Germany Local Customs

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Most Viewed Local Customs in Germany

126.

Food and Drink   Berlin

Food and Drink, Berlin

 23 Reviews  The Internationales Berliner Bierfestival is a blast of a festival held near the Alexanderplatz. I counted 3 separate major stages where bands were playing, and the booths of beer vendors went on for... 

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127.

Food and Drink   Hamburg

Food and Drink, Hamburg

 6 Reviews  The annual 10 day, 3 city festival presented by Duckstein Beer corporation celebrating art,culture, and cuisine. The weekend features full days of music concerts from acclaimed local and national... 

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128.

Food and Drink   Düsseldorf

Food and Drink, Düsseldorf

 24 Reviews  If you go to Düsseldorf you have to know that the city is the "Altbier"-area. Altbier is considered Germany's oldest beer style. It's a dark beer especially brewed in the area around Düsseldorf. Never... 

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129.

Food and Drink   Stuttgart

Food and Drink, Stuttgart

 6 Reviews  When you go to the Getranke stores you buy the beer and pay the Pfand (price for recycling the container) the first time you go. When you take pack the empty container you walk in the door and someone... 

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130.

Food and Drink   Heidelberg

Food and Drink, Heidelberg

 10 Reviews  During the Xmas marts there were several stand that were selling the traditional Lebkuchen. Lebkuchen is a traditional German Xmas treat similar to a gingerbread cookie. Lebkuchen was created by monks... 

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131.

Events   Hannover

Events, Hannover

 10 Reviews  Whitsun in Germany is a big holiday with a free monday. In Hannover this holiday is one highlight of all our summer festivals. There is Fest der Altstadt - a big party in the Old Town with, music,... 

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132.

Rhein Valley Vineyards   Koblenz

Rhein Valley Vineyards, Koblenz

 1 Review  On our Rhein cruise we passed mile after mile of row upon row of the most perfectly kept vineyards I have ever seen (well... it is Germany... and I haven't actually seen a vineyard before but they... 

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133.

cultural diversity   Mainz

cultural diversity, Mainz

 3 Reviews  Mainz - like most of western Germany - offers a bewildering array of cultural options. Yes, the Germans do like the exotic and the erotic - their attitude toward matters sexual could be called open... 

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134.

Bears   Berlin

Bears, Berlin

 14 Reviews   Berlin’s coat of arms features a black “bear rampant”, that is standing on his hind legs and facing to the left – you will see it everywhere you go. Indeed you will see all sorts of bears, as this... 

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135.

Events   Hamburg

Events, Hamburg

 9 Reviews  There had been a big China event in 2006: China Time! A market with Chinese products was build up on Jungefrnstieg. There have been many musical, social and political events with "China" a theme in... 

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136.

Traditions   Düsseldorf

Traditions, Düsseldorf

 10 Reviews  This is actually a local custom for Hannover but since I’ve never been there and was introduced to it by Hanover transplant Sabsi who now resides in Düsseldorf I’ll put it here. She thoughtfully gave... 

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137.

People   Stuttgart

People, Stuttgart

 3 Reviews  My impression is that the people of Stuttgart are very nice and polite. They may hesitate to speak english, maybe they feel that that their english is not good enought?. So if you speak German it will... 

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138.

People   Heidelberg

People, Heidelberg

 7 Reviews  Inside the old Heilig-Geist-Kirche, the church at the market square, there is the grave of King Ruprecht and his wife. He was the founder of this church, of the oldest still standing building at the... 

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139.

Meeting points   Hannover

Meeting points, Hannover

 3 Reviews  This is where we normally meet when we meet in town... at the 'Kr?pcke Uhr'. The square called 'Kr?pcke' was named after Wilhelm Kr?pcke who owned a coffee house there from 1885-1919. 25 years ago the... 

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140.

carnival   Mainz

carnival, Mainz

 1 Review  Don't miss to visit Mainz at carnival! There are lots of parades, the biggest one on Rosenmontag - the canival's monday! On Schillerplatz you find the carnival's fountain - in the form of a fool's... 

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141.

Art and Culture   Berlin

Art and Culture, Berlin

 36 Reviews  Mauermuseum (Checkpoint Charlie Museum) is named after the famous crossing point of the Berlin Wall and was created to document how absurde the history of an town and people could be if created for... 

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142.

Useful Information   Hamburg

Useful Information, Hamburg

 7 Reviews  Another useful place in the main railway station is this branch of the newsagents chain of K Presse + Buch. Here you can get your postcards and stamps and the service is swift, friendly and... 

