134
votes
Accepted
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
Tipping is not at all mandatory in Germany and usually the service personnel does not rely on tips as much as in the USA, say. Usually, if you do not state the amount you want to round up to ("make it ...
- 1,530
68
votes
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
TL;DR
Tipping is never mandatory, but most Germans do it.
5%-10% is most common, round up to a whole number, or to 50 ct if amount < 10€
Not tipping does not automatically mean that you were ...
59
votes
Accepted
Who goes first? Person disembarking bus or the bicycle?
The bicycle riders have to be careful and wait if necessary.
Here is a German newspaper article on the subject. The basis for the rule is § 20 of the German traffic regulations (StVO), whose first ...
- 9,205
52
votes
Accepted
Can I buy only the wine glass in the Munich Christmas market?
I live in Munich and the deposit you pay is intended to cover a breaking or taking of the cup. Especially at a Christmas market it is expected that people will keep the cups or bottles as souvenirs -- ...
- 346
42
votes
Accepted
Why no cider in Bavaria?
It can be had but the new trend of heavily-marketed international ciders hasn't arrived to Germany. High-quality craft ciders from Britain, France or elsewhere would also be hard to find. Consequently,...
- 113k
33
votes
Are these murals of a real location? Perhaps Bavaria?
I'm putting in an answer, as I've got too much for a comment.
This doesn't strike me as a 'Bavarian scene'. The peaks are a bit too pointy, the palm tree (I only see one) is not quite Bavarian, and ...
- 24.9k
29
votes
Why no cider in Bavaria?
I guess you have been looking in the wrong places, and possibly for the wrong words on the label. There is Apfelwein which is commonly translated as cider.
- 37.5k
26
votes
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
Others have explained how tipping works normally in Germany.
I'd like to add that what you describe would certainly be a reason for me to not tip at all, i.e. insist on my full change: refusing the ...
- 856
18
votes
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
Tipping is generally never mandatory in Germany, but the general etiquette is:
Restaurants and bars where they bring you food and drink to the table: Yes
Restaurants where you carry your food to the ...
- 1,859
16
votes
Who goes first? Person disembarking bus or the bicycle?
German traffic code gives transit passengers special priority, all traffic including bicycles may only pass the vehicle on the right at a walking pace and need to yield to passengers alighting or ...
- 12.5k
15
votes
Are these murals of a real location? Perhaps Bavaria?
Based on MastaBabas answer. You can clearly see from Google Maps that the location is on the border between France and Italy (in fact the border runs through that bridge), in a place called Menton ...
- 645
14
votes
Can I buy only the wine glass in the Munich Christmas market?
Even if you pay a deposit for the glass, cup or other tableware, you are supposed to return it and get the deposit back. It does not entitle you to steal the cup, even if you forfeit the deposit by ...
- 58.6k
14
votes
Why no cider in Bavaria?
In most of Bavaria, beer is the prevalent local (alcoholic) drink (with the exception of some regions in Franconia, which are wine-centric). Cider is generally not a typical drink in Bavaria (there ...
- 361
12
votes
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
The behaviour of the waitress described is highly unusual for Germany. Were you at Oktoberfest or some other tourist trap location?
Tipping in Germany is not mandatory, though it is very common to ...
- 4,148
11
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to drink tap water in Germany?
Tap water is Germany's most tested food. It is 100% safe to drink. Water is tested frequently and the results can be read online or in your local newspaper.
Having said that, in places where the tap ...
- 1,411
10
votes
Who goes first? Person disembarking bus or the bicycle?
Being a cyclist as well as a bus user, I always expect the user of the other mode of traffic to not be aware of what is going on at the street.
Where the bus stop is right at the bike lane, so the ...
- 62.6k
10
votes
Accepted
Do buses run on May 1st in Bavaria?
I will try to answer the actual question, instead of writing so much about the irrelevant connection to Ingolstadt Village. As already pointed out in the comments, Ingolstadt Village is an outlet ...
- 58.6k
9
votes
Why has this dress been met with surprise at the Oktoberfest in Munich?
The existing answers and comments explain the situation quite well, but for completeness I just want to add a picture of what is evidently the model for your wife's costume:
source
Practically every ...
- 3,008
9
votes
Can I buy only the wine glass in the Munich Christmas market?
Theoretically, this is covered by Pfandrecht, in which the merchant takes the role of the creditor (Pfandgläubiger / Sicherungsnehmer) and you take the role of the debitor (Sicherungsgeber). The ...
- 3,090
8
votes
Can I buy only the wine glass in the Munich Christmas market?
Buying a cup of mulled wine, paying a deposit and then not returning can be considered theft in legal terms.
(German source): https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/wirtschaft/Ist-es-Diebstahl-...
- 243
8
votes
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
How much one tips also depends on the place; more in a restaurant where one sat at a table, less for takeout food, probably nothing in a bakery where one buys bread rolls. It is certainly possible to ...
- 37.5k
8
votes
Accepted
Luggage storage in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
There are lockers at the train station in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, as mentioned here: https://www.bahnhof.de/bahnhof-en/Garmisch-Partenkirchen-3805998
There are no prices on that page, but usually a ...
- 9,049
7
votes
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
I usually round up to the next Euro when under €10, to the next second or third Euro when under €25-30. After that approx. 10% but not more than €5 except service was extraordinary and outstanding.
...
- 426
5
votes
How long between flights is still a "Transit" through Munich airport?
As far as I can tell after quite a bit of research, there are no restrictions that would entirely prevent you from entry.
The Bavarian regulations (see §1 (1) and §2 (1)) only say that you have to ...
- 24.4k
4
votes
Do buses run on May 1st in Bavaria?
Edit:
As has been pointed out in the comment Ingolstadt Village is not the main stop for Ingolstadt but instead a shopping center - being an English speaker I had assumed incorrectly but should have ...
- 8,144
4
votes
Who goes first? Person disembarking bus or the bicycle?
Generally speaking, bicycles are classed as vehicles. And generally, vehicles must yield to pedestrians doing normal pedestrian things that they are entitled to do, like use a bus stop. So the ...
4
votes
Accepted
How long between flights is still a "Transit" through Munich airport?
This is, for you, a catch22 situation, since you must stay overnight to get a test result.
The rules for transit are the same for all german states:
Exception: transit
The obligation to self-isolate ...
- 30.3k
4
votes
Recent experience with travel to Germany from outside the EU
Answering my own questions since I just returned from this trip. Maybe that helps someone in a similar situation.
As a German citizen (I'm dual), I can always enter the country even if I arrive from ...
- 112k
3
votes
Is tipping mandatory at Restaurants and Bars in Germany?
10% is the usual amount. But if you have cash, what you usually do is take the amount, and round it up. If your bill is €24.30, you leave €27 which is very close to 10%. If it is €24.90, you will see ...
- 4,054
3
votes
Accepted
Refund of Cable-car Ticket in case of Cancellation on account of Bad Weather
Translation of the German Allgemeine Beförderungsbedingungen (using DeepL, emphasis mine):
Cable cars
§ 8 Exemption from the obligation to carry
Events of force majeure such as weather conditions, ...
- 3,401
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible