, 4 = 
, 7 = 
.Police, Fire, and Ambulance: 112 (Europe-wide in English)
US Embassy in Berlin: Open by appointment only Mon-Fri 8:00-12:00, closed Sat-Sun and last Thu of month; Clayallee 170, tel. 030/83050, http://de.usembassy.gov
Canadian Embassy in Berlin: Consular services open Mon-Fri 9:00-12:00, closed Sat-Sun; Leipziger Platz 17, tel. 030/203-120, www.germany.gc.ca
This list includes selected festivals in Berlin and Wittenberg, plus national holidays observed throughout Germany. Many sights and banks close on national holidays—keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Verify dates by checking the festival’s website, Berlin’s national tourist office (www.visitberlin.de), or my “Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Germany” web page (www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/festivals).
| Jan 1 | New Year’s Day |
| Jan 6 | Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige) |
| Feb | Berlinale (international film festival, www.berlinale.de) |
| Feb 8-14 | Fasching (carnival season; parties, parades leading up to Ash Wednesday) |
| March 30-April 1 | Easter weekend (Good Friday-Easter Monday) |
| May 1 | May Day (maypole dances) |
| May 10 | Ascension |
| May 17-21 | Carnival of Cultures (four-day street festival of international music and dance culminating in a parade through Kreuzberg’s Blücherplatz on Pentecost Sunday, www.karneval-berlin.de) |
| May 20-21 | Pentecost (Pfingsten) and Pentecost Monday (Pfingstmontag) |
| Mid-June (second weekend) | Luther’s Wedding festival, Wittenberg |
| July | Open Air Festival, Berlin (six days of music on Gendarmenmarkt, www.classicopenair.de) |
| Early Aug (first weekend) | International Beer Festival (www.bierfestival-berlin.de), Berlin |
| Aug 15 | Assumption (Mariä Himmelfahrt) |
| Sept | International Literature Festival (www.literaturfestival.com), Berlin |
| Late Sept-mid Oct | Berliner Oktoberfest (www.schaustellerverband-berlin.de) |
| Oct 3 | German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit); party along Unter den Linden in Berlin |
| Mid-Oct | Festival of Lights, Berlin (landmark buildings artistically lit, www.festival-of-lights.de) |
| Oct 31 | Reformation Day celebration, Wittenberg |
| Nov | Jazzfest Berlin (www.berlinerfestspiele.de) |
| Nov-Dec | Christmas Garden Berlin (light show in Botanical Gardens, http://christmas-garden.de) |
| Dec 6 | St. Nikolaus Day |
| Dec 24 | Christmas Eve (Heiliger Abend), when Germans celebrate Christmas |
| Dec 25 | Christmas |
| Dec 31 | New Year’s Eve (Silvester, fireworks) |
To learn more about Berlin past and present, check out a few of these books and films.
Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent (William Shirer, 1941). Stationed in Berlin from 1934 until 1940, CBS radio broadcaster Shirer delivers a vivid and harrowing day-by-day account of the rise of Nazi Germany.
Berlin Now—The City After the Wall (Peter Schneider, 2014). A long-time resident and journalist explores aspects of Berlin since 1989, including the Stasi legacy, the debate about how to preserve sections of the Wall, the city’s frenetic club scene, thorny urban planning issues, and the ongoing BER airport debacle.
Berlin—Portrait of a City Through the Centuries (Rory MacLean, 2014). MacLean’s colorful look at this pivotal and resilient city focuses on the people (from Frederick the Great to JFK to David Bowie) who were instrumental to its narrative—and its unique soul.
Culture Shock! Germany (Richard Lord, 2008). Lord provides cultural insights on German customs and etiquette.
Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Roland Bainton, 1950). Bainton delivers an authoritative biography of the man who initiated the Reformation.
In the Garden of Beasts (Erik Larson, 2011). Larson captures Berlin during the rise of the Nazis, as seen through the eyes of a reserved US ambassador to Germany and his socialite daughter.
