Getting Around Germany

The short version

Trains. Germany's intercity network reaches almost everywhere this guide sends you, the cities are built around trams and an underground rather than around parking, and the country is compact enough that the train is usually faster door to door than the drive. Most of our German itineraries do not hire a car at all.

Between cities

The fast intercity services connect the big centers and the slower regional services fill in everything between them. Two habits make the difference. Book the long legs in advance rather than at the station, because the cheap fares are the early ones. And treat a tight connection as a risk rather than a plan: German trains are frequent, so the next one is rarely far away, but a twelve minute change with luggage in a large station is optimistic.

Main stations are large. Allow real time to get from the street to the platform, and more if you are changing between a long distance train and a local one.

Within cities

A German city is usually four networks sharing one ticket: an underground, a suburban rail service, trams and buses. The single most useful thing to learn on arrival is which zone your accommodation is in, because that decides which ticket you buy for the week.

There are no ticket barriers on most systems. That is not an invitation; it is a system that relies on inspection, and inspectors work in plain clothes. Buy the ticket.

⚠ Validating a ticket, and asking at the counter

On some German systems a paper ticket has to be stamped in a small machine on the platform or on board before you travel, and buying it is not the same as validating it. On others, and on most app tickets, it is already valid when you buy it. The rule genuinely differs by city and by ticket type, which is exactly why it catches visitors.

So the instruction is not "always validate" but something more useful: ask at the point of purchase whether this ticket needs stamping, and if you cannot ask, stamp it. A stamped ticket that did not need stamping costs nothing. The other way round costs a fine and an argument in a language you may not have.

Airports and arrival

The big airports are on the rail network, so the transfer into town is usually a train rather than a taxi, and it is usually faster. Buy the ticket at the machine in the arrivals hall before you go down to the platform.

Driving, and what a US license does

You can drive in Germany on a US license, and the rules of the road are strictly enforced. Two things are worth knowing before you take the keys.

The first is that a driving license is not a substitute for a passport as identification here; that is a separate question and it is covered on our travel safety guide. The second is seasonal: in winter the high routes need winter tires and often chains, and some of them are closed outright. Check the road reports before you set out rather than on the way.

If your route crosses into or out of Poland, note that there are temporary border checks on the Germany and Poland border and vehicles may be stopped and documentation checked. Build the time in.

Where a car is actually worth it

The Mosel and the smaller Rhine villages, the Black Forest, the Bavarian lakes and the alpine roads. Those are the places where the train gets you close and the last twenty minutes is the point of the day. Everywhere else, the car is a parking problem you carry around with you.

Verify Before You Travel

• The operator or city transport authority for the ticket type you are buying, for whether it needs validating and which zones it covers.
• The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Germany safety page, for the driving and winter road advice.
• The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Germany entry requirements page, for the Polish border checks.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Germany travel advice: no advisory against travel to any part of the country. Accessed 16 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Germany entry requirements: Schengen area rules, the two passport tests, the temporary checks on the Polish border, the food restrictions and the 10,000 euro cash declaration. Accessed 16 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Germany safety and security: the terrorism assessment, the counterfeit currency warning, the personal identification rule and the winter sports advice. Accessed 16 September 2026.