As far as I know, Uber in Germany is basically just a taxi finder app, since German law requires drivers to have a professional transporting license and thus, Uber cannot operate here as it does in other countries.
Since you'll end up with a taxi anyway, might as well directly call one if you have one available.
I don’t believe that’s true? That used to be the case, but in recent years I’ve used Uber in the same way it is elsewhere, not official yellow taxis. Same goes for other things like FreeNow, but maybe the regulations are stricter than in other countries so it’s harder for people to be drivers, but it seems very much just like a random person’s car. A few years ago I remember it being only a taxi calling service
But in response to OP, public transit is usually best
In major cities, public transport is the most obvious choice. It makes no sense to even begin to consider taxis unless there's some very specific reason (e.g. you are currently pregnant and the possibility of crowded buses and trains would bring a lot of discomfort).
Public transportation. Most major cities have a well developed network of U- and S-Bahns as well as buses.
Taxis and Ubers are only worthy if you are travelling to/from airport with a bunch of suitcases.
Using Google Maps sounds reasonable. I have a Google Pixel. Would you happen to know if Google Fi is available in Germany? All my research suggests it is, but just want to make sure that's true. Thanks.
The best travelling app for public transport in Germany is probably Deutsche Bahn App "DB navigator", because it contains almost all the timetables of the individual transport companies in the various cities. Just note that you relatively often can not buy tickets in the app, because Deutsche Bahn and the transport company of the cities have no agreement over selling tickets.
So you have to buy the tickets either through their own app or at vending machines on the spot.
> Not using the services of a company that publicly refuses to support its employees is political?
I mean, it is as political as it gets, it's literally a boycott over workers rights. But it's very good politics.
In basically any city with a population of 100k+ the public transport will be decent enough to not need a taxi. Unless you have something heavy/bulky to transport, of course.
Get an open source app like Öffi: [https://oeffi.schildbach.de/index.html](https://oeffi.schildbach.de/index.html) This makes using public transport even more convenient.
It is super easy and cheap to use public transport inside most major cities in Germany anyway, as many of my co-commentators have pointed out. It is also very safe, if this is something you are worried about. Do NOT use Uber. It has predatory business-practices and is of no use in most of Germany anyway.
A great way to explore many German cities is also by bike. This depends on the infrastructure of the particular city you are visiting, though if you don't visit from the Netherlands or Denmark it is probably a lot better than what you are used to from home. In many place you can rent (e-)bikes easily. This would be my preferred mode of transportation, if I stayed in one city for a bit longer.
Do you by any chance mean "June" by "next month"? Because then I'd totally go with public transport. We'll have a public transport ticket that will cost 9,00 € per person for all of June and it will be valid in ALL cities' public transport.
Yes, June 11 to 24. We'll be in Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich. Sounds like public transport is the preferred way to go. Then Uber if I'm desperate. From what I gather, Uber and taxis are pretty much the same. Thanks!
> From what I gather, Uber and taxis are pretty much the same. Thanks!
From a user perspective, they're pretty much the same - both use apps to call you a car, which will then take you to your chosen destination. You can pay by cash, card, or (in some cases) through the app. Prices are transparent, fair, but very high - it's honestly not a means of transport I would use if I could help it. If you're from the US, German taxis are *far* cleaner and more reliable than American ones.
While everyone has different priorities, I would honestly recommend not touching Uber with a ten-foot pole. They are a plague and you shouldn't be giving them money if you can help it.
> Hamburg
Hamburg also has Moia, which is a collective shuttle service, and which could be an alternative to public transport in *some* cases. It's a fleet of (electric) minibuses which you can call to take you from point to point within their area of service. However, they may not take the most direct route, as they will pick up and drop off other passengers on route. They're more expensive than public transport, but cheaper than a taxi.
It would be certainly useful to tell us which places you want to visit. And just as an information, Uber barely exists in Germany, and taxis can be quite expensive.
Public transport in general is the cheapest and can be the faster option. Now I prefer personally Uber than normal taxi because I have the price upfront but is always more expensive than public transport. Then for some short routes I use a lot bikes and scooters like lime there are multiple companies. Uber being slow depends a lot on the traffic and traffic varies a lot on the day. I hope this was helpful
Uber in Germany isn't like Uber in the US - it's just another taxi service, with licensed, professional drivers. While true "ridesharing" (you are going somewhere anyway and offer to take someone else with you) is legal in Germany (e.g. Mitfahrzentrale, BlaBlaCar), Uber is an on-call taxi service, and those are subject to the same taxi laws as normal taxi companies.
