Etiquette and Customs in Germany: What First-Time Visitors Need to Know

Most of what trips up first-time visitors in Germany is written down somewhere: a fine schedule for pedestrians, a state smoking law, a cathedral’s posted dress rules, a deposit printed on a drink label. Manners follow the same logic: people greet each other plainly, tip modestly, and expect strangers to follow posted rules without a reminder.

Where a rule depends on the German state (Germany has 16, and each sets its own smoking and shop-hours rules) or on the individual site, the text says so. Check the operator’s page for current opening hours and entry rules before you go, since sites change them at short notice.

Greetings, ID, and laws that apply to visitors

Most conversations open with a greeting. "Guten Morgen" (good morning), "Guten Tag" (good day) and "Guten Abend" (good evening) work with anyone, and "Hallo" is fine in casual settings. "Tschüss" is the casual goodbye, and "Auf Wiedersehen" is the more formal one. Greet the person behind the counter when you walk into a small shop, bakery or café, and say goodbye when you leave. This is normal courtesy.

German has two words for "you": the formal "Sie" and the informal "du." Use "Sie" with strangers, shop staff, hotel employees and anyone older than you unless they invite you to switch. Friends, children and many younger people use "du" with each other, and Germans will usually signal when they want to move to it. A handshake is the standard greeting in formal or first-time meetings. If you speak English, starting with "Entschuldigung" (excuse me) before asking whether the person speaks English is polite.

Nazi symbols, salutes, songs and material, including flags and memorabilia, are illegal to use or display. That includes jokes and gestures made in photos, and the law applies to tourists exactly as it does to residents. The same Australian government advice says you do not have to carry your passport, but authorities can ask to see identification, so carry a photo ID. It also warns that drug penalties for possession, use or trafficking, even of small amounts, include heavy fines and prison sentences, and drone rules include no-fly zones near airports and Oktoberfest venues.

Cash is another entry detail. The same advice says travelers must declare amounts over €10,000 (or equivalent, in all forms of currency) when traveling between Germany and non-EU countries. Travel to or from other EU countries needs no declaration. Failing to declare, or giving false information, results in a fine.

For emergencies, dial 112 for fire and medical help and 110 for the police.

Dress and conduct in cathedrals and synagogues

Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) has the most detailed visitor rules among Germany’s major churches, and they show what to expect elsewhere. The operator asks visitors to wear clothing appropriate to the dignity of the church. Shoulders and upper body must be covered, and skirts and trousers must cover at least half of the thigh. Clothing with religiously hostile or racist motifs is not allowed. Men may keep on head coverings that are health-required or religious. The wording is a request, and the cathedral does not publish a refusal rule, but treat it as a requirement. In summer, carry a scarf or light layer for your shoulders so you don’t have to rearrange your plans at the door.

Since 1 July 2026, a ticket is required for tourist visits to the cathedral interior. The Central Ticket Office is at Roncalliplatz 2 and is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tourist visits outside liturgical times run Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. (last admission 5:30 p.m.). On Sundays and church holidays they run from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (last admission 4:15 p.m.). Sunday mornings are taken up by Mass at 7:00, 8:30 and 10:00 a.m., noon and 6:30 p.m., so a Sunday morning sightseeing plan will not work. The cathedral’s official church service calendar has the current times.

If you want to pray or light a candle rather than sightsee, the North Transept, entered from the side facing Cologne Central Station, is free. It is generally open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. outside service times.

Behavior inside the cathedral follows the logic of a working church. Avoid loud talking and running, and keep your phone on silent, because calls and video calls are not allowed inside. Do not sing or play music outside services. Eat and drink outside, and do not smoke anywhere in the building, e-cigarettes included. Respect barriers and closed areas. Parents or adult companions are responsible for supervising children, and people who are visibly intoxicated may not enter.

Synagogues and Jewish sites

Synagogues in Germany have strict security. At the Neue Synagoge Berlin – Centrum Judaicum, all visitors pass through a metal detector at the entrance, and pregnant visitors and people with pacemakers are exempt. Never leave a bag unattended, allow extra time for the check, and follow security staff instructions. Visitors who break the rules or cause disruption may be asked to leave, and staff have the final say on what you may bring into the exhibit. Small child strollers are allowed, but larger ones are not.

The Jewish Museum Berlin applies airport-style security and requires photo ID. Berlin Tourism advises arriving at least 15 minutes before a timed entry and planning three to four hours for the visit.

Some synagogues are active houses of worship rather than sightseeing venues. Rykestrasse Synagogue in Berlin is not permanently open to the general public. Visits are possible on Open Heritage Day (Tag des offenen Denkmals) in September, during Jewish Kulturtage events and on some organized tours. Men may be expected to cover their heads there. The Central Council of Jews in Germany recommends checking visiting hours and any registration requirements on each community’s website and bringing photo ID.

