Country Information

The national airline is Lufthansa (LH) (www.lufthansa.com). Prices for flights to Germany vary considerably according to the season – June to August being the most expensive and the winter months (Christmas and New Year excluded) being the cheapest.

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.

None.

The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport is scheduled to open in March 2013, around 18km (11 miles) south of central Berlin itself.

Berlin-Tegel Airport (TXL). (www.berlin-airport.de) Berlin-Tegel Airport is located 8km (5 miles) northwest of central Berlin. Tel: <p>(0180) 500 0186.</p>.

Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN). (www.koeln-bonn-airport.de) Cologne Bonn Airport is situated 15km (9 miles) southeast of Cologne. Tel: <p>(022) 0340 4001 or 4002.</p>.

Hamburg Airport (HAM). (www.ham.airport.de) Hamburg Airport is situated 8km (5 miles) north of Hamburg city centre. Tel: <p>(040) 50750.</p>.

Hanover Airport (HAJ). (www.hannover-airport.de) Hanover Airport is situated 15km (9 miles) north of Hanover. Tel: <p>(0511) 9770.</p>.

Munich Airport (MUC). (www.munich-airport.de) Munich Airport is located 28km (18 miles) northeast of Munich. Tel: <p>(089) 97500.</p>.

Stuttgart Airport (STR). (www.flughafen-stuttgart.de) Stuttgart Airport is situated 13km (8 miles) south of Stuttgart. Tel: <p>(01805) 948 444.</p>.

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

The following shipping lines sail from the UK to ports within reasonable driving distance of Germany: DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955, in the UK; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk) sail Newcastle-Amsterdam, Harwich-Esbjerg, Dover-Dunkirk and others. Stena Line (tel: 08447 707070, in the UK; www.stenaline.com) sail Harwich-Hook of Holland. P&O Ferries (tel: 08716 642121, in the UK; www.poferries.com) sail Dover-Calais, Hull-Rotterdam and Hull-Zeebrugge. Norfolkline has now been incorporated into DFDS Seaways. SeaFrance was liquidated in early 2012. There are also year-round ferry services to Germany from Scandinavia.

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.

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

The DFDS Seaways ferry route which used to run from the UK to Cuxhaven in Lower Saxony has been discontinued.

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). Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186, 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. Journey time between Paris and Frankfurt has been cut to less than four hours.

InterRail: InterRail Global Passes can be sold to travellers of any age and 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 one, four, six or eight days of your choice during a month. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail). There are discounts for under-25s and over-60s.

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).

The recently opened 140km (87 miles) TGV Rhine-Rhône line has quickened journey times from Lyon into Germany.

From the UK, Eurotunnel 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. (For further information, contact Eurotunnel tel: 08443 353535, in the UK; www.eurotunnel.com). 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.