German stereotypes have many travelers believing that Germans are cold, uncaring people. It's just not true. Germans are wonderful, helpful, kind people. For travelers who want to see this side of the Germans, it's important to ask for help and begin the interaction.
Today, the US is one of Germany's closest allies and partners outside of the European Union. The people of the two countries see each other as reliable allies but disagree on some key policy issues. Americans want Germany to play a more active military role, but Germans strongly disagree.
How do you dress in Germany and not look like a tourist?
Try to avoid garish, overly bright colors and prints. Germans like to keep their look understated and toned down. (Unless that's your style, in which case go wild!) Avoid wearing sweatpants or activewear when visiting the main cities.
I suggest one pair of nice jeans, a pair of nicer slacks/trousers and you can even get away with a pair of leggings. I've been seeing a lot of pants like this lately as well, which is the perfect compromise between trousers and yet still comfy. You can dress them up or wear casual, so they are perfect.
Germany is a very friendly country in the world and you can learn a lot about their social life when you interact with people. You will be surprised to know how genuine they are.
Germans are very welcoming, so it's not uncommon for a tourist to be invited into a German home. If this happens, its important to show gratitude with a small gift such as flowers, wine or candy. It's also common to remove shoes upon entering a German home, and often there are guest slippers available.
As a tourist, you do not have to know the language, but there is one crucial reason why it would be so much better to visit Germany while you have some language skills: you will add so much more value to your trip.
Germans are notorious for nudity or Freikoerperkultur (FKK), Free Body Culture. All their lakes have nudist zones, their spas are fully naked, and they almost never bother with curtains (many times even in the bathrooms). If you're not someone who enjoys wearing a bra, then feel free to go braless!
It's important to be neatly dressed. Casual attire is not very pleasant. Germans believe in understated, conservative and formal business wear. The appropriate clothing for businessmen is dark colored, solid conservative suits, white shirts and conservative ties.
Can you wear shorts in Europe? Yes, you can. However, most Europeans only wear them when on vacation and in more outdoorsy settings, on the beach, or while sightseeing in more rural areas. Most Europeans would not wear them when going out for dinner, inner-city sightseeing, or during city tours, wine tastings etc.
The tradition is to have a hot meal during lunch. Sauerbraten, snitzels, Frikadellen (German meatballs), potatoes (such as Kartoffelsalat), green beans, soups, and stews are frequently served for lunch.
In Germany, tipping is a voluntary act with which one can express one's satisfaction with a service. It is customary to tip in restaurants, hotels, cabs, at cloakrooms and at the hairdresser. The amount depends on the price of the service and the occasion.
The commonly agreed upon quiet hours in Germany (Ruhezeit time period) are from 10pm and 6 or 7am on weekdays and the entire day on Sundays, although there can be some exceptions in different cities or if your landlord imposes other rules as well. Ruhezeit also applies to all public holidays for the entire day.
Cash sums totalling 10,000 or more euros on trips to and from Germany must be declared to the customs authorities. This applies to both cash and equivalent means of payment.
Americans in Germany or American Germans (German: Amerikanische Deutsche or Amerika-Deutsche) refers to the American population in Germany and their German-born descendants. According to Destatis, 300,000 - 400,000 Americans live in Germany. 200,000 of them in Rhineland-Palatinate[1].
Nudity is normal in Germany, where many locals feel just as comfortable without clothes as within them. A nudism organization known as FKK maintains dedicated nude beaches where it's compulsory to shed clothes on arrival. Along the German coastline, there's a large FKK beach at Kampen on the vacation island of Sylt.
A dirndl is the name of a woman's dress traditionally worn in southern Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Alpine regions of Italy. The dirndl is a folk costume (in German – Tracht), and today is generally regarded as a traditional dress for women and girls in the Alps.
Much like India and Japan, Peruvian women do not often wear bras, even in public. Ponchos and Shawls are traditional clothing in Peru, which are extremely loose and do not shape the wearer's figure. This means that not only is a bra not required for support, but it also would not make a difference aesthetically.
Bras, especially the underwire ones impact the blood circulation. The wire also compresses the muscles around breast area and affects the nervous system. Other types of bras, which are too tight hurt the breast tissue. So, it's advisable to remove bra before you hit the bed.
EU nationals: Valid passport or national ID card. Non-EU nationals who are visa-exempt: Valid passport or travel document. Non-EU nationals with visa requirements: Valid passport with a Schengen or German national visa.
Yes, you can survive in Germany without knowing German. However, your options when it comes to work, studying, and socializing are greatly limited if you can't distinguish your Guten tag-s from your Auf wiedersehen-s. Learning German unlocks a world of potential.