Germany

Quick Facts

[edit]

Capital

Berlin

Population

82,422,299

Government

Federal Republic

Religions

Christianity (Protestant, Catholic), Islam, Judaism

Languages

German

Calling Code

+49

Nationality

German

Local name

Deutschland

Introduction

Lindau

© All Rights Reserved Gelli

The 2006 FIFA World Cup brought Germany and its hardy mixture of stout beers, a festive atmosphere and celebrated heritage into international limelight. It's a diverse country, which has gifted the world with a dazzling array of renowned artists, composers, writers and thinkers, but which will also be remembered for some of the darkest times in Western history.

The Germany of the 21st century is an industrial powerhouse with countless picturesque small towns to balance out its modern, stylized big cities. The once-divided Berlin stands as a pillar of historical importance, while it grasps the future with both hands. Medieval castles and a lively Bavarian culture in the south of Germany highlight the depth of the country's heritage. Such natural stores of beauty as the Alps and the Black Forest make it plain to see why Germany is one of Europe's top picks for travellers, even without a football tournament to really spice things up.

Brief History

Geography

The geography of Germany has lots to offer. From Rhine River Valley, the Black Forrest to the alps there is great beauty to be found. Remember Germany is not just a country of cities. Germany shares international borders with Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Regions

Germany is a federation of 16 regions, called Bundeslander in German.

• Baden-Wurttemberg
• Bayern (Bavaria)
• Berlin
• Brandenburg
• Bremen
• Hamburg
• Hessen
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
• Niedersachsen
• Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Rheinland-Pfalz
• Saarland
• Sachsen
• Sachsen-Anhalt
• Schleswig-Holstein
• Thuringen

Cities

• Berlin
• Hamburg
• Munich
• Frankfurt am Main
• Stuttgart
• Cologne
• Bremen
• Karlsruhe
• Dresden
• Leipzig
• Düsseldorf
• Hannover

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Germany is one of the most convenient countries in Europe, with the ability to fly there from dozens of destination throughout the world. Although the country has several international airports, the most important one (and in fact one of the busiest in Europe) is Frankfurt International Airport. The main national carrier is Lufthansa, which has flights to all major destinations in both Europe as other continents.

Germany has many low cost airlines, like German Wings, which has its base at Cologne Bonn International Airport and focuses on European destinations. It also flies from the international airports at Hamburg, Dortmund, Berlin Schönefeld and Stuttgart.

Another budget airline is Air Berlin, which has flights within Europe as well as to places further away. Its hub is at Berlin Tegel Airport, but it also flies from Düsseldorf and 18(!) other airports in Germany.

A third one is Condor, which uses both Frankfurt and Munich International Airport. It flies to destinations in Europe and beyond.

By Train

There are many trains to take to neighbouring countries and further beyond. Several examples to nearby countries include the following below.
Germany - Belgium vv
* From - to: Aachen - Liège (city) vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: every hour (RE); 6 daily (Tha)
• Night train: no

Germany - Denmark vv
* From - to: Niebüll - Tønder vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: 8 daily (NOB)
• Night train: no

* From - to: Flensburg - Padborg vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: 8 daily (RE)
• Night train: no

* From - to: Puttgarden - Roedby vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: 24 daily (RE)
• Night train: no
• Remarks: boat train

Germany - Luxembourg vv
* From - to: Luxembourg (city) - Trier vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: every hour (RE)
• Night train: no

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

For information and booking German trains, for travel within Germany and from Germany to other countires, check this link.
http://www.bahn.de/p/view/index.shtml

For information about night trains, and to book them, use the following link. http://www.nachtzug.de/site/nachtzugreise/de/start.html

There are periodically special offer train journeys, on German trains. These offers change frequently, so it is worth it, for bargin hunters, to browse the above links often.

By Car

A cheap and easy option to check out if you speak a little German is http://www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de. People offer lifts in their car from one place to another. You will just have to pay for the petrol and also have the chance to meet some Germans.

By Bus

By Boat

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

Money

See also: Money Matters

Germany has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post