At Jewish cemeteries, men should cover their heads. Weissensee provides kippot (skullcaps) at the entrance, and elsewhere a cap is acceptable. Many Jewish sites also close from Friday afternoon through Saturday for Shabbat, the weekly day of rest. Berlin Tourism lists the New Synagogue and Centrum Judaicum as closed on Saturdays, so confirm each site’s hours before you travel.

Photography at sacred sites

Photography rules are set site by site and are stricter than most visitors expect. At Cologne Cathedral, photos without flash and videos without extra equipment are allowed for private use outside services. During services, you may photograph or film only from your seat, you may not photograph other visitors directly, and you must follow staff instructions. Private photo shoots are banned. Tripods require permission from the Dompropst (the cathedral’s provost), and drones are banned both inside the cathedral and in its outdoor area.

The publishing rule surprises people most. Posting photos or video for non-private purposes requires prior permission, and the cathedral’s definition covers commercial and advertising use as well as private websites and social media. A casual Instagram post of the nave technically falls under that rule. If you plan to share images publicly, ask the cathedral first, and otherwise keep them for personal use.

Synagogues add privacy and security concerns. At Rykestrasse Synagogue, you may photograph the exterior from the public street, with consideration for pedestrians, residents and security. Interior photography is allowed only when expressly permitted. Never photograph worshippers, entrances, security equipment or interior activity without clear consent, and avoid framing shots that capture identifiable worshippers or security arrangements. A street photo of the façade that happens to include a guard post or someone entering is a photo to delete.

Museums set rules exhibit by exhibit. At the Jewish Museum Berlin, photography is generally permitted for personal use without flash or tripod in most spaces, but house rules restrict specific exhibits, and the Holocaust Tower is generally photo-free. Look for the pictogram signs at each room’s entrance, and ask a staff member when a sign is missing.

Drones deserve a separate warning. They are banned at Cologne Cathedral, and national drone rules include no-fly zones near airports and Oktoberfest venues. Check the local rules before you fly one anywhere in Germany.

Tipping, paying, and smoking in restaurants

How tipping works

German restaurant staff are paid wages, and menu prices already include service. German law requires service to be included in menu prices, so no separate service charge should appear on the bill. Some upscale restaurants do print a charge labeled "Bedienung inklusive," and if you see it, any further tip is optional.

Tipping is a small bonus for good service. The usual restaurant tip is 5 to 10 percent, with 10 percent the norm for good service at a nicer restaurant. Many people just round up instead of calculating a percentage. Cashinator cites a YouGov survey finding that most Germans who tip leave 6 to 10 percent, and it calls anything above 15 percent very generous.

How to hand over the tip

Tipping works differently from the American habit of leaving money on the table. In Germany you tell the server the total you want to pay when the bill is settled. Cashinator’s example is saying "Machen Sie 50" on a €46.80 bill, and "Stimmt so" means "keep the change." Servers often ask "Zusammen oder getrennt?" (together or separately), and splitting the bill at the table is normal.

Saying "Danke" as you hand over a note carries a risk. A quick "Danke" is often understood as "keep the rest", so if you want change back, wait for it before thanking the server. When paying by card, nobody is obliged to tip, and the guide cites the consumer organization vzbv in noting that "no tip" should be as easy to select as any other amount. To make sure the money reaches the server directly, pay the tip in cash.

Other tipping situations

Cafés and bars call for rounding up to the next euro, with 5 to 10 percent on a larger tab. Self-service counters such as beer gardens and bakeries do not expect a tip. For taxis, round up to the next euro and add €1 to €2 for luggage help or a pleasant ride. Hotel porters get €1 to €2 per bag, housekeeping about €2 to €3 a night (optional), and a concierge €5 to €10 for real help. Group tours merit €2 to €5 per person, and free walking tours in Berlin, Hamburg or Munich €10 to €15 per person.

Smoking rules vary by state

Smoking law is set state by state. Bavaria bans indoor smoking outright in restaurants and bars, with no smoking room and only a closed-society exception (geschlossene Gesellschaft). North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland also ban indoor smoking in restaurants and bars, with no smoking room and no small-bar exemption. The other 13 states allow fully separated smoking rooms and the single-room smoking pub (Raucherkneipe). Those pubs typically have a single guest room under 75 square meters and admit no one under 18. They serve no food or only simple food, and they post a notice at the entrance. Since 2025, states have been extending bans to e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco devices. Lower Saxony did so in 2025, and Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein follow in 2026. Hesse already covers them.

Nationally, smoking has been banned since 1 September 2007 at passenger railway stations and on public transport, including aircraft, trains, buses, trams and taxis. Separate marked smoking rooms are an exception. Deutsche Bahn extends its ban to the whole station area, including platforms and forecourts. Dropping a cigarette butt carries a fine of at least €60.

Street rules, bottle deposits, and Sunday closures

Crossing the street

Pedestrians are subject to a fine schedule, and Germans pay attention to it. Crossing on a red light carries a €5 warning fine, or €10 if it causes an accident. Crossing outside a designated place, or not by the shortest route, without endangering others is also €5 (€10 with an accident). Using the carriageway where a footpath or verge exists costs €5, and entering or crossing a motorway costs €10. The serious one is crossing a railway level crossing despite closed barriers: €350 and 1 point.

