Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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What to Wear
The short answer is: whatever you want. Berlin is an extremely casual city when it comes to
fashion. Basically anything goes, including jeans at the opera or a little black dress in a beer
garden. Individuality trumps conformity and expensive labels at any time. In fact, flaunting
your own style - any style - is often the ticket for making it past a picky club bouncer.
Venues or restaurants with official dress codes are extremely rare.
Berlin weather is immensely changeable, even in summer, so make sure you bring layers
of clothing. A waterproof coat and sturdy shoes are a good idea for all-weather sightseeing.
Winters can get fiercely cold, so be sure you bring your favourite gloves, hat, boots and
heavy coat.
Be Forewarned
Credit card use is not common. Expect to pay in cash, especially in bars and at restaur-
ants.
After a long club night, save some money for the cab home.
Don't travel without a valid public transportation ticket - getting caught results in a pain-
ful €40 fine.
Money
Germany is still largely a cash-based society. International hotel chains, high-end restaur-
ants, department stores and fancy-brand boutiques usually accept credit cards, but make it a
habit to enquire first. MasterCard and Visa are more widely accepted, American Express
rarely and Diner's Club almost never.
ATMs are ubiquitous in all neighbourhoods. Be wary of those not affiliated with major
banks as they may charge exorbitant transaction fees. ATMs do not recognise pins with
more than four digits.
Debit cards featuring the MasterCard or Visa logos are fairly widely used. Chip-and-pin
is the norm for card transactions - few places accept signatures as an alternative.
