Germany - Prepare

Pack fashionable clothes for clubbing in Berlin and Munich, and your smart dress for the opera in Dresden and Frankfurt. Take a comfy pair of shoes for forest hikes and city strolls.

Catch the annual street carnivals in February, when fancy dress and jolly silliness rule. See Rhine in Flames, a fireworks spectacle in the Rhine Valley (May-Sep). Celebrate Richard Wagner at Bayreuth's epic Wagner Festival (Jul/Aug) and head to Munich's world-famous, beer-soaked Oktoberfest in October. In December, sip mulled wine among the scent of spiced biscuits at Christmas Markets across the country.

New Year's Day (1 Jan), Good Friday (Mar/Apr), Easter Monday (Mar/Apr), Labour Day (1 May), Ascension Day (May), Whit Monday (May), Day of Unity (3 Oct), Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec). Some Länder might have additional holidays.

In summer, life spills onto the streets and locals spend warm evenings in beer gardens and ice cafes. In July, average temperatures are at around 20°C in the lowlands and around 25°C in the sheltered valleys of the south. In winter, temperatures often drop below 0°C. This is ideal weather for skiing and skating on frozen lakes, before warming up with hot chocolate. Temperature differences can be slightly more extreme in the south than in the north.

230V AC, 50 Hz, two-pin plugs are standard.

+49 (national).

Euro (€) is the currency.

GMT +1 (GMT +2 in summer).

Visit Germany website

When drinking, say "Prost" loudly and look people in the eye – Germans have superstitiously come up with all sorts of terrible consequences if you don't. When it comes to clothes, there is no need to wear Lederhosen, though you will probably not attract a second glance if you do. Most Germans have a very individual approach to fashion, and pretty much anything goes.