Whether Germany is big or small depends on where you come from. At 357,021 km², it's less than 5% the size of Australia, but more than 138 times as big as Luxembourg. Any way you measure, there's a whole lot of it to explore! Here's how.

Slow and Steady

If you want to travel for travel's sake, if der Weg ist das Ziel¹, you might consider walking, cycling, or even riding around Germany. You can book pre-compiled or even guided tours for these slower modes of transportation, if you'd like the additional security. Unlike Scotland and Scandinavia, Germany doesn't have an everyman's right - but that doesn't mean you'll have to stick to the roads. There are numerous cycle paths, hiking trails, and bridle paths crisscrossing the country, with specialised maps documenting them available for most regions.

Besides that, the medieval structure of German villages means that the farmers don't live on their agricultural land, but travel out to their fields - usually via dirt roads between them. Similarly, most forests are owned by the state, and require roads and paths for maintenance. These are all closed to non-agricultural or silvicultural² motor traffic, but open to recreational use by Sekundärnutzer - 'secondary users' - like walkers, cyclists, and equestrians. If it's not expressly forbidden (usually by a strategically-placed sign), you're free to use whichever of these secondary roads that you come across - in Germany, anything that's not expressly forbidden is allowed³. Many are even signposted, and it's quite possible to travel from the edge of one town to another without ever setting foot on a 'real' road.

Remember to stay on the right, indicate when you're turning, give advance warning to slower-moving traffic when you're passing, and so on. Keep bicycles off footpaths and horses off footpaths and cycle paths, stay off the Autobahn and Kraftfahrstraßen⁴, and obey the signs. If you must cross a short stretch that's closed to cyclists and equestrians, dismount - then you'll simply be a pedestrian who happens to have a horse or a bicycle along! Stay off the pavement anyway. And for your own safety, stay out of the woods during hunting season, especially at dusk and especially with animals.

Keep in mind that anytime you're not on private property, you'll need to obey the rules of the road. Bicycles must be equipped with reflectors - white in front, red in back, white or yellow to the sides - and lights. If your bicycle isn't a super-light racing one weighing less than 11kg, it needs to be a light operated by a dynamo rather than batteries. Horses require a yellow registration badge, to be obtained from the state, affixed to either side of the bridle, and if you're riding after dark, a minimum of a lamp with white light to the front and red to the rear affixed to the left stirrup or the rider's left boot. For anyone not enclosed in a hard shell, reflective safety clothing is to be recommended after dark.

Conveniently, many of the shopping districts and other pedestrian-only areas in cities are roughly the same as the old town, which you'll likely want to explore anyway as a tourist, and the city centres aren't terribly big, so they can easily be covered on foot. Just keep one thing in mind: Germans take their stoplights very seriously, and there being no traffic is not seen as sufficient reason to cross while the light is red. It's not uncommon to find people standing at a deserted intersection calmly waiting for the light to change at three in the morning. If you must ignore the local customs, be prepared for head-shaking and sarcastic comments, and at least don't do it when there are children watching. Or policemen⁵. You may be fined.

By Water

Germany is full of navigable rivers and plenty of canals to connect them, with many historic cities that grew up along the waterways. As in much of western Europe, barges are still an important way of shipping freight and bulk goods both internally and to and from neighbouring countries like Poland and the Netherlands, accounting for over 10% of freight service.

Passenger vessels are not uncommon, ranging from small cruise ships and other tourist boats to individually-owned pleasure craft. Generally speaking, anything that has more than a five horsepower engine requires a sport licence, which will allow you to operate any boat up to 15m long - and there are separate licenses for the sea and inland waterways. Sailboats are not generally regulated, though each state or municipality may have its own rules. Foreigners who stay for less than a year and have the requisite licence for their home country⁶ are usually exempt from this, so you can BYOB - bring your own boat!

If you don't have a licence, don't despair. There's also a special exception just for tourists: if you hire a boat from a licenced operator, for a predetermined, limited amount of time, you may operate it without a licence, provided some rules are observed. Most importantly, the boat's owner must have a licence himself, be knowledgeable about the surrounding waterways, and give the would-be skipper at least three hours of instruction. The boat must have general liability insurance, you must stay within a certain area, you can't drive it at night, you must wear a lifejacket, and there may be a ban on driving under adverse weather conditions like high winds. But if you're prepared to live with those restrictions, renting a boat and exploring Germany's waterways is sure to be a unique experience!

In case you just want to get across the river and a bridge simply isn't glamorous enough, or you want to explore one of the coastal islands or travel to a neighbouring country like Denmark, there are also numerous ferries in operation. These tend to be privately owned and operated, so it's best just to ask locally or look for them on your map.

By Rail

There is an extensive railway network in Germany, used by travellers and commuters, but also to ship freight. Though it's generally agreed that it's all gone downhill since the Deutsche Bahn was privatised, you can still get just about anywhere you might want to go by train. Trains run fairly frequently, though there may be delays - and even when they're running on time, getting somewhere by train often takes longer than the same distance by car, because you'll likely have to change trains.

