Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
USA
2300 M St NW, Washington DC 20037
T
202 298 4000,
W
germany.info.
English-language service featuring practitioners
who will discuss your symptoms and can refer you
or send an English-speaking doctor. Doctor surgery
hours are 9am to noon and 3pm to 6pm on
weekdays except Wednesday afternoon.
To get a
prescription
filled, go to a
pharmacy
(
Apotheke
), signalled by an illuminated green cross.
Pharmacists are well trained and generally speak
English. There's a 24-hour pharmacy in the Haupt-
bahnhof, otherwise, outside normal hours (usually
8.30am-6.30pm), there will be a notice on the door
of any pharmacy indicating the nearest one that's
open. After hours you'll be served through a small
hatch in the door, so don't be put off if it looks as
though a place is closed.
EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES IN
BERLIN
Australia
Wallstr. 76-79
T
030 880 08 80,
W
germany.embassy
.gov.au.
Canada
Leipziger Platz 17
T
030 20 31 20,
W
canadainternational
.gc.ca.
Ireland
Jägerstr. 51
T
030 22 07 20,
W
embassyofireland.de.
New Zealand
Friedrichstr. 60
T
030 20 62 10,
W
nzembassy.com.
UK
Wilhelmstr. 70-71
T
030 20 45 70,
W
britischebotschaft.de.
USA
Pariser Platz 2 & Clayallee 170
T
030 830 50,
W
germany
.usembassy.gov.
Health
As a European Union member, Germany has free
reciprocal health agreements with other member
states, whose citizens can apply - well in advance of
their trip - for a free
European Health Insurance
Card
(EHIC;
W
ehic.org.uk). The card will allow you to
receive free or cut-rate treatment, but does not
extend to repatriation. Without it, EU citizens will
have to pay in full for all medical treatment, which
starts at about €30 for a visit to the doctor. Non-EU
residents should check the level of cover that they
might have from existing insurance policies, but in
almost all cases are advised to take out travel
insurance (see below). If you need to make an
insurance policy claim for health costs, be sure to
keep all receipts relating to treatment.
If you need immediate medical attention, head
for the 24-hour emergency room of a major
hospital
,
such as the Charité Universitätsklinikum, Charitéplatz
1, Mitte (
T
030 450 53 10 00; S-Bahn Hauptbahnhof ).
For
dental emergencies
one good clinic is the
English-speaking Zahnärtzlicher Notdienst (
T
030 89
00 43 33,
W
kzv.de). In an
emergency
, phone
T
112
for an ambulance (
Krankenwagen
).
If you need a
doctor
, phone Calladoc (
T
01805
32 13 03,
W
calladoc.com; calls cost €0.14/min), an
Insurance
Though Berlin is a relatively safe city (see p.29) and
EU healthcare privileges (see above) or your private
medical plan may apply in Germany, an
insurance
policy
is a wise precaution to cover against theft,
loss and various other travel mishaps.
Internet
Berlin is very internet-savvy and online access is
excellent. Virtually all hostels and hotels, a growing
number of cafés, and all the main train stations
have
wi-fi
hot spots (locally referred to as WLAN) -
and there's a free one in the Sony Center (see p.15).
Access to terminals in internet cafés averages at
about €2/30min.
Laundry
All large hotels generally provide a laundry
service - but at a cost.
Launderettes
scattered
throughout the city are generally cheaper, with
an average load costing around €5 to wash and
dry. Hours tend to be daily 7am-10pm and
addresses can be found by searching “
Waschsalon
”
ROUGH GUIDES TRAVEL INSURANCE
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Policies are available to residents of more than 150 countries, with cover for a wide range of
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online. Roughguides.com users who buy travel insurance with WorldNomads.com can also
leave a positive footprint and donate to a community development project. For more
information, go to
W
roughguides.com/travel-insurance.
