Good to know before your trip — Germany

A driver reaches the centre of Berlin, Munich, or Cologne and enters a low-emission zone without a sticker on the windscreen, simply because no such requirement exists in their home country. There is no checkpoint at the zone boundary, so the fine typically only comes to light later. A large number of German cities have low-emission zones that may only be entered with the appropriate sticker displayed on the windscreen — in practice, a green one is required. The rule applies to vehicles with foreign number plates as well, regardless of how new the vehicle is, because the sticker is issued on the basis of the emission class recorded in the vehicle documents. It can be obtained from a vehicle registration authority or from a technical inspection organisation such as TÜV or DEKRA, for a few euros, and can also be arranged online if the documents contain the relevant emission data. Entering the zone without a sticker is treated as a punishable offence. The list of cities and zones changes over time, so check it before your trip in the official Umweltbundesamt register.

The German Autobahn is famous for having no speed limit, so drivers often assume this applies everywhere on the network and that speed cannot be an issue. The reality is more nuanced, and the consequences show up not as a fine but in how liability is apportioned after an accident. There is no single rule that applies across the entire motorway network, and this is where the most common misunderstanding arises. The general speed limits set out in traffic law — 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h outside them — explicitly do not apply to motorways or to roads with physically separated carriageways. Where no sign is posted there is no statutory speed limit, but there is a recommended speed of 130 km/h. Exceeding that recommendation is not an offence and carries no fine or penalty points. However, if an accident occurs, a court may assign a share of contributory liability to a driver who was travelling faster than the recommended speed — and that is the real risk. As soon as a speed-limit sign is posted, the recommendation no longer applies and the sign takes precedence.

Many travellers arrive on Saturday evening or Sunday morning, planning to pick up food once they have settled in. In Germany, shops are closed on Sundays by law, and in some federal states the working day ends considerably earlier than visitors may be used to. Opening hours for shops are not set by the federal government but by each individual state, so they vary considerably across the country. What all states have in common is that shops are generally closed on Sundays and public holidays. Beyond that, the differences are significant: in some states shops may stay open around the clock on weekdays, while in others they must close early in the evening. Exceptions exist everywhere, and food can still be bought on a Sunday at petrol stations, shops at railway stations and airports, pharmacies, and in some places at bakeries during limited hours. Local councils are permitted to allow a certain number of Sunday openings per year and to allow trading in tourist areas. The practical rule is to do your Saturday shopping with Sunday in mind, and to check the opening hours in the state you are travelling to before you set off.

A traveller buys a German all-inclusive local transport ticket, sees that it is valid throughout the entire country, and boards a high-speed train to Munich. The inspector does not accept the ticket and charges a penalty fare, even though the traveller has duly paid the monthly subscription. The ticket covers local and regional transport across the whole country: regional trains, suburban rail, metro, tram, and bus. It does not cover high-speed or long-distance intercity trains, nor trains operated by private long-distance carriers. If you are travelling on a long-distance train, you need a separate ticket for that leg of the journey; the local transport ticket covers your journey to the departure station and onward travel after you arrive. The ticket is issued exclusively as a subscription, is personalised, cannot be transferred to another person, is valid in second class, and renews automatically until cancelled. Bicycle transport is not included in the price. Pricing and purchase conditions are subject to change, so check with the retailer before subscribing.