Germany: know before you go

Germany is part of the Schengen area, so one short-stay rule covers the whole zone. Citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and many other visa-waiver countries can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day window without a visa, as long as every Schengen country visited counts toward the same 90 days. Check your passport before anything else: it must have been issued within the last 10 years and must stay valid for at least 3 months beyond the day you plan to leave. The border routine changed in late 2025, when the EU's Entry/Exit System began registering fingerprints and a facial image and replacing passport stamps. ETIAS, the paid online authorisation for visa-free visitors, is not running yet; when it opens it will cost €20 and apply to the same nationalities. Longer stays, study, and any paid work need a national visa arranged before you travel.

Long-haul visitors land at Frankfurt or Munich, Germany's two biggest airports, and both connect straight to the rails. Frankfurt's airport has its own long-distance station, so an ICE toward Cologne, Berlin, or Munich can be your first move after baggage claim, and the S-Bahn into Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof takes about 10 to 12 minutes. Munich's airport sits about 40 minutes from the center by S-Bahn. Arriving by train from elsewhere in Europe works well too: Eurostar covers London to Brussels in about 2 hours, and the ICE carries on to Cologne in about 1 hour 50 minutes. Cross a land border from Austria, France, or another Schengen country and you will usually find no passport check at all, though it pays to carry ID.

Germany's ICE network is the fastest way between cities: center to center, up to 300 km/h on the quickest lines, with Wi-Fi and power at your seat. Fares reward early booking. A Sparpreis advance ticket starts from €6.99, while a walk-up Flexpreis on the same route can cost several times more, so lock in trains once your dates are fixed. A BahnCard 25 takes 25 percent off long-distance fares for a year and costs €62.90 in second class, which pays off on a couple of long journeys. Seat reservations cost €5.50 in second class and are worth having on Friday afternoons and holiday weekends. The €63 Deutschlandticket covers regional trains only, not the ICE. Long-distance coaches undercut the train on many routes, and driving works too: no motorway tolls for cars, a recommended 130 km/h on stretches without a limit, and a green emissions sticker needed for many city centers.

Local transport in Germany runs on integrated tickets, and the nationwide Deutschlandticket is the simplest one: €63 a month for buses, trams, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and regional trains in every city and state. It is a subscription rather than a day pass, cancellable up to the 10th of each month, and roughly 14.5 million people hold one. It does not cover ICE, IC, or EC long-distance trains, so buy those separately. For a short stay, single tickets and day passes are sold at machines and in the local transport apps; buy before you board and keep the ticket with you.

Germany is a euro country, with the same notes and coins as the other members of the euro area. Cards are widely accepted at hotels, supermarkets, and most restaurants, but Germany keeps more cash in daily life than most of Europe, and small kiosks, bakeries, and market stalls often take nothing else, so keep some notes handy. In restaurants, tipping is relaxed: round up or add a small amount, and tell the person the total you want to pay. Prices include VAT, so the tag price is the price, and visitors who live outside the EU can claim the tax back on goods they export, provided the receipt and the customs export confirmation are in order.

Germany's crime levels are similar to Britain's, and visitors rarely run into anything worse than petty theft. Terror attacks are the bigger concern on paper: British travel advice rates the threat as high and points to crowded places and transport hubs, which is a reason to stay alert at stations and fairs, not a reason to change plans. Pickpocketing and bag-snatching are the realistic risks, above all at airports, main railway stations, and busy squares. Keep valuables out of back pockets, don't leave bags on seats or under tables, and in an emergency dial 112 for an ambulance or the fire service and 110 for the police.

Health care in Germany is excellent and easy to find. Tap water is safe everywhere and tightly monitored, and pharmacies (Apotheke) handle minor problems. Visitors from the EU and the UK should carry an EHIC or GHIC, which covers medically necessary state treatment at the same cost as for locals; it does not cover private clinics, elective care, or flying you home, so travel insurance still matters. Everyone else needs a policy before arrival. If something cannot wait until morning but is not an emergency, call 116117, Germany's medical on-call service; keep hospital emergency rooms for emergencies.

European roaming rules make Germany simple for anyone with a SIM from an EU country: calls, texts, and data come out of your home allowance at domestic prices, subject to fair-use limits, and your operator must text you when you arrive. Visitors from outside the EU can buy a local prepaid SIM or set up an eSIM before flying. Coverage on the main rail corridors and in the cities is generally solid. On ICE trains there is free Wi-Fi and a power socket at every seat, which makes long rides a good time to catch up on messages.

German daily life has a few unwritten rules worth knowing. Sunday is a rest day protected in most state laws: shops close, so buy what you need on Saturday. Cash still greases small transactions, from bakeries to ticket machines that take coins. Bottled drinks carry a deposit: single-use bottles and cans cost 25 cents extra, refunded when you feed them back into the machine at a supermarket. A Guten Tag when you enter a shop or restaurant makes a good first impression, and arriving on time for an appointment is read as basic respect.

German is the official language of Germany and the everyday language of most people you will meet. English is the practical backup: Germany ranks fourth worldwide on the EF English Proficiency Index, and younger people in cities often switch to English as soon as they hear an accent. In hotels, museums, and big-city restaurants, English is usually enough. Outside the cities, and anywhere you deal with paperwork, a few phrases go a long way: Guten Tag, Danke, Bitte, and Sprechen Sie Englisch? Regional dialects are strong in Bavaria, Swabia, and Saxony, so even fluent German speakers may need a moment to tune in.

Germany's major stations and trains are built with accessibility in mind, and European rail passenger rights give travellers with disabilities or reduced mobility a legal right to assistance, including help boarding and a route for complaints when things break down. The planning is on you: assistance is arranged through the operator ahead of travel, so book it with Deutsche Bahn or your train company and spell out what you need, such as a boarding ramp or space for a wheelchair. When you reserve on ICE trains, mention any mobility needs so staff know you are coming. City transport and individual museums vary more, so check the specific network or site before you set out.

Germany's public holiday calendar splits in two: nine holidays apply nationwide, and individual states add their own on top. The national list runs from New Year's Day and Good Friday through Easter Monday, Labour Day on 1 May, Ascension, and Whit Monday to German Unity Day on 3 October and two Christmas days. State additions include Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Assumption, Reformation Day, All Saints, and Saxony's Repentance Day, so a Bavarian year can hold 13 holidays while Berlin stays near the national nine. On holidays and Sundays, shops, offices, and most museums close. When a holiday lands midweek, the country travels: trains and motorways fill on the Friday evening before and the Sunday after, and long weekends book out months ahead in the mountains and on the coast.

Some of Germany's best-known experiences need booking, and the window is often wider than visitors expect. Sparpreis rail tickets are limited and get more expensive as departure nears, so buy trains once your dates are set. The Reichstag dome in Berlin requires advance registration through the Bundestag's visitor service, with peak-summer slots going early. Neuschwanstein is seen by guided tour only; tickets are sold online and, when available, same day at the Hohenschwangau ticket center below the castle. Hotel rooms in December and during big trade fairs sell out at peak prices, so reserve early if your trip lands on either.