Martin Luther: A Life (Martin E. Marty, 2004). Marty offers a short, vivid biography of the irascible German reformer who transformed Western Christianity.
Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall (Anna Funder, 2002). Funder delivers a powerful account about the secrets of the Stasi, the East German Ministry for State Security, and how it affected the citizens of East Germany.
When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do (Hyde Flippo, 2002). Want to fit in? This lighthearted and helpful guide details the do’s and don’ts of being German.
1632 (Eric Flint, 2000). This sci-fi/time travel book sends West Virginians back to 17th-century Germany.
Berlin Noir (Philip Kerr, 1993). An ex-policeman-turned-detective struggles with secrets and crime in 1930s and ’40s Berlin.
The Berlin Stories: The Last of Mr. Norris and Goodbye to Berlin (Christopher Isherwood, 1945). Composed of two novellas published in the 1930s, these stories capture the freewheeling early ’30s Berlin and inspired the Broadway musical/motion picture Cabaret.
Winter (Len Deighton, 1987). Deighton’s engrossing historical novel traces the lives of a German family from 1899 to 1945. The book also serves as a prequel to Deighton’s masterful nine-part Cold War spy series, which kicks off with Berlin Game (1983).
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008). The still-fragile German democracy is rocked in 1967 by acts of terrorism committed by radicalized Germans.
Cabaret (1972). With Hitler on the rise and anti-Semitism growing, the only refuge in Berlin during the 1930s is in the cabaret. (This musical won multiple Academy Awards.)
The Counterfeiters (2007). This Oscar-winning film tells the story of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp inmates forced to run a counterfeiting ring to undermine the British pound.
Downfall (2004). Bruno Ganz delivers a frightening performance as Hitler in this story of Der Führer’s final days in his Berlin bunker.
Good Bye, Lenin! (2003). In this funny, poignant film, a son struggles to re-create a pre-unification Berlin for his ailing communist mother.
Hannah Arendt (2012). This biographical drama examines the life of the German-Jewish philosopher who reported on Adolf Eichmann’s 1961 Nazi war crimes trial for the New Yorker.
The Lives of Others (2006). In this gripping, Oscar-winning drama, a member of East Germany’s secret police becomes too close to those whose lives he surveils.
Valkyrie (2008). This historical thriller chronicling the July 20, 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler includes scenes shot on location in Berlin’s Bendlerblock, the nerve center of the failed coup and now a memorial to the resistance effort.
Wings of Desire (1987). Set in the former West Berlin, Wim Wenders’ romantic fantasy tells the story of an angel who falls in love with a human. The story concludes in Wenders’ 1993 sequel, Faraway, So Close.
• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do. 1 = , 4 = , 7 = .
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2019 is 25/12/19.
• Commas are decimal points and decimals are commas. A dollar and a half is 1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.
• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
A kilogram equals 1,000 grams (about 2.2 pounds). One hundred grams (a common unit at markets) is about a quarter-pound. One liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon.
A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. To convert kilometers to miles, cut the kilometers in half and add back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles). One meter is 39 inches—just over a yard.
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter | 1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter | 1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers | 1 ounce = 28 grams |
| 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch | 1 quart = 0.95 liter |
| 1 meter = 39.4 inches | 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds |
| 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile | 32°F = 0°C |
When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-European comparisons as general guidelines (but note that no conversion is perfect).
Women: For pants and dresses, add 30 in Germany (US 10 = German 40). For blouses and sweaters, add 8 for most of Europe (US 32 = European 40). For shoes, add 30-31 (US 7 = European 37/38).
Men: For shirts, multiply by 2 and add about 8 (US 15 = European 38). For jackets and suits, add 10. For shoes, add 32-34.
Children: Clothing is sized by height—in centimeters (2.5 inches = 1 cm), so a US size 8 roughly equates to 132-140. For shoes up to size 13, add 16-18, and for sizes 1 and up, add 30-32.
First line, average daily high; second line, average daily low; third line, average days without rain. For more detailed weather statistics for destinations in this book (as well as the rest of the world), check www.wunderground.com.
Europe takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right. At a launderette, 30°C is cold, 40°C is warm (usually the default setting), 60°C is hot, and 95°C is boiling. Your air-conditioner should be set at about 20°C.
Whether you’re traveling for five days or five weeks, you won’t need more than this. Pack light to enjoy the sweet freedom of true mobility.
5 shirts: long- & short-sleeve
2 pairs pants (or skirts/capris)
1 pair shorts
5 pairs underwear & socks
1 pair walking shoes
Sweater or warm layer
Rainproof jacket with hood
Tie, scarf, belt, and/or hat
Swimsuit
Sleepwear/loungewear
Debit card(s)
Credit card(s)
Hard cash ($100-200 in US dollars)
Money belt
Passport
Tickets & confirmations: flights, hotels, trains, rail pass, car rental, sight entries
Driver’s license
Student ID, hostel card, etc.
Photocopies of important documents
Insurance details
Guidebooks & maps
Notepad & pen
Journal
Basics: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, sunscreen, brush/comb, etc.
Medicines & vitamins
First-aid kit
Glasses/contacts/sunglasses
Sewing kit
Packet of tissues (for WC)
Earplugs
Mobile phone
Camera & related gear
Tablet/ebook reader/media player
Laptop & flash drive
Headphones
Chargers & batteries
Smartphone car charger & mount (or GPS device)
Plug adapters
Daypack
Sealable plastic baggies
Laundry supplies: soap, laundry bag, clothesline, spot remover
Small umbrella
Travel alarm/watch
Second pair of shoes (flip-flops, sandals, tennis shoes, boots)
Travel hairdryer
Picnic supplies
Water bottle
Fold-up tote bag
Small flashlight
Mini binoculars
Small towel or washcloth
Inflatable pillow/neck rest
Tiny lock
Address list (to mail postcards)
In the phonetics, ī sounds like the long i in “light,” and bolded syllables are stressed.
| English | German | Pronunciation |
| Good day. | Guten Tag. | goo-tehn tahg |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? | shprehkh-ehn zee ehgn-lish |
| Yes. / No. | Ja. / Nein. | yah / nīn |
| I (don’t) understand. | Ich verstehe (nicht). | ikh fehr-shtay-heh (nikht) |
| Please. | Bitte. | bit-teh |
| Thank you. | Danke. | dahng-keh |
| I’m sorry. | Es tut mir leid. | ehs toot meer līt |
| Excuse me. | Entschuldigung. | ehnt-shool-dig-oong |
| (No) problem. | (Kein) Problem. | (kīn) proh-blaym |
| (Very) good. | (Sehr) gut. | (zehr) goot |
| Goodbye. | Auf Wiedersehen. | owf vee-der-zayn |
| one / two | eins / zwei | īns / tsvī |
| three / four | drei / vier | drī / feer |
| five / six | fünf / sechs | fewnf / zehkhs |
| seven / eight | sieben / acht | zee-behn / ahkht |
| nine / ten | neun / zehn | noyn / tsayn |
| How much is it? | Wieviel kostet das? | vee-feel kohs-teht dahs |
| Write it? | Schreiben? | shrī-behn |
| Is it free? | Ist es umsonst? | ist ehs oom-zohnst |
| Included? | Inklusive? | in-kloo-zee-veh |
| Where can I buy / find...? | Wo kann ich kaufen / finden...? | voh kahn ikh kow-fehn / fin-dehn |
| I’d like / We’d like... | Ich hätte gern / Wir hätten gern... | ikh heh-teh gehrn / veer heh-tehn gehrn |
| ...a room. | ...ein Zimmer. | īn tsim-mer |
| ...a ticket to ____. | ...eine Fahrkarte nach ____. | ī-neh far-kar-teh nahkh |
| Is it possible? | Ist es möglich? | ist ehs mur-glikh |
