While Germany is easily accessible for French travelers, it doesn’t mean you know everything about the country. Even though there aren’t specific requirements to know before arriving, it’s still helpful to understand some of the customs and practices. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of useful (and hopefully interesting) insights about Germany, covering customs, driving rules, deposit returns, regulations, and more. You might even learn something new!
Germany places a high emphasis on daily waste sorting and is well ahead of France in terms of recycling. The country has implemented a recycling and bottle deposit system called the "Pfand" that works like a charm.
Items marked with a small icon (see below) must be returned to collection points found in any German supermarket. These stations are called "Pfandautomaten" or "Leergutautomaten."
While this system means you pay a little more upfront for certain items, you get that money back as a store credit when you return the bottles.
You can also ask for the deposit amount in cash at checkout, although not all stores allow this.
Another surprisingly common option is to give your bottles to a homeless person on the street or leave them near a trash bin. People in need often collect empty bottles or cans to earn a small income from the deposit system.
While it might seem strange to leave something on the ground, in Germany, it’s essentially like giving someone a coin. We noticed many people with bags full of empty bottles as we traveled. Initially, we didn’t understand why, but once we visited a supermarket, it made sense.
The deposit for a bottle varies from €0.05 to €0.60, depending on its environmental impact (whether it’s recyclable, reusable, or single-use).
Here are some items subject to deposits:
You can always recognize these products by their small icons:
One last thing: you don’t have to return the bottle to the store you bought it from. That’s handy, especially while traveling.
Germany's highways are toll-free — great news! You can drive them without worrying about charges.
Even better, most German highways have no speed limits, which is a thrill for drivers.
However, some sections do have speed limits, which must be respected. Outside these sections, you’ll only see a blue rectangular sign with a recommended speed of 130 km/h, which is rare in France.
During our time in Germany, we used the highways but didn’t go overboard with our speed (our van was on the heavier side). But we did see some fast cars that zipped past us (we wouldn’t be surprised if they were going over 200 km/h).
If you want to rent a car locally, you can use the DiscoverCars platform, which offers the best prices and conditions (including unlimited mileage, partial coverage, and theft protection with no hidden fees).
Be mindful of restricted driving zones in cities. Similar to France’s Crit’Air vignette system (especially in Paris), Germany has established environmental zones known as "Umweltzonen."
These zones, commonly found in large cities (like Berlin, Munich, Augsburg, and Freiburg), restrict access to vehicles without an "Umweltplakette" (the equivalent of a Crit’Air sticker rated 0-3) from entering or parking.
The goal is to reduce fine particle emissions and improve urban air quality.
Before visiting a German city, check the website vignetteecologique.fr which allows you to see if a city has an environmental zone and where the boundaries are. This helps you know where you can drive and park without entering the zone and risking a fine of around €80.
Although Germany uses the Euro and is a well-developed country, credit card usage is far less common than in France.
It’s a good idea to carry cash with you or to plan a quick ATM visit before heading to stores, bars, or restaurants to avoid being caught off guard (and having to locate an ATM with high withdrawal fees, which, yes, has happened to us 😂).
To save on extra fees, consider getting a foreign fee-free card. If you don't have one yet, the Visa Ultim card from BoursoBank is free and doesn’t charge withdrawal or payment fees, regardless of currency or country. We've been using it on our European tour and are quite satisfied.
If you open an account with the link below or enter our referral code LEGA1596, you’ll receive a bonus ranging from €80 to €220 (depending on the current offer and meeting the conditions).
Almost all public restrooms we encountered in Germany charged a fee (about €0.50). This applies even at highway rest stops. So, plan accordingly—take bathroom breaks before you leave, in restaurants, and upon returning (for example)—or keep some coins on hand for public toilets.
Germany has a robust and user-friendly public transit network.
Here are a few tips to get started.
We’ll explain Berlin’s ticket system, but, to start, we recommend avoiding single tickets:
This should give you a solid overview of ticket options in Berlin. We highly recommend downloading the BVG Tickets app, which makes it easy to buy tickets anytime, anywhere.
One other type of ticket can be handy if you want to travel around Germany without a car. This is the “Deutschland Ticket” or “Deutschlandticket.” This monthly ticket costs €49 and provides unlimited travel on local and regional public transportation across the country (excluding long-distance trains like IC, EC, and ICE).
This ticket was introduced by the government in 2023 as a “financial relief for citizens” and is expected to be available until at least 2024. It follows the nationwide €9 monthly ticket, “Monatskarte 9-euro- ticketgültig deutschlandweit,” which ran in summer 2022.
We were in Germany at that time (August 2022) and took advantage of it during our stay in Berlin. We could have used it across the country, but since we were traveling with our van (Van-Dono), we didn’t need it.
You can buy the Deutschland Ticket at:
These aren’t the only places selling the Deutschland Ticket, but wherever you buy it, there are two things to keep in mind:
You’ll find all your questions on this subscription and cancellation answered here.
Additional notes:
Germany, much like its neighboring countries Switzerland (by the way, you can find the Top 10 Things to Know Before Traveling to Switzerland here), and Austria (the article on Austria is here), is a relatively "strict" country where rules are highly respected.
Whether you’re driving, biking, or walking:
And speaking of "pedestrian lights," when we visited the capital, we discovered that on the East Berlin side (formerly communist Germany), the traffic light figures have a different design than what we're used to.
More childlike and wearing a hat, these characters, known as "Ampelmännchen" (literally "little traffic light men") are now iconic.
They were created in 1961 by Karl Peglau, a German traffic psychologist tasked with reducing road hazards in East Berlin.
In 1996, after the end of the communist regime, the Ampelmännchen started to be replaced by the more "standard" lights found in West Berlin, but the Berliners resisted, and their plea was successful in 1997.
This little hat-wearing figure has since become a true symbol of the city, "one of the few elements of East Germany that survived the fall of the Iron Curtain with its popularity intact."
It’s delightful to stroll through the city and come across these unique pedestrian lights.
They’ve become so popular that you can even find Ampelmännchen on the West Berlin side and in other German cities, like Zwickau and Dresden.
Germany, despite its strict and serious side, is also a land of good living.
Sausages, currywurst, Berlin kebabs, strudel, beers, Oktoberfest… This sums up Germany pretty well.
We tried all these specialties, and we can tell you they are all very good!
As for the beer, no, we didn't go to Oktoberfest, the massive beer festival held every year in Munich from late September to early October (since we were there in August, which is a pretty good excuse). Truth be told, we’re not huge beer fans… But we did learn that each major city brews its own local beer. So, if you ever order a beer in a bar or restaurant, try to check in advance about the local beer name, as Germans reportedly have a slightly oversized ego when it comes to beer (or maybe it’s simply a matter of great pride!), and to avoid any mishap, it’s best not to mistakenly order the competing beer… You’ve been warned!
In France, when you arrive at a restaurant, you wait for the waiter to seat you. In Germany, it doesn't work like that at all! When you arrive, you go directly to a table.
Typically, there are large communal tables, so it’s not unusual to share your table with other people. Don’t be surprised by this. And even if it’s not a large table, if the restaurant gets full, the servers will seat people wherever there is room (yes, this would be unthinkable in France, where a waiter would make the customer wait), which may very well be at your table.
Moreover, in restaurants (and even in bars), there are tables reserved for regulars, known as "Stammtisch," and you really shouldn't sit there (unless invited) because it would be seen as very rude!
One more thing: in Germany, although service is included in the bill, you can leave a tip of 5-10% of the total, but you should give it directly to the server when paying the bill (which you ask for by saying "Bitte zahlen" or "Die Rechnung bitte").
Don’t leave money on the table as you leave; no one would understand why coins were left behind.
It might be surprising, but in Germany, sparkling water is king (after beer, of course).
This tradition stems from a time when tap water was not as well monitored, and it was safer to drink bottled sparkling water. It’s a habit that has persisted, even though tap water is now perfectly safe and restaurants offer water carafes.
A Berlin photographer once said about people who ask for tap water: "At best, the waiter will take you for a tourist; at worst, a bumpkin!" That says it all.
So if you order water at a restaurant (without specifying still or sparkling), you can be sure it will have bubbles.
Even more surprisingly, you can find sparkling water dispensers right on the street! It’s fantastic!
These dispensers actually mix gas with water, and you can choose if you want your water with "a lot" or "a little" gas.
Beyond just sparkling water, Germans add bubbles everywhere:
It’s truly an obsession!
We’ve shared our 10 key facts about Germany. We hope you learned something new and that it will be helpful for planning your trip and during your stay 😊. Don't forget to check out the few "tips" waiting for you at the end of the article, and if this has made you want to discover Germany, you can book your trip here:
1. Much like in France, Germans are superstitious, especially when it comes to toasting. If you share a drink with them and make a toast, you’ll need to look the other person in the eyes and absolutely avoid crossing glasses with others, as this is considered bad luck in love.
2. In German cities, there aren’t many water fountains available. It’s not very practical as it encourages buying bottled water, but we suggest bringing a reusable bottle as we’ve found that the country has set up "Refill Stations." This allows you to fill up your bottle or canteen for free in participating cafes, bars, and restaurants (you’ll recognize them by a sticker on their window*)
It’s a great way to avoid buying yet another plastic bottle and helps reduce plastic waste!
3. As with many capitals, there are passes available for visiting Berlin, like the "Berlin Welcome Cards" (or similar options), but we were told that these types of cards aren’t cost-effective. We don’t recommend getting one but rather handling transport and visits on your own (paying as you go). The only worthwhile pass in Berlin would be for visiting the 5 museums on Museum Island (Museumsinsel**): for €19, you get access to all the museum exhibitions on the island for 24 hours: Pergamonmuseum, Neues Museum, Altes Museum, Bode Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, along with a beautiful panorama from the top of the Pergamonmuseum. In other German cities, however, there are tourist passes that are worth it and can help you save depending on the visits you plan to make. So check in advance.
4. Since 2021, a law has been in effect in Germany to protect bees and other pollinating insects (like bumblebees or wasps) to prevent an "ecological apocalypse." So if you kill even one wasp, you could face a fine of several thousand euros.
*Or you can find Refill Stations visible here.
**Day ticket for Museum Island bookable here or here.
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