Useful facts for travel to Germany

Tony Page — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:16:48 +0000

Useful facts to help you plan your visit to Germany

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

Holiday	2011	2012	2013	German name
New Year’s Day	01.01	01.01	01.01	Neujahr
Epiphany*	06.01	06.01	06.01
Good Friday	22.04	06.04	29.03	Karfreitag
Easter Monday	25.04	09.04	01.04	Ostermontag
Labour Day	01.05	01.05	01.05	Maifeiertag
Ascension Day	02.06	17.05	09.05	Christi Himmelfahrt
Whit Monday	13.06	28.05	20.05	Pfingsmontag
Corpus Christi**	23.06	07.06	30.05	Fronleichnam
Ascension of the Virgin Mary***	15.08	15.08	15.08	Maria Himmelfahrt
Day of Unity	03.10	03.10	03.10	Tag der dt Einheit
Day of Reformation****	31.10	31.10	31.10	Reformationstag
All Saints Day*****	01.11	01.11	01.11	Allerheiligen
Repentance Day (only Saxony)	16.11	21.11	20.11	Buß- und Bettag
Christmas Eve	24.12	24.12	24.12	Heilig Abend ab 12 Uhr
Christmas Day	25.12	25.12	25.12	1. Weihnachtsfeiertag
Boxing Day	26.12	26.12	26.12	2. Weihnachtsfeiertag

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

Berlin

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