International airports
Berlin-Tegel
(TXL) (Otto Lilienthal) (website: www.berlin-airport.de)
is located 8km (5 miles) northwest of the city (travel time – 20 minutes). Bus
nos. 109, 128 and X9 go to the city every 5-10 minutes from 0500-2400; return
is from Bahnhof Zoo, Budapester Strasse, Charlottenburg station or
Kurfürstendamm underground station. Airport facilities include duty-free shop,
banks/bureaux de change, left luggage, 24-hour medical facilities, post office,
restaurant, bars, snack bar, shops, tourist information, conference
rooms, hotel reservation and car hire.
Berlin-Schönefeld (SXF) (website: www.berlin-airport.de)
is 20km (12 miles) southeast of the city (travel time – one hour). The AirportExpress
train departs for the city centre every 30 minutes (0430-2300). S-Bahn no. S9
departs for the city (to Westkreuz) via Alexanderplatz and Bahnhof Zoo;
S45 departs every 20 minutes to Westend. Further connections with the regional
train services R1, R2 and R12 are available at the same tariff as the S-Bahn.
Bus no. 171 runs between U-Bahn station Rudow (Line 7) and the airport. Taxi
service is available to the city 24 hours. Airport facilities include duty-free
shop, banks/bureaux de change, post office, restaurant, left luggage, medical
facilities, nursery, snack bar, hotel reservation, tourist information and car
hire. The mainline railway station is a 10 minute walk from the airport;
connections to major German cities and to Basle, Budapest, Prague and Vienna
are possible from here. A free shuttle bus is available from the airport to the
station.
Berlin-Tempelhof (THF) (website: www.berlin-airport.de)
is 6km (4 miles) southeast of the city centre (travel time – 20 minutes). Bus
no. 119 departs every 10 minutes to the city. The underground lines 6 and 7 run
every two to 10 minutes (travel time – 15 minutes). Taxis are available.
Airport facilities include duty-free shop, left luggage, 24-hour medical
facilities, banks/bureaux de change, snack bar, other shops and car hire.
Bremen (BRE) (Neuenland) (website: www.airport-bremen.de)
is 3.5km (2 miles) from the city (travel time – 10 minutes). Tram no. 6 takes
approximately 17 minutes to the city centre (main railway station). Services
run Mon-Sat every 5-15 minutes, and Sun every 15-30 minutes. There is a 24-hour
taxi service. Airport facilities include a duty-free shop, bank, bureau de
change, conference centre, car hire and hotel reservation.
Cologne (Köln/Bonn) (CGN) (Konrad Adenauer) (website:
www.airport-cgn.de) is 14km (9 miles) southeast of Cologne, and 21km
(13 miles) northeast of Bonn (travel time – 25 and 35 minutes respectively).
Express bus no. 170 goes to Cologne every 15-30 minutes. Express bus no. 670
goes to Bonn every 20 minutes; return is from the bus stop near the main
railway station (stadthaltestelle am hauptbahnhof). There is a 24-hour taxi
service at the airport. Airport facilities include a duty-free shop, tourist
information, conference centre, car hire, restaurant, bar, bank/building
society and shops.
Dresden (DRS) (Klotsche) (website: www.dresden-airport.de)
is 9km (6 miles) northeast of Dresden (travel time – 25 minutes). Daily bus
services are available to the city. Airport facilities include left luggage,
bank/bureau de change, car hire, bars, restaurants, shops and tourist
information.
Düsseldorf (DUS) (Rhein-Ruhr) (website:
www.duesseldorf-international.de
) is 8km (5 miles) north of the city. Trains depart to the city every 20
minutes (the airport station is under the arrival hall). Return is from
Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) every 30 minutes. An S-Bahn connection (S7)
every 20-30 minutes and bus services are also available. Taxis run a 24-hour
service to Düsseldorf. Airport facilities include a duty-free shop, bank,
medical facilities, post office, restaurant, bars, snack bar, tourist
information, car hire and conference rooms.
Frankfurt/M (FRA) (Rhein/Main) (website:
www.frankfurt-airport.de) is 13km (8 miles) southwest of the city.
