Trains
By far the best means of public
transport in Germany is the train.
The
rail network , operated
by the privatized national company
Deutsche Bahn (DB;
www.bahn.de
) - formed in 1994 from the union
of the old West and East German
networks - is far denser than that
of any other comparable country in
the world, and also has the most
frequent service levels. It is
particularly comprehensive in the
former GDR, where there have
hardly ever been any line
closures, while an encouraging
recent devolopment in the west has
been the re-instatement of
passenger trains to a number of
towns cut off from the network
since the 1970s. Where natural
obstacles or a sparse population
make rail routes unrealistic, the
DB-associated buses, Bahnbusse,
take over. North-south travel is
particularly straightforward,
while east-west journeys may
require a change along the way.
Everywhere services are very
efficient, but relatively
expensive. Up to 100km, a series
of zone tariffs apply. Above that
distance, the rates are calculated
per kilometre: DM0.272/?0.136
second class, DM0.408/?0.204 first
class.
On all intercity routes, even
from one end of the country to
another, the minimum frequency
of service from early morning till
late evening is one per hour, and
in many cases is several times
that. Between smaller towns, it's
seldom worse than every two hours,
and even the most isolated lines
have several trains per day,
although these are liable to cease
in the early evening and be much
reduced at weekends.
There are several types of
train most luxurious is the
280kph InterCityExpress (ICE),
which is due to be upgraded to
330kph. It only operates on the
most popular intercity routes,
though these are gradually being
extended. On top of the normal
fare, there's a supplement to be
paid on these trains, increasing
according to the distance
travelled up to a maximum of
DM50/?25. Otherwise, the fastest
and most comfortable trains are
those designated InterCity (IC)
and EuroCity (EC); the only
difference between them is that
the ECs cross international
borders. With these you can travel
from one end of the country to the
other -Hamburg to Munich, for
example, takes six and a half
hours. The only drawback is the
supplement ( Zuschlag ) of
DM9/?4.50 (or DM7/?3.50 if you buy
it at the station before boarding
the train), which is compulsory
unless you've already invested in
a rail pass. Slightly downscale
from the ICs and ECs are the
InterRegio (IR) trains offering a
swift cross-country service along
less heavily used routes - and
charging a DM4/?2 supplement for
journeys of under 50km. This also
applies to the relatively
cumbersome D-Zug or Schnellzug,
which is now used primarily on
evening and overnight routes. Of
the more localized services, the
RegionalExpress (RE) covers the
most ground in the shortest time;
the misleadingly named
StadtExpress (SE) and, in
particular, the RegionalBahn (RB)
are prone to stop just about
everywhere.
Around major cities, the S-Bahn
is a commuter network on which all
rail passes are valid; though
these cannot be used on the
underground U-Bahn system,
or on municipally owned trams and
buses.
The colossal national timetable
( Kursbuch ), which is
published annually, can be bought
from stations for DM25/?12.50,
though it's too bulky to be easily
portable. Otherwise, you can
easily plan your route by picking
up the many free leaflets
detailing intercity services,
available at any main train
station, or by checking the
company's Web site.
Buses
At such rare times as you have to
forsake the trains for
buses
, you'll find no decline in the
standard of efficiency. Most buses
are run in association with DB and
are known as Bahnbusse. They're
organized into regional
associations, which offer
runabout
passes for a variety of
periods; these can be quite
remarkable value, particularly if
you're making an extended stay in
a scenic area such as the Alps or
the Black Forest. There are also
some privately operated routes
outside this system.
You're most likely to need
buses in remote rural areas - or
along designated scenic routes. On
these routes, buses are luxury
class, often packed with tourists,
and pause long enough by the major
points of scenic or historic
interest for passengers to hop out
and take a couple of photographs.
Although expensive to use without
a railcard (EuroDomino holders
travel free and InterRail cards
get a 50 percent reduction), these
buses are usually the only way to
visit certain locales if you don't
have your own transport or the
patience to zigzag around on the
slow local buses.
A point to watch out for in the
remoter country areas is
punctuality. Unlike trains, buses
are allowed to run ahead of their
timetable - and often do if they
have few passengers to pick up.
It's therefore prudent to be at
the stop at least ten minutes
before the bus is due to arrive.
Finally, although there are
some long-distance bus routes
undercutting the railways, these
are on a very small scale in
comparison with Britain, the US or
Australia. Many link major holiday
resorts and the big population
centres, and are clearly targeted
at the latter's less affluent
residents.