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143.

Karneval   Düsseldorf

Karneval, Düsseldorf

 5 Reviews  In carnival (which is BIG in this part of Germany!!) people in Düsseldorf don't shout 'Alaaf' (that's in Cologne!) but 'Helau' ... Be prepared to get drunk and dirty when going into Düsseldorf's old... 

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144.

Events   Stuttgart

Events, Stuttgart

 6 Reviews  I was very lucky to find the United Buddy Bears in Stuttgart. From 9th July until 12th August 2008 these exhibition was set on Schlossplatz. The Buddy Bears were designed by 140 artists from all over... 

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145.

Language   Heidelberg

Language, Heidelberg

 5 Reviews  Welcome to my part of Germany! If you need help, information or directions in English it's best to approach younger people... they all speak English to various extents: some only have... 

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146.

People (Germans, Berliners..)   Berlin

People (Germans, Berliners..), Berlin

 31 Reviews  Though not unique to Berlin, it does have more than its fair share of allotment gardens with over 800 complexes. You frequently see them along side the railway tracks and on other pieces of land close... 

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147.

Museums   Hamburg

Museums, Hamburg

 6 Reviews  "Dialog im Dunkeln" is a very special place in Hamburger Speicherstadt : You may experience there the daily life of blind people in a guided tour through a world of total darkness. You will eat your... 

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148.

Useful Information   Düsseldorf

Useful Information, Düsseldorf

 4 Reviews  The big tower is telling the time. I must admit I didn't quite get the explanation about how the time should be read, but the main guidelines are: the first vertical row of lights (starting from the... 

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149.

Useful Information   Stuttgart

Useful Information, Stuttgart

 3 Reviews  When you want a grocery cart you have to put in a coin to release it from the chain of the other cart. You slide it either in the top or the front, depending on the cart. When you return the cart you... 

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150.

Events   Heidelberg

Events, Heidelberg

 6 Reviews  Three times each year residents and visitors alike can enjoy the spectacular castle illuminations & fireworks behind the scenes of the old town Heidelberg. Just after sun set the castle-lights are... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Easter Egg Hunt

by Kathrin_E

The Easter Bunny is said to bring easter eggs, candy and little gifts during the night and early morning of Easter Sunday. Easter eggs can be real hard-boiled eggs dyed or painted on the outside. Chocolate eggs are more popular, though. Then there are empty cardboard eggs to be filled with a little present.These eggs are hidden in the house or, if available and weather permitting, in the garden. First thing in the morning the kids will grab a little basket and hurry searching for them - if the adults insist on having breakfast first, be prepared for a family fight... Leftover chocolate eggs will be the delight of the family dog later on. If the kids haven't found them, the dog surely will.Hint, from experience: Do not hide chocolate eggs with liquid filling inside someone's boots, the owner may find them too late, i.e. when putting the shoe on. This leads to unpleasant effects... ...

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Karneval - Fasching - Fastnacht

by Kathrin_E

The so called "Fifth Season" is the craziest time of the year. Carnival takes place on the weekend before the beginning of the Lent. If your calendar does not show the dates, look up the Easter date (which changes every year as it's the Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring in the Northern hemisphere). Count back to the 7th Sunday before Easter, this is the main weekend.People dress up, paint their faces, party, and drink. A lot. A LOT...For children, dressing up is the most important part. Girls want to be fairies or princesses or (since Harry Potter) witches, boys want to be indians or cowboys or policemen or (since Harry Potter) wizards. When I was little we used to have carnival parties at home (photo 2). Karneval When talking about carnival in Germany, people think about the "big 3" on the Rhine - Köln, Düsseldorf and Mainz. All other places in the region,...

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April, April!

by Kathrin_E

April 1 is, as in other parts of the world, April Fools Day when people play little funny tricks on each other. If something strange happens to you, the typical answer by a happy smiling face will be, "April, April!"Don't believe everything you read in the paper or hear on the news that day...

Drink Cards

by leafmcgowan

When clubbing in Germany at dance clubs; you are issued a card usually maximum 26 or 50 Euro that has sections checked off for how much you spend on drinks and items in the bar. As you order a drink or food, the Euros are checked off. It is not customary to tip at clubs or bars in Germany, unless they bring drinks to your table, and its no more than 10% or simply rounding up to the nearest Euro. When leaving the club, you pay off your card at the register before exiting all of your drinking damage. If you lose the card, you pay the maximum on the card. Same practice also applies in bars and pubs, however, they usually just check mark or write the Euro price down on your coaster and you pay at the end.

