Driving in Germany

[feeblecat]

Hiya, never driven in Germany before. We know about the speed limits and the emissions etc but can you tell me if road signs are fairly easy to understand for non- german speakers like ourselves or anything specific we need to know? Thanks in advance.

[flossie]

We know about the speed limits .

I thought they had speed targets in Germany?

[Muzorewa]

Mostly OK but you'll see this sort of thing in the Rhine area, not sure what they mean but I thought they were supposed to have abandoned these ideas long ago

[Moose]

Be really careful coming to towns and villages. There are no speed limit signs as such, the 50 kmh limit starts when you see a yellow diamond shape sign and ends with another when you leave that town or villages borders. I think the signs refer to the standard limits for built up and non-built up areas. 50 kmh in town, 70 or 90 kmh out of town and 120 kmh on the motorways. If you see a round sign with 120 crossed with 4 or 5 thin black lines it's an unresticted Autobahn.

I got flashed by speed cameras twice last year till I got the hang of it. The cameras in the towns and villages are quite often hidden very close to these diamond shape signs.

[nigelgibson]

I got it Muz ...if no one else did !

maybe it's since the wall came down ....

[feeblecat]

Thanks folks, I also forgot to ask, does anyone know if there are rules in Germany re bike racks?

[bongodonkey]

Typically the rules that apply in Germany wrt bike racks are the same as over here or in France.

Fully secured and that your lights, number plate AND GB sticker are all clearly visible....not forgetting that the rack you are using is sufficient for the number of bikes you are carrying.

Having lived in Germany for a total of 10 years on and off, the jerrys are really nice folk, though great sticklers for ze rules. Normal rules of first aid kits, triangles etc etc etc are also needed.

Further to speed limits in some areas it drops to 30kph and as already mentioned they are buggers with the cameras! Under no circumstances should you drive ANY slower than 80kph on the autobahns in moving traffic.

Be expected to be pulled over, mainly out of curiosity more than anything else. Just have all your documents and I mean all of them, especially green card for european travel etc. Outdoor lifestyles are huge in Europe and Germany is no exception. They love camping and all things associated with the lifestyle.

Going to the loo on the road - quite simply don't chance having a sly pee, find a loo - the reason is that they (especially northern and central Germany) extract mains water from the water table which is relatively near the surface across the country. So having a tinkle will be viewed as polluting the water supply and will result in big fine.

Road signs themselves are straight forward, though junction numbers aren't as clearly signed as ours - though I haven't lived in Germany for almost 10 years now. There are no roundabouts either! So if you take the wrong junction off it's not a simple case of correcting and getting back on the motorway. The roads will filter straight into another - don't get flustered just stay on the road and pull over when safe to do so and take your bearings from your road atlas.

Finally enjoy the beer and bratwurst. Highly recommended is " Pommes mit mayo und bratwurst bitte", beats the poop out of our sausage and chips.
Enjoy your trip - the country is beautiful and the natives friendly enough!
Any more q's just pm me and we can have a chat if you like!

[feeblecat]

Great advice, thanks very much. Only 3 more days!

[brookie]

well? How did you get on? We were in Germany when you put your post up, we had 16 days this year there, 20 next year (Bavaria). Absolutely love it, especially toll-free driving. I used to travel to/through Germany in my pevious life as a long-distance lorry driver and still enjoy it. Where did you go?

Regards,

Mark.

[M 80NGO]

Most importantly, they drive on the right

[feeblecat]

we had a marvellous time. Went to Bavaria, onto Austria, the Czech Republic and across to the Mosel. Winged it all the way, had no problems with the driving and loved the food, especially in Austria. So glad we tried somewhere new.

[feeblecat]

we had a marvellous time. Went to Bavaria, onto Austria, the Czech Republic and across to the Mosel. Winged it all the way, had no problems with the driving and loved the food, especially in Austria. So glad we tried somewhere new.

[brookie]

Excellent feeblecat!,

We started in Bernkastel-Kues (Mosel), down to Lindau (Bavaria), then Freiburg (Black Forest). Love it. And the Bongomobile behaved as ever. Munich next year.

Regards,

Mark.