Study and research in Germany

Means of payment

Cash / Travellers Cheques: The currency in Germany is called the euro (www.euro.ecb.int/de.html).

In small shops, in particular, you can only pay in euros. You can exchange cash and travellers cheques at banks and savings banks, and sometimes you can also exchange money using the cash dispensers/ATMs. You will find exchange booths in tourist areas. But remember, they will have a higher exchange rate, making the deal more expensive for you.

Electronic cash (EC/Maestro) with Eurocheque cards: You can obtain an EC-card at student rates from many banks (not to be confused with the credit card called "Eurocard"). The EC-card enables you to make cashless payments practically anywhere. Just look for the EC/Maestro sign at the cash desk. There are many cash dispensers where you can also draw money with the EC-card.

Credit cards: You can pay larger sums with the credit cards that are known worldwide. The door of the respective shop will have a sticker indicating which credit cards are accepted. You can also use your credit card to draw money from cash dispensers – although higher fees are charged for such withdrawals.

Scout Nina has compiled a little shopping guide for you.

Second-hand or rather brand-new? As cheap as possible or something a bit more exclusive? Something simple or more exotic, whatever the cost? An extremely diverse and varied range of goods and many different kinds of shops and stores in Germany are able to meet practically any wish. From little second-hand shops and bric-a-brac or junk shops through to highly-polished glass shopping malls and luxury shopping centres, there's something for everyone.

Supermarkets and discounters

From food discounters to delicatessens (delis) – there's something for every budget. Most Germans prefer to buy their food in supermarkets. These have a wide range of German and foreign food products plus household articles (such as detergents, washing-up liquid or kitchen rolls) and personal hygiene items (like shampoo, toothpaste) at affordable prices. Shopping in discount stores is particularly cheap. Their high turnover means that they can offer good products at good prices.

You can pay by cash or EC-card in practically all supermarkets.

Opening times can vary quite a lot from place to place. Usual opening hours on weekdays are between 9:00 and 19:00 or 20:00; on Saturdays until 16:00 (in larger towns sometimes until 18:00 or even 20:00). Most shops are closed on Sundays. You will only be able to find supermarkets that stay open all week, including Sundays, at some major rail stations in larger towns. The following website offers a list of all the most common supermarkets: www.supermarktangebote.de.

Weekly markets

Traders from the region mostly offer their goods at the weekly markets. This generally means fresh products, like fruit, vegetables, cheese, cold meat and fish. But the markets may also offer clothing or simple household items (crockery, pots and pans). The markets are always held on the same day of the week. You can only pay in cash at these markets.

Tip: Ask how long the market is open for. Many already close their stands again at midday. And just before the end of the market, you will be able to buy a lot of products at reduced prices.

Organic shops

Most towns have one or more organic shops. Their product range includes fruit and veg, drinks and beverages, cheese, bread, cold meats, sweets all the way through to detergents plus skin-care and cosmetic products, practically all of them organically made, organically grown or from animal friendly farms. Organic products are mostly slightly more expensive than others, but then they are healthy.

Organic shops generally only take cash. Opening times differ. The following two websites will provide you with an overview of these shops: www.naturkost.de and www.allos.de.

Ethnic foods

The many restaurants and food products of foreign origin show how strongly German society has been shaped by multiculturalism. Ethnic foods have firmly established themselves in German kitchens and stomachs. The 7 million or so foreigners living in Germany today brought their eating habits with them and successfully integrated them here. Sometimes, light Asian and Mediterranean foods will even outweigh the often much more substantial German cuisine. And the Germans' love of travelling has also changed eating habits. People go out to eat in an Indian or Thai restaurant, or to the local Greek or Spanish joint, or will shop in a Turkish, African or Chinese supermarket. But don't expect these dishes always to taste as they do back home. Because if the label says "Vietnamese", "Moroccan" or "Italian", ethnic food may have been adapted to take account of German taste buds, so they may be less hot and spicy and often a lot richer, with an extra shot or cream or butter.

Flea markets and second-hand shops

Shopping with little money: with a bit of luck, perseverance and patience you can do this at flea markets and second-hand shops (mainly second-hand clothes). Flea markets, sometimes called bric-a-brac or junk markets, are often held at weekends in big parks or pedestrian precincts in town. You can buy practically anything you heart desires there: furniture, clothing, records, CDs, books, household goods, jewellery – second-hand and mostly quite cheap. Many of the traders will haggle over the price, so go ahead and get yourself a good deal.

The dates of the bric-a-brac and flea markets are announced in the respective c.t. mags and local papers as well as on posters around town. Flea markets and second-hand shops generally only accept cash. They don't have any fixed opening times.