If you’ve been there or live there, I’d love to hear your perspective. I’m going for the first time to visit my daughter, who lives with her German boyfriend near Munich in a town called Grunwald. I’m coming from Michigan. The question’s intentionally broad since I’m curious about everything: must-try experiences, daily life, culture, etc.

  • kyub@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    25·
    14 days ago

    German here. These are some cultural and day-to-day differences compared to the US:

    • Sundays are officially a day of rest and so most shops and businesses are closed that day, with several exceptions like high priority stuff, restaurants, tourism/event-related stuff and so on. But you can’t go to a regular supermarket or expect a package delivery on a Sunday. Although some sundays are also different, it’s like an “event” where regular shops open sometimes. But that’s rare.
    • Cash is still very widely used (and you also should generally use it even if it’s less convenient because it’s probably the most privacy-preserving payment option), but other payment options are also available almost everywhere
    • There are tiny fees of around 1 € you probably need to pay when e.g. going to a public toilet or using a shopping cart (but for the cart, you get it back when returning the cart). You also need to pay extra for bags, or bring your own.
    • Tip culture is very different, Germans usually pay very small tips compared to the US and no one expects you to, but in restaurants it’s common to tip something like 2 € for a bill of 25 € for example. Or you simply round up the number to avoid the hassle of small coins.
    • Prices always include taxes already
    • Water isn’t free and usually you can’t order tap water, although tap water is drinkable generally
    • You can drink alcohol with fully visible labels/bottles in public
    • For bottles and cans, there’s a “Pfand” which is like an extra deposit. So a bottle of water usually costs slightly more, but when it’s empty you can return it to get the extra deposit value back. It’s to encourage recycling.
    • Germans are more reserved in public and might do less small talk, and are usually more direct, but that doesn’t mean they’re unfriendly. This also applies to customer service! Personally I like this more than obviously fake and exaggerated politeness.
    • You should be more quiet in or near residential areas between like 10pm and 7am
    • Punctuality is highly valued, this is actually not exaggerated or a myth. Public transport might not wait for you if you’re 1-2min late. People will assume that something’s wrong when you’re a couple of minutes late to an appointment. Although there is one well-known exception: trains aren’t always punctual or reliable. But other public transport usually is.
    • Highways have no speed limits in parts but you still probably shouldn’t drive much faster than 130 km/h. Pass other cars only on the left lanes, never on the right lanes. Also don’t drive on bike lanes.
    • Basically all streets or public spaces are safe to walk around. Also children don’t need supervision.
    • Most Germans have very good English skills, except maybe very old generations
    • psycotica0@lemmy.ca
      8·
      13 days ago

      As a Canadian visiting Munich with only very basic phrasebook German, virtually everything was English Compatible, and I had nearly no problems. The biggest problem I did have was that one night we got takeout from a Thai restaurant (don’t ask…) and the people at the Thai restaurant spoke German, and presumably Thai, but not English. These were the only people in Munich we encountered that didn’t speak English, but that seems fair to me since presumably German is already not their first language.

      And the second was that we went to a grocery store that apparently only had Self Checkouts or something, and we didn’t understand the protocol for how the line divided between the checkout machines, so we were shouted at for not taking machine 7 when it was our turn. Again, our fault, but the shouter didn’t know we didn’t speak German, and so shouted in German, and I didn’t put together right away that what they were shouting meant “7” in the context, but in the end it worked out and we all lived.

      The last problem I had was just the general vague sense of shittyness I feel about myself anytime I visit somewhere without speaking their language, but the Munich trip was kind of a surprise addition to a France trip for logistical reasons, and I had no time to study. But none of the people there made me feel that, it’s just a me thing.

    • Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      13 days ago
      • Most Germans have very good English skills, except maybe very old generations

      Anecdotally, nearly every German I’ve ever talked to - in real life or online - has had better English skills than the average native speaker. Their secondary language education is genuinely impressive.

    • starlinguk@lemmy.world
      4·
      13 days ago

      I don’t find Germans reserved at all. Maybe it’s because I live in BW? I see spontaneous conversations between strangers all the time. On the train, sitting on a bench in town, during a hike, even on a parking lot (like today, a lady started a conversation about my Brandenburg license plate).

    • PlexSheep@infosec.pub
      4·
      13 days ago

      If OP is from the US and visiting a city, they also should definitely try public transit or cycling here :)