Latest from Local Germany
Local Germany
an hour ago
- Local Germany
Hotels, transport and food: How the cost of travel in Germany is rising this summer
The price of a summer holiday in Germany is rising once again this year, with hotels costing between 20 and 30 percent more in 2025 than five years ago, according to analysis by Budget Your Trip . For example, in 2025 the average price of a hotel room in Germany is €90 to €110 per night for a standard room - up significantly from five years ago when the average price was approximately €65 to €75. It's possible to pay a lot more, of course, and rooms can still be found for €30 to €50 per night in budget hotels. READ ALSO: How to save money on a camping holiday in Germany Higher transport costs Travelling by car or train remains a cost-effective option for many, especially for longer or interregional trips, but even here the overall trend is toward higher travel expenses for residents and visitors alike. The most visible change this year was the rise in the Deutschlandticket price to €58 a month, but road travel has also been affected by higher fuel and parking costs. COMPARE: Is it cheaper to fill your fuel tank in Germany or across the border? Eating and drinking out According to Germany's statistical office and current industry analyses, restaurant prices in Germany have risen by an average of around 30 percent since 2020, approximately double the rate of inflation over the same period. Even simple dishes like lasagne or salad have become around 20 to 25 percent more expensive and side dishes such as fries have seen an even greater increase. The steep rise in prices – driven by high energy costs and labour costs as well as inflation – is especially marked when it comes to drinks. The price of beer, in particular, has risen dramatically, with the cost of a litre of Helles set to hit a record high of €15.80 at this year's Oktoberfest. READ ALSO: Major German beer brands announce price increases Advertisement How are Germans reacting to the rising costs of a holiday at home? Germany remains the favourite travel destination for German tourists, accounting for 36 percent of all leisure trips taken by Germans in 2024. But the number of people choosing to holiday abroad continues to grow. A stand-up paddler sails on Lake Constance (Bodensee). Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Felix Kästle According to the ADAC Travel Monitor, one in every three Germans is now prioritising saving when it comes to planning their summer holidays, with a growing number of people looking at more affordable destinations including Bulgaria, Tunisia, and Egypt. Germans are also booking their holidays earlier to take advantage of early bird deals. According to the ADAC, 44 percent of German holiday makers booked their main vacation four months in advance in 2024, compared to 39 percent in 2022 and 35 percent in 2020. The most important criterion for people in Germany booking their summer holiday remains uncomplicated arrival and departure - named by nearly three-quarters of German travellers. For people holidaying in Germany, Bavaria maintains its position as the number one destination among the federal states. READ ALSO: Eight of the most beautiful German villages to visit this summer Advertisement Following an analysis of German tourism by the Stiftung für Zukunfstfragen (Foundation for Future Studies) , Professor Ulrich Reinhardt summed up the domestic travel trends in Germany: 'classic destinations such as the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts or the Alpine region remain popular, but lesser-known destinations are becoming increasingly important. "More and more citizens are consciously choosing new places away from the busy holiday areas and are looking for more individual travel experiences.'
Local Germany
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Local Germany
Fête de la Musique 2025: How to make the most of Germany's all-night music party
Fête de la Musique, held every year on June 21st, began in France but is increasingly popular in other countries, including Germany. This year, it falls on a Saturday, so festivities should be doubly raucous. Here's a look at what you need to know about this massive street party and how you can make the most of it. What is Fête de la Musique? Fête de la Musique was first held in France in 1982. In France, the evening features tens of thousands of musicians of all stripes playing in the street, from jazz quartets to underground DJs. The idea has caught on internationally, though usually on a smaller scale. It always takes place on the summer solstice, meaning there is plenty of sunlight to continue enjoying the performances as the evening goes on. Events usually begin in the afternoon, lasting well into the early hours. Performances are often free. Despite seeming to be very French, the idea for Fête de la musique came from an American - Joel Cohen - in the 1970s. He was at the time working for French national radio and he had the idea of spending a whole