Munich is a rich city. Prices are higher than anywhere else in Germany. Here is what may be useful to know besides that:
Currency
Germany is one of 11 European countries participating in monetary union. The former local currency, the deutsche mark (DM), ceased to be legal tender at the end of February, 2002. All transactions are now made in euros. The "Euro" has been fixed as a value of 1,95 DM
Euro notes come in denominations of EUR500, EUR200, EUR100, EUR50, EUR20, EUR10 and EUR5. The euro is divided into 100 cents, and coins are available as EUR2 and EUR1 and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 cents. The euro can be used in 11 other European countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.
The mark was divided into 100 pfennige. There were bills of 5 (rare), 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 marks and coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 50 pfennige and 1, 2, and 5 marks.
Exchange Services
International Currency Express (Phone: 888/278-6628 for orders, www.foreignmoney.com).
Thomas Cook Currency Services (Phone: 800/287-7362 for telephone orders and retail locations, www.us.thomascook.com).
Some price examples
(in US $):
just rough examples to get an idea of the price level.
Restaurant meal cheap 8$, good 13$+
Car rental/day 40$+
Cinema ticket 8$, opera ticket 10-50$
BigMac 2,70$
Pack cigarettes 2,60$
Beer (1/2 liter) 2-3$ in a bar,
0.30-0.60$ in a supermarket.
Train ride to Berlin (400 miles) 100$ o.w.
(without special deals)
one ride on the public transportation system 1.50$
Room rent 300$ small room,
800-1200$ 3,4-bedroom-apt./ month
1 liter of fuel for a car
(1 gallon=3.8 liters):
0.75$ Diesel
1.00$ gas, petrol (95-98 octane)
Telephone services (US cents/minute)
local call
4 daytime, 1.5 night
national call
4-12 daytime, 1.75-3 night
international 24/7
US 6-12
Europe 6-20
Australia 8-50
Tipping
The service charges on bills are sufficient for most tips in your hotel, though you should tip bellhops and porters; EUR1 per bag or service is ample. It's also customary to leave a small tip (a couple of euros per night) for the room-cleaning staff. Whether you tip the desk clerk depends on whether he or she has given you any special service.
Service charges are included in all restaurant checks (listed as Bedienung), as is tax (listed as MWST). Nonetheless, it is customary to round up the bill to the nearest mark or to leave about 5% (give it to the waiter or waitress as you pay the bill; don't leave it on the table, as that's considered rude). Bartenders and servers also expect a 2-5% tip.
In taxis round up the fare a euro or two as a tip. Only give more if you have particularly cumbersome or heavy luggage (though you will be charged extra for each piece of luggage anyway).
