Overview
Modern Germany occupies a central place in Europe – both geographically and politically – and is an incredibly diverse travel destination. It is a land of fine arts, foaming beer, half-timbered towns and dynamic urban landscapes. Those looking for the “typically German” will be surprised by the reality. Germany has shaken off the shackles of its inglorious past and is now a country of remarkable diversity, famed for both its forward-thinking architecture and picture-perfect landscapes. In Germany, visitors will find an interesting mixture of nature, find art and creativity. The capital Berlin is chic and fun-loving and has the reputation – as it originally did in the roaring twenties – of being a city where anything goes. The complete opposite of the lively capital are academically ambitious university cities such as Heidelberg and Freiburg, which convey an atmosphere of calm and peacefulness. In 2019 Germany celebrated thirty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. that convey an atmosphere of calm and peacefulness. In 2019 Germany celebrated thirty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. that convey an atmosphere of calm and peacefulness. In 2019 Germany celebrated thirty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Germany is a member of European Union defined by commit4fitness.
Getting there
Arriving by plane
Germany is served by over 100 international airlines. The national airline Lufthansa (LH) alone connects Germany with more than 140 cities worldwide. From Austria: Lufthansa (LH), Eurowings (EW) and Austrian Airlines (OS) fly scheduled services to German airports. From Switzerland: Lufthansa (LH), Eurowings (EW) and Swiss (LX) offer scheduled flights from Zurich to numerous German destinations.
Flight times
Vienna – Frankfurt: 1 hour 25 minutes Zurich – Frankfurt: 1 hour
Arrival by car
A first-class road network connects Germany with all neighboring countries. Long-distance bus: Numerous coach companies travel regularly to the Federal Republic. Eurolines and Flixbus, among others, travel from Austria and Switzerland to Germany. Toll: The use of roads in Germany is free of charge. Documents: The national driving license is sufficient.
Arrival by train
There are excellent train connections between the Federal Republic of Germany and its European neighbors. The most important train connections are listed below: There are fast EuroCity and InterCityExpress connections by Deutsche Bahn every 1 or 2 hours to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Prague, Brussels, Paris, Budapest, Vienna and Zurich, among others. The French high-speed train TGV serves the following routes, among others: Stuttgart – Paris (journey time: 3 hours 40 minutes), Frankfurt – Paris (journey time: 3 hours 50 minutes), Munich – Paris (journey time: 5 hours 42 minutes), Frankfurt – Marseille (via Strasbourg, Lyon, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence) (journey time: 7 hours 50 minutes). ICE trains with tilting technology (ICE T) run from Zurich to Munich and Stuttgart and from Vienna to Frankfurt. The Austrian Railjet runs seven times a day, the ICE-T once a day between Vienna and Munich (journey time: just under 4 hours). The Railjet also connects Munich four times a day via Vienna with Budapest (journey time: 7 ¼ hours). You can also use it to reach Stuttgart, Mannheim and Frankfurt. The night trains of the Urlaubs-Express run from Munich and Basel to the Baltic Sea resort of Binz, as well as from Hamburg to Lörrach and Munich. The night train portal http://trainite.eu/ provides an overview of night train connections. The Nightjet night trains run between Germany and Austria as well as Switzerland: Berlin – Vienna Hamburg – Berlin – Freiburg(B) – Basel – Zurich Hamburg – Hanover – Munich – Innsbruck Hamburg – Hanover – Passau – Linz – Vienna Düsseldorf – Cologne – Frankfurt – Munich – Innsbruck Düsseldorf – Cologne – Frankfurt – Linz – Vienna Munich – Salzburg – Vienna – Budapest (connection of the Nightjet partners) Berlin – Dresden – Prague – Vienna/Budapest (connection of the Nightjet partners) The Alpen-Sylt-Nachtexpress connects Basel and Salzburg with Sylt. Thalys high-speed trains run daily from Cologne and Aachen to Liège, Brussels and Paris. Thalys trains have special offers for groups and weekends. Children up to the age of 3 travel for free. There is a Thalys ticket sales point in Cologne Central Station. The ICE International Amsterdam connects Amsterdam (Netherlands) with Frankfurt/M. via Cologne (journey time: < 4 hours) and Amsterdam with Berlin via Hanover up to seven times a day every 2 hours. The ICE International Brussels connects Brussels (Belgium) with Frankfurt/M six times a day. (Travel time: 2 hours 58 minutes). Motorail trains Motorail trains to Hamburg leave from both Lörrach and Verona. An ÖBB car train runs – between Vienna and Hamburg, Düsseldorf and – between Innsbruck and Hamburg, Düsseldorf.
rail passes
Tickets and discounts for rail travel in Europe: The most important saver/combination tickets and special offers for rail travel from Germany to other European countries are listed below. Detailed tariff/timetable information is available from the DB information centers. Interrail: Anyone residing in Europe can use Interrail. The Interrail One Country Pass is available for travel in around 30 European countries including North Macedonia and Turkey and is valid for 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 days within 1 month in the respective country. There are discounts for young people (12-27 years) and seniors (over 60 years). Up to 2 children (4-11 years) travel free when accompanied by an adult. The Interrail Global Pass enables travel through around 30 countries and is offered with different validity periods. Either 5 days out of 15 days total validity or 7, 10 or 15 days out of 1 month can be selected. A continuous period of 15 or 22 days as well as 1, 2 or 3 months is also possible. The same discounts apply as for the Interrail One Country Pass (see above). RAILPLUS: As an add-on to the BahnCard, Railplus gives you a 25% discount on the flex price for international routes in up to 28 European countries for cross-border train journeys, but not for pure domestic travel in the destination country. Sparpreis Europa: With Sparpreis Europa, Deutsche Bahn offers tickets for travel to many European countries.
Arrival by ship
The Danube connects Germany with the Danube countries. Regular ferry connections to Germany are offered by a wide variety of shipping lines. Information can be obtained from the Association of Ferries & Ferry Tourists, Tel. 040 21 999 828.
Cruise ships
Lake Constance shipping: Romanshorn/Switzerland – Friedrichshafen; Bregenz/Austria – Konstanz. Color Line: Oslo/Norway – Kiel. DFDS Seaways: Klaipeda/Lithuania – Kiel. Scandlines: Rødby/Denmark – Puttgarden/Fehmarn; Gedser/Denmark – Rostock; Trelleborg/Sweden – Rostock; Trelleborg/Sweden – Sassnitz/Ruegen; Ventspils/Latvia – Rostock. Stena Line: Gothenburg/Sweden – Kiel. TT-Line: Trelleborg/Sweden – Rostock; Trelleborg/Sweden – Travemünde. Finnlines: Lübeck/Travemünde – Rostock – Gdynia/Poland – Helsinki/Finland).