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The First Spring Flowers

by Kathrin_E

In February, in some years already in late January, everyone is watching out for green peaks showing up from the earth and waiting for white, violet and yellow spots in lawns and flower beds. The first messengers of approaching spring are tiny: white snowdrops, yellow winter aconite, crocuses in all crocus colours. After the long winter, spotting the first snowdrops or crocuses is an event, almost a competition: who has seen the first? During the following weeks, there will be something new to discover almost daily. Nature awakens from the long sleep.

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getting to talk with the locals

by delcity

you said you wanted to meet some of the people. way back in the seven`ths in much of germany people would go to a wine house after the morning church service and spend most of the day there visiting with their friends. most of the wine houses served both hot and cold foods. if your germany is good enought to have a simple discussion you might want to check and see if this is still a custom. if so the person to ask is a nun. they will know which wine houses are the most popular.

German Baking and Cooking

by chris.hh

For me the most normal thing. But my friends in the States always were very interested in German cooking and baking, asking me questions and questions. So the next time I visited them they got two books on that theme... One on German cooking and the other on baking that I consider as well done. It is published by a big German food company with a long tradtion in baking materials, puddings etc. The books are also available in English, and you'll find the most popular recipes in there. German Cooking Today - The OriginalFind more information in English here: www.oetker.de/wga/oetker/html/default/debi-67xe9c.de.htmlGerman Baking Today - The OriginalFind more information in English here: www.oetker.de/wga/oetker/html/default/debi-67xe8d.de.htmlThere's a third one that I do not know personally:Best Recipeswww.oetker.de/wga/oetker/html/default/debi-6kpksm.de.htmlThe publisher (and company) is...

St Nikolaus Day, December 6

by Kathrin_E

December 6 is the holiday of St Nikolaus, Bishop of Myra. His holiday became a day of little gifts and sweets for kids (and big kids) which is also popular in several other European countries, e. g. Sinterklaas in the Netherlands. The legend tells how the saint witnessed the prayers of three girls from a very poor family whose father saw no other way out of misery than selling his daughters to a brothel. By night Nikolaus threw three balls of pure gold into their window and thus saved the girls from this cruel fate. Nikolaus statues in churches often show him holding three golden balls in his hand (photo 2). Only good kids receive sweets on Nikolaus Day, however. Naughty kids used to get nothing but a birch rod. (Today’s parents are not that strict any more.) In the evening before St Nikolaus Day kids set up one of their shoes, polished and shining please, outside their door for...

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Sternsinger

by Kathrin_E

In the first days of the new year around Epiphany (January 6), the Sternsinger (star singers) will be around: groups of children dressed up as the Three Magi and their company. They visit houses, sing their song and leave a blessing for the house and its inhabitants. In return they collect money – not for themselves but for charity! The Sternsinger groups are officially sent out by the catholic church, the protector of the campaign is the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. So there is no reason to be suspicious about these kids. They raise a lot of money every year for Misereor, the catholic charity organisation. Don’t let them go away empty-handed.The blessing is written in chalk above the door and should stay there all year. The inscription is 20 C + M + B 09 : the year, and “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” = Christ may bless this house. At the same time the three...

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New Year's Eve: Watch “Dinner For One”

by Kathrin_E

“Dinner For One” is a rather old (1960s?) British TV sketch with Freddie Frinton and May Warden. In Britain, the 11 minute movie is almost forgotten. In Germany, however, it is a cult classic and New Year’s Eve is unthinkable without it. All Third Canals broadcast it once or twice that night. You can easily watch it half a dozen times that evening if you want to. This is about the only film shown on German TV in English with neither dubbing nor subtitles. Everyone knows the story of Miss Sophie and her butler James by heart.Miss Sophie, a rich English lady, is celebrating her 90th birthday. As usual, she has invited her four old friends and faithful admirers for dinner. Unfortunately there is a little problem… All four are long deceased, the last of them died 20 years ago. The butler, who is hardly younger than she is, has to play all four of them, respond to the toasts (“Same procedure...

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Is May a good time to travel down the rhine river? What is the best and most scenic stretch to travel along? How would you... 

MacedonianUK profile photo

A: I would look at www.d-k.de. website. They have Great Boat Trips starting at Dusseldorf or Cologne all the Way to Mainz, passing Koblenz And Lorelei .... The strech... 

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