Visiting Germany: What You Need To Know

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So…you want to visit Germany, huh?! Whether you’re after the fairytale towns, the booming cities, the famous beer (and bratwurst of course), or the lush green forests, you’re in for quite an adventure. In my opinion, Germany is the perfect place to visit because it has something for everyone! Farmland, forests, cities, and historic towns are all in one place! It is amazing to me how the entire landscape can change just by driving an hour or two. What also continues to blow my mind is the fact that some cities are ultra modern and actually look a lot like American cities, while other towns look like they haven’t been touched in a few hundred years. I guess that’s why Ryan and I had no problem moving here fulltime! We have the ability to live in a “modern” area, while still being able to travel, sightsee, and explore whenever we fancy it.

After living in 3 cities and traveling to many more, we have compiled a list of unique characteristics quirks things? (I have no idea what to call this list, haha) we noticed about Germany and German society. To put this simply, this is basically our list of all the things we found to be super weird when we moved to Germany! Everything on this list is something we experienced firsthand so by sharing it with you, I am hoping to save you some of the confusion and sheer embarrassment we faced when these things happened to us! I hope this post gives you a good laugh and gets you excited to plan a trip to Germany- I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

1. Cash, cash, and more cash

If you have plans to visit Germany, the most important piece of advice I can give you is to pack some good ol’ cash! In some ways, Germany is more advanced than the US- take public transportation, for example. However, when it comes to the use of credit or debit cards, they are seriously behind. Many restaurants, cafes, and even smaller stores and shops will not accept any form of payment besides cash. There have been multiple occasions where Ryan and I have been waiting in line to pay for something, realized they didn’t accept cards, panicked, and then had to awkwardly sprint to the nearest ATM. Save yourself the embarrassment that we have faced many times and just get in the habit of carrying cash.

2. Pay to pee

Another good reason to ALWAYS have cash on hand is for bathroom purposes. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Here in Germany, it is actually pretty rare to find a public restroom that is free to use. Most places like stores, malls, train stations, and even restaurants will charge you between 50 cents and 1 euro to enter into the bathroom. On the plus side, when the bathrooms charge an entrance fee, there is usually a bathroom attendant who is responsible for keeping the restroom in tip-top shape. So, maybe the 50 cent fee isn’t so bad if it means having a clean floor and freshly washed toilet seat!

3. Bring your own bags for shopping

Another odd thing that costs money in Germany is shopping bags! Whether you’re doing some grocery shopping or buying new shoes at the mall, you will be charged for any shopping bags that you take with you. Weird, or genius?! I’m thinking genius. When doing any shopping or going to the grocery store, people will usually bring their own reusable bags or baskets to transport their items. While it may take some getting used to, it’s actually a great idea! It forces people to bring their own bags which means less plastic gets thrown away (don’t even get me started on how much better Germany is when it comes to trash and recycling). Since we’re on the topic of grocery shopping, I should also take this time to warn you about the register chaos so you can prepare yourself in advance. After you have loaded your food onto the conveyer belt, take a few deep breaths and get into an athletic stance. Here’s how it’s going to go down: the cashier is going to scan your items at lightning speed and start piling everything up like their life depended on it. Since the “bagging area” is so teeny tiny, you will also be forced to move at lightning speed to either pack your items in your reusable bags or throw everything back into the cart. All the while, the person in line behind you will be standing inches away from you, impatiently waiting to pay for their own items. It can be quite traumatizing. Needless to say, it took me months to be able to enter the grocery store without having crippling anxiety.

4. Stock up for Sunday

While we’re on the subject of shopping…make sure you do any necessary shopping or errand runs before Sunday comes! On Sundays and holidays (which here in Germany, there’s a holiday like once a week it seems), almost everything closes. And I’m not just talking about offices or malls. Even all of the grocery stores and pharmacies take the day off! Therefore, unless you want to raid your pantry and eat those Ramen noodles that have been sitting around for months, I suggest you head out and stock up on everything you may need for the weekend. After living here for almost 3 years, Ryan and I still sometimes wake up on Sunday morning, look at each other and say, “Oh noooo! It’s Sunday and we forgot to buy food!” If this happens to you, don’t worry, you (probably) won’t starve. Usually, you can find some restaurants that will be open if you need to go out to eat. We have also come across a few bakeries that are open for limited hours on Sunday mornings which is also great if you are in a pinch!

5. Personal space doesn’t exist

Germany is so great for so many reasons. I can go on and on about all the things I absolutely love about this country. However, if I have one complaint, this one would knock it out of the park. For some reason, German people seem to have ZERO concept of personal space. If you are waiting in line at the grocery store, prepare to have the person’s cart behind you touching your bum. Oh, and if you are walking on the sidewalk, get ready for a game of Chicken between you and the individual walking towards you. One time, I even had a woman bump me out of the way in a grocery store to reach something off the shelf. I should also add that when these things do occur to you (because they will), you will not receive an apology or hear anyone say, “excuse me”. Just prepare yourself in advance for these things to happen and practice your “Om” meditation sound.

