With offerings in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt,
Hamburg, Berlin
and Bavaria .
Basic Area Facts
A List of Books For the Germany-bound Traveler.
Entry Requirements: As a rule, only a valid passport is required to enter Germany. Children may either be included on their parents' passport or travel with their own passport. No passport photo is required for children under 10 years of age. In most cases no Visa is required for those who intend to stay in the country less than 3 months and do not plan to work. Climate: Germany's climate is generally temperate. Winters can be dull though never particularly cold, except in the Alps, the Harz region of Lower Saxony, and the higher regions of northern Franconia. Summers are usually sunny and warm, though be prepared for a few cloudy and wet days. The south is normally always a few degrees warmer than the north. As you get nearer the Alps, however, the summers get shorter accordingly, often not beginning until the end of May. Fall is sometimes spectacular in the south: warm and soothing. The only real exception is the strikingly variable weather in southern Bavaria (Bayern) caused by Föhn, an Alpine wind that gives rise to clear but oppressive conditions in summer and, in winter, can cause snow to disappear overnight. Time Zone: Germany is on Central European Time (CET) Money Matters: Banks are generally open Monday through Friday from 9:00am-12:30pm and from 2:30pm-4:00pm (Thursday to 5:30pm) and closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays. If visitors need to exchange money outside these hours, Currency Exchange offices can be found at airports, border crossing points and major railway stations. Hours are generally from 6am to 10pm. Shop Hours: Although the hours shops and businesses are open vary from one state to another, retail stores are generally open from 9am to 6:30pm Monday through Friday and in some cases until 8:30pm on Thursday. On Saturday, shops are generally open from 9:00am to 2:00pm except for the first Saturday of the month when they may remain open until 4:00pm. Tipping: In restaurants, service is usually included (under the heading Bedienung, at the bottom of the check), and it is customary to round out the check to the next mark or two, but never more than 5% of the total. In cafés and beer halls, where it may not always be clear if service is included, give 10%. Taxi Drivers also get 10%. For railway and airport porters, round out the requested amount to the next mark. Hotel porters get .50€ per bag. Doormen are tipped the same amount for small services, such as calling a cab. Room service should be rewarded with at least 1€ every time you use it. Maids should get about .50€ per day (though service charges are normally included in our rental price). Service station attendants get 50 pfennings or .50€ for filling the tanks, checking the oil and tires, or cleaning windshields. Electrical Current: The standard voltage throughout the country is 220 volt, 50 cycles. Americans will need a plug adapter, or converter, to use their appliances in Germany. Emergency: If a visitor requires the police, ambulance or fire service, they should go to the nearest telephone and dial 110 to request assistance. Tax Free Shopping: The price of goods purchased in Germany includes 14% value-added tax (VAT). In order to receive a refund of some or all of this tax when you leave the country you can request a Tax Free Shopping Check in stores which display a "Tax Free" sticker. When leaving the country, before checking your baggage, have your check stamped by the German Customs Service. You may then be able to obtain a cash refund at one of the Tax Free Shopping Service offices which are located in the major airports and many train stations and in some ferry terminals. Otherwise you can send checks to: Tax Free Shopping Service, Mengstrasse 19, 2400 Luebeck, Federal Republic of Germany. (State whether you want payment to be credited to your bank card or to your bank account). |
| Tourism Link: Germany - An encyclopedic source for maps and facts about Germany. http://www.chemie.fu-berlin.de/adressen/brd.html |
Residents of this
Rhine-based city believe that their promenade,
the Konigsalle, is one of the most splendid boulevards of
the world. Those strolling the "Ko" as it is
affectionately called, can window-shop from the most
expensive items the world has to offer and then indulge
in the bountiful fare offered by the boulevard's numerous
cafes and restaurants. There's plenty for historians and
culture-lovers as well, including theater, concerts,
nearby castles and the great works of art at both the
North Rhine-Westphalia Art Collection and the Goethe
Museum.
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Germany's financial
capital is a city of skyscrapers, replacing
many of the historical landmarks that were destroyed
during World War II. Business travelers usually outnumber
tourists eager to explore this former Roman settlement
that later served as one of Charlemagne's two capitals,
as well as the site for the election and coronation of
emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Such tourists seek out
sites such as poet/dramatist Goethe's House and Museum,
as well as nearby cities of interest, such as Heidelberg
and Wurzburg. Corporate travelers will appreciate BIG's
apartments in Frankfurt, which save them substantially
over the city's average per-diem costs.
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| Between the River
Elbe and the city's large lakes and numerous
canals, it's hard for visitors to forget that Hamburg is
a major port city. Likewise, Hamburg's evolution into a
leading corporate center is reflected by the sleek
avenues and sterile, modern office buildings. However,
nature-loving and culture-minded tourists can always take
refuge in the hundreds of riverside and country paths
within the city's boundaries, as well as the renown
collection of paintings in the Kunsthalle Museum. Our Properties in Hamburg:
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Berlin will do you good! A large variety
of sights, cultural highlights and shopping opportunities are just waiting
to be discovered. Living in the city centre, you are just minutes away
from the Kurfurstendamm and the world famous Gedachtuiskirche (Memorial
Church).
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| Bavaria is located in the southeast area of Germany, and is geographically the largest state (Bundesland) within the country. With nearly 12.5 million inhabitants, Bavaria is also one of the most populated of the german states. Bavaria's beauty is unquestioned, containing the Bavarian Forest in the eastern region as well as the Bavaran Alps in the south. The capital of Bavaria and by far its largest city is Munich. Munich has been nicknamed "Germany's secret capital," and is considered the country's most important tourist destination as well as its most attractive city. Visit its beer halls, museums, churches, palaces and busy shopping streets -- Neuhauserstrasse and Kaufingerstrasse --as well as its Englischer Garten, a park measuring three miles long by over a mile wide. BIG's apartments throughout Bavaria allow you to enjoy the amenities of a hotel and the comforts of home, with money left to enjoy all this easy-going and beautiful region has to offer. Our Properties in Bavaria: |
| If you require
Supplemental Services in Germany, such as car rentals, travel insurance or rail or air transportation, go to our Supplemental Service page. Just send in your request when making your apartment booking and we will secure that service on your behalf. |
| One caveat: We have written our property reference pages to be as concise as possible. Therefore, if an amenity is NOT listed, chances are it is not offered by the property. Though we attempt to be as accurate as possible and ask each property to recheck the information that they have provided, breakdowns in communications can occasionally occur. For that reason, Barclay International Group cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies contained in the information. If you do uncover mistakes in our information, please bring them to our attention so we may correct them as soon as possible. Also, rates occasionally change mid-season due to currency fluctuations and so forth; we cannot guarantee rates until actual bookings are placed. Consider the rates contained in our rate sheets to be approximate rate guidelines, rather than figures carved in stone. We have included links to country and city information in our pages. While we will attempt to verify these links on a regular basis, we would certainly appreciate it if anyone discovering a non-operational link brings this information to our attention. Thank you. |
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