere in the euro area, regardless of their national origin.)

The German one and two euro coins have the eagle, the traditional symbol of German sovereignty on the back. The 10, 20 and 50 cent coins have the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, a symbol of the division of Germany and its subsequent unification. The 1, 2 and 5 cent coins have an oak twig on the reverse – a symbol of continuity, as this motif was also to be found on the German pfennig coins which no longer exist.

German euro coins
	1 Cent
	2 Cent
	5 Cent
	10 Cent
	20 Cent
	50 Cent
	1 Euro (€1)
	2 Euro (€2)

Bank Opening Hours:

Banks in Germany generally open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am until 12:30 pm, and from 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm or 4:00 pm.

On Thursday afternoons they open from 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm.

Banks often close earlier the day before a public holiday.

Currency exchange

Currency exchange can be carried out at all bank branches and ATMs and bureaux de change are widely available. Bureaux de change at airports and main railway stations are open daily from 6am to 10pm.

Check out the current Euro exchange rate with your currency here (close the new window to return): 
TRAVEL SIGNPOSTS CURRENCY CONVERTER

Other Germany pages:

Travel to Germany: a Europe Tour that’s a lot more than Beer, Lederhosen and Cuckoo Clocks!

Tour Routes in Germany

When to travel to Germany for your tour: weather and seasons

Book your sightseeing tours or day-trips in Germany online

Book your hotel in Germany online

Coblenz

Kaiser Wilhelm’s Monument

Miltenberg

Nuremberg

Passau

Regensburg

Remagen

Rüdesheim

TRAVEL TO GERMANY WITH US: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

• Festivals
• Public Holidays
• Visas
• Health
• Time
• Electricity
• Weights & Measures
• Money, Banks etc.
• Useful Telephone Numbers

Festivals

Music festivals are big in Germany, Bach in March (bit early) Wagner in Bayreuth in July, lots of stuff in Autumn, including the Oktoberfest, but most Bavarian towns and villages have some kind of beer festival and they’re smaller scale and more enjoyable. Christmas fairs are great but you’re unlikely to be there.

I did a search on a few events at the German Tourist Board website and came up with 146 events between April and October, and I didn’t check everything!

EVENT CALENDAR SEARCH

German Public Holidays

The holidays marked with an asterisk are only observed in these areas:

* Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt
** Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
*** Saarland and catholic areas of Bavaria
**** Bradenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia
***** Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine Westphalia, Saarland, catholic areas of Thuringia.

Although not an official holiday many shops and businesses are also closed on Carnival Rose Monday (Cologne and Rhine region), Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Visas:

EU citizens can enter on an official identity card. Americans, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Japanese just need a valid passport (no visa). Unless you’re a citizen of a developing country, you can probably stay up to three months.

Health risks:

The cost of medical care – come with insurance

Time:

GMT/UTC +1 (+2 in summer)
Current German time

Electricity:

220V, 50Hz, 2-pin (round) plug

Weights & measures:

Metric (same as France)

Metric Weights and Measures and their equivalents

Clothing and shoe sizes conversion: US, UK, Europe

Money:

The Euro (€)
Check out our Euro Guide (with pictures)

• As of January 1, 2002, the euro (€) replaced the national currency of 12 countries within the European Union, including Germany. You can exchange currency at any bank branch (hours are listed below). Automatic cash machines can be found in most commercial centres.
• Bank Opening Hours
  Banking hours in Germany are usually  from 10am to 5pm,  Monday to Friday. Throughout the rest of Germany, banks are usually open from 10am to 1pm, and 3pm to 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Banks often close earlier the day before a public holiday.
• Currency exchange
  Currency exchange can be carried out at all bank branches and Post Offices. Bureaux de change can also be found in large department stores, railway stations, airports and near to tourist sites. Please note: although the exchange rate is fixed, commission rates are not. By law these must be clearly displayed.

Check out the current Euro exchange rate with your currency here (close the new window to return): TRAVEL SIGNPOSTS CURRENCY CONVERTER

Useful telephone numbers :

• Police 110
• Fire Brigade 112
• Ambulance 112
• Operator (0180) 2001033
• National Directory Enquiries 11833
• National Directory Enquiries (in English) 11837
• International Directory Enquiries 11834
• National Rail Enquiries 01 80 59 96 633
• Lost Property (Rail) (0180) 5 99 05 99

Lost Credit Cards/Travelers’ Cheques

• American Express (069) 97 97 10 00
• Diner’s Club (05921) 86 12 34
• EC and Bank Cards (069) 74 09 87
• Euro/Mastercard (069) 79 33 19 10
• VISA (0800) 89 49 1000

Other Germany pages:

Travel to Germany: a Europe Tour that’s a lot more than Beer, Lederhosen and
Cuckoo Clocks!

Tour Routes in Germany

When to travel to Germany for your tour: weather and seasons

Book your sightseeing tours or day-trips in Germany online

Book your hotel in Germany online

Coblenz

Kaiser Wilhelm’s Monument

Miltenberg

Nuremberg

Passau

Regensburg

Remagen

Rüdesheim

TRAVEL TO GERMANY WITH US: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS