7: Getting Around Germany in Visual Studio .NET

Drawer QR in Visual Studio .NET 7: Getting Around Germany

three days exploring the city, and then rent a car for a two-day excursion into the Bavarian Alps to see Ludwig s castles

The Eurail Global Pass is one of Europe s best bargains With a Eurail Global Pass you can enjoy unlimited first-class rail travel in 20 countries, including Germany Passes are for periods as short as 15 days or as long as 3 months These passes are for consecutive days of travel The 15-day Eurail Global Pass costs $734 ($367 for children 6 11) If you re 25 or younger, you can purchase a Eurail Global Pass Youth, entitling you to unlimited second-class travel for $477 for 15 days, $618 for 21 days, $768 for 1 month, $1,085 for 2 months, or $1,341 for 3 months A host of different Eurail Global Pass options are available, including the Eurail Global Pass Flexi, good for first-class travel for 10 or 15 days in a 2-month period, and Eurail Global Pass Saver for two to five people traveling together There s also the Eurail Select Pass, allowing travelers to select three, four, or five adjoining countries linked by rail or ferry Eurail passes can be bought and used only by non-European residents Seat reservations are required on some trains, and extra charges apply for travel in couchettes (sleeping cars) on night trains

I m a Zug (train) nut To me, nothing is more pleasant than sitting in a train and watching the countryside roll by However, Germany has scenic regions the Romantic Road, the Bodensee (Lake Constance), and the Schwarzwald (Black Forest), for example where even I succumb to car rental to explore the countryside If you re going to tour Germany by car, you may want to pick up a copy of Frommer s Germany s Best-Loved Driving Tours (Wiley)

Renting a car is fairly easy in Germany Drivers from the United States, Canada, Australia, and other non European Union countries must have a valid driver s license, but no other special license is required I recommend that you make all the arrangements before you leave home You can pick up your car at most airports and major train stations, or at an office within German cities You can often rent a car in one German city and return the vehicle in another city for no additional charge Prepaying rentals in dollars before leaving the United States offers some advantages You get an easy-to-understand net price (which you have to

prepay by credit card), the rental process is more streamlined, and you can avoid unpleasant surprises caused by sudden unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates Remember, however, that if you opt to prepay and your plans change, you have to go through some rather complicated paperwork (and, in some cases, have to pay a penalty of around $25) for changing or canceling a prepaid contract Whenever you rent, keep in mind that you may get a better rate if you reserve the car at least seven days in advance In addition to the standard rental prices, other optional charges (and some not-so-optional charges, such as taxes) apply to most car rentals The Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), which requires you to pay for damage to the car in a collision, is covered by many credit card companies Check with your credit card company before you go so you can avoid paying this hefty fee (as much as $20 a day) The car rental companies also offer additional liability insurance (if you harm others in an accident), personal accident insurance (if you harm yourself or your passengers), and personal effects insurance (if your luggage is stolen from your car) Your insurance policy on your car at home probably covers most of these unlikely occurrences However, if your own insurance doesn t cover you for rentals or if you don t have auto insurance, definitely consider the additional coverage (ask your car rental agent for more information) Unless you re toting around the Hope diamond, and you don t want to leave that in your car trunk anyway, you can probably skip the personal effects insurance, but driving around without liability or personal accident coverage is never a good idea Even if you re a good driver, other people may not be, and liability claims can be complicated Some companies also offer refueling packages, in which you pay for your initial full tank of gas upfront, and can return the car with an empty gas tank The prices can be competitive with local gas prices, but you don t get credit for any gas remaining in the tank If you reject this option, you pay only for the gas you use, but you have to return the car with a full tank or face high charges for any shortfall If you usually run late and a fueling stop may make you miss your plane, you re a perfect candidate for the fuel-purchase option Several international car-rental firms rent cars in Germany See the Quick Concierge for a list of names and contact information You can also rent a car through Rail Europe (% 877-257-2887 in the US or 800-361-7245 in Canada; wwwraileuropecom) at the same time you book your German Rail Pass or Eurail Pass (see Saving time and money with rail passes, earlier in this chapter) They offer a German Rail n Drive option that gives you two days of unlimited train travel (first or second class) and two days of Hertz car rental within one month You can purchase extra days for both train travel and car rental