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Below far left Information center, Landshut,
Bavaria Below left One of the many banks in
Germany Below center Notice board outside
Reiskrater Museum, Nördlingen, Bavaria
Below center right Sign along the road to
Bad Harzburg, Lower Saxony Below Tourist
information office in Würzburg, BavariaAbove left Old-fashioned telephone booth Above center Posters advertising events Above right Street vending machine for telephone cards
Opening Hours
The opening hours of shops, offices,
and other businesses depend to
a great extent on the size of the
town. In larger cities, the usual office
opening hours are Mon–Sat from
9am to 6pm. Supermarkets and
other shops often have longer
opening hours (mostly until 8pm).
In smaller towns, however, nothing
tends to open until 10am. Shops
everywhere are usually closed
on Sundays. Museums and historic
monuments are also usually open
from 9am to 6pm. However, some
places might be closed on a
particular day, often Monday, so
check opening hours before
arranging a visit.Electricity
Germany’s electrical system provides
220V, except in some hotel
bathrooms, where a lower current is
provided as a standard safety
measure. US 110V appliances will
need a transformer. However, UK
220V appliances can be plugged into
German sockets with an adaptor.Smoking in Public
Due to the federal system of
government, the law on smoking in
Germany varies from state to state.
However, smoking is completely ban-
ned on public transportation and in
hospitals, airports, public and federal
buildings, including the Parliament.
However, there are differences
between the German states when
it comes to smoking in bars and
restaurants. In some places, such as
small pubs and bars, or during late
hours, the ban is not observed at all.DIRECTORYCOMMUNICATIONS
International Access Codes
Australia: 0061
Ireland: 00353
UK: 0044
US and Canada: 001TOURIST INFORMATION
German National Tourist Office
Beethovenstrasse 69; 60325 Frankfurt;
069 75 19 03; http://www.germany-tourism.dePractical Information
accom modation, organized
excursions and city tours. They
also sell or give away useful material
about city attractions, such as
guidebooks, maps and postcards,
and may be able to find and
book a hotel room. The website
of German National Tourist Office
is also a useful source of travel
information. Many cities also sell
a Welcome Card, which allows the
user 2–5 days free use of public
transport and discounted access
to museums.
Time
Germany uses Central European
Time, which is GMT plus one hour.
There is Daylight Saving Time
between the end of March and the
end of October, when the clocks
move forward one hour on the
last Sunday in March and back
on the last Sunday in October.