Practical information about Germany

Below you will find some information in Germany that may be useful in preparing a trip for your clients.

Commonly used name: Deutschland  

Surface: 357.027 km²/137.000 mi²  
Population: 81,8 million inhabitants  
Capital: Berlin  
Largest city: Berlin with 3.5 million inhabitants  
Largest lake: Lake Constance  
Largest river: Rhine (865 km/537 mi)  

Climate and recommending clothing  
Germany's climate is a combination of temperate and maritime. In the summer (between May and September), temperatures are quite pleasant, so light clothing is recommended. However, we also recommend bringing a light coat and sweater, especially when travelling to mountain regions. In the spring and fall (April and October) the weather can be unstable and ranges from pleasantly mild temperatures (around 20° C/68°F) to below 0 degrees Celsius (30°F), so we recommend bringing some winter clothes. Between November and March, visitors should bring plenty of warm winter clothing and appropriate footwear for rain and snow, as temperatures will be around zero degrees Celsius (30° F) or lower and it may snow. Any time of year we recommend packing an umbrella and a rain jacket.  

Hotels  
All the hotels on our tours have been carefully selected. Most hotels are located in the center of the city and breakfast is always included. Most hotel rooms in Germany don’t offer air-conditioning. Hotels usually offer single and double rooms; triple rooms are not standard. However, upon request an additional bed may be provided.  

Sightseeing  
Germany is a country full of history and many cities have beautifully preserved historic centers that can easily be explored on foot. Our travel programs usually include some walking tours so we recommend bringing comfortable walking shoes.  

Tips/Gratuities  
Tipping is common in restaurants and bars. Drivers and guides are also tipped. Since the introduction of the Euro, the standard amount tipped in restaurants and bars is 10% of the bill. The standard tip for drivers is €2 per day and for guides €3 per day. However, tipping is by no means mandatory, but an appreciation of good service.  

Telephone  
To phone Germany from overseas, dial 0049, followed by the area code (without the 0) and the number. The same applies to overseas calls to cell phone numbers in Germany: dial 0049, followed by the cell phone number (without the 0).  

Banks and currency exchange  
Banks are usually open Monday to Friday, 8:30am-12:30pm and 2pm-4pm or 6pm. The currency in Germany is the Euro and there is no limit to the amount of money one can bring into the country.  
1 € = US$ 1.29 (exchange rate January 2012)  

Mail  
The postage rate within Germany is € 0.55 for letters and € 0.45 for postcards. The international postage rate is € 0.75 for letters and for postcards.  

Electricity  
230 volts CA, 50 Hz. The outlets are standard European, with two round prongs.  

Cuisine  
Germany’s culinary history begins with beer. Germany is proud of its 1400 breweries that still follow the strict standards imposed by the "Law of Purity". This law dates back to the year 1516 and stipulates that brewers may only use water, hops, barley and malt. Germany also offers a great variety of regional cuisines and one of the great pleasures of visiting the country is sampling the unique specialties of each region.