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Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

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Travel to Germany

Flying to Germany

The national airline is Lufthansa (LH) (www.lufthansa.com).

Flight times:

From London to Frankfurt/M is 1 hour 30 minutes, and from New York is 8 hours 30 minutes.

Departure tax:

None.

Travel by rail

Germany's rail network is operated by Deutsche Bahn (tel: 11861 in Germany; www.bahn.de).

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; +44 1233 617 575, outside the UK; a £5 booking fee applies to telephone bookings; 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; www.bahn.co.uk).

Rail passes:

InterRail: InterRail Global Passes are valid for travel in up to 30 European countries. There are two InterRail Global Pass types to choose from: 'flexi passes' and 'continuous passes'. A flexi pass entitles you to unlimited travel on a fixed number of days during your trip . A continuous pass entitles you to unlimited travel every day of your trip. With a One Country Pass you can choose from unlimited travel on 3, 4, 6 or 8 days of your choice during a month.Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).
Eurailpass: Offers broadly the same freedoms as the InterRail Passes, but is for sale solely to non-European residents. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. Available from The Eurail Group (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Germany

The Channel Tunnel: Eurotunnel runs shuttle trains for cars, bicycles, motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans and campervans between Folkestone in Kent, UK, and Calais, France. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. For further information, contact Eurotunnel (tel: 08443 353535, in the UK; www.eurotunnel.com).

Getting to Germany by boat

Bremen (www.keyports.de), Bremerhaven (www.bremen-ports.de), Hamburg (www.hafen-hamburg.de), Rostock (www.rostock-port.de) and Kiel (www.port-of-kiel.de).

Cruise ships:

Various cruise ship itineraries call at Germany.

Ferry operators:

The following shipping lines serve routes to Germany (via other countries) from the UK: DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955, in the UK; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk): Newcastle-Amsterdam. Stena Line (tel: 08447 707070, in the UK; www.stenaline.com): Harwich-Hook of Holland, Gothenburg-Kiel. P&O Ferries (tel: 08716 645645, in the UK; www.poferries.com): Dover-Calais, Hull-Rotterdam, Hull-Zeebrugge. SeaFrance (tel. 0871 423 7119, in the UK; www.seafrance.com): Dover-Calais. Norfolkline (tel: 0844 847 5042, in the UK; www.norfolkline.com): Dover-Dunkerque.

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