Travel to and from the city is by buses no. 61 and 62 every 20 minutes,
returning from Hauptbahnhof (main railway station). Lines S8 and S9 go to the
city (the station is underneath the arrival hall). S-Bahn S8 also goes directly
to Mainz and Wiesbaden (travel time – 40 minutes). There is a 24-hour taxi
service to Frankfurt. The airport has its own InterCity railway station which
also offers international services (Austria, Hungary and Switzerland). The Lufthansa
Courtesy Airport Bus connects with Mannheim (travel time – one hour)
and Heidelberg (travel time – one hour 30 minutes). Long-distance bus services
from the airport include the T271 to Ostrava in the Czech
Republic (travel time – four hours) and the CHECK LINE bus to Strasbourg
in France (travel time – three hours). Airport facilities include left luggage,
medical facilities, duty-free shops, banks, restaurants, bars, snack bars,
shops, Airport Conference Centre (23 conference rooms), post office, tourist
information and car hire.
Hamburg (HAM) (Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel) (website:
www.ham.airport.de) is 9km (5 miles) north of the city centre (travel
time – 25 minutes). Coaches go to the city every 20 minutes, returning from
Zentral Omnibus Bahnhof Kirchenallee. The Airport City Line bus runs every 20
minutes to the railway station from 0500-2300. Express bus no. 110 runs every
10 minutes to Ohlsdorf Station (travel time – 10 minutes). A taxi service is
available. Airport facilities include duty-free shop, banks, shops,
restaurants, snack bar, post office, tourist information and car hire.
Hannover (HAJ) (Langenhagen) (website:
www.hannover-airport.de) is 11km (7 miles) north of the city (travel
time – 30 minutes). S-Bahn S5 runs between the airport and the main railway
station every 30 minutes (travel time - 12 minutes). A 24-hour taxi service
runs to Hannover. Airport facilities include a duty-free shop, luggage lockers,
medical facilities, banks/bureau de change, bars, snack bar, post office,
restaurants, tourist information and car hire.
Leipzig/Halle (LEJ) (website:
www.leipzig-halle-airport.de) is 12km (7 miles) northwest of the city
(travel time – 30 minutes). Coaches and trains depart to the city. Return is
from the main railway station and major hotels. 24-hour taxi services are
available to the city. Airport facilities include duty-free shop, conference
centre, bank, post office, snack bar, medical facilities, tourist information
and restaurant.
Munich (MUC) (Franz Joseph Strauss) (website:
www.munich-airport.de) is 28.5km (18 miles) northeast of the city
(travel time – 38 minutes). Direct links with the S-Bahn S8 and S1 run every 10
minutes from Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) (0313-0042; return 0355-0115).
The Airport City Bus runs every 20 minutes from 0650-1930 to the Hauptbahnhof
and every 30 minutes from 0755-2055; further bus services are available. Coach
Oberbayern runs every 10 minutes to the city centre. Airport facilities include
duty-free shop, left luggage, 24-hour medical facilities, snack bar,
restaurants, post office, banks, conference centre, car hire and bars. The
airport also has a Visitors’ Park. Attractions include Dimension M (interactive
information centre), Viewing Hill (a vantage point to view airport activity), a
display of historical aircraft, an aircraft simulator, movie theatre, a play
area and restaurant.
Münster-Osnabrück (FMO) (website: www.airport-fmo.de)
is 25km (16 miles) from the city. Buses go to Münster (travel time – 30
minutes) and Osnabrück (travel time – 35 minutes). Taxis take 40 minutes.
Airport facilities include a duty-free shop.
Nuremberg (NUE) (website: www.airport-nuernberg.de)
is 7km (4 miles) north of the city centre. Underground U2 runs to the
Hauptbahnhof (travel time - 12 minutes). There is a 24-hour taxi service. Bus
no. 32 goes to Thon with interchanging bus no. 30 to Erlangen (travel time – 20
minutes) as well as trams no. 4 and 9. Taxis are available. Airport facilities
include a duty-free shop, luggage lockers, business centre, 24-hour medical
facilities, bars, snack bar, post office, restaurants and car hire. Saarbrücken
(SCN) (Ensheim) is 16km (10 miles) from the city centre. There is an
hourly bus service (27) to the city, and taxis are also available.
Stuttgart (STR) (Echterdingen) (website:
www.stuttgartairport.de) is 14km (9 miles) south of the city (travel
time – 35 minutes). An S-Bahn link (lines S2 and S3) is available with trains
running at 10-minute intervals. There is a 24-hour taxi service to Stuttgart.
Airport facilities include duty-free shops, luggage lockers, conference centre,
24-hour medical facilities, bank/bureau de change, bars, post office,
restaurant and car hire.
