Germany

Germany's rail network, operated primarily by Deutsche Bahn, connects nearly every city and town, with high-speed ICE trains linking major cities like Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg in a few hours.

The Autobahn motorway network, famous for its unrestricted-speed stretches, makes road travel between regions fast, though renting a car is most useful for reaching smaller towns and rural areas that trains don't serve well.

Within cities, an extensive U-Bahn (subway), S-Bahn (commuter rail), and tram/bus network covers most needs -- Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg all have particularly well-developed systems that make a car unnecessary for city travel.

Germany has fourteen international airports, giving most regions a nearby entry point without needing to route through Frankfurt or Berlin first.

Cycling infrastructure is extensive nationwide, and long-distance cycling routes following rivers like the Rhine and Danube are a genuinely popular way to see the countryside.

Germany is a very safe country to visit by international standards, with most safety concerns for travelers involving petty crime rather than violent crime.

• Pickpocketing is the most common issue for visitors, concentrated around major train stations, Christmas markets, and crowded tourist sites in cities like Berlin and Munich -- keeping bags zipped and in view in crowds is standard practice.
• 
  
• Autobahn driving includes long unrestricted-speed stretches -- unfamiliar drivers should stay out of the left lane unless actively passing, and treat the mirror-check habits of German drivers as the standard to match.
• 
  
• Bike lanes are physically separated from sidewalks in most German cities and treated as seriously as a road by cyclists -- walking in one, even briefly, is a common visitor mistake that can lead to a genuine collision.
• 
  
• Public demonstrations in major cities are generally peaceful but can disrupt transit -- checking local news before travel through a city center on a weekend is a reasonable precaution.
• 
  
• Emergency numbers: 112 for police/fire/ambulance, standard across the EU.