Germany Guide
Getting around
Cycling
Cyclists have an easy ride in Germany: any small roads have dedicated cycle-paths, as do cities where you'll often be on the pavement. When you are forced onto the road in towns you will be treated with respect by drivers rather than rammed into a curb. A network of long-distance cycle-paths, often following rivers such as those along the Elbe or the Weser, make cycling between destinations an appealing prospect were it not for the distances involved – Germany is deceptively large by European standards. On all but ICE services, trains can accommodate bikes so long as you have purchased a Fahrrad-Karte (bicycle ticket) alongside a seat ticket – these cost €9 (€6.50 with a rail card) on IC and EC services, which generally have a dedicated carriage, and €4.50 or free on local services and the S-Bahn, depending on the state. You'll also find bike racks on the buses in popular touring areas such as Rügen or Sylt, and bikes are permitted on just about all ferry services. Cycle helmets are not required by law, but all cyclists must display front and back lights at night.
Bike rental is widely available in cities, usually from the Hauptbahnhof; the Deutsche Bahn website lists contact details for fifty Fahrrad-Vermietstationen. A highly convenient innovation introduced and run by DB is CallBikes. Silver-and-red, full-suspension bicycles can be rented at any time of day for €0.07 per minute (up to €15 per 24hr period), with no deposit or minimum charge. Users need to register a credit card ( 
0700/05 22 55 22, 
www.callabike.de ). Registering your mobile will mean it will automatically debit your account when you call. Once you've registered, it's just a matter of calling the individual number on the side of a bike and receiving an electronic code to open the lock. To drop it off you can leave it on any street corner then ring up for a code to lock the bike and leave its location as a recorded message. Participating cities as of 2008 were Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, though others seem sure to join. Otherwise, hostels are an excellent source of bike rental, or most cycle shops offer rental for around €10–15 a day; inquire at local tourist offices. If you're planning to stay for any length of time, it works out cheaper to buy a secondhand bike and sell it when you leave.