Useful information for traveling to Germany.
 
Flights

Buy tickets yourself, you can click on the following links:
www. Germanwings.de
www.airberlin.de
www.lufthansa.de
www.expedia.de
 
International airports in Germany: Leipzig, Dresden, Bremen, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart.
 
Book your hotel by yourself, you can at:
 
www.booking.com
www.hrs.de
www.hotelbooking.com
www.expedia.de
 
Phone

Typically, mobile phone networks, when you come to Germany, through roaming switched on one of the German mobile networks (consult more closely at your mobile operator).
For a telephone conversation with Germany  +10-49 need to dial city code.
 
Important phone numbers
 
Ambulance (s) - 112 (free of charge);
Fire service - 112 (free of charge);
Police -110 (free);

Background:

Help - 11/08/33 (surcharge);
Supplemental airports - 50-81.
 
Codes of some cities: Berlin - 30, Munich - 89, Frankfurt - 69, Dusseldorf - 211, Bremen - 421, Bonn - 228, Cologne – 221.
 
http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/country.php?country=Germany
 
Shops

In Germany, in many cities there are supermarkets, as: «Kaufhof», «Karstadt», «Hertie», you most familiar brands of different price categories you will find here. On the labels of your clothes in Germany indicated size («Größe»), price («Preis»). At the end of each season, there are sales in stores - «Der Ausverkauf». Signs «preiswert», «reduzeirt» means that the prices are reduced. Dates Winter Sale: end of January - beginning of February, year: late July - early August.
All products in Germany are subject to value added tax (19% of the price of goods). Tourists can get a tax free and get the VAT back. Return procedure is as follows: in the store must take help «tax free cheque». Leaving the country, at the airport or at the railway station have to present goods, a certificate and a passport with a visa at short cashier «Kundendienst» (customer service) or at the bar with the inscription «tax free». In this case, the tourist gets an amount equal to the value added tax.
Shopping malls and clothing stores are open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00. Manufactured goods stores are open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 20:00. Some grocery stores are open until 22 o'clock. On Sunday, stores are closed. If you need to buy food on a Sunday you can do it at the station or at the airport.
In Germany there is no non-stop supermarket!
 
Holidays

In the holidays many shops, banks, theaters, etc. are closed:

     January 1 - New Year
     January 6 - Three Kings Day

     May 1 - Labour Day Ascension
     August 15 - Assumption
     October 3 - Day of German Unity
     November 1 - All Saints' Day
     25, December 26 – Christmas
 
Electricity
Electricity supply is 220V, 50Hz. European sockets.

Currency exchange. Getting cash

Banks are open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 13:00 (sometimes until 14:00 or 15:00. Bank offices at airports and major railway stations operate from 6:30 to 22:30, including weekends. Currency exchange is available at banks and specialized exchange offices and hotels in post offices. Credit cards are accepted in almost all major stores, gas stations, restaurants, cafes and hotels. cards to withdraw cash from ATMs can (Geldautomat), usually located in separate cabs coming and going one by one.

Money
German currency - Euro.
In Germany, almost all accept credit cards leading payment systems. If you suspect that you will need to pay in euros in cash, then you need to take care of currency exchange, thus, it is desirable to carry small bills. Denominations of 500 EUR you can not accept, if you make a purchase in a store or in a restaurant to pay the bill, so it is better to exchange a German bank account.
One of the difficulties in Germany, is the exchange of U.S. dollars. As a rule, they can be changed only at a large bank, and with only a certain amount (usually no more than $ 1,000 for one time).
 