Boats
Travelling by
boat is
another option, though more for
relaxation than covering large
distances. All along the major
rivers, and in particular the
Rhine
and
Mosel , there are
innumerable local boats waiting to
ferry you across or around the
waters. For a longer trip, K-D
Linie steamers sail on the Rhine
between Cologne and Mainz, and on
the Mosel between Koblenz and
Cochem, every day from April to
October inclusive. On these
routes, possession of a EuroDomino
or Eurail pass will get you free
passage, while InterRail brings a
50 percent reduction.
The steamers call at many
riverside villages and you can get
on or off wherever you want. The
fare, as you'd expect, depends on
how far you travel; Cologne to
Koblenz, for example, costs
DM59.80/?29.90 single,
DM66.40/?33.20 for a day return
(DM90/?45 and DM118/?59
respectively by fast boat).
Several smaller companies also
operate short-haul services along
both the Rhine and Mosel, and
along most other main navigable
rivers as well. In the former GDR,
there are especially beautiful
cruises to be had on the Elbe,
particularly the stretch from
Dresden south into the Czech
Republic.
Germany's biggest lake, an
enormous bulge in the Rhine called
the Bodensee , is also a
prime spot for water-borne travel,
either for a direct journey or a
lazy cruise to explore the nooks
and crannies of its shoreline,
which spans Austria and
Switzerland as well as Germany.
Cruise boats also ply many of
Bavaria's Alpine and pre-Alpine
lakes.
Municipal public transport
Municipal public transport in most
German cities (though western
Berlin and Hamburg are notable
exceptions) is still centred on
trams
. Increasingly, these are sleek
modern vehicles capable of moving
at a fair speed between stops.
They often have an underground
stretch in the city centre, where
they're known as the
U-Bahn
. This is often a source of
confusion; it's important to
remember that Berlin, Hamburg,
Munich and Nürnberg have a much
more extensive U-Bahn system using
tube trains as distinct from
trams, while in cities with trams
only you may have to look both
above and below ground in the
central area to find the stop for
the service you want. In some
cities, old boneshaker trams are
still the mainstay of the public
transport system, though these are
gradually being replaced. Wherever
the trams and U-Bahns do not go,
you can be sure that there will be
a
bus to fill the void.
Tickets , which can be
bought from automatic vending
machines or the driver, are valid
on all the different forms of
transport - which include the S-Bahn
and mainline trains as well
in all the major conurbations -
and you can change from one to
another, with no supplement for
transfers. This means that, if
making a train journey between two
places within the same public
transport authority, you are
entitled to have what are in
effect free rides on the local
public transport systems at either
end, provided these are made
within the allowed time periods.
Normal single fares are
relatively expensive - DM3/1.50 is
the standard rate in many cities,
though there's generally a special
lower tariff for short journeys ( Kurzstrecke
).
If you're planning to make
several journeys, it's advisable
either to buy in blocks
(usually offering a total saving
of around 30 percent), or invest
in a fixed time period
(generally 24hr) ticket. The
latter, which can be bought for
the city itself or the whole of
the regional network, can be a
tremendous bargain - in some
cities, up to two adults and two
children are covered by the
ticket, for an outlay of around
DM8/4 for the city only and
DM15/7.50 for the regional
network. Even better value are the
cards which, for a minimal extra
outlay, include free or reduced
admission to the main museums and
monuments. Details of these are
given throughout the Rough
Guide , but note that exact
conditions are particularly prone
to change.
Finally, note that the purchase
of tickets functions largely on
the honour system, and spot checks
by plain-clothes inspectors are
fairly rare. However, they do take
place rather more frequently than
was once the case, and result in
an automatic DM60/30 fine
for anyone caught without a valid
ticket.
Planes
While domestic flights are
numerous and quick between the
major cities, they are also
expensive. Single fares are
available in business class only,
and are far more expensive than
the cheapest returns, which
include Frankfurt-Berlin for
DM220/?110, Frankfurt-Hamburg for
DM260/?130. If you're in a
desperate rush, it's worth trying
to obtain one of these tickets,
even if it means destroying the
return portion. Student and youth
fares are 25 percent less than
normal rates. Any tourist office
or Lufthansa agent will be able to
provide full details of the
current offers. If you definitely
want to fly between German cities
and are starting and finishing
your journey in the UK, it's
cheaper to book all the flights
together, although this usually
means that dates of travel cannot
be changed. The same applies for
travellers from North America,
Australia and New Zealand.
Driving and vehicle rental
Foreigners may drive in
Germany for one year with a
national or international driving
licence (for more than a year you
must have a German licence). At
least third-party
insurance
is mandatory (normal third-party
insurance in Britain does not
cover foreign travel, although
more extensive policies do). It's
not necessary to carry a green
card, but some other form of proof
of insurance is essential.
Seatbelts are compulsory
for all passengers as well as the
driver, and children under 12
years must sit in the back.
