Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Toronto:
480 University Avenue, Suite 1500, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1V2,
Canada;
Tel:
(416) 968-1685;
Fax:
(416) 968-0562;
E-mail:
info@gnto.ca
Banking
Currency:
Euro (€)
Exchange rate at press time:
€0.72 = U.S. $1.00
Hours:
0830-1230 and 1330-1600 Monday-Friday. Currency exchange offices
are found at mainline railway stations and at airports. They are generally open
0600 to 2200.
Be aware that some establishments in Germany do not accept credit cards. Ma-
jor hotels, restaurants, and department stores do, but have cash handy for the
smaller establishments that do not.
Communications
Country Dialing Code:
49
Major Mobile Phone Companies:
T-Mobile, Vodafone, E-Plus, O2
Rail Travel in Germany
Deutsche Bahn AG
(
www.bahn.de
), or GermanRail, operates more than 25,000
miles of the unified rail networks of the former East and West Germany. Massive
investments in infrastructure and train stock, including use of tilting trains, have be-
nefited schedules and shortened journey times.
Germany's top-of-the-line, high-speed, long-distance
ICE
(InterCity Express)
trains are big, bold, and beautiful, with an emphasis on passenger comfort and a
wide range of services. There are 259 ICE trains of five different types, with the ICE
3 being the fastest at 330 kilometers per hour, reducing the travel time between
Cologne (Köln) and Frankfurt from 2 hours and 15 minutes to just more than 1
hour. ICEs, reaching speeds of up to 175 mph, depart hourly every day for major
centers within Germany and into the Swiss cities of
Basel, Bern, Interlaken,
and
Zurich,
as well as
Vienna, Austria.
The network connects all major cities.
Each train has a restaurant car, termed
BordRestaurant,
with two sections—a
traditional-style dining car and a self-service bistro. They're big on other amenities,
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