Germany Getting There
Getting There by Air
Approximate Flight Times
Main Airports
Berlin-Tegel (TXL) (www.berlin-airport.de) is Berlin's international airport, located 8km (5 miles) northwest of the city centre (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Buses go to the city every 5 to 10 minutes from 0500-2400. Facilities: Duty-free shop, banks/bureaux de change, left luggage, 24-hour medical facilities, post office, restaurant, bars, tourist information, conference rooms and car hire.
Munich (MUC) (Franz Joseph Strauss) (www.munich-airport.de) is 28.5km (18 miles) northeast of the city (journey time - 45 minutes). To/from the airport: Direct links with the S-Bahn S8 and S1 run every 10 minutes from Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) from 0330-0030. The Airport City Bus runs every 20 minutes from 0700-1930 to the Hauptbahnhof and every 30 minutes from 0800-2100; further bus services are available. Coach Oberbayern runs every 10 minutes to the city centre. Facilities: Duty-free shop, left luggage, 24-hour medical facilities, snack bar, restaurants, post office, banks, conference centre, car hire and bars. The airport also has a Visitors' Park, an aircraft simulator, cinema and a play area.
Getting There by Water
The following shipping lines serve routes to Germany (via other countries) from the UK:
DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955, in the UK; website: www.dfds.co.uk): Newcastle-Amsterdam.
Stena Line (tel: 0870 570 7070, in the UK; website: www.stenaline.com): Harwich-Hook of Holland, Gothenburg-Kiel.
P&O Ferries (tel: 0870 598 0333, in the UK; website: www.poferries.com): Dover-Calais, Hull-Rotterdam, Hull-Zeebrugge.
SeaFrance (tel. 0871 663 2546, in the UK; website: www.seafrance.com): Dover-Calais.
Norfolkline (tel: 0870 870 1020, in the UK; website: www.norfolkline.com): Dover-Dunkerque.
Superfast Ferries (tel: 0870 234 0870, in the UK; website: www.superfast.com): Rosyth-Zeebrugge, Helsinki-Rostock.
Ferry connections also exist from Germany to Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, and the Russian Federation.
Getting There by Rail
Eurostar: If travelling from the UK, Eurostar operates direct high-speed trains from London (St Pancras International) and Ashford International to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186, in the UK, or +44 1233 617 575, outside the UK; a £5 booking fee applies to telephone bookings; website: www.eurostar.com); from Brussels, there are direct connections to Cologne and Frankfurt, and onward high speed trains to all major German centres. With opening of the TGV Est line in 2007, journey time between Paris and Frankfurt has been cut to less than four hours.
There are excellent connections between Germany and other main European cities. For more information, contact Deutsche Bahn in the UK (tel: 0871 880 8066; website: www.bahn.co.uk).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months. Available from The Eurail Group (website: www.eurail.com).
Getting There by Road
The Channel Tunnel: Eurotunnel (tel: 0870 535 3535, in the UK; website: www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for all types of vehicles between Folkestone in Kent, and Calais. Vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. Passenger terminal buildings contain a variety of shops, restaurants, bureaux de change and other amenities. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform and around 1 hour from motorway to motorway. There are up to four passenger shuttles per hour at peak times, 24 hours per day and services run every day of the year. Passengers pass through customs and immigration before they board, with no further checks on arrival. Tickets may be purchased in advance from the travel agents, or from Eurotunnel Customer Services in France or the UK with a credit card.
Coach: There are numerous and excellent road links with all neighbouring countries. Eurolines (tel: 0870 580 8080, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services from the UK to Germany. Passes: Travellers can book a 15- or 30-day pass.
Fresh ideas are just one click away...
Travel Deals
-
Finland Activity & adventure holidays Finnish Lapland has enormous areas of untouched wilderness and mile upon mile of wild rolling fells. This vast open countryside, sparkling in the winter sunshine, just begs to be explored by
-
Orlando Adrenaline Whether you’re enjoying the hair-raising delights of the world’s only flying rollercoaster called Manta at SeaWorld or racing through the Everglades on an airboat in search of alligators, one thing’s for
-
Cambodia Luxury holidays Today Cambodia is symbolised by awesome Angkor Wat, the largest man-made religious structure in the world. However, Cambodia is also home to some of the finest boutique hotels in the world
-
Laos Inspire Me When the French colonised Indochina they had a saying: "The Vietnamese grow the rice, the Cambodians watch the rice grow, and the Lao people listen to the rice grow." This is
-
Vietnam Cultural breaks Vietnam is a country with a rich and varied history that is now firmly focused on her bright future. This is why it has become one of the hottest destinations for
-
Dominican Republic Family holidays The Dominican Republic has soared in popularity as a tropical hotspot for families seeking sun, sand and an affordable holiday in the Caribbean. The island's main attraction is magnificent golden sand
