General Travel Information

A city of three and a half million people awaits you - native Berliners, "fugitives" from cities all over Germany, and the communities of Turkish, Spanish, Arabic American, French, Polish and so many other nationalities and languages that contribute to the unique flavor of the city. Before it came down, the wall was the most enduring icon of a nation's alienation. But it is not as if the city had not seen it all before. From the civic turmoil of the Thirty Year War, to the devastating impact of the fire-bombing during WWII, Berlin has constantly been under siege or in a post-siege rebuilding phase. Even in the middle of trouble and strife, though, Berliners have known how to live it up. The wall is not there any more, but Berlin is still very much divided: in the centre of the city, there is a pretty neat segue from the wealthy glitz of the west to newly developed central east Berlin. This area was quickly colonized by the trendy café-bar set in the early 90s and swift rebuilding has erased nearly all trace of the wall. It is the suburbs of East Berlin with their grey and decaying apartment blocks, cardboard cars and paucity of telephones that make it apparent that the wall was up to protect a utilitarian East from a decadent West.

Banking
Banks can be found all over the city. Most banks are open 9am-noon Mon-Fri, and 1-3pm or 2-6 on varied weekdays. Outside the opening-hours, many cash machines are ready to serve you.

Bureau of change (Wechselstubel) which are often located close to railway-stations and airports are open outside normal banking hours and generally give better rates than banks, where changing money involves much queuing.

The larger hotels, shops and most restaurants will accept one or more of the major credit cards (American Express, Diners' Club, Mastercard, Visa).

Currency
Until December 2001 DEM and EURO are both official currencies in Germany but the everyday payments are mostly based on DEM. The official exchange rate between DEM and EURO is fixed to 1,95583 DEM = 1 EURO. From January of 2002 the EURO is the only currency.

Coins
There are 8 euro coins denominated in 2 and 1 euros, then 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. Every euro coin will carry a common European face. On the obverse, each Member State will decorate the coins with their own motifs. No matter which motif is on the coins they can be used anywhere inside the 12 Member States. For example, a French citizen will be able to buy a hot dog in Berlin using a euro coin carrying the imprint of the King of Spain. The common European face of the coins represents a map of the European Union against a background of transverse lines to which are attached the stars of the European flag. The 1,2 and 5 cent coins put emphasis on Europe's place in the world while the 10, 20 and 50 present the Union as a gathering of nations. The 1 and 2 euro coins depict Europe without frontiers.

Notes
There are 7 euro notes. In different colours and sizes they are denominated in 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 euros. The notes will be uniform throughout the euro area; unlike coins, they will have no national side. The designs are symbolic for Europe's architectural heritage. They do not represent any existing monuments. Windows and gateways dominate the front side of each banknote as symbols of the spirit of openness and cooperation in the EU. The reverse side of each banknote features a bridge from a particular age, a metaphor for communication among the people of Europe and between Europe and the rest of the world.

Electricity
The power supply system of Berlin is based on 50 Hz AC with a voltage of 230 V. Tip: Check if your electrical and electronic equipment is suited for this system before leaving your home country. If it is not, it may be destroyed if you try to use it! You can buy adapters for different plugs in your local stores or often can get them for usage in your hotel.

Emergency Services
The number for an emergency call is 110 for the police and 112 for the fire department. Nearly all public phone boxes are enabled for toll free calls of this numbers.

Health Care
EU countries have reciprocal treatment arrangements with Germany. All EU citizens will need the form E111. British citizens can obtain this filling in the application form in leaflet SA30, available in all Department of Social Security (DSS) offices or over any post office counter. You should get your E111 at least two weeks before you leave, but it does not cover all medical costs (for example, dental treatment) so you may wish to take out private insurance before leaving for Germany. Citizens from non-EU countries should take out private medical insurance before their visit.

Time Zone
In Germany you have the central European time (CET) with daylight saving time in summer. The CET is 1 hour 'delayed' to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). If it is 11:00 am in London it is 10:00 am in Berlin.

The Weather
Normally, the weather in Berlin is pleasant. Berlin belongs more to the continental climate zone than to the oceanic one. The summer tends to be warm and the winter cold. Berlin is one of the sunniest cities in Germany! In the middle of summer it could be above 30 °C for two weeks.

Telephone
Public phone booths stand on every street corner. There are different types of public phone booths: The older ones are coin-operated. The most public booths require a telephone card, which are sold at post-offices and most press-shops. Phone shops for international calls are, for example, in the area between Kurfürstendamm and train station Zoo (Zoologischer Garten).