Travelling and accommodation in Germany
Before you come to Germany, you should inform yourself about the visa regulations. This information is available from the German embassies and consulates in your home country or on the website of the German Foreign Ministry.
Tourist information about Germany can be found at the German National Tourist Board www.germany.travel/en.
Further general information for young people interested in coming to Germany is available on: deutschland.de
Travel grants
The Schwarzkopf Stiftung supports young people travelling through Europe or Germany with a grant. The journey should focus on a specific topic subject. To apply for this program you have to be 18 to 27 years old and are a resident in an EU country, Turkey or Russia. More information: schwarzkopf-stiftung.de
How to travel?
All information about travelling by by train in Germany can be found on the website of, Deutsche Bahn www.bahn.de including schedules and discouts for young people or groups.
In the past few years a large network of national bus lines have emerged. If you want to travel by bus check out www.busliniensuche.de. There you will find which companies offer which connections.
You can also travel by car, even if you don’t have one yourself. There are several websites where people offer a place in their car for a small fee, for instance www.blablacar.de
Reductions while travelling can be obtained using a student identity card. When travelling abroad an International Student Identity Card www.isic.de allows for several reductions before and while travelling and can be obtained from student's offices or student travel agencies.
Accomodation
Presently more than 600 Youth Hostels in Germany offer reasonably priced accommodation. You need a membership card to be admitted. Further information is provided by the International Youth Hostel Federation (www.hihostels.com) or the German Youth Hostel Association (www.jugendherberge.de/en).
More hostels can be found on regular hostel booking portals online.
In university cities the Studierendenwerk often helps with short term lodging or apartments: www.studierendenwerke.de.