You'll be able to buy train tickets from a machine (usually multilingual) at the station, but not on the train. Payment is either in cash or using a debit card. Dogs and children pay half fare, and bicycles also require a special ticket⁷. Be prepared for high prices if you buy your ticket the day you travel, and an extra surcharge if you buy it from a real, live person rather than a machine. To avoid this, use the Deutsche Bahn website to plan your trip well in advance, and make use of the special offers, from reduced single fares on specific routes to InterRail cards. If you have a credit card, you can even order your tickets online and have them sent to you, or if you're short of time, print them out yourself.

Long-distance and international trains:

The ICE (Intercity Express) is a high-speed train that connects major cities in and around Germany, stopping rarely and reaching speeds of up to 320 km/h⁸. It requires a different, more expensive ticket, and often a reservation. Similar high-speed trains you might encounter are the international EuroCity and the Thalys connecting to France and Belgium.

The IC (Intercity) is a fast train that stops in the bigger German cities, and has mostly replaced the old IR (Interregio) trains.

There are three different night trains, the EuroNight, DB NachtZug, and the
UrlaubsExpress, the latter only running to popular destinations during the summer and winter holidays. Most other trains do run late into the night, at least in the major cities, and start again early in the morning, with a gap between about 2.30 am and 5.30 am.

Regional trains:

The RE (RegionalExpress) is the fastest of the regional trains, connecting most towns but stopping only at their main stations, on an hourly or half-hourly schedule.

The RB (Regionalbahn) is a slower regional train that will generally stop at every train station. It is often used by commuters, and generally runs every hour or half-hour.

Finally, the S-Bahn (Stadtschnellbahn) is a commuter train with shorter routes, usually connecting nearby cities or one city and its suburbs, but stops at all train stations and numerous special S-Bahn stations. Generally, you'll take one of the other trains to the town's main station, then use an S-Bahn or a bus to get to your final destination. They run frequently, usually every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on the weekend.

Except the S-Bahn, which tends to be filled with rowdy youths and various shady elements at night, German trains are generally safe and not unpleasant, though often crowded. Avoiding the rush hour and Friday and Sunday evenings makes it more likely that you'll get a seat. Fortunately, there are usually special trains to move the crowds of drunk football fans to big games, but they'll still make a nuisance of themselves on the platform. And don't panic if you see a lot of people in uniform on the train or at the station, especially at the weekend - they're just Bundeswehrheimfahrer, soldiers going home on leave.

Public Transportation

The more local forms of public transportation are grouped under the title ÖPNV, which stands for 'öffentlicher Personennahverkehr'. Oddly enough, this acronym is actually in use! The ÖPNV encompasses things like buses, trams, undergrounds, railcars, and sometimes more exotic modes of transportation like monorail trains, cablecars, and ferries. This is generally quite good, and will let you go almost anywhere, provided you have the patience to work out how to use it.

Public transportation in Germany is managed by small private companies, though they're usually grouped in regional Verkehrsverbünde. There is a truly bewildering array of different tickets and systems, with the price depending on travel time, or on zones, or on cells passed through - and it gets even more confusing when you're travelling between different networks. Some lines require a ticket to be presented to the driver when you get on, others just send ticket inspectors⁹ through more often. It often takes years of practice to 'get' the system in any one city or region.

To find the nearest station, look for a yellow circle with a green H in it, which indicates a bus stop, a blue square with a white U for the underground, a green circle with a white S for the S-Bahn. The logo for the Deutsche Bahn is a white rectangle with a red edge and a red DB. You don't need to flag a bus or tram down; waiting at the stop is enough. Queues are not common. You will, however, need to signal the bus, the tram, and some railway lines to stop by pressing a button when your stop is announced - just watch your fellow passengers.

When you're buying tickets, take a deep breath and try to stay calm. There will usually be a map or a diagram beside the ticket machine to help you work out where you are and where you need to go - or even a planner on the machine to calculate the route for you. Some networks also let you buy a ticket on the internet and print it, or buy it using your mobile phone. Once you've worked out how and when you're going, don't forget to look up the way back. Many buses stop running after 8.00 pm, and hardly anything will be available after midnight - except the night buses, which generally only run on and the night before weekends and holidays.

There's usually an obvious choice, a single-fare ticket. It often, but not always, turns out to be the most expensive. Besides singles, you'll also find day tickets, group tickets, tickets for use outside the rush hour, four-trip tickets, student tickets, senior tickets, monthly or weekly tickets, combined tourist tickets... The rules for these change from area to area, and not all of them are available everywhere. You'll generally have to buy your ticket at the train or underground station, though you can buy them from bus drivers and there's usually a machine on trams (though these often require exact change) - and those tickets may or may not be good for changing to other lines. Some require tickets purchased at machines to be stamped, some will punish you for doing this. When in doubt, ask.

If you're relying on public transportation, you have four options: accept the fact that you won't be getting the best deal or the fastest connection, ask a local (who may even have a ticket that allows them to take extra people), research routes or use the fare calculators on the network's website, or find one of the rare ticket counters (usually inside the central train station) where a real, live human being can help you buy the best ticket and work out which station you need to go to. Helpfully, they often only speak German. Good luck!

