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Travel and Tourism in Germany
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Germany.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 0.94
- Climate
- Germany is in the Temperate Zone and enjoys frequent weather changes, sometimes daily. The country has four distinct seasons with rainfall frequent in most months, especially in the autumn. Winter temperatures and snowfall tend to be more extreme in the southern part of the country where the average elevation is higher, but even low-lying Berlin has snowfalls and winter temperatures that occasionally dip below 10°F.
- Language(s) Spoken
- German (official); note - Danish, Frisian, Sorbian, and Romani are official minority languages; Low German, Danish, North Frisian, Sater Frisian, Lower Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, and Romani are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
- Ethnic Groups
- German 85.4%, Turkish 1.8%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Syrian 1.1%, Romanian 1%, Poland 1%, other/stateless/unspecified 8.3%
- National Holiday
- German Unity Day, 3 October (1990)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 51 00 N, 9 00 E
- Location
- Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
- Airports
- 541
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Regions and Cities
Germany's sixteen federal states cluster naturally into a handful of distinct regions, each with its own personality, landscape, and cultural heritage. Understanding this regional diversity is one of the keys to traveling intelligently and rewardingly through the country. While the major cities of Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, and Frankfurt are rightly celebrated, some of the most memorable experiences Germany offers are to be found in smaller cities and towns that receive a fraction of the tourist attention lavished on these headline destinations.
The northeast encompasses Berlin and the state of Brandenburg, a sprawling landscape of lakes, forests, and sand heathlands that surrounds the capital. The Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern stretches eastward to the Polish border, offering some of Germany's most beautiful and least crowded beaches, along with the remarkable white chalk cliffs of Rügen island and the UNESCO-listed Hanseatic towns of Stralsund and Wismar.
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Germany has good medical care and facilities. If you are not a resident of Germany, doctors and hospitals may expect immediate payment in cash. Most doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies do not accept credit cards. Due to Germany's strict customs regulations, generally, you are not allowed to receive prescription medication by mail without special permission. During your trip, you should only carry the amount you plan to use.