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Visiting Germany in September, two days in Berlin and one in Frankfurt - plan to hire a car and drive to Frankfurt, stay overnight and back to Berlin (got carried away on Ebay with bidding for the Frankfurt bit-didn't realise it is 350 miles from Berlin). Anyone got any driving tips - do's and don'ts etc?
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Long way to drive for an overnighter! If you don't want to drive, try www.hlx.com for a low cost flight to Cologne from Berlin (about 50 Euros, then use the train for Frankfurt!) Would work out as cheap, or cheaper than car hire + petrol
If your intent on driving, then Germany is one of the better places in continental Europe for driving. Just don't hog the outside lane or you'll have a Merc or BMW inches fom your bumper urging you out of the way (so no different from here then!)
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Thanks- hadn't thought about internal flights but have looked at train fares which, at about 135 euros each, return, are more expensive than car hire (£101) and I can use the car to get into and around Berlin and back to Schoenfeld airport). Quite fancy driving in Germany too-despite the distance. Just wondered if there are any pitfalls in the land of the Autobahn!
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In general, traffic in an overtaking lane will move over for traffic coming up faster behind it, and traffic in an overtaking lane will slow down to let traffic in a slow(*) lane overtake something, and it will do so without the flashing of lights and abusive gestures it would be met with over here.
these two simple things mean that on the whole everything seems to move faster then here.
Make sure you know the road and junction numbers, and remember the autobahns have national numbers (A5) and european numbers (E46)
Autobahn exits/entrances can be very short and very windy - be prepared to brake / hammer it. Also vehicles joining the autobahn do not expect you to create a gap for them to drop in to - if you do slow down to let them in, you'll find they slow down waiting for you to pass !
have a safe trip
Mike
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(*) - yes,yes, I know there are no slow and fast lanes, but you know what I mean
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If you want a super-cheap trip, you could try taking a passenger through a Mitfahrzentrale:
mitfahrzentrale.tiscali.de/title.php
www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de/
www.mfz.de/
www.drive2day.de/ (in English)
plus loads more if you type "mitfahrzentrale" into Google. You get as many passengers as you like, who agree to pay a contribution to the cost of the journey. It works very well - I once drove from Berlin to the Swiss border for about £3, because I took 3 people with me for most of the way.
The agencies I used were face to face, so sight of your passport from both sides gave a bit of security. It's a good way to meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet, and relieve the tedium of a long trip. Wish we had a similar system here which worked!
On another note, beware of speeding, particularly in residential areas. The police often set up a camera in the back window of an unmarked, parked estate car, and you'll get a nice letter from the hire company on your return...
See my other post on offensive hand signals also!
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See my other post on offensive hand signals also!
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=23...5
No Dosh - Backroom Moderator
mailto:moderators@honestjohn.co.uk
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I've done it a few times in my old Santana GX5,and its absolutley brilliant! Best part I remember was driving south from Hamburg late at night,at about 115mph,and seeing headlights rapidly gaining on me,then a flash of silver and a set of 911 taillamps dissapearing into the distance,must have been at least 160ish!
Watch out for speed limits on the autobahn,not all is unlimited,very easy to get caught out,and ALWAYS use your mirrors just because you are doing 100MPH,there are still people needing to get past...
Remember its illegal to run out of fuel on the Autobahn!
Service stations and rest stops are superb,and cheap!
The Germans like you to drive with dipped beam at all times,although not mandatory.
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Thanks all- after spending 45 minutes today travelling 200 yards to junction 10 - M42 at Tamworth it looks like Germany is worth visting JUST for the driving experience. Registered with the 'pick up a passenger' web site to see if we get a response, but if not will hire a car anyway (Easy Jet have, marginally the best rates and we are flying with them anyway-£15 per person each way: Luton-Berlin return) At those prices and a weekend at the Berlin Marriott (£103, two days for two) and day at the Frankfurt Meridien (£60 for two), no reason not to go!
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