DE Germany: how to get around

With the Deutschlandticket you can ride all regional trains and the local public transport throughout Germany. The ticket costs €58 (Jan 2025) and can be used for a whole calendar month.

Regional trains are run by a variety of private operators as well as Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries, but they can all be booked through bahn.com. Long distance trains on the other hand are almost exclusively run by Deutsche Bahn, with the other formidable competitor being Flixtrain, the train unit of Flixbus. Those few that aren't have to be booked through the operating company.

All major cities are linked by DB's ICE (InterCity-Express) and regular InterCity trains. ICE is a system of high speed trains that are capable of speeds up to 330 km/h. They can be expensive.

See Rail travel in Germany#Tickets for information on ticket costs and discounts that may be available.

Seat reservations are not mandatory but are recommended, especially when you travel on weekends or holidays. This means that with an Interrail pass you can use domestic ICE trains without a supplement (except for international ICE trains).

Next are the regular InterCity (IC) and EuroCity (EC) trains. The latter connect the larger European cities and are virtually identical to the regular ICs. These trains are also fairly comfortable, even if they lack the high-tech feeling of the ICE.

On the major lines, an ICE or IC train will run each hour or so during the day, and even certain minor cities of tourist importance like Tübingen or Heringsdorf are connected on a daily or weekly basis. Before you buy an ICE ticket, you may want to check if it makes a significant time difference. ICE trains travel faster than other IC trains only on specially equipped high-speed routes. There are also long distance trains operated by other companies than Deutsche Bahn, usually running over secondary routes. Virtually all of them are marketed by Flixbus under its Flixtrain brand. International trains such as Thalys or TGV serve stations in Germany and sometimes domestic routes. DB sometimes sells tickets for other operators. DB tickets are not usually sold by other operators either.

Regional and local trains in Germany come in several flavours:

• RE (Regional-Express). Semi-express trains, skips some stations. On many routes, this is the highest available train category.
• IRE (Interregio-Express). Basically the same as the RE.
• RB (Regional-Bahn). Stops everywhere except that it may skip some S-Bahn stops.

• S-Bahn. Commuter network for a city or metropolitan area but can travel fairly long distances. S-Bahn trains do not offer a toilet, with the exception of those in Bremen, Dresden, Hanover, Leipzig, Nuremberg and some S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar trains.

Within a region (Bundesland), it is often possible to get a statewide day ticket for unlimited rides on all regional trains and buses, many of which can also be used until the outskirts of a neighboring state. It is available as a single or group ticket. Prices for Ländertickets vary from region to region, but start generally at about €23-27 for one person and usually between €3 and €5 for any additional member of your group up to a party of five. More information is provided at the Website of Deutsche Bahn as well as in the get around section of most Bundesländer.

All regional trains are subject to franchising with the state prescribing timetables and the ticket price. You may see ticket machines or counters for several regional train operators at stations they serve, but Deutsche Bahn is - with very limited exceptions - forced to sell you a ticket for them, Ländertickets will be accepted there as well. While many non-DB operators follow the scheme outlined above, some chose to name their services something other than RB or RE, however they will still often follow a distinction between (semi)"express" and "local".

In general local trains have no on board food or beverage service, but sometimes a salesperson passes through the seats to sell (usually overpriced) beverages and snacks. Some lines and operators - such as Metronom - also have vending machines aboard their trains.

There are dozens of daily services between most major cities, which are often significantly cheaper than trains. Most buses offer amenities like Wi-Fi, A/C and power outlets and some can even transport bicycles. Flixbus is the biggest player. Rides of other intercity bus companies are covered in the website and app Busradar.

Apart from the intercity buses, there is a very dense network of regional and local bus lines. In rural areas, though, many lines run only once per day. Regional and local express bus line designators usually contain the letters CE (local), E (regional around Hamburg; in other areas, E is used for special runs), S (regional), SB (regional and local) or X (local within Berlin), city bus line designators may contain the letters BB ("Bürgerbus", not integrated within tariff unions), C or O. Always check the departure boards carefully: sometimes, especially at night or in rural areas, you have to order your bus by phone.

Germany has a world-famous network of excellent roads and Autobahn (motorways) with no toll or fees for cars. Although public transport in Germany is excellent, those who choose to drive will find the road network fast and efficient as well. Like most of Europe, Germany drives on the right-hand side.

Check in advance on whether your non-German driving licence is valid in Germany. Otherwise, you may risk a heavy fine or up to one year in jail. For longer stays most foreign licences are not valid no matter what your residence status is. If you plan on driving on a longer stay (several months or years) try getting a European drivers licence that is usually valid throughout the European Union.

Always respect red traffic lights, with one exception: a green arrow board affixed to the red traffic light allows you to turn right on red. Unlike a green arrow lighting up as part of the traffic light itself, this still requires you to come to a full stop, assess the situation and yield to other traffic. In either case, you may still have to give way to pedestrians crossing the street.

Running out of fuel on the Autobahn is illegal and considered a preventable hazard. You can be fined for stopping due to an empty tank.

Speed limits are taken seriously, with a large number of speed cameras.

Autobahns get very crowded starting Friday afternoon or the summer holidays. Popular thoroughfares leading south to Italy or north to the Baltic and North Sea Coast experience crowding with the beginning of every state's school holidays. When planning your trip look for the beginning of school holidays and try to avoid driving on that day or the weekend following it. In winter holidays (Christmas and Carnival) the streets leading to the skiing resorts in the Alps can also get somewhat crowded which is made much worse by even moderate snowfall - particularly if it is the first snow of the season.

