Traveling by car in Germany. Travel Tips

Want to see as much as possible locations in Germany, making its own, more complete understanding of this country? Then go to car travel. This will allow you to ride on the picturesque small towns and enjoy the magnificent scenery and mingle with the locals, even without any knowledge of German. Germany, more than any other country, it is perfect for car travel, because there are hundreds of kilometers of stunning roads with the most modern infrastructure. What you need to know about the trip to Germany by car?

First of all, carefully plan the route. Make it easy – you can use Google maps or specialized sites online where you can easily find out how much time and what routes it is necessary to go to a particular locality. Having defined the approximate route, then you can just use it on the car navigator, which will always point you to the right path.

In planning the route, pay attention to where you are staying for the night. If you decide to stay only in hotels, then book your room in advance via the Internet. In the cities of Germany for a few days can be removed and a private apartment that is cheaper booking a room, especially if you hit the road big friendly company. More cost-effective option – stopping at campsites where you can either stay in your own tent or stay in a cozy cottage. Location campsites in Germany can be found on various sites (eg, Eurocampings).

Planning a route, also think about your budget. It can be divided into several categories. Firstly, travel expenses – a car rental, the cost of fuel, oil, and parking. Remember that every kilometer traveled makes your trip more expensive because the cost of fuel – the most significant cost item. The next category – living expenses. Next, we must, of course, provide for expenditure on food. And then just decide whether you want to eat in small eateries and shopping for groceries or plan to attend German restaurants and cafes. Finally, it is necessary to provide for the costs of sightseeing in various cities and leave a small amount for other expenses that may arise during a car journey. It is difficult to give even an approximate cost of a trip to Germany – it all depends on the chosen route, and of course, style holiday.

If you want to save, you can give a few tips:

• Embark on a trip in the summer, because in the warm period of the trip will be cheaper;


• Stay in campsites and youth hostels. It is cheap and convenient;


• Take as much as possible in advance of cooked food;


• Take a trip with more friends or acquaintances. The more travel, the cheaper the car trip.

Car rental

Rent a car to travel around the country can be in almost any city in Germany. Moreover, we can arrange for rent, even in Russia, using the Internet. You can rent a car already 18 years old (in this case, there are certain restrictions on the choice of the model). In order to be able to the widest selection of car rentals, driver age is 25 years. German companies offer several options for car rental. This, in particular, rent a car one way in the country. That is, you take a rental car in one city, drive through a certain route, and give it in another German city. In this case, companies often charge the tenant an additional fee.

If you rent a car at the same place and take, the commission will not, but in this case you have to consider a circular route of his journey through Germany. By the way, some companies offer rental cars at one end between the two countries. You can rent a car, for example, in Munich, drive through Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and to finish his journey to Rome, where he will hand over the car. But this option will cost you serious money.

Rental cars have to carry voitelskie law of international standard and a bank card. Note that in Germany generally do not favor people who are paying cash. Map in this case is the guarantor of the solvency and reliability of the client. The price often includes several types of insurance, so before signing the contract should carefully read its contents and to clarify some details. For an additional fee, you can buy a car navigator, baby seat and other things you might need on the trip. The average cost of car rental in Germany is about 30 – 90 euros per night. It all depends on the car you want to rent, and the terms of the contract.

In Germany, there are 640,000 kilometers of paved roads, of which 13,000 – speed motorways. According to the rules, the driver and all passengers must always be wearing your safety belt. In the settlements is a limit on the speed to 50 kilometers per hour, and outside the cities – up to 100 km / h. On the famous German autobahn speed limit does not exist, but in some areas the rate of movement can still be regulated by traffic signs, so we need to remain vigilant.

Get behind the wheel while intoxicated in Germany, of course, prohibited. In this case, the maximum permitted blood alcohol concentration should not exceed 0.5 ppm. Use a mobile phone while driving is allowed only with «hands free». Children under the age of 12 years, can be transported in a car only using special restraints.

On German roads you are unlikely to meet a large number of police or patrols. Virtually all violations recorded by cameras. In the event of an accident, you should immediately notify the traffic police. Indeed, insurance against liability for damages will be paid only in the event that the police at the scene was made the official record.

Please note that check-in at the central part of some German cities is only possible if your car will show off a special sticker. This ecological zones created in order to reduce air pollution in cities. Availability stickers guarantees free access to similar ecological zones throughout Germany. You can buy at the centers of technical inspection, or in garages that have received permission for the implementation of such marking stickers.

Traveling by car in Germany. Travel Tips