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| What is it like to live in Germany as a Student? |
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The Love Parade in Berlin
The Alps in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
The seaside in Northern Germany
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Germany has the largest population in Europe and is
famous for, among other things, a huge selection of beers
and bread (over 300 different kinds!).
The biggest cities, such as the capital Berlin in eastern
Germany, Munich in the south, Cologne in the west and Hamburg
in the north of the country, offer very diverse attractions,
from seaside to the Alps.
Germany attracts young people from all corners of the Earth,
so you will be in good company! If you are searching for a
spectacular nightlife you will find parties in one of many
nightclubs in the cities or enjoy yourself at huge events
such as the Munich Beer Festival, the Love Parade in Berlin
or the Carnival in Cologne.
You could always go out one night on the Reeperbahn at Hamburg's
harbour, where party, music and live entertainment opportunities
are endless. Your nightlife needs will surely be fulfilled!
If the hustle and bustle of city life doesn't appeal to you,
the changing countryside will be the perfect opportunity for
many trips in nature, as you might go climbing or skiing in
the Bavarian Alps or enjoy the beach on the northern coast. |
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Accomodation:
When you first arrive in Germany, you may well find yourself staying
in a youth hostel (German: Jugendherberge) while you get settled.
The Youth Hostel Association - http://www.jugendherberge.de/
- is a good place to start looking for somewhere to stay. The prices
per night depend on the cities but you can expect to pay from 15€
to 20€ per night, so approximately £10 to £15.
You can approach accommodation in Germany by renting a flat or
house from a private landlord or a letting agency. The most common
way is to rent a single room within a shared house or flat. If your
room has its own cooker and bathroom it will be advertised as "Einraumwohnung".
There are lots of adverts for rooms to let, "Zimmer zu vermieten"
in local newspapers and on websites such as www.studenten-wg.de,
www.studenten-wohnung.de,
www.deutschland-wg.de
or www.wg-gesucht.de.
For websites in English have a look at www.casaswap.com
or www.homecompany.de (also
in French or Spanish). You can also chance your luck by looking
for ads in the libraries and the canteens of the Universities.
You should ask the landlords or your future roommates whether the
extra costs, such as gas, water, electricity etc. are included in
the advertised price. One thing you will usually have to pay, however,
is a deposit for your room - usually between one and two month's
rent. Be sure to ask about this before signing anything!
The prices for accommodation vary greatly from city to city. Whereas
you can live really cheaply in cities such as Magdeburg, where you
pay from 110€/£75 per month for a single room, you would
have to pay about 300€/£200 in Munich, for a room in
the same size! |
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Travel and transport:
As Germany is quite a large mass of land, it will take you some
time to travel from one place to another. The most popular way is
to go by train because they take you anywhere in the country, but
at the same time they are expensive. Unfortunately there are not
many alternatives to the Train, as travelling by coach or busses
it not very common. |
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Trains:
The German Train, the "Deutsche Bahn" is the only train
existing in Germany. Because of the missing competition the prices
in Germany are quite high compared to other countries. But you can
still get decent fares, if you know where to look. To get the best
price on your tickets, you should book longer journeys in advance
- you can do this through the website www.bahn.de.
If you are planning to do your travelling with some friends you
can use the weekend ticket, the "Wochenendticket", for
30€/£20 which is valid for one day for 5 persons and
any ride in Germany. You can also consider going with a "Länderticket",
which offers low prices for small groups for travelling in one state.
If you are student you can get the "Bahn"-Card for a reduced
price. With this card you can get either 25% or 50% on every ticket,
but it is only worth it if you are planning to travel a lot.
Otherwise you should always check the website of the Bahn or ask
in the train stations for actual quotations. |
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Going out:
A typical night out for young people in Germany may start in the
evenings with some drinks at a friends place and continue with a
visit to a pub or bar and then on to a nightclub to dance the night
away. Compared with for example England, going out in Germany is
quite cheap, as you may find a lot of places where you don't have
to pay entrance or where a free drink is included in the entrance
fee. If you go out in Germany, you should not miss to taste the
famous German beer from one of the 1,268 breweries!
You may well find a great offer of theatres, cinemas or musicals
in each city, if you are not to keen on the wild nightlife.
If you want to try the typical "German cuisine", you
will not have to expect only sauerkraut or massive sausages. There
is now lots of lighter, modern 'German' food, and of course Germany
is well stocked with Turkish, Italian, Thai, Greek, Yugoslavian
and Indian restaurants but you will still find Schweinebraten (roast
pork), Schnitzel (usually veal), Knödel (dumplings) or Reibekuchen
(potato pancakes) in traditional German restaurants. |
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The regions:
Germany is made up of 16 states (Bundesländer): |
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- Baden-Württemberg , capital Stuttgart
- Free State of Bavaria (Freistaat Bayern), capital Munich
- Berlin
- Brandenburg , capital Potsdamm
- Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Freie Hansestadt Bremen)
- Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg)
- Hesse (Hessen) , capital Wiesbaden
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) , capital
Schwerin
- Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) , capital Hannover
- North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) , capital Duesseldorf
- Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) , capital Mainz
- Saarland , capital Saarbruecken
- Free State of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen), capital Dresden
- Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), capital Magdeburg
- Schleswig-Holstein, capital Kiel
- Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen), capital Erfurt
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What does it cost?
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Bahn-Card for 50%-train-discounts |
103€ / £70 for one year (if you are student) |
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Loaf of bread |
0,90€ / 60p |
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Bottle of beer in a bar |
1,50€-2,50€ / £1-£2 (depends on the city) |
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Cheap meal in a restaurant |
5€-10€ / £3,50-£7 |
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Ticket for a concert |
10€-40€ / £7-£30 (for festivals up to 90€ / £60,
including camping for 3 days) |
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