Paying and Tipping<\/strong><\/p>\nThe local currency is Euro, and in most cases, you\u2019ll be able to pay with a card. However, it\u2019s not that uncommon for cafes and small bars not to accept cards. Make sure to have some cash at hand with you at all times. Just use a reliable bank that you\u2019re familiar with to make the exchange.<\/p>\n
Tipping is done somewhat differently than in the US \u2013 in fact, it\u2019s mostly not expected for a customer to tip in restaurants and in bars. The price of service is included in the check. It is, however, common to tip taxi drivers for some reason.<\/p>\n
The Language<\/strong><\/p>\nIn most cities and among the younger population, you\u2019ll always find someone who speaks English and is friendly enough to help you with directions. This is especially so in the service industry, where everyone is used to working with tourists and speaking English.<\/p>\n
When you move to the countryside, and when you speak with the elderly, however, you may find yourself in a bit more trouble. That\u2019s why it helps to try and learn a few key phrases in German beforehand. The language is rather difficult to learn, but a few phrases are all you need.<\/p>\n
Getting Around Big Cities<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen you\u2019re in one of the bigger German cities, the most convenient way to get around is to park your car and use public transportation. It\u2019s very well organized and it\u2019s made to be tourist friendly so that it covers and marks important landmarks that most tourists would want to see.<\/p>\n
Germans also have an excellent railway system for long distances and a simple schedule that\u2019s easy to follow. However, this means you\u2019ll need to stick to it, and that\u2019s why we prefer renting a car for long-distance travel. The roads are in perfect condition, and the traffic isn\u2019t that heavy.<\/p>\n
How Safe Is It?<\/strong><\/p>\nGermany is a relatively safe country, and you shouldn\u2019t have any issues in most cities. As is the case in most large cities, there are areas that are considered a bad part of town, and it\u2019s easy to figure out which ones are those. It\u2019s best not to walk alone there, at least not at night. Locals and hotel staff will help you out if you have any questions in this regard.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also important to note that pickpocketing is somewhat common in touristy parts of town. That\u2019s something that goes with the territory of visiting high-traffic places, and it\u2019s best to be on the lookout.<\/p>\n
Electronic Devices<\/strong><\/p>\nGermany uses what are known as Type C outlets, sometimes also called E\/F plugs, with 230 Volts of power. Those are the plugs with two prongs usually used in Europe but not used in the US and the UK. If you plan to bring your devices with three prongs, you\u2019ll need an adapter.<\/p>\n
In some cases, UK and US devices run voltages from 120 to 240 volts. If you bring along one of such devices, you\u2019ll need both an adapter and a converter in order to use it. These are easy to find at tech stores.<\/p>\n
What Do You Need to Know About Renting a Car?<\/strong><\/p>\nIn order to rent a car in Germany, you\u2019re going to need an international driving permit and a national license as well. You\u2019ll also need an ID and to purchase an insurance policy on the car as well.<\/p>\n
Keep in mind that most German cars have a shift stick which can be someone challenging to American drivers that aren\u2019t used to it. If you\u2019re driving slowly on the highway tracks, move to the right lane since that\u2019s what it\u2019s designed for.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t Rush to See Everything<\/strong><\/p>\nThere\u2019s a lot to visit and do in Germany, and it\u2019s best not to try to see it all in one take. That way, you won\u2019t pay enough attention to any of the sights you\u2019re visiting, and the whole stay will feel both rushed and overwhelming at the same time.<\/p>\n
Instead, make a loose itinerary and pay attention to the places that you\u2019ve actually decided to visit. It is a more rewarding experience even though it does mean you\u2019ll need to visit Germany more than once in order to see it truly. It\u2019s worth doing so, and each trip will be a slightly different experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Germany is on everyone\u2019s bucket list, and it\u2019s a country that you definitely need to visit more than once to experience all that it has to offer. It\u2019s essential, therefore, to plan your trip in advance, at least in some detail, and to utilize the time you have there as best as you can. Our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2685],"tags":[6001,690,6000,5999],"class_list":["post-9740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-destinations","tag-drivers-license","tag-germany","tag-international-drivers-license","tag-schengen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}