Money The euro has been Germany’s official currency since 2002. Euros come in seven notes (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros) and eight coins (one- and two-euro coins and one-, two-,five-, 10-, 20- and 50-cent coins). At the time of writing, the euro was a strong and stable currency, although some minor fluctuations are common. For current rates, check with your bank or online at www.xe.com/uccor www.oanda.com.
You can exchange money at many banks and post offices as well as foreign-exchange offices. Rates are quite good and service swift and unbureaucratic at Reisebank offices at large train stations. American Express and Thomas Cook/Travelex offices are also reliable stand-bys.
Costs Germany is fairly inexpensive, although what you spend depends largely on what kind of traveller you are, what experiences you wish to have and, to a lesser extent, the season in which you’re visiting. Staying in midrange hotels, enjoying two sit-down meals a day, using public transportation, spending some money on sightseeing, activities and going to bars or clubs will costs between €120 and €150 (per person, travelling as an adult couple). For mere survival, you’ll need to budget from €40 to €70 per day, and this will have you sleeping in hostels or budget hotels, eating snack- and fast-food or preparing your own meals, and limiting your entertainment. You can stretch the euro further by taking advantage of various discounts. Of course, if you’re a high roller, Germany has no shortage of luxury hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and fancy bars to help you part with your money.
Comfortable midrange accommodation starts at about €80 for a double room with breakfast in the cities, and €60 in the countryside. Many hostels and hotels have special‘family’ rooms with three or four beds, or they can supply sleeping cots for a small extra fee. In some places, children under a certain age pay nothing if staying in their parents’ room without requiring extra bedding.
A two-course meal in an average restaurant costs between €20 and €30 per person, including a glass of beer or wine. Drinks prices (even nonalcoholic ones) can run surprisingly high, even in basic eateries. Eating out doesn’t have to take a huge bite out of your budget, however, as long as you stick to cafés and casual restaurants where you’ll get meals for under €10. If you’re travelling with kids, ask about a special kids’menu or kids’ dishes. Holiday flats with kitchens are ideal for trimming food costs. Generally, prices in supermarkets are a bit lower than in the UK, USA and Australia.
Museum admission ranges from€0.50 for small local history museums to €10 for international-calibre art museums, even more for blockbuster exhibits. Some sights and museums are free, or have admission-free days, and discounts are offered for children, teens, students and seniors. Tourist-geared discount cards (often called Welcome Cards) offer free public transport and discounts on admissions, tours and the like and can be a good deal.
Car-hire costs vary; expect to pay around €45 a day for a medium-sized new car. Driving is the most comfortable and convenient mode of getting around the country, although in cities parking may be elusive and expensive. However, if there are three or more of you travelling together, it may be the most economical way of getting around. In cities, buying day or other passes for public transport is almost always cheaper than buying single tickets. If you’re travelling by train, consider a rail pass or see if Deutsche Bahn is offering any special promotions.
Taxes & refunds Prices for goods and services include a value-added tax (VAT), called Mehrwertsteuer, which is 19% for regular goods and 7% for food and books. If your permanent residence is outside the European Union, you can have a large portion of the VAT refunded, provided you shop at a store displaying the ‘Tax-Free for Tourists’ sign and obtain a tax-free form for your purchase from the sales clerk. At the airport, show this form, your unused goods and your receipt to a custom official before checking your luggage. The customs official will stamp the form, which you can then take straight to the cash refund office at the airport.
Business hours Official trading hours in Germany allow shops to open until 8pm Monday to Saturday. Actual hours, though, vary widely. In rural areas and city suburbs, shop owners usually close doors at 6pm or 6.30pm Monday to Friday and at 2pm or 4pm on Saturday. Some establishments also observe a two- or three-hour lunch break. Train stations and petrol stations are good for stocking up on basic supplies after hours, although prices will be inflated. Many bakeries open for three hours on Sunday morning and for two hours on Sunday afternoon.
Banking hours are from 8.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday, with suburban and rural branches usually closing for lunch. Most branches stay open until 5.30pm or 6.30pm on Thursday. Post office hours vary widely, but core hours are 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and to 1pm on Saturday.
Travel agencies and other service-oriented businesses are usually open from 9am to 6pm weekdays and till 1pm or 2pm on Saturday. Government offices, on the other hand, close for the weekend as early as 1pm on Friday. Many museums are closed on Monday but stay open late one evening a week.
Restaurant hours vary greatly, but many still close in the afternoon, stop serving food at about 9.30pm and observe a closing day (Ruhetag). This rule generally does not apply in big cities where you’ll have no problem packing your tummy all day long and until late in the evening.
Pubs and bars pour libations from around 6pm, unless they serve food, in which case they’re also open during the day. Happy hours are practically mandatory, and are usually between 5pm and 10pm. In cities without closing hours, such as Hamburg and Berlin, bars stay open until the wee hours if business is good; otherwise, 1am or 2am are typical closing times. Clubs don’t really get going before 11pm or midnight and often keep buzzing until sunrise or later. In places like Berlin there is now a growing number of daytime clubs, so it’s quite possible not to go home at all on weekends!
All shops, banks, government departments and post offices are closed on public holidays.