day - the longest day of the year - celebrating music. What's on this year In Germany, more than 140 towns and cities across the country will hold events. READ ALSO: Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in June 2025 Advertisement Fête de la Musique is most popular in Berlin, which was the first German city to hold the event in 1995, but other cities including Hannover, Munich and Stuttgart will also host festivities. A full list of events can be found on the Fête de la Musique Germany website . Breakdance and hip-hop artists perform on the stage at the Brandenburg Gate as part of the Fête de la Musique in 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Soeren Stache Here is a selection of a few events to look out for around the country: Berlin Pankow is this year's partner borough, so expect especially joyous festivities in the northern neighbourhood. Over 40 venues will take part this year, including French Night at the Kesselhaus to the Evangelisches Gemeindehaus in Alt-Buch. Friedrichshain disco band Tango Bravo will play at 7:30pm in the Bärenzwinger in Mitte. The four-man band won the SPH Music Masters, Europe's largest live music competition, this year, so expect a packed-out venue. Classical music fans can head to Kulturforum Berlin at 7pm to see the Berlin Philharmonic play works by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, completely free. You can find the complete Berlin Fête Programme here . Hannover At the Hohes Ufer, Bazzookas from the Netherlands return for the sixth time with skapunk performances atop their yellow school bus, playing sets throughout the evening. The Ballhof stage promises eclectic and experimental sounds. The Pariser KunstKollektiv curates an adventurous program ranging from soulful pop and artsy electro to experimental funk and drum & bass. For a more relaxed setting, the singer-songwriter stage outside Fairkaufhaus on Limburgstraße 1 will host acoustic sets from artists including Nora Lotz and Frederik Tietz from 3pm to 8pm. More events in Hannover are found here . Advertisement Hamburg From 2pm, Altona train station will host live performances by the Knut Richter Duo, classic French songs with Rendez-Vous Chansons Swing, and the Balkan-inspired Strandgut Plus band. The Institut français will host Kumulo, a young German-French band with jazzy undertones, from 6:30pm. Later, THORD1S will play 80s-inspired pop, layered with deep bass, live vocals, and saxophone. More events can be found here . Rostock Over 20 stages will host diverse acts around Rostock on the Baltic coast. At Circus Fantasia, rock takes centre stage with bands including In Ora Mundi, Morpheme, and Richtungswexel. Klostergarten, meanwhile, will lean into the heavy side of music with melodic death metal, modern metalcore, and progressive noise acts. Other highlights include the eclectic Am Brink stage featuring funk, indie, and jazz and punk rock at Haedge Halbinsel. See this website for more details. Munich A small event will be held at the Institut Français de Munich from 5pm, featuring the Munich Franco-German choir, a jazz band, and an afro-house DJ set by DJ Linola. READ ALSO: How to make the most of Germany's long summer days
Local Germany
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
European countries announce joint action against Russia's 'shadow fleet'
According to a statement from Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom had met to discuss the issue on Thursday. "We have agreed to further strengthen our cooperation and ensure a joint and coordinated approach by our national authorities to address Russia's shadow fleet," the statement said. The countries had committed to "compile a common set of guidelines in line with international law to promote responsible behaviour at sea, strengthen compliance with international law, and ensure transparency across maritime operations." Security analysts say Russia is operating a large "shadow fleet" of hundreds of vessels, seeking to dodge the sanctions Western nations imposed on its oil exports over the war in Ukraine. Several undersea Baltic cables were damaged last year, with many experts calling it part of a "hybrid war" carried out by Russia against Western countries. "If vessels fail to fly a valid flag in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, we will take appropriate action within international law," the statement said. Advertisement It added that "stateless vessels, including those falsely claiming to fly a flag," lack a responsible flag state and do not have the same rights entitled to them under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In January, NATO announced the deployment of ships, aircraft and drones in a Baltic Sea operation in response to damage to several submarine cables, but the operation requires considerable human and material resources. In the face of these threats, the transatlantic organisation wants to strengthen its fleet of unmanned surveillance ships in the Baltic Sea as part of its operation "Task Force X".
