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Rick Steves' Germany

Updates since the (upcoming) 2010 edition:

All Munich–Venice daytime trains now require a connection at Verona (or choose the route via Villach with bus connection). Munich–Vienna–Budapest fast service via Railjet trains will increase to five departures per day (but in the reverse direction, one of the five will end at Salzburg instead of Munich).

Updates since the 2009 edition:

General

The US office of the German National Tourist Office no longer has a phone number for consumers; they can only be reached through their website, www.cometogermany.com. Through this site you can download various materials, and order up to two brochures sent to you for free; receiving more info by mail requires a small donation.

The Bayern-Ticket (a type of Länder-Ticket) can only be used on local trains. For more information, see www.bahn.de/international/view/en/prices/germany/laender_tickets.shtml.

The new nation-wide number for train information is 0180-599-6633 (€0.14/min).

Bavaria

The Bavarian Palace Department now offers a 14-day palace pass that may be worthwhile for busy sightseers (€20/single, €36/family — covers 2 adults and their children under age 18). If you're staying longer in Germany, consider the annual pass (€45/single, €65/family). Among the 40 sights covered are Nürnberg's Imperial Palace (€6 without the pass); Würzburg's Marienberg Fortress (€5) and Residenz (€7); Munich's Residenz Museum and Treasury (€6 apiece or €9 combo-ticket); and Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, and Linderhof castles (€9 apiece or €18 combo-ticket for all three). The passes are sold at all covered sights — for more info, visit www.schloss.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/jahresk.htm.

Oberammergau

The local hostel's street address is Malensteinweg 10.

Reutte, Austria

The Alpenhotel Ernberg no longer allows non-guests to use their self-service laundry.

The bus between Füssen and Reutte now runs almost hourly during the week, and four times a day Saturdays and Sundays — making connections to Neuschwanstein Castle from Reutte much easier.

Salzburg

Current rates for Haus Reichl B&B are: Db-€60, Tb-€75, Qb-€92–97 (non-smoking, between Ballwein and Bankhammer B&Bs, 200 yards down Reiterweg to #52, bus stop: Gsengerweg, tel. & fax 0662/826-248, www.privatzimmer.at/haus-reichl, haus.reichl@telering.at, friendly Franziska bakes fresh cakes most days).

For further notes on Salzburg, please see the updates for the Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol guidebook.

Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber

For a taxi, call 09861/2000 or 09861/7227.

Fahrradhaus Krauss bike shop has new hours: Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00, Sat 9:00–13:00, closed Sun.

The Nightwatchman's Tours are no longer free for kids.

Local guide Martin Kamphans has a new email address: post@stadtfuehrungen-rothenburg.de.

The Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum has new hours: daily May–Oct 10:00–18:00, Nov and Jan–Feb 14:00–16:00, Dec and March 13:00–16:00, April 11:00–17:00.

Sales tax is no longer deducted with mailed purchases at the Friese shop.

Gästehaus Viktoria has closed.

Würzburg

The opulent Residenz Palace (the prince-bishop's residence) is undergoing a lengthy restoration. The Kaisersaal (Emperor's Hall) has reopened, but the sumptuous chapel has closed for several years of renovation.

The TI's city walking tour now runs on Fridays at 13:00, May–Oct also Saturdays at 13:00.

The Hotel Barbarossa has a new email address: info@hotel-barbarossa-wuerzburg.de, Martina Marchiorello.

Frankfurt

The meeting time for Insider Tours/Frankfurt on Foot walking tours is 10:30 daily at the Römer/Paulskirche tram stop (www.insidertour.com). Their new phone number: mobile 01520-846-4200.

The Maingau Hotel has a new email address: info@maingau.de.

Rhine Valley

Bacharach

One of the numbers listed for taxi service is incorrect (06743-1418). Two numbers that'll get you a cab are 06743-1653 and 0674-4488. Better yet, pack light!

Trier

The Liebfrau church is closed for renovation through 2010.

The Hotel Römischer Kaiser has a new website and email: www.friedrich-hotels.de, rezeption@friedrich-hotels.de.

Köln

The TI no longer offers private guided walking tours.

Dresden

The city is down to one TI, located in the Culture Palace, near the Hofkirche (Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–15:00, Schlossstrasse 2, tel. 0351/5016-0160, info@dresden.travel).

At the Royal Palace, the grand state rooms of Augustus the Strong are unlikely to open in 2009 (now they're saying 2010).

Both the Zwinger Palace's Mathematics-Physics Salon and the Albertinum (which houses two top-notch art museums) are still under renovation and are now set to reopen in 2011.

The Semperoper's box office is no longer closed on Sundays (now Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–16:00).

Hotel Martha Hospiz has a new website and email address: www.hotel-martha-hospiz.de, rezeption@marthahospiz-dresden.de.

Berlin

A new super-short U-Bahn line (U-55) now runs between Pariser Platz/the Brandenburg Gate and the Hauptbahnhof, with just one stop (at the Reichstag) en route. The stop at Pariser Platz — long named "Unter den Linden" and famous as one of East Berlin's unused "ghost" stations — has been renamed the "Brandenburger Tor" stop.

Berlin's observation point, Panaromapunkt, located across Potsdamer Strasse from the Sony Center, is closed for renovations until March 2010.

Insider Tour's basic introductory city walks cost €12, and leave daily at 10:30 and 15:00 from Coffeemamas at the Hackescher Markt S-Bahn station — just show up (4 hours, no afternoon tours Nov–March, will also pick you up 30 min before tour start from McDonald's opposite Bahnhof Zoo). They no longer publish a guide/magazine.

Private guide Nick Jackson has a new phone number: 0174-346-4262 (mobile).

While near Pariser Platz and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, consider ducking into the Mythos Germania exhibit, which displays a model of "Germania," the creepy fascist-utopian city that Hitler hoped would replace Berlin (a city he'd never liked). Recently discovered documents have revealed how detailed these plans were. To see the full model upstairs you've got to pay the admission fee, but anyone's welcome to the foyer to peek at a model of the "Great Hall" — a building that would have dwarfed the Brandenburg Gate (€6, foyer free, daily 11:00–19:00, Gertrud-Kolmar-Strasse 14, tel. 030/4991-0517).

The Pergamon Museum will be partially closed until some time in 2010. For certain periods of time over the next two years, the Pergamon Altar and/or the Ishtar Gate will not be on display (see www.museumsinsel-berlin.de for the latest).

The Neues Museum has reopened and now houses the Egyptian Museum, including its prized bust of Queen Nefertiti.

The Topography of Terror exhibit now includes descriptions in English (as mentioned in the sight's listing on page 487; the sidebar above incorrectly states that it's German-only).

The Pension Alexis has closed.

Arriving by sea: Trains run about hourly from Warnemünde Werft (dockyard) to Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main train station); take about three hours; usually require a change from S-Bahn to mainline train at Rostock and sometimes a second train connection; and cost €35–50 per person, each way, in second class. It's easy enough to buy tickets at the station with either cash or a credit card.