| Where is...? | Wo ist…? | voh ist |
| ...the train station | ...der Bahnhof | dehr bahn-hohf |
| ...the bus station | ...der Busbahnhof | dehr boos-bahn-hohf |
| ...the tourist information office | ...das Touristen- informations- büro | dahs too-ris-tehn- in-for-maht-see-ohns- bew-roh |
| ...the toilet | ...die Toilette | dee toh-leh-teh |
| men | Herren | hehr-rehn |
| women | Damen | dah-mehn |
| left / right | links / rechts | links / rehkhts |
| straight | geradeaus | geh-rah-deh-ows |
| What time does this open / close? | Um wieviel Uhr wird hier geöffnet / geschlossen? | oom vee-feel oor veerd heer geh-urf-neht / geh-shloh-sehn |
| At what time? | Um wieviel Uhr? | oom vee-feel oor |
| Just a moment. | Moment. | moh-mehnt |
| now / soon / later | jetzt / bald / später | yehtst / bahld / shpay-ter |
| today / tomorrow | heute / morgen | hoy-teh / mor-gehn |
| English | German | Pronunciation |
| I’d like / We’d like... | Ich hätte gern / Wir hätten gern... | ikh heh-teh gehrn / veer heh-tehn gehrn |
| ...a reservation for... | ...eine Reservierung für... | ī-neh reh-zer-feer-oong fewr |
| ...a table for one / two. | ...einen Tisch für eine Person / zwei Personen. | ī-nehn tish fewr ī-neh pehr-zohn / tsvī pehr-zoh-nehn |
| Non-smoking. | Nichtraucher. | nikht-rowkh-er |
| Is this seat free? | Ist hier frei? | ist heer frī |
| Menu (in English), please. | Speisekarte (auf Englisch), bitte. | shpī-zeh-kar-teh (owf ehng-lish) bit-teh |
| service (not) included | Trinkgeld (nicht) inklusive | trink-gehlt (nikht) in-kloo-zee-veh |
| cover charge | Eintritt | īn-trit |
| to go | zum Mitnehmen | tsoom mit-nay-mehn |
| with / without | mit / ohne | mit / oh-neh |
| and / or | und / oder | oont / oh-der |
| menu (of the day) | (Tages-) Karte | (tah-gehs-) kar-teh |
| set meal for tourists | Touristenmenü | too-ris-tehn-meh-new |
| specialty of the house | Spezialität des Hauses | shpayt-see-ah-lee-tayt dehs how-zehs |
| appetizers | Vorspeise | for-shpī-zeh |
| bread / cheese | Brot / Käse | broht / kay-zeh |
| sandwich | Sandwich | zahnd-vich |
| soup | Suppe | zup-peh |
| salad | Salat | zah-laht |
| meat | Fleisch | flīsh |
| poultry | Geflügel | geh-flew-gehl |
| fish | Fisch | fish |
| seafood | Meeresfrüchte | meh-rehs-frewkh-teh |
| fruit | Obst | ohpst |
| vegetables | Gemüse | geh-mew-zeh |
| dessert | Nachspeise | nahkh-shpī-zeh |
| mineral water | Mineralwasser | min-eh-rahl-vah-ser |
| tap water | Leitungswasser | lī-toongs-vah-ser |
| milk | Milch | milkh |
| (orange) juice | (Orangen-) Saft | (oh-rahn-zhehn-) zahft |
| coffee / tea | Kaffee / Tee | kah-fay / tay |
| wine | Wein | vīn |
| red / white | rot / weiß | roht / vīs |
| glass / bottle | Glas / Flasche | glahs / flah-sheh |
| beer | Bier | beer |
| Cheers! | Prost! | prohst |
| More. / Another. | Mehr. / Noch eins. | mehr / nohkh īns |
| The same. | Das gleiche. | dahs glīkh-eh |
| Bill, please. | Rechnung, bitte. | rehkh-noong bit-teh |
| tip | Trinkgeld | trink-gehlt |
| Delicious! | Lecker! | lehk-er |
For more user-friendly German phrases, check out Rick Steves’ German Phrase Book and Dictionary or Rick Steves’ French, Italian & German Phrase Book.