The main meal of the day in Germany tends to be lunch with a light snack eaten at about seven in the evening. Breakfast served in homes and hotels usually consists of a boiled egg, bread rolls with jam, honey, cold cuts and cheese slices. Available from snack bars, butcher shops, bakers and cafes are grilled, fried or boiled sausages (wurst) with a crusty bread roll or potato salad. There are also bread rolls filled with all kinds of sausage slices, hot meat filling (such as leberkäse), pickled herring, gherkins and onion rings or cheese. In bakeries, strudel with the traditional apple filling, a variety of fruits and fromage frais is available. There is also an astonishingly wide variety of breads. A set menu meal in a simple gasthof or cafe usually includes three courses: soup is the most popular starter. The main meal consists of vegetables or a salad, potatoes, meat and gravy. For pudding, there is often a sweet such as a blancmange, fruit or ice cream. Restaurants often serve either beer or wine. Cakes and pastries are normally reserved for the afternoon with kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cakes) taken at home or in a cafe. Cafes serving kaffee und kuchen are not only to be found in cities, towns and villages but also at or near popular excursion and tourist spots. International speciality restaurants, such as Chinese, Greek, Turkish and others, can be found everywhere in the western part of the country. Waiter or waitress service is normal although self-service restaurants are available. Bakeries and dairy shops specialise in lighter meals if preferred.
Things to know: Bars can either have table service and/or counter service, although customers will often find that the drinks bought are simply marked down on a beer mat to be paid for on leaving. The legal age for drinking alcohol in a bar or cafe is 18. Minors are allowed to go into a bar if accompanied by an adult but they will not be served alcohol. Opening hours depend on the proprietor but generally bars in major towns and resorts are open all day and close around midnight or later. Exceptions are Berlin and Hamburg where every pub can open for 24 hours.
National specialities:
Frankfurt and Hesse:
• Rippchen mit sauerkraut (spare ribs).
• Frankfurter sausages.
Westphalia and Northern Rhineland:
• Westphalia is famous for its smoked ham, sausages and bread such as pumpernickel.
• Rheinischer sauerbraten (beef marinaded in onions, sultanas, pimento, etc).
Stuttgart and Baden:
• Schlachtplatte (sauerkraut, liver sausage and boiled pork).
• Schwarzwälder kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau).
Munich and Bavaria:
• Leberkäs (pork and beef loaf).
• Weisswurst (white sausage).
Hamburg and Northern Germany:
• Hamburger aalsuppe (eel/lobster/crayfish soup).
• Rumtopf (fruit marinated in rum).
Bremen:
• Hannoversches blindhuhn (hotpot with bacon, potatoes, vegetables and fruit).
• Kohn und pinkel (kale and sausages).
Berlin:
• Eisbein mit sauerkraut (leg of pork) and mashed potatoes.
• Eierpfannkuchen (pancakes).
March of Brandenburg:
• Mohnprielen and mohnstriezel (pastries with poppy seeds).
• Schwarzsauer mit backpflaumen und klößen (black pudding with prunes and dumplings).
Saxony:
• Dresdner stollen (German christmas cake).
• Speckkuchen (bacon flan).
Saxony-Anhalt:
• Lehm und stroh (sauerkraut with mushy peas).
• Baumkuchen (literally tree cake, the thin layers of pastry are like the rings of trees).
Thuringia:
• Thüringer rostbratwürste (grilled sausages).
• Hefeplinsen (pancakes with raisins).
Mecklenburg-West Pomerania:
• Plum’n un klüt (plums and dumplings).
• Spickbost (smoked goose breast).

National drinks:
Munich and Bavaria:
• Weizenbier.
Hannover:
• Mumme (bittersweet beer withour hops).
Frankfurt and Hesse:
• Appelwoi (cider).
Stuttgart and Baden:
• Cannstatter (white wine).
• Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps).
Wurtzburg:
• Wurtzburger (dry white wine).

Tipping: It is customary to tip taxi drivers, hairdressers, cloakroom attendants, bar and restaurant staff; a 10 per cent tip in standard.

In all larger towns and cities in western Germany and also in the major eastern cities, visitors will have the choice between theatre, opera (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburgische Staatsoper and the National Theatre in Munich are some of the most famous names), nightclubs, bars with live music and discos catering for all tastes. Berlin, in particular, is famous for its large selection of after-hours venues. Traditional folk music is found mostly in rural areas. There are Bierkellers in the south and wine is drunk in small wine cellars in the Rhineland Palatinate, Franconia and Baden region.

Special purchases include precision optical equipment such as binoculars and cameras, porcelain, handmade crystal, silver, steelware, Solingen knives, leatherwear, sports equipment, toys from Nuremberg and Bavarian Loden cloth. Special purchases in eastern Germany include musical instruments, wooden carved toys from the Erzgebirge Mountains, and Meissen china (the workshops in Meissen are open to the public). Shopping hours: Most shops are open Mon-Fri 0900-1830, and 0900-1400 on Saturday. All shops, except a few bakeries, are closed on Sunday. New laws mean shops can now open until 2000 during the week and until 1600 on Saturday. Smaller shops may close 1300-1500 for lunch.