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Here we have gathered information that we hope you will find useful when you are traveling in Germany.

Money and ATM's

Currency

1 Euro = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of 2 and 1 Euro, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Credit Cards

Access/MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are all widely accepted. Check with your credit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travelers Cheques

Accepted throughout Germany.

Banking and Business Hours

Business hours are consistent throughout the country, though because of its largely Catholic population Bavaria celebrates more religious holidays than do the other states of Germany.

Banks are generally open weekdays from 8:30 or 9 to 3 or 4 (5 or 6 on Thursday), sometimes with a lunch break of about an hour at smaller branches. Banks at airports and main train stations open as early as 6:30 AM and close as late as 10:30 PM.

Department stores and larger stores are generally open from 9 or 9:15 to 8 weekdays and until 4 on Saturday. Smaller shops and some department stores in smaller towns close at 6 or 6:30 on weekdays and as early as 1 on Saturday. Visit a department store in the morning or early afternoon to avoid crowds.

ATM's

Your existing bank cards are unlikely to work in ATM´s in Germany. However, if you have a MasterCard, Cirrus Card or Visa Card, there are a lot of ATM's in the country where you will be able to withdraw money.

Currency Exchange

Always try to exchange your cash at a bank, because currency exchange offices charge higher rates. The charge will include commission, so check beforehand! During the afternoon or week-ends money exchange can be done at large hotels.

Electricity

To use your U.S.-purchased electric-powered equipment, bring a converter and adapter. The electrical current in Germany is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take Continental-type plugs, with two round prongs.

If your appliances are dual-voltage, you'll need only an adapter. Don't use 110-volt outlets, marked for shavers only, for high- wattage appliances such as blow-dryers. Most laptops operate equally well on 110 and 220 volts and so require only an adapter.

Weather

Germany's climate is temperate, although cold spells can plunge the thermometer well below freezing, particularly in the Alps, the Harz region of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, the Black Forest, and the higher regions of northern Franconia.

Summers are usually sunny and warm, though you should be prepared for a few cloudy and wet days, especially in the north half of the country. The south is normally always a few degrees warmer than the north. As you get nearer to the Alps, however, the summers get shorter, 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 South Bavaria caused by the Föhn, an Alpine wind that gives rise to clear but very warm conditions. The Föhn can occur in all seasons. Sudden atmospheric pressure changes associated with the Föhn give some people headaches.

Germans measure temperature in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. For example, 23.9°C is a pleasant day of 75°F; 10°C is a chilly 50°F.

Phoning Home

The country code for Germany is 49. The code 0130 indicates a toll-free number; 0180 and 0190 are expensive (about €2-€3 per minute) service numbers, similar to U.S. 900 numbers.

Because the German phone system is fully automated, you almost never speak directly to an operator. If you need to, dial 010, or 0010 for international calls. The information number for domestic phone numbers is 11833; for international numbers, 11834.

Public Phones: Instructions appear on a digital readout above the number pad; a sign under a British flag tells you in English what button to push to see English-language instructions. Almost no public phone booths accept coins. Germans use phone cards called Telefonkarten, available in €4, €6, and €26 denominations at any post office and many newsstands. The cards are used at booths marked kartentelefon. When you insert a card in a slot on the phone, a digital display will tell you how many units are left; make the call, and the display ticks off the units, flashing when it's time to insert a new card. To make a call with a major credit card, look for a kreditkarte sign. Long-distance calls within Germany can be made from any pay phone; for calls outside Germany, look for booths marked international.

Emergencies

Throughout Germany call 110 for police, and 112 for an ambulance or the fire department.

If you see an accident, or any circumstance in which you think the emergency services should be called, please do so. The emergency services would rather be called 10 times about the same incident than not called at all.