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Air Travel
The national airline is Lufthansa (LH) (website:
www.lufthansa.com). Many other airlines serve the country, including an
increasing number of low-cost airlines (such as Easyjet and Ryanair)
operating from the UK.
Internal services are operated by Lufthansa and
several regional airlines. Frankfurt/M is the focal point of internal air
services and all airports in the Federal Republic of Germany can be reached in
an average of 50 minutes’ flying time. There are several airports in the
country apart from those listed above which offer internal air services.
Helgoland, Sylt and some other Friesian Islands are served by seasonal services
operated by regional airlines or air taxi services. Connections by air are run
daily from Berlin, Bremen, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/M, Hamburg,
Hannover, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Westerland/Sylt (summer only). The
majority of western airports offer daily flights to Leipzig and several flights
a week to Dresden.
Approximate flight times: From
Bremen, Hamburg or Hannover to London is one hour 20 minutes; from
Cologne/ Bonn to London is one hour 10 minutes; from Frankfurt/M to London
is one hour 25 minutes; from Nuremberg to London is two hours 30 minutes
(with one stop); and from Munich to London is one hour 40 minutes. From
Frankfurt/M to Los Angeles is 11 hours 20 minutes, to New York is
eight hours 20 minutes, to Singapore is 13 hours and to Sydney is
23 hours.
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Travel By Water
The following shipping lines serve routes to
Germany from the UK:
DFDS Seaways: Harwich–Cuxhaven.
Stena Line: Harwich–Hook of Holland.
P&O Ferries: Dover–Calais; Hull–Rotterdam; Hull–Zeebrugge.
Hoverspeed: Dover–Calais; Dover–Ostend.
Ferry connections also exist from Germany to Denmark, Finland, Latvia,
Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, the Russian Federation and Sweden.
Regular scheduled boat services operate on most rivers,
lakes and coastal waters, including the Danube, Main, Moselle, Neckar, Rhine
and the Weser, and also on Ammer See, Chiemsee, Königssee and Lake Constance.
Ferry services are operated on Kiel Fjord and from Cuxhaven to Helgoland and to
the East and North Friesian Islands as well as to Scandinavian destinations.
Besides these scheduled services, special excursions are available on all
navigable waters. The KD German Rhine Line covers the Rhine, Main and
Moselle rivers, and has comfortable ships which operate daily from April to
late October. Tours with entertainment on board and excursions are arranged as
well as cruises between The Netherlands and Switzerland and on the Moselle. In
conjunction with the ‘White Fleet’ Dresden, the KD also organises cabin
cruises on the Elbe between Dresden and Hamburg. The ‘White Fleet’ offers 30
scheduled services and short trips around Berlin. Further routes include the
rivers Saale and Elbe, several lakes and the Mecklenburger Lake District. Hapag-Lloyd
(website: www.hlag.de) operates cruises of
seven to 21 days from Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Kiel in summer. Lake Constance
(Europe’s third-largest inland lake) is served by regular steamers, pleasure
boats and car ferries between the German, Swiss and Austrian shores. The Bodensee
Pass gives 50 per cent reductions to visitors throughout the Lake
Constance area. This includes scheduled ferry services offered by the German,
Swiss and Austrian railways as well as some bus, local train and mountain
railway routes. The pass is valid for either seven or 15 days. Children up to
six years of age travel free. In addition to the pass, there is a Family Ticket
which is available free of charge and allows children between six and 16 years
of age free travel; unmarried young persons between 16 and 26 years of age pay
half price. In both cases they have to be accompanied by a parent. The Family
Ticket is only valid on boats together with the Bodensee Pass.
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Rail
The following is a selection of rail passes available
on German railways. Details may change and travellers are advised to check with
Deutsche Bahn. Because of the large range of promotions available at any one
time, it is not possible to list them all so visit www.bahn.co.uk
for the latest information and offers. Some passes can only be purchased
outside Germany (see Note below).
Saverticket: Available for a
return journey on one weekend or within one month.
Supersaverticket: Available
for a return journey on a Saturday or within one month (not valid Friday,
Sunday and during peak days).
Twenticket: Available for
second-class single or return journeys for regional and long-distance travel
between the ages of 12 and 25. Valid for up to two months, the ticket gives up
to 20 per cent discount on the regular fare.
Happy Weekend Ticket: Available
for up to five persons travelling together at a weekend, from Sat-Mon (0300).