Local Germany
21 hours ago
- Business
- Local Germany
Q&A: What we know about Germany's plan to give kids pensions
With the planned introduction of an early start pension ( Frühstart-Rente ), the federal government wants to encourage school children in Germany to think about saving for retirement from an early age. Originally described in the black-red coalition agreement between the conservative Union and the centre-left Social Democrat parties as something the new government 'wanted' to do, ministers have decided to press ahead with legislation, with a view to launching the scheme in January 2026. The announcement raises a number of questions for international residents in Germany – not least whether children who attend German schools, but don't have German citizenship, will be eligible for the scheme. What exactly is being proposed? The plan is that every child attending school in Germany will get €10 per month paid into an individual pension portfolio in their name. This means every child from the ages of six to 17 - not just those starting school next year. When children turn 18, the government contributions would stop but individuals could make further contribution on their own if they wish. Savings in the accounts will remain tax-free until retirement, when individuals with accounts in their name would be able to access the pension funds. READ ALSO: '€10 a month' - Germany to set up pension accounts for all children from age 6 Will foreign children who attend German schools be included in the scheme? Under current plans, all children aged six to 17 who are enrolled in a German school – regardless of nationality – are expected to qualify for the new pension accounts. Advertisement This is consistent with the way other child-related benefits in Germany are structured, where residency and participation in the German education system are the key criteria, rather than citizenship. Do I have to opt-in & can I opt out? At present, the government has indicated that it intends to open savings accounts for all children who enrol in German schools automatically , suggesting there will be no need to opt-in to the scheme. It is currently unclear whether parents will be able to opt-out of the scheme on behalf of their children – an option which may be desirable for families who don't plan on staying long in Germany and would rather avoid the hassle of potentially needing to report on foreign investment accounts to the tax authorities in their home countries. EXPLAINED: Is it worthwhile to set up a private pension plan in Germany? What is the scheme supposed to achieve? Beyond giving the next generation something of a financial boost, the early start pension aims to improve the financial literacy and financial education of the population. An analysis by the economic policy publication Wirtschaftsdienst suggests that the plan could also strengthen the private, capital-covered pension provision through the use of compound interest effects. Under current plans, the capital can only be accessed upon reaching retirement age. Advertisement Some commentators have suggested the plan could further widen inequality in Germany, offering substantial additional benefits to people who can continue making contributions once the state stops (when the child reaches the age of 18). If no further payments are made after the age of 18, and assuming a rate of return of six percent a year, the account holder would have access to €36,320 on their 67th birthday. However, the beneficiary can look forward to receiving €374,520 if an additional €100 is added to the account each month from the age of 18. This assumes, of course, that the statutory retirement age in Germany remains 67. There are no current plans to raise the age of retirement in Germany again, but it is impossible to say what will happen over the next 61 years. A similar point holds true for the impact of inflation over the same period. Under current plans, the account holder will be able to access the savings when he or she reaches the age of retirement, whenever that is. Will it work? In some respects, it won't be possible to answer this question until 2087. In other respects, the first real test of the scheme will come 12 years after it begins, when data becomes available on the number of people who continue paying into the accounts. Advertisement Israel and the UK have both previously introduce similar schemes, but their focus was a bit different: Those were designed primarily to provide young adults with a financial cushion, with funds generally accessible from the age of 18. (The UK discontinued it's scheme in 2011, nine years after it was introduced in 2002.) Currently, money that is paid into pension pots today is used to pay at least a portion of the pensions drawn by people who have already retired. This situation is projected to become increasingly unsustainable as the average age in Germany continues to rise. READ ALSO: Why freelancers may have to pay into the German pension fund in future Estimated to cost less than €1 billion per school cohort, the Frühstart-Rente scheme can be seen as a relatively inexpensive, long-term attempt to mitigate the impact of this trend.
Local Germany
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Mutilation ban and microchips: The new EU laws around cat and dog welfare
The European Union is home to more than 72 million dogs and 83 million cats, according to the European Commission, which so far has only regulated health requirements for them related to travel within the bloc. But an uptick in trafficking pushed the EU to propose a set of common rules for breeding, housing and handling the animals, whose sales generate an estimated €1.3 billion annually. The European Parliament in Strasbourg voted on a text put forward by the commission in 2023, which introduces minimum welfare criteria for dogs and cats in kennels and shelters. Lawmakers also voted to ban the keeping or selling of dogs and cats in pet shops, a provision not included in the original text, meaning buyers would have to buy them directly from breeders or kennels. 'With this proposal, we would create the first-ever minimum rules, giving member states the possibility to go beyond these standards,' said the text's rapporteur, Veronika Vrecionova of the hard-right ECR group. Approved with 457 votes in favour and 17 against, the bill says all dogs and cats should be identified with a subcutaneous microchip when they are sold – a system already in use in some member states – and registered in an EU database. That would increase traceability and tackle illegal traffic, predominantly of dogs, with animal protection groups singling out eastern EU countries like Romania and Bulgaria. Painful mutilations, like cutting tails or ears, will also be banned in most cases, as will electric, choke and spiked collars without safety stoppers. Advertisement The law also prohibits inbreeding and the breeding of animals with accentuated traits, such as overly short legs, that could affect their welfare. The measures enjoyed broad consensus among political groups but the extent of their application had been the cause of contention, leading to some amendments. An exception for breeders keeping a small number of animals, which had upset some on the left, was weakened by parliament, which lowered the threshold for breeders to qualify. Yet other exemptions opposed by animal rights activists remained. The ban on mutilations for example is less stringent for hunting dogs. Similarly, coercive collars will still be allowed to train police, military and border patrol dogs. 'This text lays some interesting foundations, but it does not go to the heart of the matter,' said Christophe Marie of the French animal protection group Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis. The legislation must still be approved by EU member states before coming into force.
