Germany: Travel Tips

GETTING TO GERMANY

Germany is served by more than 100 different airlines with Lufthansa being its biggest airline with the most frequent service to and from the US. Air Berlin is Germany's second biggest airline and sixth largest in Europe with direct flights to Düsseldorf and recently added direct flights to Berlin. The main airports of Germany are Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart, which offer direct flights from and to the US.

The Frankfurt Airport has two railway stations, one for regional services and one for national as well as international services. Getting to the city center of Frankfurt takes about 20-30 minutes either by train or by car. A taxi costs approximately 30 euros.

The airport of Munich offers a suburban railway, which is about 40 minutes away from the city center, whereas a taxi ride costs approximately 60 euros and takes about 35-45 minutes.

The Cologne/Bonn Airport can be reached by bus within approximately 30 minutes from Cologne (costs approximately 27 Euros) and by train in about 15 minutes from Cologne. A taxi to the center of Cologne takes about 20 minutes.

The main airport of Berlin is the Berlin Tegel Airport. It is connected to the underground rail network and by shuttle bus. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the city center. The ride with a taxi takes only 15-20 minutes of a cost of approximately 20 euros.

The suburban railway station at Hamburg Airport is directly located in front of the terminals with trains every 10 minutes to the city center. The journey takes about 25 minutes either by railway or taxi. The taxi ride costs approximately 25 euros.

Visit www.germany.travel for more info on all of these options as well as other up-to-date travel tips.

GETTING AROUND WITHIN GERMANY

Traveling within Germany is very easy and there are plenty of ways you can do it -- each of them fun depending on your time and proclivity.

By car

Germany's Autobahn covers a distance of approximately 7600 miles with no tolls for passenger cars. For being flexible and independent, car rental is the best option, naturally. Best part: there are about 150 scenic routes with several castles and palaces where extraordinary culinary experiences can be made.

By train

Since Germany has an extensive, safe, and comfortable rail network, almost every part in Germany is accessible. High-speed ICE trains can speed up to 190 miles/hour and run every hour connecting more than 50 towns, whereas regional trains connect the smaller towns in Germany. Local services are well-connected to national train services in order to provide excellent connections. For timetables and more info, visit Deutsche Bahn. The available tickets are point-to-point tickets, which are cheaper when purchased several days in advance. For longer travel periods and more flexibility, German rail passes can be purchased from Rail Europe that allow for unlimited travel on a certain amount of days and do not require any reservations in advance.

By bus

Modern and well-maintained coaches deliver their customers safely and comfortably to points across the country. Various themed trips, excursions and club tours are offered by several operators.

By public transport

For travel in and around cities, there are plenty of good connections reached quickly and easily by underground or local suburban railway. Larger cities even have night buses running all night long during the week.

By taxi

In bigger towns there are many taxi ranks and taxis can also be hailed on the street. If you're headed to a small town where there is only little traffic, it's best to order a taxi in advance. Those who travel short distances can agree on "short trip fares" with the driver.