Timezone
Germany time zone: GMT+ 1 (- 2 hours from Moscow).
Telephone
In Germany, you can make international calls from landlines, mobile phones, as well as from a telephone booth, which is paid for with coins, a Telefonkarte credit or telephone card (purchased at kiosks).
How to call Germany from Russia:
- From a landline to a landline: 8 – beep – 10 – 49 – area code – subscriber’s phone number in Germany.
- From cell phone to cell phone: + 49 – area code – subscriber’s cell phone number.
How to call from Germany to Russia:
- From a landline and mobile phone: 007 – area code – subscriber’s phone number.
The cheapest time to make an international call is from 18:00 to 08:00.
Important phone numbers:
Police – 110
Ambulance and fire service – 112
Roadside assistance – 19211
Embassy of Russia in Berlin – (030) 22911-10, 22912-07, 22911-29
Free call at the expense of the called subscriber – 0130-801-007
Taxi – 030-9644, 030-691-001, 030-261-026, 030-210-202
All-German Russian-speaking reference service “Infoexpert” – 0190-87-22-50
The shops
Shopping is very popular in Germany. Shop opening hours: from 9:00 (10.00) to 18:00 (20.00). In addition, there is a tradition of “long Thursday” when most shopping centers are open until 20:00. On Saturday, the working day in stores ends at 16:00.
Large- scale sales in the country are held at least 2 times a year: in late January – early February and late July – early August. One of the largest supermarkets in Europe, KaDeWe, is located in the capital of the country.
Many large German stores operate a “tax-free” system, using which, when leaving the country, tourists are refunded a value-added tax in the amount of 10% of the value of the goods. To do this, you need to present your passport to the seller, he draws up a Tax Free Shopping Check. Such a receipt must be shown at customs along with the purchase receipt and, if necessary, with the goods themselves. See liuxers for Germany customs and traditions.
Shopping in Germany is universal. Especially popular with tourists are clothing stores, boutiques where you can buy branded clothes. Also in the country they buy cosmetics, accessories, various souvenirs, household goods, dishes, goods for children and much more.
Tips
In Germany, it is customary to tip for good service in the amount of 7-10% of the bill. In a taxi, you can tip 2-3 euros. Tips are given personally to the waiter when paying the bill, leaving them on the table is a bad form. Porters at the hotel leave 1 euro, a maid 1-2 euros, gas station workers – 0.25 euros.
Money and valuables
The most valuable items and documents are recommended to be kept in the hotel safe. You should not carry large amounts of cash with you, it is much more convenient to have traveler’s checks or a payment card with you. Be vigilant in crowded places. Tourists should remember that a passport is their main document. You need to be careful if someone requires a passport as collateral in a doubtful situation.
Currency
The official currency of the country is the euro (EUR). There are one hundred euro cents in one euro. There are coins in denominations of 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50, 1, 2 euros and banknotes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros.
Banking hours on weekdays: 8:30 – 13:00 (15:00), on Thursdays until 17:00 (17:30) with a lunch break (one hour).
In addition, currency can be exchanged at bank branches and exchange offices at airports, railway stations and hotels, their opening hours are: 6:30 (8:30) – 22:00 (22:30) on weekdays and weekends. There are round-the-clock exchange offices in large cities.
In banks, as a rule, a more favorable exchange rate. Exchange offices and hotels charge a commission.
All developed stores, restaurants, gas stations accept popular credit cards American Express, VISA, Master Card and others. If the amount of payment for the purchase is less than 20 euros, the seller has the right to refuse to accept a credit card.
When paying with a credit card in the store, if necessary, you must present an identity document. You can withdraw money from the card at ATMs – “Geldautomat”.
Transport
It is believed that the country’s roads are among the best in Europe. Public transport is very developed and operates on a strict schedule. Metro stations “U-Bahn” are indicated by the letter “U”. City railway stations “S-Bahn” – the letter “S”. The network of stations is built in such a way that you can transfer from railway stations to the metro and vice versa.
At the ticket offices of railway stations and vending machines located at metro stations, you can purchase travel tickets valid for different times (for one day, month, year, and others). Purchased single tickets must be punched in the red vending machines located on the platforms.
In addition, there are various tariffs, for example, group or “weekend” tickets, with which you can pay cheaper fares in transport. An example of one of these tariffs is the “WelcomeCard” card (price 8 euros for one day, 15 for two days). By presenting such a card, three children accompanied by one adult can use public transport and visit excursions, museums and theaters with a 50% discount.
Bus stops can be easily found by the sign “H”. The fare is paid to the driver. The front door of the bus is for entry only. You can also travel around the city by trams and ferries.
You should be aware that there are very high fines for ticketless travel in Germany, up to the inclusion of a guest of the country in the black list of foreigners.
Taxis stop on the street. Payment in a taxi goes according to two main tariffs: regular and increased (on weekends and holidays). The taxi fare is calculated according to the scheme – 1 euro / km.
You can rent a car in Germany. This is easy to do at airports, train stations or rental companies. To rent a car, you need to have an international driving license and be over 21 years old. The minimum rental period is 3 days. The city has a speed limit of 50 km/h. Parking for cars is indicated by the sign “P”.
Electricity
The mains voltage is 220 V, frequency 50 Hz. Sockets are standard European type, plugs with two round pins.
