7 Tips for Tourists to Know Before Driving in Germany
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มี.ค. 2024
- In this video we are going to discuss the 7 tips for a tourist to know before driving in Germany. This comes from our own personal experience driving in Germany over the years. In lots of ways, it really isn’t that different from driving in the USA, a stop sign is a stop sign, they drive on the right side of the road. However, there are big differences. In Germany, the left lane really is for passing only! This video will cover: traffic signs, the autobahn, speeding tickets, parking, car rental and other useful tips. Please join us as we talk about the 7 things for tourists to know before driving in Germany.
Disclaimer: We did our best to explain what it is like to drive in Germany. However, this is not meant to be comprehensive driving guide. There may be errors or inaccuracies in our statements. It is the driver's responsibility to learn and understand the traffic laws and traffic signs when driving in Germany.
Note: Make sure to read through the comments on this video. There is good information about the German driving rules/laws in the comments.
Music Attributions
Song 1: To the Top by Silent Partner (TH-cam Audio Library License, no attribution is required)
Song 2: Fractal of Light by Chris Haugen (TH-cam Audio Library License, no attribution is required)
Video Attributions
Video 1: “Drone Shot of the Autobahn” by Arthur Fernando Santos Vieira, Public Domain - Free to use, video available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/video/drone-sh...
Video 2: “Barge Moored on Lake in Miltenberg, Germany” by MARROS, Public Domain - Free to use, video available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/video/barge-mo...
Video 3: “Aerial View of a Moving Train in the City of Hamburg, Germany” by wowi allinsky, Public Domain - Free to use, video available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/video/aerial-v...
Video 4: “Heilbronn City” by Omair Tabikh, Public Domain - Free to use, video available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/video/heilbron...
Video 5: “Overview Of A Building And Its Parking Area” by Marian Croitoru, Public Domain - Free to use, video available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/video/overview...
Video 6: “Aerial Footage of a Parking Lot” by Oleh Shtohryn, Public Domain - Free to use, video available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/video/aerial-f...
Video 7: “Time Lapse of a Busy Street in Munich, Germany” by Stefan, Public Domain - Free to use, video available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/video/time-lap...
Image Attributions
Image 1: “Speed Limit Road Sign Beside an Asphalt Road,” image by Martin Schneider, Public Domain - Free to use, image available on Pexels, located: www.pexels.com/photo/speed-li...
Image 2: “Autobahn junction entrance sign clipart,” artist attribution not available, Public Domain, image available on creazilla, located: creazilla.com/nodes/3510565-a...
Image 3: “Direction towards Autobahn entrance clipart,” artist attribution not available, Public Domain, image available on creazilla, located: creazilla.com/nodes/3510558-d...
Image 4: “track-road-traffic-highway-driving-motion…,” artist attribution not available, image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0 (CC0 Public Domain), located at: pxhere.com/en/photo/493785?ut...
Image 5: “Vorankündigung einer Autobahnraststätte, frühe Version nach den Vorgaben der StVO 1970 clipart,“ image by Mediatus, Public Domain, image available on creazilla, located: creazilla.com/nodes/3508163-v...
We didn't realize this video would be so controversial to our German viewers. This video is intended to be tips for tourists like ourselves, and a chance to share our experiences, not a driving guide to the rules and laws in Germany. FYI, I trimmed and cut (removed) any misinformation about places where you can drive as fast as you want. These comments have been a great learning experience and we thank those of you that commented. Keep the comments coming!
Big mistake 😂
Soon there will be the reaction channels that feature german content 😉
@@CavHDeu That would be fun to see! I think? 🙂Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment.
If you don't leave the passing lane, you don't just have sportscars and motorcycles at your tail, you have delivery vans at your tail, which also have unlimited maximum speed.
Yes, it is definitely good to pay attention to the rearview mirror and leave the passing lane as soon as possible. Thanks for the comment!
19 minutes for information that could easily be summarised in a few minutes.
Regarding motorway: left lanes are to be used only for overpassing, overpassing on the right is a major offence, as most traffic fines cheap in Germany, would be much more expensive in other European countries.
Thanks for the information. I will endeavor to be more concise in the future. Thanks for watching!