By Road

Germany is the cradle of the automobile and the home of the Autobahn, and has a well-developed road network - the second-biggest in the world, after the USA. Except for a few areas that have consciously banned motor traffic - like most German islands in the North and Baltic seas - you'll be able to get within walking distance of just about anything in Germany in a car. If you're just visiting Germany, you'll be fine with your own driving licence. If you do decide to move to Germany, you'll only need to get a German licence if you got yours outside the EU.

As with any foreign country, familiarise yourself with the local traffic laws before you go. While all trucks over twelve tonnes¹⁰ pay a toll for Autobahn use, you're not likely to encounter toll roads, bridges, or tunnels in Germany. The downside of this is that fuel prices are relatively high, as a petrol tax helps pay for road maintenance. As a general rule,if there are no signs saying otherwise, the basic speed limit is 50km/h¹¹ in cities, towns, and other built-up areas, and 100 km/h¹² otherwise. There is no general speed limit on the Autobahn, but the Richtgeschwindigkeit, the recommended maximum speed, is 130 km/h¹³ and there are frequently signs stating speed limits for long stretches. Radar traps are frequent, and you may also be fined rather heavily for not wearing a seatbelt, driving drunk¹⁴ or even insulting other drivers through words or gestures. The old green-and-white police cars are slowly being replaced by blue-and-silver ones, so be on the lookout for both.

Remember that you'll be driving on the right - that means cars coming from the right have the right of way unless otherwise indicated, roundabouts go anticlockwise, you overtake on the left, and it's the left turn that's dangerous. Very few rental cars will have automatic transmissions. While the pedals remain the same in a left-hand drive vehicle, you'll have to shift with your right. Stoplights are on the same side of the intersection, right at the stop line, a common trap for American drivers, and you can only turn right on a red light if there's a green arrow pointing right fixed to the side of the light, which is treated like a stop sign. And the speedometer and road signs are in kilometres per hour, not miles per hour!

Similar rules apply, of course, for motorcycles. You're likely to encounter quite a few of them going very fast, especially on twisty mountain roads - don't let yourself be tempted to join in! You'll also be sharing the road with mopeds, bicycles, and in more rural areas, tractors and even horse-drawn vehicles.

Letting Someone Else Drive You

Taxis are relatively common in Germany - they're nearly always pale cream yellow with a black and yellow TAXI sign on top. Most are sedans, usually Mercedes¹⁵ or Audi, but larger vehicles are available for bigger groups or more luggage. German taxis are always metered, and the fares are regulated, though they vary from city to city. Negotiate in advance for longer trips! Each city has a taxi hotline, and you can generally find some waiting outside shopping areas and transportation hubs.

Intercity buses are relatively rare in Germany, as the rail service is excellent and new bus lines can only be established if they don't compete with railway travel or existing buses. The existing lines, however, can be a cheap way to travel long distances within Germany or to adjoining countries. For large groups, you can, of course, charter a bus and driver. Because of the many lines established while Germany was split, the easiest place to reach by bus in Germany is Berlin.

The Mitfahrgelegenheit is Germany's answer to rising fuel prices, pollution, and road congestion. It's a form of organised hitchhiking, a one-time carpool over long distances - drivers will take extra passengers along for about 5-7€/100 km. Generally, you'll be picked up and dropped off either at a town's main train station (at the very least, somewhere you can reach easily via public transportation) or another prearranged point. While some rides are offered via newspaper ads or bulletin boards in libraries and universities, and some cities have experimented with designated stops, most are arranged through internet portals like Mitfahrgelegenheit.de, Mitfahrzentrale.de and Hitchhikers.de. There are search functions to find rides between various cities in Germany and even abroad on a specific day and time or in a range. You'll generally be able to access the drivers' profiles and contact them via phone or e-mail for free, though some sites charge a fee for the telephone numbers. Contact the driver to negotiate prices, times, pick-up and drop-off, and amount of luggage. A basic grasp of German geography, a flexible schedule, and a mobile phone with a German SIM card are very helpful for this mode of travel. You might also have some success as a hitchhiker, but it's not very common. Rather than waiting by the side of the road with your thumb out, try talking to drivers at rest stops or petrol stations on or near the Autobahn.

By Plane¹⁶

Germany's not so big that you need to take internal flights to get from one end to the other, though flying longer distances like Munich-Berlin saves harried businesspeople a few hours. For the casual traveller, it's much nicer to go by train and see the sights along the way. Also, you get to avoid the airports, which are pretty much like airports everywhere, neon-lit, over-priced, and headache-inducing.

The main international airport in Germany is Frankfurt Airport¹⁷, one of the three largest in Europe. There are other major international airports in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne (shared with Bonn), Hanover, and Munich, and numerous smaller ones throughout the country. Most of the budget airlines avoid the main airports and instead have their own, more basic ones - the price for cheaper airfare is that these are often a real hassle to reach and nowhere near the cities for which they are named.

To the average tourist, the airport marks only the very beginning and end of the holiday. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to get away from it and really see the country before you're rushed through those faceless corridors again - so get out there and have a look around!