Study and research in Germany

A mini-guide on the most common ways of travelling in Germany.

Travelling by car: If you would like to drive a car in Germany, you must hold a driving licence. The licence also specifies what kinds of vehicles you can drive (car, lorry/truck, motorbike). You can find a list of the common vehicle categories at http://de.wikipedia.org. You must have your driving licence and vehicle registration document with you every time you take a drive – and must present these documents in the event of a police check.
However, not every driving licence gained abroad is also recognised in Germany. So please find out whether your driving licence allows you to drive in Germany. You can find further information on this on the website www.fahrtipps.de.
Another recommended source of information is the German Highway Code/Road Traffic Act (Straßenverkehrsordnung). For more information, see: http://de.wikipedia.org/.

Renting a car: Most car-hire companies only rent vehicles to customers who are older than 21. They do this to reduce the risk of accident, because the worst traffic accidents are often caused by beginner drivers.
Besides the age-limit, the conditions set by car hire companies differ greatly. So it may be worth your while to compare prices in advance. As a rule, you can save a lot of money by doing so. And before you sign the contract, please make sure that you read the small print carefully, for example liability in the event of an accident or if you exceed the hire term. Otherwise that can become very expensive.
A list of the most common car hire companies can be found at: http://de.dir.yahoo.com.

Car-sharing agencies: Travelling with a car-sharing agency is an inexpensive way of discovering the country. This involves drivers offering a seat in their car for the specific route. In return, the people sharing the car contribute to the fuel costs. The contact between driver and passenger is made by the car-sharing agency. These are found in practically all German cities, in most cases close to the railway stations or in the unis themselves. You can find the addresses in the Yellow Pages and in the local calendar of events. You pay a small fee to the car-sharing agency for its service.
In addition, there are some free-of-charge web-based car-sharing agencies, such as:

• www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de
  
• www.mitfahrzentrale.de

If you have an accident, you, the passenger, are covered by third-party insurance or by social security insurance. For further information on this, please consult the free-of-charge brochure published by the German automobile club ADAC "Fahrgemeinschaften im Berufsverkehr" (www.adac.de).

Local public transport: Towns and cities, particularly, have excellent local public transport. Busses, trams and sometimes local commuter trains take you practically everywhere in and around town. If you have a semester ticket (included in the semester fees charged by many unis) you can even use most public bus and rail routes free of charge. Please contact student services or the student council to find out how things are arranged at your uni.
Buying a so-called weekend ticket "Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket" for use on Saturdays or Sundays may be worth your while, especially if you are travelling as a group in the region. Deutsche Bahn offers the ticket for 32 euros. Up to five people can travel as far as they like, although only in the slower regional and local trains.

Long-distance rail travel: If you want to reach far-away towns by train, your quickest option is the ICE – InterCityExpress. However, the ICE is also the most expensive train in Germany; the higher price is often only worth it for real long-distance travel. You can get cheaper tariffs if you book the ICE ticket early (early bird rates) or buy a "Surf & Rail Ticket" on the Internet. Each Saturday morning at 10:00, Deutsche Bahn publishes routes in Germany for which you can book return tickets for between 39 and up to a maximum of 59 euros. However, you can only buy these tickets over the Internet with a credit card.
On middle-distance routes, you will often be well served by a less expensive IC (InterCity) train. People who travel a lot by rail should certainly buy the rail card called Bahncard, which gives your price reductions of up to 50%.
More information on the Deutsche Bahn services and offers can be found on www.bahn.de.
For good tips on saving money when travelling by rail, check out the following websites as well: www.kartenfuchs.de and www.studenten-wg.de.

Euro buses: If you like long-distance bus trips, this is often a very inexpensive means of travelling. Contact the local bus companies (Yellow Pages) or national travel operators (Internet) to find out more.
Eurolines (www.eurolines.com ) is a company with which you can reach destinations throughout Europe and through to North Africa at reasonable rates.

A good link: Always ask for student rates, regardless of what means of transport you have chosen. Check www.statravel.de to find out more.

By air: So-called cheap airlines enable you to buy inexpensive tickets for domestic, European and international flights – whereby the really cheap tickets can generally only be got with a very early booking. You can find an up-to-date list of cheap airlines on the following website: http://www.billigflieger.de.