Understanding right of way
can be problematic: if no right of
way is indicated, priority is
always with vehicles coming from
the right. In cities, be aware
that trams always have the
right of way. Unfamiliarity with
the traffic system means that
unwary visiting drivers are prone
to cut in front of turning trams
at junctions - a frightening and
potentially lethal error. Also,
when trams halt at their
designated stops it's forbidden to
overtake until the tram starts
moving, to allow passengers time
to cross the road and board.
Germany's highways, or Autobahnen
, are the most extensive and
efficient network in Europe,
though those in the north can
sometimes be only two lanes. Fuel
stations, roadside restaurants and
motels are located every 30-40km,
and every city and virtually all
the towns are within simple
striking distance, using equally
high-quality secondaryroads to
link them to the Autobahnen. A
huge amount of work has been done
in the former GDR to bring its
road system up to western
standards, though many minor
routes still remain in a poor
state of repair.
There are no legally enforced speed
limits on the Autobahnen
although there is a recommended
limit of 130kmph. The official
speed limit on country roads is
100kmph, and in built-up areas
50kmph, unless a lower figure is
indicated.
Note that there are on-the-spot
fines for speeding and other
offences. For speeding these are
charged on a sliding scale from
about DM20-50/?10-25; after a
cut-off point of roughly 25km
above the limit, you're charged
and taken to court.
Mitfahrzentralen
As in most other countries today,
casual
hitching is not
recommended as a safe method of
getting around Germany.
However, the Germans have
developed an institutionalized
form of hitching called Mitfahrzentralen
, located in most large cities and
listed throughout the Rough
Guide . (Beware that their
addresses and phone numbers tend
to change rapidly, so it's always
worth checking the local
directory.) These are agencies
that put drivers and travellers in
touch with each other for a
nominal fee, and then it's up to
the participants to work out an
agreeable fuel contribution,
usually a simple two-way split,
although the agency does suggest a
reasonable sum. There's a valuable
safety factor in this system,
since all drivers have to notify
the agencies of their addresses
and car registration numbers.
There are also a few women-only
agencies , known as Frauenmitfahrzentralen.
Cycling
Cyclists are well catered
for in Germany - at least in
comparison with the UK, US or
Australia - though sensibly
they're banned from the
Autobahnen
. Many smaller roads have marked
cycle-paths, and bike-only lanes
are a common sight in cities and
towns. Fairly hassle-free
long-distance
cycling is possible all over
the country, but obviously you'll
need a strong pair of legs and a
sturdy, reliable machine to get
much joy out of the Bavarian Alps.
To take your own
bike on a
train , you need to purchase a
Fahrrad-Karte (bicycle
ticket), which costs DM6/?3 for up
to 100km, and DM12/?6 otherwise.
On express services, you have to
take the bike to the luggage van;
on S-Bahn and regional trains,
there are marked carriages where
cyclists can stay with their
bikes.
Between April and October, the
best place to rent a bike
is from a train station
participating in the Fahrrad am
Bahnhof scheme (most of the main
stations), whereby a bike costs
from DM10-20/?5-10 per day. You
can return it to any other
participating station and
EuroDomino or InterRail
card-holders get a 50 percent
discount. This is obviously
perfect for splitting train travel
with pedalling as and when the
mood, terrain or weather takes
you. During the rest of the year,
or in an area where there's no
suitable station, simply look in
the phone book under Fahrradverleih
to find the address of a local
bike rental outlet. Renting this
way, however, means you'll have to
leave a deposit, usually around
DM50/25.
Walking and hiking
The German countryside is laced
with colour-coded
hiking trails
, most of which are suitable for a
Sunday afternoon stroll, though
many trails are actually sections
of much longer hikes. Very few
hikes pass through remote or
isolated areas and there's always
a village, campsite or youth
hostel fairly close by so you can
make a trek of just a few hours or
of several days' duration without
much trouble. The best of the
trails are described in the
Rough
Guide and the local tourist
offices have masses of
information
and maps (
Wanderkarten
) relating to the walks in their
area. Because the hikes are so
easy, you won't need any
specialist equipment, but take a
comfortable day-pack for carrying
picnic provisions.
There are some potential
frustrations , however. The
prevalence of trees in all the
scenic areas (with the exception
of the Swabian Jura and the upper
reaches of the Bavarian Alps) not
only means that you're only
occasionally rewarded with
long-range views, but also ensures
that there's seldom much chance to
deviate from the regimentation of
the marked paths. Don't let this
rigidity fool you into skimping on
proper maps: at times the trails
can peter out or become confused,
particularly when signs have
become weather-worn or have been
vandalized.
