Living in Germany
COMMUNICATION
Phone
According to physicscat, the country code is 0049 and the area code for Berlin 30. There are public telephones for cards and coins. Phone cards are available in many shops, kiosks and post offices. In cities, international calls are also possible from telephone cafés. Prepaid cards are available for cheap calls abroad and are available in newsagents and kiosks.
More and more public phone booths are now serving as Wi-Fi hot spots.
Cellphone
GSM 900 and GSM 1800. The most important mobile phone companies include T-Mobile (Internet: www.t-mobile.de), E-Plus (Internet: www.eplus.de) and Vodafone D2 (Internet: www.vodafone.de). Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies.
International roaming can be used within the EU at the Euro tariff. Customers of all European mobile network operators automatically make all calls in and from other EU countries at the Euro rate. However, the Euro tariff does not apply to other mobile communications services such as SMS, MMS and data transmission.
Internet
Wireless internet access (free for the first 30 minutes) is possible in Germany at more than 100 train stations and numerous airports thanks to Wi-Fi. In Hamburg you can surf the Internet for one hour free of charge in many areas. There is also free Wi-Fi service in Munich at Marienplatz, Am Sendlinger Tor Platz, Odeonsplatz and Stachus, among others. Berlin has a hotspot network that can be used unlimitedly free of charge. Hanover and Stuttgart also have free WiFi hotspots (www.hotspotlocations.com). Internet cafes are common. There are internet centers in all major cities. Internet providers include T-Online (Internet: www.t-online.de), AOL (Internet: www.aol.de), GMX (Internet: www.gmx.de)) and Freenet (Internet: www.freenet.de). Mobile surfing on the Internet is also made possible by the Goodspeed Wi-Fi hotspots, which are subject to a charge (Internet: goodspeed.io/de/index.html).
Post Office
You can get stamps in post offices, from machines and in hotels. In holiday regions, they are often available in souvenir shops and kiosks. Poste restante items should be labeled as follows: name of recipient, poste restante, main post office, post code and city name. Post offices open Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sat 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Smaller post offices are often closed for lunch.
NIGHTLIFE
Introduction
In all major cities, visitors can choose between theaters, concert halls and opera houses (the Hamburg State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the German State Opera Berlin and the National Theater in Munich are just some of the most famous). In some cities, such as Hamburg, Bochum or Cologne, there are also musical houses. Night clubs, bars with live shows and discos can also be found everywhere. Germany is internationally known for its techno scene, which is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Hip-hop and heavy metal also have many fans here.
Berlin in particular is known for its diverse nightlife – here you can turn night into day. The Hamburg Reeperbahn is the most famous area in the country for adult entertainment. In addition to the erotic offer, there is also a colorful selection of prestigious variety theaters, music bars and modern nightclubs.
From spring to autumn there are large beer festivals across the country, the best known are the Oktoberfest in Munich and the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. Numerous traditional folklore events take place in the rural areas. The famous beer cellars and beer gardens are mainly found in the south. There are countless small wine bars in Rhineland-Palatinate, Franconia and Baden. A special experience is a visit to an ostrich tavern (called Besenwirtschaft in Württemberg), which can be found in almost all wine-growing regions in Germany and where winemakers serve their own wine.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
The hotel offer is extremely extensive and ranges from simple accommodations to luxury hotels. Numerous brochures are available from the DZT and the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA). Address: Keithstraße 6, D-10787 Berlin. (Tel: (030) 318 04 80. Internet: www.dehoga-berlin.de).
Hotel cooperations and local tourism associations publish their own hotel and accommodation directories. Some hotels are housed in castles, palaces and monasteries. Country inns are available for family vacations, often offering inexpensive half or full board. Good leisure and fitness facilities as well as saunas, swimming pools and increasingly wellness facilities are offered in numerous hotels.
Booking in advance is difficult for hiking holidays without a set route. Local tourist offices can help with reservations. There are often signs on the roadside that read Zimmer Frei. You should always try to get to your next destination before 4 p.m., especially during the high season in the summer months.
Hotel classification: Hotels are divided into the Hotelstars Union star categories from one to five stars.
Camping
Around 2500 campsites and tent options are available in the most beautiful and popular holiday areas. They are usually open from April to October, and there are around 400 winter campsites available in the ski areas. Some of the campsites in the new federal states have quite simple equipment. If you want to camp outside the designated tent sites, you must obtain permission from the owner and / or the local police authority. There is usually no advance booking for campsites. On request, the GNTB can provide a free map with details of most campsites.
The ADAC Camping & Caravaning Guideis published annually and is available in all ADAC branches as well as in book and magazine stores. This camping guide and other publications can also be ordered on the website of ADAC-Verlag es (Internet: www.adac-verlag-gmbh.de). Information about campsites and parks in Germany is also available from: Deutscher Camping-Club e. V. (DCC), Mandlstrasse 28, D-80802 Munich. (Tel: (089) 380 14 20. Internet: www.camping-club.de).
Other accommodation options
Currently, 640 youth hostels offer members of a youth hostel association affiliated with the International Youth Hostel Federation (Internet: www.hihostels.com) inexpensive accommodation. A membership card that is internationally valid can be requested from the German Youth Hostel Association, the individual DJH regional associations or online on the DJH website. Address of the DJH main association: Bismarckstraße 8, D-32756 Detmold. (Tel: (05231) 7 40 10. Internet: www.jugendherberge.de). In the high season (all year round in large cities) we recommend booking in advance.
A holiday stay on the farm is an experience especially for children. Diverse leisure activities ensure variety. TheThe German Agricultural Society (DLG) offers useful information and a selection of 400 addresses on the subject of rural tourism (Internet: www.landtourismus.de). The DLG holiday farm catalog »Farm Holidays / Country Holidays« is available for a nominal fee from DLG Verlag, Eschborner Landstrasse 122, D-60489 Frankfurt / M. (Tel: (069) 24 78 80. Internet: www.dlg.org) or available from ADAC offices and bookshops.
Information and information material are also available from the Federal Working Group for Holidays on the Farm and Rural Tourism in Germany. Address: Claire-Waldoff-Straße 7, D-10117 Berlin. (Tel: (030) 31 90 44 07. Internet:www.bauernverband.de). The GNTB offers travel guides for all German holiday areas.
Categories: The DTV classification system (see private holiday accommodation) is also increasingly used by providers of farm holidays.