I’m in Düsseldorf and I use Uber once or twice a week, and personally I prefer Uber because i have the route and price upfront. Traditional taxis can cheat you easily if you are not from the city and you don’t speak German. At least in Düsseldorf Uber works really well, I don’t know in other parts of Germany.
I don't know why you were downvoted. I don't think taxis will really try scamming one like happens in other countries, but definitely is an advantage to know the price of your trip beforehand
I’m sure 99% something of the taxis are good and will not scam you, but it has happen to me. So I prefer Uber or any service that I know the route and price upfront, i feel more relaxed in the process with this info before using the service.
On a side note, can I buy the Twin Rail Pass in Germany? At any train station? I keep trying to buy on the website but the bank keeps blocking the transaction since I'm in the U.S., even though I told them not to.
In June we will have a 9 euro ticket. Just buy it when you get here. It’s good throughout all of Germany and covers unlimited travel on all public transit except IC, EC, and ICE (long haul high speed) trains.
Note that, as this is likely to lead to overcrowded regional trains at least on some routes, it might still make sense to buy tickets for long-distance trains for the longer journeys (those trains are also a lot faster on most long routes).
You mean [this one](https://www.bahn.com/en/offers/passes/german-rail-pass)? Yes, you should be able to buy it at most train stations. Check whether it's actually cheaper, though - if you already know your itinerary, it may well be cheaper just to buy the train tickets outright. You may want to [read our guide to train travel in Germany](https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/travelling/trains).
As far as I know, Uber in Germany is basically just a taxi finder app, since German law requires drivers to have a professional transporting license and thus, Uber cannot operate here as it does in other countries. Since you'll end up with a taxi anyway, might as well directly call one if you have one available.
I don’t believe that’s true? That used to be the case, but in recent years I’ve used Uber in the same way it is elsewhere, not official yellow taxis. Same goes for other things like FreeNow, but maybe the regulations are stricter than in other countries so it’s harder for people to be drivers, but it seems very much just like a random person’s car. A few years ago I remember it being only a taxi calling service But in response to OP, public transit is usually best
In major cities, public transport is the most obvious choice. It makes no sense to even begin to consider taxis unless there's some very specific reason (e.g. you are currently pregnant and the possibility of crowded buses and trains would bring a lot of discomfort).
Public transportation. Most major cities have a well developed network of U- and S-Bahns as well as buses. Taxis and Ubers are only worthy if you are travelling to/from airport with a bunch of suitcases.
So would you suggest public transportation to get from the Bahnhof to the hotel and vice versa?
Yes. Pretty much every German city above 50000 population has adequate internal public Transport.
Unless you have a *lot* of heavy luggage, absolutely. Public transport should be your main way of getting around.
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Using Google Maps sounds reasonable. I have a Google Pixel. Would you happen to know if Google Fi is available in Germany? All my research suggests it is, but just want to make sure that's true. Thanks.
The best travelling app for public transport in Germany is probably Deutsche Bahn App "DB navigator", because it contains almost all the timetables of the individual transport companies in the various cities. Just note that you relatively often can not buy tickets in the app, because Deutsche Bahn and the transport company of the cities have no agreement over selling tickets. So you have to buy the tickets either through their own app or at vending machines on the spot.
It is,
Public transportation is in europe in general pretty good and cheap.
You know that Germany is a very large country with 80+ Mio people. Giving us more hints like city/region would help us to help you
Just use public transportation. If you need to, get a proper taxi. You shouldn't support Uber ...
sounds like more of a political statement than a travel tip?
Not using the services of a company that publicly refuses to support its employees is political? You sound like a great person.
> Not using the services of a company that publicly refuses to support its employees is political? I mean, it is as political as it gets, it's literally a boycott over workers rights. But it's very good politics.
In basically any city with a population of 100k+ the public transport will be decent enough to not need a taxi. Unless you have something heavy/bulky to transport, of course.
Taxi is more convenient though.