The fines are small, but social pressure deters more. Many pedestrians wait for the green signal even on an empty street, particularly where children might be watching, so stepping out against the light draws looks. Wait for the green.

Bicycles also surprise visitors. Bicycles have right of way over vehicles turning into side streets, and bicycle paths run along many sidewalks, often marked by color or paving. Standing in one gets you a bell or a shout, so stay on the pedestrian side. Metered taxis from official ranks are the safest choice, since touts at airports may overcharge.

Pfand: the bottle deposit

Most single-use drink containers carry a deposit called Pfand. It is €0.25 per single-use packaging unit, shown separately from the product price and refunded in full on return. The rule covers single-use beverage containers of 0.1 to 3 liters. Cans and single-use plastic bottles always carry the deposit, whatever the contents, including juice, wine and milk drinks. For single-use glass, the contents decide: beer, water and soft drinks carry a deposit, while wine, sparkling wine, spirits, fruit juice and milk in glass do not. Since 1 January 2024, milk and milk-mix drinks in single-use plastic bottles also carry it, while drink cartons are exempt.

Return empties to a shop that sells that type of container, where return machines take the bottle and print a voucher you redeem at the register. If you are leaving town, return the bottles first. Throwing a deposit bottle in the trash is a small waste of money. Some Germans leave bottles beside public bins so that collectors can return them.

Sunday closures

Shops are generally closed on Sundays, which surprises many first-time visitors. Opening hours have been set by each state since 2006, when the federal rules were replaced. Under the former federal rules, Monday to Saturday trading ran from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a general closure on Sundays and holidays. Today the rules vary: in Lower Saxony, shops may sell Monday to Saturday from midnight to midnight, while Bavaria extended weekday hours to 8:00 p.m. in August 2025. Most states allow four trading Sundays a year, though Lower Saxony allows more in recognized excursion resorts.

The exceptions on Sundays are pharmacies, petrol stations, and shops in railway stations, airports and ferry ports. Buy groceries and anything you need for a Sunday outing on Saturday, and treat a Sunday restaurant meal or a museum visit as the main plan.

Mistakes first-time visitors make most often

Most mistakes involve money. Visitors assume a service charge is added and then tip twice, or they say "Danke" while handing over a note and lose the change they expected. Tell the server the total you want to pay. Leaving a deposit bottle in the hotel trash is a smaller version of the same problem.

The second group involves clothing and cameras at sacred sites. At Cologne Cathedral, tank tops and short shorts fail the shoulders-and-thigh rule. Visitors also photograph or film during services from the aisle when the rule limits them to their seat, photograph other visitors, or post pictures online without prior permission. In synagogues, the usual errors are leaving a bag on the floor, underestimating the metal-detector queue, and arriving without photo ID.

A third group covers the street and public spaces. Crossing on red costs €5 and annoys everyone around you. Stepping into a cycle lane is a collision risk, because cyclists have priority. Smoking indoors is banned in the cathedral and in restaurants in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland, and a smoking-friendly pub in another state is permitted only under strict conditions. Displaying Nazi symbols is illegal, even as a joke.

Timing also causes problems. Many visitors expect shops to be open on Sundays and find only pharmacies, petrol stations and railway-station shops. Others reach a Jewish site on a Saturday and find it closed for Shabbat.

Watch your belongings. Pickpocketing and bag snatching occur, especially in major cities, transport hubs, Christmas markets and tourist attractions. The Canadian government also reports a significant increase in stolen passports on trains during the summer and winter holiday seasons, so keep valuables on your body and bags in sight. Strikes in aviation and ground transport occur regularly, and Australian travel advice reports strikes affecting trains and flights, so build slack into connections.

Key Takeaways

Dress and plan for sacred sites: Cologne Cathedral requires covered shoulders and upper body and skirts or trousers reaching at least halfway down the thigh, and since 1 July 2026 tourist visits need a ticket. Synagogues run airport-style security, so bring photo ID and arrive early.
Treat photography as restricted by default: At Cologne Cathedral, take flash-free private photos outside services, shoot only from your seat during services, never photograph other visitors, and never fly a drone. Posting to social media requires permission, and at synagogues interior photos are allowed only where expressly permitted.
Tip modestly and say the total out loud: Service is included in German menu prices, so round up or add 5 to 10 percent, and tell the server the amount you want to pay. A bare "Danke" with a banknote can be heard as "keep the change."
Wait for the green light and watch for bikes: Crossing on red costs €5, or €10 with an accident, and cyclists have right of way over turning vehicles.
Buy for Sunday on Saturday and keep your Pfand: Most shops close on Sundays outside pharmacies, petrol stations and station shops, and most cans and plastic bottles carry a refundable €0.25 deposit.
Carry photo ID and respect the legal limits: Authorities can ask for identification, and Nazi symbols, salutes, songs and material are illegal.