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[tonyringtail]

hi Guys, I'm planning on attending EF 2014 and making it my very first time to europe ever. As such, I need as much info not only about the con, but about travelling to europe from the USA. Anything that helps, what to avoid, even some suggestions to save money on airfare, anything goes. Please let me know.

[Rush_Lion]

I recommend you book your flight early, that usually makes a fair difference in ticket price. Also, if you're planning to bring a lot of stuff, check the size and weight restrictions on the flight beforehand! A friend of mind ended up having to empty half her suitcase on the airport. I'm not sure if you need a visa to go to Germany from the US, but you probably do, so look into that as well.
Otherwise it should be pretty straightforward!

[o'wolf]

hi Guys, I'm planning on attending EF 2014 and making it my very first time to europe ever.

Excellent! I'm looking forward to meet you here. :-)

As such, I need as much info not only about the con, but about travelling to europe from the USA. Anything that helps, what to avoid, even some suggestions to save money on airfare, anything goes. Please let me know.

• If you don't have a passport yet, or if it is about to expire before or during your stay, apply for one now.
• No visa for US citizens required, you can stay up to three months without a permit.
• The con location is easily reachable by public transport from both Berlin airports.
• In general, public transport in Germany is safe and just works.
• If you want to rent a car please not that German rental cars usually have manual transmission unless you specifically otherwise when renting.
• An AAA membership is valid for ADAC (the "German AAA") rebates and some services. Show your card.
• About driving in Germany: Make yourself familiar with traffic signs and regulations. Obey the speed limit, keep right unless you are passing other vehicles, don't pass other vehicles on the right, traffic lights are before the crossing, no turn on red (except when indicated), "yield for right" on unsigned crossings (instead of n-way-stops), ...

As the US Embassy in Germany states: Driving in Germany can be both an exhilarating and frustrating experience.  I can second the "frustrating" aspects. The embassy has some really useful hints and links, though:  http://germany.usembassy.gov/acs/about_germany/ — a lot of it is directed at US citizens who want to actually live in Germany, but it has also useful information for travellers.

And don't forget your passport.

[Schakaline]

The con location is easily reachable by public transport from both Berlin airports.

*snort*


Erm... yeah. We'll have updated travel information on the web site sometime in January, I swear. 

[Ralesk]

The con location is easily reachable by public transport from both Berlin airports.

*snort*


Erm... yeah. We'll have updated travel information on the web site sometime in January, I swear. 

*chuckle*  The TXL bus is an experience   And then so much S42 you could easily be in another city by the end of the trip, but it's still Berlin. (Well, it's a huge city...)


Tony: definitely stay a few days before or after the con and have a look around in town.  You will most definitely not have the time during the con to do so, but Berlin is worth to see at least once.  As said, it's big, and it has a great history.  The Wall is definitely a must-see: both the remaining parts around the East Side Gallery, and the memorials near the Nordbahnhof.  I personally enjoyed the Oberbaumbrücke in the evening, and going around with the U1 is also nice (it's a high rise rail for many parts of its journey).

My experience with cons seems to be that if you stay after the con and get yourself busy being a tourist, it's much easier to fight off PCD

[tonyringtail]

Tony: definitely stay a few days before or after the con and have a look around in town.  You will most definitely not have the time during the con to do so, but Berlin is worth to see at least once.  As said, it's big, and it has a great history.  The Wall is definitely a must-see: both the remaining parts around the East Side Gallery, and the memorials near the Nordbahnhof.  I personally enjoyed the Oberbaumbrücke in the evening, and going around with the U1 is also nice (it's a high rise rail for many parts of its journey).

My experience with cons seems to be that if you stay after the con and get yourself busy being a tourist, it's much easier to fight off PCD Smiley

Oh I plan on staying at least an entire week and at least seeing some of the sights, providing someone would be kind enough to help me out and be a tour guide. It's hard enough being in another part of the world you've never been, but worse when you can't understand the language.

[SouthPaw]

The con location is easily reachable by public transport from both Berlin airports.

*snort*

Erm... yeah. We'll have updated travel information on the web site sometime in January, I swear. 

Will it read along the lines of: "Fly to London, take Eurostar to Brussels, ICE to Cologne, thence Berlin, then the S-Bahn out to the hotel"? 

In all seriousness, it's not as bad as EF8, which was 19.5km (12.2 miles) from the nearest railway station, let alone an airport.