German cuisine
In German cuisine is no unity, each region has its own peculiarities. Especially popular in Germany in all kinds of pork. In Germany, more than 1500 kinds of sausages.
Germans vegetables consumed in the form of thick soups and boiled, as well as in salads, is a hallmark of potato salad. Sauerkraut and sausages are considered the national dish of Germany.
Beers here in abundance.
Here are some of the most common:

    Pilsner (German Pils or Pilsener) - contains 4 to 4.8% alcohol. It is sold throughout Germany, but especially in North Germany.
    Wheat beer (Weizen, Weissbier) (German Weizen, Weissbier) - with an alcohol content of 5 to 5.4%. Has a fruity, spicy taste and common especially in Southern Germany.
    Altbier (German Altbier or short-Alt) has a taste of hops and contains about 4.8% alcohol. His "homeland" - Dusseldorf and lower reaches of the Rhine.
    Kölsch (German Kölsch) - the name of the specialty beer brewed in Cologne. The alcohol content of 4.8%.
    Black beer (schwarzbier) (German Schwarzbier) named by color, has from 4.8 to 5% alcohol. Originally produced in East Germany.
    Berliner Weisse (German: Berliner Weiße) has a slightly sour taste and alcohol content of 2.8%, produced in Berlin.
    Light beer (Helles) (German Helles)
    Side-bir Bock (German Bock, Bockbier) - strong beer with an alcohol content of about 6-10%.
    Tsvikelbir or Kellerbir (German Zwickelbier or Zwickl, Kellerbier) - unclear unfiltered and unpasteurized beer natural, has a higher nutritional value than other beers. This is not to bottle beer in the bottle, and served fresh.
    Rye beers (roggenbier) (German Roggenbier)
 
 
In every city in Germany you will find many restaurants to suit every taste, you can pick a suitable option, use the site www.tripadvisor.com (selecting the city in Germany).
You can dine at the German average of 20 EUR.
 
Tip
Sum tip in restaurants is 5-10% of the bill only if the service was pleasant. Including the total amount of the tip is called the client immediately upon transfer of money before the waiter gives him his change.
Taxi drivers also agreed to give "tea" a few euros.

Transportation
The public transport system in Germany - one of the most efficient in Europe. Distinctive features such modes of transport, as the metro (U-bahn), city trains (S-bahn), buses and trams. If you use public transport, more profitable to buy a ticket on a month by 60-70 EUR. Individual tickets (from 2,5 EUR) are valid for all modes of transport within two hours after purchase without limiting the number of transfers. Somewhat cheaper ticket «Kurzstreckentarif» for short distances, entitles to drive six stops on the bus or subway or three on a commuter train. For 13 EUR you can buy a ticket for one day.
All tickets can be purchased at vending machines in subway stations and commuter trains. Tickets must be validated in red machines located on the platforms.
Metro is in the big cities. It starts with a 4:00 am and ends between midnight and one o'clock in the night. Schedules of long-distance trains (DB) and suburban repetition (Regionalbahn) in Germany are united in a single system, making it easy to plan a trip around the country.
Despite the frequent traffic jams during peak hours, buses in Germany run on time. Through the front door is only allowed entry, payment of travel - from the driver.
Taxis are widely spread, the prices vary according to a complex system of calculation. The average trip costs 10 EUR, and for trips of less than 2 km or shorter than 5 minutes, there is a special rate. One kilometer costs on average 1.90 euros plus 5,50 EUR for the inclusion of the counter. You can hire a taxi parked or by phone.
Supervisors in the subway - a common occurrence, and the penalty for ticketless travel is very high. Stowaway may be grounds for making tourist blacklisted foreigners undesirable to enter Germany.
The cost of a taxi in Germany is about 1,90 EUR / km.
Train tickets can be ordered online www.bahn.de
 

Cards
Of course, you can always find a map of the region in the tourist information office on the spot, but it is useful in at least a general understanding of where everything is.

http://www.1001-stadtplan.de/cms/te-map-suche.html?ut_language=de&ut_locale=de
http://www.stadtplan.net/
http://www.outdooractive.com/de/

Necessary things at checkout to Germany

- Passport with a valid Schengen visa
- Medical insurance for traveling to the Schengen countries with a minimum coverage of EUR 30 000
- Air / Train tickets
- Copy of the invitation from the clinic. In Germany, at the border you may be asked to provide it.
- If you go with your child, you have to take permission for removal of the child to the Schengen countries, provided that if a child is traveling abroad with one parent
- Medications that you take regularly.
- International Driving Licence (if you have plans to rent a car in Germany, you have to take with them, received at least 1 year ago, and a credit card in your name).