Germany, a country that smoothly blends its legendary past with a vibrant present, is located in the heart of Europe and captivates its visitors through its picturesque landscapes, wondrous architecture, and exciting cultural tapestry. The ancient Roman ruins, medieval architecture, and history related to World War II leave its visitors fascinated with its well-preserved landmarks, museums, and monuments.
This gorgeous country has several attractions for its visitors. Its combination of history with modernity with a wide range of accommodations and a variety of food and drink options makes it a popular destination. To learn about the local customs and traditions of any new country is always exciting and especially when it's a country like this where rules are pretty much strict.
Here is a list of things that you should know before visiting this country to make sure you plan your trip smoothly.
1. Always be punctual
While in Germany, you need to make sure that you always reach your destination on time as arriving promptly on time for any social or business appointments is a part of German etiquette and there is nothing as being fashionably late as you’ll find German people arrive at the exact time that they said they would.
2. Get detailed information about transport zones
For travelling in Germany, you need to have a good understanding of the transport zones present here which are divided into three zones. The A zone is for the centre of the city, the B zone is used for places farther out from the centre, and the C zone is for the outskirts and all of them a separate tickets.
3. Recycle your things
Recycling used things is almost a culture in Germany. Sort your things into the different coloured containers present mostly at the entrance of grocery stores and you can get refunds of up to 25 cents. The same amount of money is then charged when you buy plastic bags from grocery stores.
4. Keep the noise down on fixed hours
Germans tend to love peace and quiet, and lots of areas in this country also have quiet hours traditionally, during which the noise is supposed to be less between about 10 pm to 6 am, on Sundays, all day, and in some regions, after lunch and loud noises during these hours can turn out to be problematic.
5. Germany is a cash-intensive country
In spite of being one of the most developed countries in the world, Germany is one of the most cash-intensive countries in the world. Most of the shops, stores, bars, and restaurants in this country do not have a card machine, and credit cards are also not as much accepted in this country.
6. No shopping Sundays in Germany
Sundays are always a day of rest which in turn implies the fact that most shops remain closed on this day. Some restaurants may still be open, but if you’re hoping to do extensive shopping on this day, you need to skip the plan to do it around the Sunday Closures.
7. Don't walk on the bike lane
Germany has a pretty big biking culture, and as long as you try sticking to the rules, it is a great way to get around the city. But this thing will be a bit challenging if you’re on foot on this track as you would have to look out for the Radweg signs which have the outlines of the biking area which designates it as the cycle path.