All in all great video.
Litte addition:
The white crossed-out speed limit sign does not mean you can drive as fast as you want.
It means you can drive as fast as is permitted in this area. General speed limits apply in town/out of town.
This is 50 km/h in town (if you pass the yellow town/village/ect name sign) and 100 km/h outside town areas (red crossed-out yellow town name sign when you leave).
Only on the Autobahn it means you can drive as fast as you want, but your own liability in case of an accident increases with every km/h over 130.
Greetings from Würzburg (where the pedestrian zone signs are quite visible (round, blue sign with white woman and child means pedestrian only, no cars))
The general speed limit of, "50 km/h in town (if you pass the yellow town/village/ect name sign) and 100 km/h outside town areas," we were not aware of that. That is very good information, thanks for sharing. Würzburg is a beautiful city, we were there early September, 2023. Thanks for watching the video and thanks for leaving a comment!
@@searchingforhistory its interesting that you came to drive here and didnt even know there was a speed limit. it seems you didnt do any research about driving there before you went to germany.
@AnnaCurser To think I have been driving in Germany multiple times in the last 20 years... I was/am aware there is a speed limit when posted but I was not aware of the 50 in town and 100 outside of town rule. My research consisted of reading driving advice in travel guide books, which apparently was far from adequate. Thank you for adding this information to the comments.
btw. these general speed limits are not unique to Germany, every european country has similar rules (with different speeds). Whenever you cross a european border, you will see a huge sign with all the general speed limits of the country you just entered. Just google "border speed limit signs" so see some examples
@DiMa-fh2tn Another commenter mentioned the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, which I have been reading a little about. I was not aware of the "border speed limit signs." Although, I am pretty sure I must have driven passed one at some point. I googled as you suggested. I wish they posted one of those signs when driving away from the airport with a rental car. :-) Thanks for leaving a comment and sharing this information.
10:40 Unless otherwise indicated, the following applies (this also applies if speed limits are lifted by a sign):
* in built-up areas: 50 km/h. The beginning and end of the town can be recognized by the yellow town sign. Except for the town sign on the autobahn, then you still have 130 km/h recommended speed. Traffic-calmed areas (traffic sign 325) are automatically at walking speed, without an extra speed limit sign being found. A rare 70 km/h can set the speed limit higher. In practice, you often find signs for 30 km/h
* outside built-up areas: 100 km/h. Before crossings, the speed is often set to 70 km/h. I recommend driving slower on dirt roads ...
* autobahn: recommended speed limit 130 km/h. Over 130 km/h you automatically become partly responsible for accidents under civil law. Recommended speed limit 130 km/h also applies to federal roads if they meet both requirements: a) they are multi-lane in the direction of travel AND b) outside built-up areas
In addition: the speed must be adjusted (weather, visibility, vehicle ...). Stricter rules apply to vehicles over 3.5 t or even 7.5 t.
This is good information. I wish the rental car came with a small driving guide that contains this type of information. I deleted the section where I said, "drive as fast as you want" to avoid spreading misinformation. Thanks!
I've driven a little in Germany, never on the Autobahn, but enough to get caught in a sudden low-speed zone by a speed camera! They charged the ticket to the rental company, so that part was easy.
That was the process for my first ticket 10-15 years ago. My two tickets since, in 2018 and 2023, I received a letter notice of a speed violation in the mail a couple weeks after getting home (and a $30 fee from the car rental company). Thanks for watching!
So, you get a speeding ticket in Germany and they send you a letter written in German... who would have guessed that? Good to know.😊
Yes, and then Google translate is your friend! Thanks for watching!
Italy is big on this too. Even if the vehicle was a rental, they go to the rental company and get your info and sent you a receipt.
@@MrDigitalMiami We have only driven in northern Italy (South Tyrol) and luckily did not get a speeding ticket. Thanks for watching!
Best thing you do if you never driven in germany before, just drive with a german together, he will teach you everything you need to know. And left lane well.. if you want to drive fast you can occupy it pretty much until someone else comes who is much faster than you, then you make space. Rule is to drive right all the time, but you will pretty fast understand how the left lane works in general.
