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Guides
Free guides from :
Price Waterhouse: Gervinusstrasse 17
D-6000 Frankfurt am Main
Tel : 69-152040 ; fax 69-15204-107
Brochure on promotional measures for
commercial enterprises:
Federal Ministry of Economics - D-5300 Bonn 1
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28
- Observations
Some
tips :
-
Flowers are always offered in their wrapping from
the florist
- If you are having dinner with a business
associate you should dress fairly formally
- Germans appreciate punctuality
- Christmas is always spent with the family
- Germans enjoy standing on ceremony, using degree
titles, the use of 'Dr' is not reserved to medical
doctors
- big spending is frowned on, every cent counts,
one pfennig is the beginning of a mark
- Germans admire Wirksamkeit (efficiency) and
Bestleistung (performance)
Public
Holidays
1st
January : Neujahrstag (New Years' Day)
March/April : Karfreitag (Good Friday)
March/April : Ostermontag (Easter Monday)
1st May : Tag des Arbeit (Labour Day)
May : Himmelfahrstag (Ascension Day)
3rd October : Day of German Union
25th December : Christmas Day
26th December : Boxing Day
Cost of living
Germany has generally a high cost of living.
Rent varies depending on the town.
Rent and charges represent 30 to 45% of a
budget.
Accomodation is not always rented with fitted
kitchens.
Central heating systems are usually gas or fuel,
electricity is less common.
In
Berlin a one-bedroom flat costs about 1,500 Marks
(5,000 FF) if you go via an agency, but many
Berliners live in 'Wohnungsgemeinschaft' (WG),
which is a sharing system. A room in a WG costs
about 500 - 600 Marks per month.
If
you rent via an agency (Mitwohnzentralen), the
commission is equal to 2 - 3% of the yearly rent.
There is one month's rent to be paid as
guarantee.
Boarding in a family boarding house will cost about
50 to 70 marks a night, with breakfast (170-240
FF).
Hotels/Restaurants :
* Price of a meal in a restaurant (in Marks) :
Top class rest..................... 70 à
180
Medium class ..................... 30 à
100
* Price of a hotel room (in Marks) :
De luxe hotel...................... 270 à
400
Average hotel...................... 200
It is usual to tip and usually the tip is about 10%
of the bill (you don't leave it on the table, it
should be given when the bill is paid).
Travelling :
* Paris-Berlin, one-way, by bus costs from 350
F.
* By taxi, the amount on the meter is usually
rounded off at the figure above.
* In Munich, the underground cost 3 DM a trip.
Tourism
To see :
The Bavarian Alps, the lakes, the Urzig region, the
Tyrol, the Black Forest, the Renaissance city of
Tothenburg ober des Tauber, Cologne (and its
cathedral), Munich, Dresden (orangery), Berlin
(centre of culture and music) ...
Munich
- The Beer Festival (Oktoberfest) takes
place in the second half of September
- The Carnival is in January/February.
Cologne or Köln
The local beer is called Kölsch.
In the Kölschlokale or the Kölsche
Weetschaff drinking is a whole ceromony where the
servers (Köbes) wear big blue aprons.
Frankfurt
Among the museums, don't miss the Museum of
German cinema.
Spas
and hydros :
There are nearly 350 recognized spas and hydros
which have modern equipment, organized leisure
activities and sport complexes for relaxation and
rest.
Hiking and mountaineering
:
In the mountains, regional hiking associations
maintain a network of about 132,000 pedestrian
paths.
252 mountain huts are open to mountain lovers.
Information from Le Dentocher Alpenverein.
Praterinsel 5. D - 80538 München.
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