Valid on all local trains, second-class only.
Euro Domino: These tickets
enable holders to make flexible travel arrangements and are valid in 27
European countries including the ferry service from Brindisi (Italy) to
Igoumenitsa (Greece). They have to be bought in the country of residence for
which a valid passport or other form of ID has to be shown. First- and
second-class tickets are available for travellers over 26 years of age; for
passengers under 26, only second-class is available. The tickets for travellers
over 26 years of age are also valid for any thre, five or eight days within a
month (travel days do not have to be consecutive). They also entitle holders to
a discount of 25 per cent on rail travel in the country of origin or in all
countries which comply with the system. Discounted Euro Domino tickets are on
offer for persons under 26 years of age. Children between four and 11 years get
a 50 per cent discount; children under four travel free. The German variety of
the ED-ticket is valid on the complete network of the Deutshe Bahn; all InterCity
trains, including the InterCity Express, can be used without paying a
supplement. Motorail is exempt. Where seat reservation is required, a reduced
fee is charged; the usual rates apply for couchette and sleeping-cars.
Inter-Rail: Available to all,
but for those aged over 26, tickets are approximately 40 per cent more
expensive. Four different tickets are available. Europe is split into 8 zones
(A-H) and the pass is valid for an unlimited number of train journeys in the
zones chosen, which now include Bulgaria, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic
of), Romania and Serbia and Montenegro. The Global Pass is valid for one
month in all eight zones (32 countries, including Morocco, Turkey and the ferry
connection Brindisi–Patras). Other tickets cover just one zone (two-seven
countries, 15 days validity), two zones (six-10 countries, 22 days validity)
and three zones (nine-15 countries, one month validity). Reductions of 50 per
cent are offered in the country of residence for travel to the border and back
as well as transit journeys. The Inter-Rail ticket is only available for
second-class travel and does not include the use of certain services such as
the X2000 in Sweden, the Pendolino in Italy or the AVE in Spain.
Certain other trains incur supplements.
BahnCard: The BahnCard ticket
offers half-price rail travel with a choice of first- or second-class travel
and is valid for one year. In addition, there are reduced versions for married
couples, families, senior citizens, young people and children.
Good Evening Ticket: This
ticket is available only in Germany. It offers travel on nearly all routes
within Germany for a flat fare between 1900-0300 daily except Christmas, Easter
and other major travelling dates. The ticket has to be bought at the station of
departure.
Motorail: The German Railway
has a fully integrated motorail network, connecting with the rest of the
European motorail network. Trains run mostly during the summer and at other
holiday periods; most have sleeper, couchette and restaurant/buffet cars; for
details see online (website: www.dbautozug.de).
Note: Conditions may apply to
some of these tickets. There are certain discount rail passes that can only be
purchased outside Germany. The following rail passes can only be purchased
through German Rail offices and travel agencies outside Europe: German Railpass
(valid for five, 10 or 15 days for either first- or second-class travel); German
Rail Youthpass (second-class travel for travellers under 26 years of
age); and German Rail Twinpass (for two persons travelling together,
first- or second-class, for five, 10 or 15 days).
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Travel By Road
Traffic signs are international. Speed limits in western Germany are 50kph
(31mph) in built-up areas and 100kph (62mph) on all roads outside built-up
areas. Motorways (Autobahnen) and dual carriageways have a recommended
speed limit of 130kph (81mph). Speed limits in eastern Germany vary according
to the condition of the road. Although officially the same as in western
Germany, some motorways and dual carriageways carry varying speed limits and
are signposted. Children under 12 must travel in a special child seat in the
back. Seat belts must be worn in the front and back. All visitors’ cars must
display vehicle nationality plates. Fines can be imposed for running out of
petrol on a motorway. The warning triangle and a first-aid box are compulsory.
The nationwide alcohol limit is 0.5 per cent. Disabled drivers should be warned
that, although Germany is well-organised for disabled travellers, an orange
badge as used in the UK will not entitle the disabled motorist to park freely
in Germany.
Bus: Buses serve villages and small towns, especially those
without railway stations. Operated by the Post, German Railways or private
firms, they only tend to run between or to small places and there are few
long-distance services. Europabus/Deutsche Touring runs services
on special scenic routes such as the Romantic Road (Wiesbaden/Frankfurt
to Munich/Füssen) and the Castle Road (between Mannheim/Heidelberg to
Rothenburg and Nuremberg).