What you describe, that has been our experience driving in the left lane on the autobahn. There would be so many slow trucks and cars on the right that we would occupy the left lane, driving fast until we got around all of them, then get back over to the right. We observed this was how everyone else was doing it. Right, there is the rule and then there is the reality. Thanks for leaving a comment and watching the video!
Important thing to remember before you make and Instagram photos out your car window - photographing of an accident is a pretty hefty crime. Also never believe any verbal promises when you rent a car, in fact no matter what you do you will be charged extra afterwards (sometimes several months later when you will be back home) . Also always allow yourself extra time for traffic jams or when you have incorrect directions to a rental return place. Do not accept "free upgrades" because at the end they will be in fact charged as an upgrade.
I did not know about the penalty for photographing an accident. Is the crime when you post it to social media? We have been burned by rental car companies in the past. I think your advice is good. Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment.
Please note that at "Ausfahrt" you are dealing with an often dangerous tight bend in that exit, which in terms of speed is calculated at a maximum of 70 km/h or even less. There is no smooth reduction from 130 km/h to 50 km/h
We noticed that. In a lot of cases, both the entrances and the exits seemed very tight (bend) compared to what we are used to. Thanks for watching!
Village speed limits are pretty much the same in much of Europe.. It goes down to 50kph as you pass the village sign and goes back to 100kph when you pass the sign with the village name and a diagonal strike out through it.
That is good to know. We had a sense of this, common sense to slow down in a village and seeing what the other drivers were doing but until posting this video, we didn't know the specifics. Thanks for sharing this information. Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment.
Writing as a Brit - a huge amount of this is common Europe-wide. The exception is the US not the other way round.
Oh and on the theme of Ausfahrt, it's amazing how many streets are called Einbahnstrasse. :)
We lived in the UK for around 1.5 years (some 15 years ago) and rented a car a couple times. My memory, while faded (as a lot of time has passed), the only thing I remember finding challenging about driving in the UK was driving on the left side of the road and that was mainly when turning right at a 4-way intersection. Stay left, Stay left, Stay left... 🙂One problem with the USA, each state might have slightly different rules, like in my state for example (Washington State), if a county road (a road outside a town or city) has no posted speed limit, than the speed limit is 50 mph. I am not sure if this is true in all states. Yes, true, I definitely and quickly, learned the meaning of Einbahnstrasse! 🤪
The worst thing I can tell about German autobans is that when you enter one, there might be a car that will enter your speed up lane to enter the motorway and what they will do is they will slow down in front of you because that is their exit lane and then because you have been too slow you will get middle fingers from whoever was in the slow lane at the end of the entry lane and fingers from the driver leaving the motorway.
So basically I would characterise German driving environment as an intense battleground between irritated individuals who will double emphasise your inferior understanding when you have British reg.
This! 🙂The autobahn is definitely an intense experience. We lived in the UK while I was studying for my MA and rented a car or should I say hired a car a few times. My memory, other than driving on the left side of the road, driving in the UK wasn't too different than the USA. Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment.
The toilet coupons are not "a small discount". Usually it's the whole amount you paid, making the toilet effectively free for paying customers.
That's good to know. We couldn't remember the level of discount. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
Do note, the Americans are the country out with regards to street signs, all throughout most of the world, the signs are similar, so a no parking sign looks the same all throughout Europe and most of Asia as well. But in USA they designers figured a round circle with a cross through it was too difficult to understand so they make signs that say No Parking. Other signs are similarly so designed.
With that being said, Canada and the USA have similar traffic signs. China has its own signs. Roughly half the world doesn't follow the Vienna convention. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.
@@searchingforhistory It is nice to see civilized replies in YT comments, as for China, never been there, never likely to go. Alas yes, it is hard to reach a consensus on anything, look at the way electrical systems are or even which side of the road to drive on.
@@dutchy1121 My wife and I want our Searching for History channel to be welcoming. Every reply to a comment I try to think of the best way to respond in a thoughtful manner. In the end, our goal is for the channel to grow, so I try to be as, "civilized" as possible. 🙂
this is not only in Germany, its just normal European, look for signs, there are plenty, last but not least stay focused
Yes, lots of signs! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.
