Travel

Flying to Germany

The national airline is Lufthansa (LH) ( www.lufthansa.com ). Prices for flights to Germany vary considerably according to the season June to August being the most expensive and the winter months (Christmas and New Year excluded) being the cheapest.

The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport is scheduled to open in March 2013, around 18km (11 miles) south of central Berlin itself.

From London to Frankfurt/M is 1 hour 15 minutes, and from New York is 8 hours 30 minutes.

Airport guides

Travel by rail

There are excellent connections between Germany and other main European cities. For more information, contact Deutsche Bahn in the UK (tel: 0871 880 8066; www.bahn.co.uk ).

Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186, in the UK; www.eurostar.com ) is a service provided by the railways of Belgium. the UK and France, operating direct high-speed trains from London (St Pancras International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes approximately 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris and approximately 2 hours to Brussels (via Lille ).

From Brussels, there are direct connections to Cologne and Frankfurt. and onward high speed trains to all major German centres. Journey time between Paris and Frankfurt has been cut to less than four hours.

Rail passes:

InterRail: InterRail Global Passes can be sold to travellers of any age and are valid for travel in up to 30 European countries. There are two InterRail Global Pass types to choose from: 'flexi passes' and 'continuous passes'. A flexi pass entitles you to unlimited travel on a fixed number of days during your trip. A continuous pass entitles you to unlimited travel every day of your trip. With a One Country Pass you can choose from unlimited travel on one, four, six or eight days of your choice during a month. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail ). There are discounts for under-25s and over-60s.

Eurailpass: Offers broadly the same freedoms as the InterRail Passes, but is for sale solely to non-European residents. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. Available from The Eurail Group (www.eurail.com ).

The recently opened 140km (87 miles) TGV Rhine-Rhône line has quickened journey times from Lyon into Germany.