6. English speakers are more common than you are led to believe

The greatest fear I had when moving to Germany was the language barrier. I was deathly afraid that I would be unable to communicate with anyone and would have a difficult time even ordering food at a restaurant or bakery. An even bigger fear I had was wondering how we were going to tackle our necessary and important items, such as bank accounts, insurance, visas, etc. when we couldn’t speak one word of German! To our pleasant surprise, we have been able to find English speakers whenever we have needed them, even in smaller cities where English is rarely heard! We have found that just by asking, we have been able to find someone who is willing to help us. In the larger cities we’ve been to like Berlin and Stuttgart, English is everywhere! You can even hear it just by walking around downtown. In these areas, it is almost too easy. So, if you’re planning a trip to Germany and are worried about the language barrier, don’t fret! Although, if you can speak a bit of German, you should definitely use it and at least try- it is always more respectful, even if you butcher it. Ryan and I have a longstanding inside joke because whenever we ask a person if they speak English, 9 times out of 10 their answer will be, “Just a little bit”, and also 9 times out of 10, their English is near perfect!

7. Water is not free…and is probably more expensive than beer

In America, we are so used to the idea of getting water for free when we are out at a restaurant- granted that you are asking for plain tap water. However, here in Germany, this concept is nonexistent. If you are out to eat and you ask for some water, it will always be bottled water which of course, you will be charged for. In addition, when ordering water, your waiter will ask you what kind of water you want. Huh? Yes, Germany has countless types of water ranging on a scale from totally flat to ultra fizzy. And to make things more confusing, the types of water have some not-so-obvious names like classic, medium, mineral and still. After a few years here, we still get confused sometimes! Also, the water can be surprisingly pricey at a restaurant, especially if you are ordering carbonated water (classic). Sometimes ordering a bottle of water is more expensive than ordering a large beer!

8. Restaurant service is a bit weird

In addition to the water-weirdness, service at restaurants is also much different than we are used to in America. Here in Germany, the restaurant business is not as concerned about table turnover. If you want to hang at your table for an hour before ordering your food, go for it! You are pretty much free to stay as long as you want without feeling pressured to quickly order, eat, and be on your way. People here have really mastered the art of relaxation and slow-paced living. However, because of this, you usually won’t have waiters hanging around to take your order or bring you the check. Sometimes it will be up to you to wave them down and ask to order or let them know you are ready to pay. Don’t worry about appearing rude though, this is totally normal! Also, when you get your check, make sure you look and see if the tip was included in the price. A lot of restaurants will tack on about 19% to cover the cost of a “tip”. In these cases, additional tipping is not required. However, even if the tip was not included, large tipping is never expected. Usually, rounding up a few euros will be just fine.

9. If you step a foot in the bike lane, you may never live to see another day

This is something Ryan and I learned super quickly! In many cities and towns in Germany, they have separate lanes for bikers. The lanes are usually either a separate section of the sidewalk or on the side of the road and most of the time, they are marked in a red-ish color. These lanes are for BIKERS ONLY. If you are walking on the sidewalk and step into the bike lane, prepare to be taken down or minimally get a serious yelling directed at you. These bikers are no joke and they mean business! They will not stop for anyone or anything so just be aware of your surroundings when you are out and about. If you yourself decide to bike while in Germany, you must stay on the right side of the road. Don’t try and bike in the lane that’s on the left side of the road or all the bikers coming in the other direction will give you some nasty looks and even nastier words. Believe us, we’ve been there! Furthermore, if there is a bike lane available, stay in it! Don’t try and move onto the sidewalk or once again, the pedestrians will give you some looks!

10. Do NOT jaywalk

Back in America (especially in New England), I always felt the crosswalk signs were more of a suggestion than a rule that needed be followed. However, they take them VERY seriously here! If the crosswalk signal is red, you must wait for the light to turn green before you can cross the road- even if there are no cars around. If children are nearby, it is even more important that you follow the rules and not be tempted to cross on a red light, as to not set a bad example for them. Ditch that fast-paced New York mindset, and practice your patience!

11. Blitzers

One cool thing about being here in Germany is you will almost never see a police car camped out somewhere checking for speeding. In fact, Ryan loves this because he claims he never feels a wave of fear come over him when he sees a cop car around! However, the downside of this lies in “Blitzers”. Blitzers are how law enforcement in Germany catch speeders. They usually come in the form of a black tower or grey box mounted on the side of the road. If you are speeding and you drive past a Blitzer, you’ll see a large flash and a few weeks later, a speeding ticket will be sitting in your mailbox. Although the speeding tickets here are very inexpensive as compared to American tickets, you have much higher chances of racking up tickets here since these cameras can be placed all around your town or city. Since they are rather large, you can actually spot them pretty easily. However, by the time you spot them, it is usually too late to slow down! Therefore if you are driving in Germany, be on the lookout for Blitzers and try to stay within the speed limit.

12. Group Discounts

One of the many awesome things about Germany is the fact that you are constantly rewarded for being in a group! Discounted group tickets are readily available for touristy things as well as most forms of transportation. Not to mention, the “discounted group tickets” are seriously discounted! You have the opportunity to save so much money when traveling as a family or in a group. I think this is so great because you are constantly being encouraged to travel around and see or visit as much as you possibly can. They give you no excuse to miss out on anything while you are visiting Germany!

Whether you’re planning a trip to Germany, or just interested in hearing about our experience, I hope this post gave you a good laugh as well as teach you a thing or two! If I can better prepare just one person, I will consider myself successful! If you have any questions about life in Germany or about traveling to Germany, please don’t hesitate to drop a comment below or contact me directly. Ryan and I absolutely love living in this amazing country and we are always looking to share our experiences with others!

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