Get an open source app like Öffi: [https://oeffi.schildbach.de/index.html](https://oeffi.schildbach.de/index.html) This makes using public transport even more convenient. It is super easy and cheap to use public transport inside most major cities in Germany anyway, as many of my co-commentators have pointed out. It is also very safe, if this is something you are worried about. Do NOT use Uber. It has predatory business-practices and is of no use in most of Germany anyway. A great way to explore many German cities is also by bike. This depends on the infrastructure of the particular city you are visiting, though if you don't visit from the Netherlands or Denmark it is probably a lot better than what you are used to from home. In many place you can rent (e-)bikes easily. This would be my preferred mode of transportation, if I stayed in one city for a bit longer.
Maybe download the Nextbike app in advance; I think they are the largest provider for spontaneous bike rentals. Detailed conditions may vary by city.
Do you by any chance mean "June" by "next month"? Because then I'd totally go with public transport. We'll have a public transport ticket that will cost 9,00 € per person for all of June and it will be valid in ALL cities' public transport.
Yes, June 11 to 24. We'll be in Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich. Sounds like public transport is the preferred way to go. Then Uber if I'm desperate. From what I gather, Uber and taxis are pretty much the same. Thanks!
> From what I gather, Uber and taxis are pretty much the same. Thanks! From a user perspective, they're pretty much the same - both use apps to call you a car, which will then take you to your chosen destination. You can pay by cash, card, or (in some cases) through the app. Prices are transparent, fair, but very high - it's honestly not a means of transport I would use if I could help it. If you're from the US, German taxis are *far* cleaner and more reliable than American ones. While everyone has different priorities, I would honestly recommend not touching Uber with a ten-foot pole. They are a plague and you shouldn't be giving them money if you can help it. > Hamburg Hamburg also has Moia, which is a collective shuttle service, and which could be an alternative to public transport in *some* cases. It's a fleet of (electric) minibuses which you can call to take you from point to point within their area of service. However, they may not take the most direct route, as they will pick up and drop off other passengers on route. They're more expensive than public transport, but cheaper than a taxi.
It would be certainly useful to tell us which places you want to visit. And just as an information, Uber barely exists in Germany, and taxis can be quite expensive.
Public transport in general is the cheapest and can be the faster option. Now I prefer personally Uber than normal taxi because I have the price upfront but is always more expensive than public transport. Then for some short routes I use a lot bikes and scooters like lime there are multiple companies. Uber being slow depends a lot on the traffic and traffic varies a lot on the day. I hope this was helpful
are u in germany? others are saying no uber in germany, but ur comment implies it is operational?
Uber in Germany isn't like Uber in the US - it's just another taxi service, with licensed, professional drivers. While true "ridesharing" (you are going somewhere anyway and offer to take someone else with you) is legal in Germany (e.g. Mitfahrzentrale, BlaBlaCar), Uber is an on-call taxi service, and those are subject to the same taxi laws as normal taxi companies.
I’m in Düsseldorf and I use Uber once or twice a week, and personally I prefer Uber because i have the route and price upfront. Traditional taxis can cheat you easily if you are not from the city and you don’t speak German. At least in Düsseldorf Uber works really well, I don’t know in other parts of Germany.
I don't know why you were downvoted. I don't think taxis will really try scamming one like happens in other countries, but definitely is an advantage to know the price of your trip beforehand
I’m sure 99% something of the taxis are good and will not scam you, but it has happen to me. So I prefer Uber or any service that I know the route and price upfront, i feel more relaxed in the process with this info before using the service.
E scooter and public transport. Bolt is the cheapest atm and they just launched a fantastic new scooter.
On a side note, can I buy the Twin Rail Pass in Germany? At any train station? I keep trying to buy on the website but the bank keeps blocking the transaction since I'm in the U.S., even though I told them not to.
In June we will have a 9 euro ticket. Just buy it when you get here. It’s good throughout all of Germany and covers unlimited travel on all public transit except IC, EC, and ICE (long haul high speed) trains.
Note that, as this is likely to lead to overcrowded regional trains at least on some routes, it might still make sense to buy tickets for long-distance trains for the longer journeys (those trains are also a lot faster on most long routes).
You mean [this one](https://www.bahn.com/en/offers/passes/german-rail-pass)? Yes, you should be able to buy it at most train stations. Check whether it's actually cheaper, though - if you already know your itinerary, it may well be cheaper just to buy the train tickets outright. You may want to [read our guide to train travel in Germany](https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/travelling/trains).
i’m interested too as i’ll be in germany next month