Germany is a big country!
Long road trips ahead
Hamburg to Munich is around 490 miles, nearly 100 miles more than from Glasgow to London! And Stuttgart to Berlin is around 390 miles, 40 miles more than from Newcastle to Bournemouth.
So, if you're planning to get around by road, you may have some long journeys ahead of you.
For car hire. I suggest Europcar and for coach travel the obvious choice is Flixbus.
Some German footballing cities, however, are quite close to each other. From Colgone to Düsseldorf, for example, it's only about 30 miles, and from Dortmund to Gelsenkirchen less than 25 miles.
Below is a summary of the distances between the cities that hosted Euro 2024 (in miles):
The drive over from the UK is not a short one either. Once you get to the European mainland, the journey from Calais to Cologne, for instance is 260 miles. From Ostende to Berlin, it's a whopping 535 miles.
I remember driving back from Bavaria to the UK in my very first car, a bright orange VW Beetle, and stupidly doing it in one go, with just a snooze on the ferry. I was dangerously tired by the end of the journey, I can tell you. So, if you're planning on taking a car or campervan to the Euros, do build in a few stops along the way.
If you're planning on hiring a car, firms I've used in the past in Germany include Budget and Europcar.
If you're camping, you'll find some good places to stop here.
Driving on the Autobahn
Must haves
Apart from being aware that many sections of German motorways do indeed have speed limits, there are some other key things that drivers need to know.
Documents
When driving in Germany you need to carry with you a valid form of ID (e.g., your passport), proof of insurance cover, your driving licence and your V5 registration log book (or a VE103 document if you're driving a hire car).
Warning triangle and more
In addition to the above paperwork, there also some physical items that you need to have in the car when driving in Germany. A warning triangle, first-aid kit and reflective jackets for each person in the car are all obligatory.
A full iist of requirements is provided by the AA here.
Coach travel
For long-distance coach travel, the market leader by far in Germany is FlixBus.
Having been set up in 2012 in Munich, it has quickly grown to dominate the German coach travel market and expanded into many countries worldwide in the meantime. It took over Megabus in Europe, as well as Eurolines.
FlixBus now offers coach travel all around Germany, plus from the UK to Germany at prices similar to what you might pay for Megabus in the UK.
Example journey times and prices (October '23):
Cologne Airport to Frankfurt Main Station: 2:10 hrs; fare £10.49. Go to FlixBus website.
Stuttgart Airport to Munich Central Bus Station: 3:05 hrs; fare £8.99. Go to FlixBus website.
Hamburg Central Bus Station to Berlin Central Bus Station: 3:15 hrs; fare £10.49. Go to FlixBus website.
Berlin Central Bus Station to Leipzig Central Bus Station: 2:15 hrs; fare £6.99. Go to FlixBus website.
London Victoria Coach Station to Cologne Airport: 11:59 hrs; fare £33.99. Go to FlixBus website.
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