3 tickets😂 Danish person here but i’ve been driving in germany for 30+ years, and i’ve never gotten a ticket. Danish signage is very similar to German so we know where to look for signs i guess. Having driven in the US as well, i’d say that the fact that european towns are older (ie narrower streets, denser populated etc..) the signs reflect this difference. Re driving in the city. I find big German citys easy to drive in. But if you are not used to it, parking in the periphy of the town and taking the s-bahn is good advice. I sometimes do that in Italian citys. Compared to german citys, they are actually stressful to drive in.
I spent a few days on two different occasions in Denmark. This was 15-20 years ago. Beautiful country, I hope to go back. However, I didn't drive there! Yes, I know, 3 tickets, it's embarrassing but it's the truth! Where in the USA did you visit? Thanks for watching our video and leaving a comment!
@@searchingforhistory We had a roadtrip from LA, a bit up the eastcoast, Las Vegas, Flagstaff and then back to LA. The Mojave in particular made a huge impression. Very very beautiful, and ofcourse totally unlike anything in europe.
@@etagsibuna That sounds like a fun road trip. My wife and I are planning a southwest road trip for later this year. We absolutely love going down there. If you like the American southwest and if you are interested in seeing more of our videos, here is a play list: th-cam.com/play/PL8C7l9Lm40bwRFxJ-xk9V7SCFvTLvNThV.html
As always *it depends* but usually you will not lose your ability to drive if you do not pay an uncontested speeding ticket (unless you were going so fast that you will lose it for X months anyway). Uncontested tickets will not get cheaper as you rightly pointed out. If you plan to return to Germany and you do not plan to contest within the time that is given to you, it would be better to pay for your sins 🙂. It also depends on the value of the ticket, the higher the penalty, the more they will want to enforce it if you are a foreigner. For instance I don't pay Belgian parking as a German with a German number plate for tickets below EUR 50, because the Belgians will not enforce it. But I always want to pay a ticket from The Netherlands (if I do not plan to contest), because they are really after these things and are working together with the German government more tightly and I want to be travel there with my car. However: Better to get not ticketed in the first place, esp. with a rental, because rental companies a) have a fee for processing tickets and if you do not contest or pay, b) may take this off of your deposit.
There are some cities that are quite accessible by bicycle, e.g. Hamburg. It is not on the level of The Netherlands or Denmark, but it is getting better. A good alternative to public transport if you want to get a better feeling for your surroundings and see things. Not only in summer!
Need to add that, as a foreigner with no local address, when caught by the police, you might have to pay right there and then in cash.
I deleted the portion of the video where I said a person could lose their license if they didn't pay their ticket. That was an assumption on my part and wasn't necessary for the video. Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
16:00 This is of course not the train from Meissen to Dresden. This would have been a double deck train.
Good eye! That footage is actually an S-bahn in Berlin. Unfortunately, we did not filming video when we were in Meissen daytripping to Dresden. It seemed a good use for the video clip to be used as B-roll for taking a train. Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment!
How did the right-before-left rule not get a mention?
Well... this video is supposed to be a fun video for other tourists, not a comprehensive drivers course for driving in Germany. I mean, how could one fit all the German driving laws, rules and regulations into "7 things"? So, what is the "right-before-left" rule? I would love to know. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!
Ausfahrt (or Ausgang) is German for Exit.
It is a silly tourist, non german speaking thing we like to joke that we are driving around a giant city named Ausfahrt. Of course we know it means Exit. Thanks for watching!
Quite bad. Several things. 1) It is obvious from the videos that it is an American driving. You have to get back as far right in the lanes as reasonably possible. Not sleeping in the fast lane. 2) When driving on an autobahn with no speed limit, you have to look really far back. Some are driving extermely fast. 3) On normal roads, the yellow city sign with the name of the city, is also a 50 km speed limit. Not signed in any other way. This until you see the same sign croosed with a red line, marking the end of the city.
