Car Rental Berlin

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Berlin is rich in architectural splendor and the capital of Germany. With about 3,400,000 inhabitants, Berlin is the largest City in Germany. It is 38 kilometres long and 45 kilometres wide and covers an area of 889 square kilometres. Berlin's latest transformation includes impressive attractions. The Potsdamer Platz development is alive with entertainment options and north of the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag's glass dome peers out over the emerging government quarter. Architecture is definitely the calling card of the "New Berlin," but the city's many parks, canals and forest-rimmed lakes are still its loveliest real estate. German is the main language, but English is widely understood, particularly by younger Berliners.

Tipping
A service charge is always included in a restaurant bill, but it is customary to round the tab up by around 10%, provided you're satisfied with the service. In most restaurants, you pay the waiter directly. Tell the waiter the total amount to keep, including the tip. If you don't want any change back, just say "Stimmt so". For taxi drivers a 10% tip is most common.

Driving in Germany
The minimum age to drive is 17 years old. Children must be at least 12 years of age to sit in the front seat (unless the seat is equipped with a child restraint). The use of seat belts is mandatory for both front and rear seat passengers. Generally foreign driver's licenses are valid for one year.

Drinking and Driving
The legal blood alcohol limit is 50 mg. You will lose your license immediately for one month if upon your first offense the breathalyzer shows you are above the 80mg level.

Speed Limits

The Autobahnen
There is a recommended speed of 130 kph (81 mph) on the autobahnen, but there is no speed limit on most stretches. Where there are speed limits, exceeding these carries large fines as do going through a red light or passing on the right, which is illegal!

Today an Autobahn is characterized by lanes 3.5 to 4 metres wide, a landscaped median some 4 metres wide, roomy shoulders, grades no greater than 4 percent, a minimal frequency of interchanges, freeze-resistant surface, reflector posts every 50 metres, emergency telephones every 2 km, fences and tunnels to keep wildlife off the road, pre-planned pre-posted and well-signed detour routes to handle road closures, frequent reststops and over 700 24-hour service areas every 40 to 60 km or so. As an Autobahn heads into a metropolitan area it becomes a Stadtautobahn, characterized by six to eight lanes, frequent diamond exits, and a lack of reflector posts and emergency telephones. It's illegal to stop on shoulders and ramps and it's illegal to run out of gas.

Don't even think about passing on the right, as it is highly illegal on all German roads. There's somewhat of a respect amongst cars, in which VWs move for Audis, which move for BMWs, which move for Mercedes, which move for the kings of the road, the Porsches.

Germany also has about eighty theme highways, including the Romantic Road (Romantischestraße), the Fairy Tale Road (Märchenstraße), and the Castle Road.

Parking
Parking is banned within 5 metres of a pedestrian crossing, within 10 metres of a traffic light or stop sign, within 15 metres of a bus or tram stop, within 50 metres of a level railroad crossing, and along a priority road outside a built-up area. There is no parking zones along streets which are indicated by a zig-zag white line painted on the street. Parking discs (Parkscheibe) are required in Blue Zones or Blaue Zones. You can buy these discs at fuel stations, tourist information centres and tobacconists. The Parkleitsystem is a parking system using a series of electric signs around the central area of a city. These blue-and-white signs indicate the occupancy of various nearby parking garages. Next to the name of the parking garage is either a number which shows the current number of free spots or the word besetzt (full).

Fuel
Unleaded petrol is called bleifrei normal or bleifrei super. Regular unleaded petrol has an octane rating of 91; the octane rating of super is 95 or 98. Diesel is called diesel, and LPG is called autogas.

Helpful Contact Numbers
Here are some telephone numbers you may find useful during your trip in Berlin.

• Police: 110
• Fire Brigade and Ambulance: 112
• German Red Cross: +49(30)85 00 55
• Ambulance: +49(30)31 00 31
• Emergency Poison Help-Line: +49(30)192 40