Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
» Many local and regional tourism offices have special brochures for people with disabil-
ities, although usually in German. Good general resources include the following:
Deutsche Bahn Mobility Service Centre
(
www.bahn.com
)
Train access information and
route planning assistance. The website has useful information in English (search for
'barrier-free travel').
German National Tourism Office
(
www.deutschland-tourismus.de
)
Has information
about barrier-free travel in Germany.
Munich for Physically Challenged Tourists
(
www.munich.de
)
Searching the official
Munich tourism website will produce gigabytes of info on everything for travellers with
disabilities from Oktoberfest to local clubs and organisations to special ride services.
Natko
(
www.natko.de
)
Central clearing house for enquiries about barrier-free travel in
Germany.
Visas
Most EU nationals only need their national identity card or passport to enter, stay and
work in Germany. Citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and the US
are among those countries that need only a valid passport (no visa) if entering as tourists
for up to three months within a six-month period. Passports should be valid for at least an-
other four months from the planned date of departure from Germany.
Nationals from other countries need a so-called Schengen Visa, named after the 1995
Schengen Agreement that enables passport controls between most countries in the Europe
Union to be abolished (all except the UK and Ireland have signed up). For full details, see
www.auswaertiges-amt.de
or check with a German consulate in your country.
