Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
you just need to check the routes - particularly the
bus and tram routes - you can consult the huge
city map reproduced in all stations and bus shelters.
Sunday schedules.
Public holidays
fall on January
1, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May 1, Ascension
Day (forty days after Easter), Whitsun, October 3,
November 3 and December 25 & 26.
Money and banks
Phones
You can make local and
international calls
from
most
phone boxes
in the city - marked inter-
national - which are generally equipped with basic
instructions in English. Virtually every pay phone
you'll find takes coins and
cards
. The latter come in
€5, €10 and €20 denominations and are available
from all post o
ces and some shops. Phone boxes
with a ringing bell symbol indicate that you can be
called back on that phone. In addition, many
phone shops
, found throughout the city, offer
cheap international calls, calling cards and often
internet services.. The cheapest time to call abroad
is between 9pm and 8am.
Most British
mobile phones
should work in
Germany, but if you haven't used your phone abroad
before, check with your provider whether it will work
in Germany, and what call charges are. Unless you
have a tri-band phone, it is unlikely that a mobile
bought for use in the US will work outside North
America; most smart phones are tri-band though.
If you are in Germany for a while, consider buying
a local
SIM card
for your mobile phone. These tend
to cost around €15 and are best bought through a
phone shop. To use a different SIM card in your
phone, it will need to be unlocked, if it isn't already,
to accept the cards of different providers. The
phone shops will be able to advise where it is
possible to do this locally. Expect to pay around €10
for instant service. Top-up cards can be bought in
supermarkets, kiosks and phone shops and even in
BVG ticket vending machines.
To
call Berlin from abroad
use the
inter-
national code
for Germany (
T
49), followed by the
city code (
T
30) and then the number.
For
directory enquiries
in English call
T
118 37;
the service costs an initial €0.20, then €1/ minute.
Germany uses the
euro
as its currency, which is split
into 100 cents. At the time of writing, the exchange
rate was approximately €1.16 to the pound, €0.75 to
the US dollar and €0.69 to the Australian dollar. For
the latest rates, go to
W
xe.com.
Banks
are plentiful, and their hours usually
Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm with later
opening two days a week until 6pm. For currency
exchange, the
Wechselstuben
(bureaux de
change) at the main train stations and airports offer
better rates than the banks and are open outside
normal banking hours - usually daily 8am-8pm. If
you do use a bank to change money it may be
worth shopping around (including the savings
banks or Sparkasse), as the rates of exchange and
commission vary. The latter tends to be a flat rate,
meaning that small-scale transactions should be
avoided whenever possible.
Debit and
credit cards
are becoming a part of
everyday life, though their use is not as widespread
as in the UK or North America. Cash is still the
currency of choice, particularly in bars and restau-
rants. However, major credit and debit cards are
good in department stores, mid- to up-market
restaurants, and an increasing number of shops and
petrol stations.
Should you want to get
cash
on your plastic, the
best way is from the many
ATMs
. You can withdraw
as little as €20; however they do charge a minimum
fee, often around €2.50, and charge two to four
percent of the withdrawal as commission. In
addition to credit cards, most bank debit cards, part
of either the Cirrus or Plus systems, can be used for
withdrawing cash, and carry lower fees than credit
cards; note, however, that your home bank will
almost certainly levy a commission for use of the
card abroad. Various banks will also give an advance
against your credit card, subject to a minimum of
the equivalent of £60/US$100 - stickers in bank
windows indicate which cards they're associated
with. Make sure your personal identification
number (PIN) will work overseas.
Time
Germany is one hour ahead of GMT, six hours ahead
of US Eastern Standard Time and nine ahead of US
Pacific Standard Time.
Public holidays
Opening hours on public holidays generally follow
Sunday hours: most shops will be closed and
museums and other attractions will follow their
Tipping
Service is, as a rule, included in the bill. Rounding
up a café, restaurant or taxi bill to the next euro or