Parking is usually easy to find but free parking is rarer. Park&ride lots (known as P&R in Germany) are adjacent to usually rail-based public transit. Some of those lots fill up in the morning and stay occupied until the evening commute but they can be almost empty on weekends. Malls and supermarkets usually have free parking for customers for the duration of their stay, but enforce parking violations.

Most charging stations in Germany are listed on the webpages of www.goingelectric.de (a network of EV-Drivers) under the point Stromtankstellen. An official website is the ''Ladesäulenkarte'' of the German authority Bundesnetzagentur.

German campgrounds usually offer a full range of amenities. You always have your own electricity hookup, and water and sewer hookups for each are common. Every campground has toilets and showers as well as kitchens, washing-machines and a spin dryer.

The ADAC Campingführer lists almost all campgrounds along with prices, type of location, size, opening hours, and amenities. Since the guide uses lots of symbols which are explained in a number of languages, it is suitable for travellers from abroad, too.

A general speed limit applies to RVs and anything towing something – even on stretches of Autobahn without a posted limit. Usually there will be a sticker on the back or your papers or rental contract will spell it out.

It's popular in Germany and the fare for a ride is often cheaper than rail. Blablacar is a popular website for arranging shared rides. International journeys can also be arranged using the site.

It is possible to hitchhike in Germany and most Germans speak basic English, so you will be understood if you speak slowly. Drivers rarely expect you to give them any money for the ride. The first letters of the German number plate (before the hyphen) indicate the city in which the car is registered. If you know the code for your destination, it will increase your chances of stopping the right vehicle.

It is illegal to stop on the Autobahn, but hitchhiking from service areas or petrol stations is a good way of getting long rides (100–200 km). The hard part is getting onto the Autobahn, so it pays off to sleep near the gas stations if you are going far. At the gas stations, you can get a free booklet called Tanken und Rasten with a map of the Autobahn and its gas stations. When getting a lift, agree with the driver where to get off, and make sure there is a gas station. Try to avoid the Autohofs.

It is also quite common to arrange a ride in a private vehicle in advance through on offline agency or the Internet. Offline agencies like Citynetz or ADM have offices in major cities, mostly near the city centre or the main railway station. These offline agencies charge a commission to the cost for fuel you need to pay for the driver.

Online services to arrange rides in private vehicles are very popular, as neither party pays a commission to traditional agencies. You need to contribute only towards fuel costs (example: Frankfurt to Berlin €25). You can contact the driver directly by e-mail, phone or sms. As the drivers need to be registered, it is safer than hitchhiking.

Hitchhikers is a comparable service, multilingual and free. Blablacar is another well known player with plenty of rides in its database.

Uber, Bolt, Free Now and Sixt Ride are available in several German cities.

They are expensive and often only accept cash. The conditions are usually not written on the car, so ask the driver. The rates are defined by local authorities.

Germany is, in general, bicycle friendly, with many bike lanes in cities. There is also a substantial network of well signed, long distance bike routes. The German Cycle Network (Radnetz Deutschland) consists of twelve official routes (D1-12). You can download GPX-tracks for each of the sections on the webpage for free.

Cyclists are expected to follow the same road rules as motor vehicles. While in theory cyclists are subject to many of the same road rules as people in cars or on motorcycles, enforcement tends to be more lenient and for instance the DUI limit is much higher (at 1.3 per mill) than the 0.5 per mille for motorists. Using a mobile phone while cycling is also a fine but not as high as with a motorised vehicle. If there is a cycleway parallel to the road posted with white-on-blue "cycle" signs (see right), cyclist must use it. These cycleways are generally one-way, unless explicitly indicated otherwise, and you may be fined for going in the wrong direction. In some towns bike lanes are marked by dark red paving stones in the main walking area. Be careful though, as cyclists and pedestrians tend to drift across these boundaries. Cycling on the sidewalk is not allowed, unless it is marked as a cycleway (there are exceptions for children younger than 10).

Most rail stations, shopping areas, hotels and business premises have bike stands (some covered) with a place to attach your own bike locking chain.

On regional trains there is usually one carriage that allows you to bring your bike on board. InterCity trains also allow taking a bike, while only a few new ICEs accommodate bicycles. Usually bringing a bike requires a separate ticket and/or reservation. For more details see Rail travel in Germany#Bicycles.

If you want to take your bike on a long distance bus you have to book several days ahead and may not be successful, as the storage room for bikes is very limited (only two or three per bus).

Several German cities offer bike-share programmes, most run by either nextbike or Deutsche Bahn subsidiary call a bike. They are a great way to go short distances within a city but not the best option for longer tours, because the maximum rental time is usually 24 hours. Classic bike rentals still exist in many cities, as well as in smaller villages close to the coast that see many tourists. They often require a deposit or ID card for rental.

In a number of larger cities such as Berlin, Munich and Cologne; with the right app loaded you can pick up an extricable scooter that are scattered around the streets. Run by a number of companies including Bolt, Tier, Lime, Voi, and Bird. The app eScoot has all providers (except Voi) included and shows you the nearest available scooter. You must be over 14 to ride and are under the same regulations as a bicycle; that is cannot use on pavements/side-walk (only use of cycle-paths or roads) and being over the alcohol limit will affect your driving licence status. They are limited to 20 km/h, but even so are a common cause of accidents since their introduction.