Thanks for watching!
autobahn restrops are also incredible expensive. youre much better off going off the bahn and into a town to eat there.
the general speed limit off the autobahn, and if not indicated otherwise, is 1oo kph. you do not go "as fast as you want"
in towns the SL is 5o kph.
every year theres 3ooo deaths in germany related to traffic. thats one every two hours. and 70% of those are related to speeding.
What you didnt cover here are crossing Bike Lanes.
What is the rule for crossing Bike Lanes? Thanks for watching and thanks for leaving a comment.
@searchingforhistory Don't know, what Anna had in mind, but there is one especially tricky situation with bikelanes: If you are on the carlane, and you intend to turn right (say on a roadcrossing), the bikelane right of you might have a cyclist on it that intends to go straight ahead. This cyclist does have the priority in this situation.
So, take extra attention when turning right, if there is also a bikelane right of you.
@@Rai_Te Thank you for that explanation. I did not know that but now i do! To be honest, I'm not sure what the rule in that situation is here in the USA but I suspect it is the same. Thanks for watching and thanks for leaving a comment!
@@Rai_Tethis is exactly my concern, thanks for explaining. thats exactly what happened to me as a teenager when an american in their SUV ran me over on my bikelane when he turned into me. I didnt get hurt much but I never stopped next to a car again.
@AnnaCurser That is awful to be hit by a car, I am glad to hear you were OK!
You guys are making a video without having checked the background 😂 I suppose.....😅
I am not really sure what that means... We made the video to give future tourists tips related to our own experiences. Thanks so much for watching the video and leaving a comment!
There's no towns called ass Park? I'm distraught
Nope. At least We've never been there!
There is nothing special in german roads and signs.
They Just use the same Vienna convention signs as THE WHOLE WOLRD (except Murica 😏)
Some road signs may be different or less/more common, despite this. Also, things can change over the years. I did my license 25 years ago and sometimes I have to look things up.
@@peterboil4064 most of what US citizen point in these videos never are details about some Vienna convention country versus another Vienna convention country, but how "Driving in THIS country is SO DIFFERENT from Driving home".
They just discover what the whole world already knows and think it's only the case in the place they visit...
But NO ! It's Just the US that is different from the rest of the world !
@Tiekorolivier You are correct, I have never heard of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Thank you for revealing its existence to me. From what I just learned, many countries are part of the Vienna Convention, however, there are many that are not. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Signs_and_Signals
I have driven in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, The Netherlands and did notice they have the same or very similar road signs. Thanks for watching the video and thanks for leaving a comment.
@peterboil4064 There are many more road signs in Germany (and Europe) than in the United States, it is a lot to learn. Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment.
No, no, no! Sadly alot of wrong information.
It is scary that they have been driving in Germany for so many years and have understood so little.
! Talk to a German about traffic rules. Some Germans can speak English. !
.. and there is nothing in this video about the lawful safety equipment.
@LazyStory It would be helpful to know what we got wrong. Thanks for watching.
This video isn't a comprehensive driving guide. It's a list of a few things we thought were interesting to note as tourists in Germany. We have friends who live in Germany and lots of them don't know all the rules, they just know how they drive, which seems common everywhere we go not just Germany. I also think there's a big difference between driving for a few weeks at a time in a foreign country for many years and driving for years consistently in the country you live in. We lived in the UK for some time, but didn't learn all the driving rules there and we had no language barrier.
What is "lawful safety equipment"? Are you talking about wearing a seatbelt, having a first aid kit in the car, maybe carrying a fire extinguisher? Or is it something to do with the vehicle itself? I've heard that in Germany you aren't allowed to drive older vehicles.
@@erinlikesacornishpasty4703theres certain gear you need to keep in the car at all times, otherwise you could get a fine if you get into a control. Warning vest and warning triangle, first aid kit, therma blanket and car ID papers. i think the extinguisher is optional but best to look up a list again just to make sure.
So basically - don’t drive in Germany! Got it!
lol, well maybe... Germany does have an excellent rail system, and many cities have trams, S-bahns and U-bahns, there are buses too. However, if a person wants to get out to the countryside to see a castle ruin, then driving is really the only option.
Gawd we are not 2 year olds. Pick up the pace.
Thanks for the feedback. We will endeavor to be more concise in the future. Thanks for watching!