Page 560 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Germany

558  SUR VIV AL GUIDE TR A VEL INFORM A TION  559

Travelling within Cities platforms; the tickets often need Umwelt in a red circle. All vehicles DIRECTORY
to be validated in timestamp must carry a permit in these
Driving around Germany’s huge cities is not easy, and the machines nearby. Railway zones or incur a fine. Permits Green Travel
historic centres are best visited on foot. Large towns often suffer stations have no ticket-operated can be bought online (see Eurobike
from traffic congestion and parking can be hard to find. It is barriers, but tickets are Directory). Alternatively, use “Park ∑ eurobike.at
frequently checked and €40
and Ride” (P+R) facilities near
advisable to leave your car in a car park on the outskirts and fines are imposed on the spot for S-Bahn stations. Fahrradreisen
use the city/suburban railway (S-Bahn), underground (U-Bahn), those not holding a valid ticket. Watch out for bus lanes ∑ fahrradreisen.de
trams or city buses. The latter operate frequent services U-Bahn stations are indicated marked by round blue signs,
and can usually avoid traffic jams as they run in dedicated by square signs with a white which can only be used by taxis Umwelt Permits
∑ umwelt-plakette.de
traffic lanes. All modes of public transport run less frequently “U” on a dark blue background, and cyclists.
on weekends. while S-Bahn stations have Parking in towns can be Public Transportation
round signs with a white “S” on a difficult; the best option is to find
green background. On maps of a car park (Parkhaus). Cars left in a Networks
the network, each line of the controlled parking zone must BVG Berlin
U- and S-Bahn is marked in a display a ticket bought from a ∑ bvg.de
different colour and has its own A modern type of tram found in Munich machine nearby. Illegally parked
number. The direction of the cars can be towed; retrieving HVV Hamburg
route is indicated by the name them is expensive and difficult. ∑ hvv.de
of the terminus station. On Trams
every platform a display shows Trams are comfortable and do MVV Munich
the destination of the next not get stuck in traffic jams. ∑ mvv-muenchen.de
incoming train. A white circle They run as frequently as buses VGF Frankfurt/M
or oval on the map indicates and have similar operating ∑ vgf-ffm.de
an interchange station. hours – check with local tourist
Carriage doors on U- and offices or online for more details. Taxis
Electric car charging station in Berlin S-Bahn trains are sometimes
opened manually, but they Berlin
Green Travel and accommodation, arranged close automatically. Passengers Tickets Taxi Berlin
Public transportation in Germany by region, price and date. Bike & are not allowed to board the Large cities are generally Tel (030) 20 20 20.
is extensive and reliable within Bus is an interesting concept train after an operator’s call of divided into public transport
urban areas and there are fast that works like a shuttle for “Zurückbleiben!” (stay back!). zones, with the cost of a ticket Frankfurt
train connections between cities. cyclists. You tour Europe by bus depending on which zones are Taxis Frankfurt
There is not much need for a car while your bike is transported in Buses travelled through. Tel (069) 25 20 25.
unless you wish to explore the a trailer and available for use In addition to standard tickets Cream coloured taxis that operate Hamburg
countryside extensively. Some where the shuttle stops. Bus operating hours vary from (Normaltarif), there are also throughout German cities Taxi Hamburg
car rental companies offer hybrid city to city and are much shorter cheaper tickets (Kurzstrecke) that
or electric cars, and many taxis U-Bahn and S-Bahn in rural areas. Timetables can limit you to short distances. In Taxis Tel (040) 666 666.
run on bio fuel. be found online or in ticket or many cities you can buy tickets Munich
There is an emphasis on Most big German cities have a tourist offices. Bus tickets can be in the form of a strip, which is Taxis are a comfortable though Taxi München
public and alternative transport network of fast connections by purchased from the driver. punched according to the length expensive way of getting around. Tel (089) 21 610.
in Germany. Many cities have underground railway (U-Bahn) During the journey, the driver of your journey. If several people share a cab
introduced low-emission zones, and commuter rail (S-Bahn). The generally announces the name Children under 14 travel at a however, it can be cheaper than Cycling
which only allow vehicles with U-Bahn offers frequent services of the bus stop that the bus is reduced rate, while those under using the bus or train. All taxis are
an Umwelt Permit (Umwelt­ – in peak hours, every 3–5 approaching. In the centre of the age of six go free. Other cream coloured and have a “TAXI” Call-A-Bike
plakette). Tourists need to obtain minutes – and individual town, this is not so important, types of tickets include a one- sign on the roof; this is illumi- Tel (069) 42 72 77 22.
this permit prior to travelling stations are quite close to each as in heavy traffic the bus stops day ticket (Tageskarte), a one-day nated if the taxi is free. Taxis can ∑ callabike-interaktiv.de
to Germany in their own car other. The S-Bahn offers less at every bus stop. However, group ticket (Gruppen­ be hailed on the street or
(see p559). It can be bought frequent services, every 10–20 further away from the city tageskarte), and a weekly ticket booked by telephone. They can
online or from any participating minutes, and connects city centre or when traffic is lighter, (7­Tage­Karte). Some towns also be picked up at taxi ranks.
garage in Germany. centres with the suburbs. you will need to listen for these issue a WelcomeCard that
Bike rentals are everywhere, Generally, S- and U-Bahn, announcements. At many bus includes travel, plus discounts at Cycling
and with a good network of bike buses and trams within a city stops, the driver will pull in local attractions.
lanes and paths, Germany is a use the same tickets. Tickets can only on request, so passengers Most U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains Germany has numerous cycle
safe country to ride a bicycle. be bought from machines at must press the “Halt” button in permit transportation of bicycles lanes, making it safe, and many
Drivers are very aware of bikes. the entrance to stations or on plenty of time. in designated cars with a junc tions have special lights for
Many tour operators offer separate ticket. cyclists. Bikes can be hired from
guided bicycle tours – a good hostels or at various hire places
way to start and gather confi- (Fahrradverleih). In some major
dence on two wheels. German Driving cities, you can use the Call-A-Bike
Cycling Tours offers guided bike Many cities, including Berlin, hire system. You can rent a bike
tours of Germany and Munich and Cologne, have using a credit card, paying €4 per
Fahrradreisen runs a portal with introduced a low-emissions 30 minutes (up to a maximum of Bicycles for public hire near the
search engines for bicycle tours A city bus in Munich zone, indicated by the word €15 for 24 hours). Hofgarten in Berlin

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Practical template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.7)
Date 5th March 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm