Travel to Germany

Flying to Germany

The national airline is Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com). Low-cost carriers flying to German airports from the UK and the United States include Eurowings (www.eurowings.com). 

Major airports are: Berlin-Tegel Airport, Cologne Bonn Airport, Düsseldorf Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Hamburg Airport, Munich Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Dresden International Airport, Leipzig/Halle Airport, Münster Osnabrück International Airport, Nuremberg Airport, Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport, Rostock-Laage Airport, Sylt (Westerland) Airport, Zurich Airport, Zweibruecken Airport, City Airport Bremen and Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen.

Notes

The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport is scheduled to open in October 2020, around 18km (11 miles) south of central Berlin itself. 

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Frankfurt: from London - 1 hour 30 minutes; New York - 7 hours 40 minutes.

Air passes

Various air passes are available which incorporate Germany. These include the OneWorld Alliance Visit Europe Pass, the Star Alliance Europe AirPass and the SkyTeam Go Europe Pass.

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Germany by Rail

There are excellent connections between Germany and other main European cities. For more information, contact Deutsche Bahn (tel: +49 180 699 6633; www.bahn.com).

Eurostar (tel: +44 1233 617 57, in the UK; www.eurostar.com) is a service provided by the railways of Belgium, the UK and France, operating direct high-speed trains from London (St Pancras International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes approximately 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris and approximately 2 hours to Brussels (via Lille).

From Brussels, there are direct connections to Cologne and Frankfurt, and onward high-speed trains to all major German centres. The journey time between Paris and Frankfurt is less than four hours.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; uk.voyages-sncf.com/en/pass/interrail-passes).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Germany

From the UK, Eurotunnel (tel: +44 8443 353 535, in the UK; www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for cars, bicycles, motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans and campervans between Folkestone in Kent and Calais in France. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform. Road access across to Germany is then relatively easy, if a little time-consuming.

For those already on the continent, meanwhile, Germany’s central position makes it easily accessible by major roads from almost any direction you care to choose.

Getting to Germany by boat

The north (and only) coastline of Germany is readily accessible by water. The biggest ports are Bremen (www.bremenports.de), Bremerhaven (www.cruiseport.de), Hamburg (www.hafen-hamburg.de), Rostock (www.rostock-port.de) and Kiel (www.portofkiel.com).

Cruise ships

Various cruise ship itineraries incorporate Germany. On the north coast, Hamburg’s location sees it figure prominently, while towns and cities along the Rhine, Main and Danube are popular stop-offs for river cruises.

Ferry operators

The following shipping lines sail from the UK to ports within reasonable driving distance of Germany:

DFDS Seaways (tel: +44 871 522 9955, in the UK; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk) sails Newcastle-Amsterdam, Newhaven-Dieppe Dover-Dunkirk and Dover-Calais.

Stena Line (tel: +44 8447 707 070, in the UK; www.stenaline.co.uk) sails Harwich-Hook of Holland.

P&O Ferries (tel: +44 800 130 0030, in the UK; www.poferries.com) sails Dover-Calais, Hull-Rotterdam and Hull-Zeebrugge.

There are also year-round ferry services to Germany from Scandinavia.

River Routes

In terms of inland waterways, the Danube and Rhine Rivers both offer potential access to Germany for travellers coming from other countries.