PhD Handbook

28 to book tickets in advance (online or machine), which is much cheaper, but you need to decide on a specific train and have to pay €15 to change it. If you travel frequently, you may find it useful to buy a “BahnCard”, which gives you discounts of 25% (costs ~60€) or 50% (>220€) for each ride. These can even be paid by your institute under some circumstances. It might be useful to inform yourself. The webpage of Deutsche Bahn also offers a very good timetable service, which also includes local connections (see www.bahn.de). They also provide the “DB Navigator”, an App for your smartphone. Busses Deutsche Bahn had the exclusive right for terrestrial long distance transportation for many years. Although regulations have changed, the bus system is not very well developed in Germany, but new companies are emerging every day. They can be a cheap alternative to trains (e.g., www.postbus.de, www.berlinlinienbus.de). Car sharing and car rentals Other convenient ways of transportation are joining one of many car-sharing companies (e.g., Drivenow, Flinkster, Multi- city, Car2Go) or renting a car. On longer time scales, this often shows to be cheaper than having your own car and allows you to pick the car that you need for the particular occasion. Also, the cars are relatively new and fuel-efficient. Car-pooling Car-pooling can be a cheap alternative to the public transpor- tation, if you drive with your own car and want to earn some money, or if you want to save money driving with someone else. Several online platforms offer this service (e.g., www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de, www.blablacar.de). 5.11 DRIVING CARS IN GERMANY AND INSURANCE Driver’s license (“Führerschein”) You may drive in Germany for 6 months with a driving license issued in your country of origin. After this 6 month period, driving licenses that have not been issued in an EU country must be exchanged for a German driver’s license. The rules and regulations regarding German driving license exchanges depend on your country of origin and the German state where the application is made. The “Landratsamt” or “Kreisverwal- tung” in your local area will be able to accurately inform you of the current requirements. Traffic regulations (‘Strassenverkehrsordnung’) If driving in Germany, it is important to familiarize yourself with the German traffic regulations, which can be found in German at www.strassenverkehrsordnung.de. Many independent companies print handbooks for those under-taking their drivers license test, which are easily understandable. Some key points to be familiar with: • Driving in Germany is on the right-hand side of the road • It is compulsory for everyone in the car to wear a seatbelt • For children under the age of 12 who are smaller than 150 cm a car seat is required. • Making telephone calls is only permitted when used in conjunction with a hands-free system • The speed limits, when not otherwise signposted, are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 100 km/h on country roads, and unlimited on motorways. • It is required that a first aid box, first aid blanket, reflective vest and warning triangle are carried on board. In case of an accident, the warning triangle must be placed at 50 m, HELMHOLTZ JUNIORS l 5 FURTHER INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL PHD STUDENTS - SETTLING INTO YOUR LIFE IN GERMANY

Seitenübersicht