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English-German Travel Glossary

Englisch-Deutsches Reise-Lexikon

TRAVEL VOCABULARY > A-K > L-Z

Noun genders are indicated by: r (der, masc.), e (die, fem.), s (das, neu.)
Abbreviations used: adj. (adjective), n. (noun), pl. (plural), v. (verb)

Also see:
  Automobile Glossary
  Euro & Money Glossary
  Essential German
  Menu and Dining Guide
  Rail Travel Glossary
  Related Links

More vocabulary: English-German Glossaries


A

airline  e Fluggesellschaft

airplane  s Flugzeug, e Maschine, r Flieger

Munich Airport
Munich's new airport (MUC) opened in 1992. It's
about 40 minutes from downtown via the S-Bahn.

FOTO: Hyde Flippo

airport, airfield  r Flughafen, r Flugplatz

A Flughafen is a large commercial airport, whereas a Flugplatz is a smaller general aviation or military airfield. - The Frankfurt Airport Web site (in German or English) is one of the most useful you'll ever see! Up-to-the-minute flight arrivals and departures, scheduled flights into and out of FRA, plus much more.

arrival(s)  e Ankunft
   departure(s)  e Abfahrt

arrivals board/sign  e Ankunftstafel
arrivals monitor  r Ankunftsmonitor

arrival time  e Ankunftszeit

ATMs and Banks

Smart travelers have learned that traveler's checks are a more expensive and less convenient way to obtain cash when traveling in Europe. A debit or credit card is usually not only a more convenient but also a cheaper alternative. The exchange rate (der Wechselkurs) is lower when you use your American Express, Visa or Mastercard plastic at an ATM (der Geldautomat), restaurant or store. Even with a transaction charge, it is cheaper to get cash with a card than cashing traveler's checks. If you do insist on using traveler's checks, avoid cashing them anywhere except at a bank or an American Express office. Although many hotels and merchants will be glad to cash traveler's checks for you, they will charge much higher fees than a bank.

Note: Be careful about using a credit card (as opposed to a debit card) to obtain cash. The interest rate for cash advances is almost always higher than that for purchases made with a credit card. A debit card, on the other hand, works like a check and there are no interest charges, although there may be a bank transaction fee for any card.

For more information about this topic, see our Euro & Money Glossary the Money and Banking page at the German Way Web site.

ATM  r Geldautomat (automatic teller machine)
   Where can I find an ATM/a bank?
   Wo findet man einen Geldautomat/eine Bank?

Want to find a Geldautomat in Germany? MasterCard's ATM Locator will tell you where they are, as well as locate ATMs in other countries.
More about banking and ATMs in the box on the right.

Austrian Federal Railways   ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen)

B

baggage  s Gepäck, (pl.) die Koffer (suitcases)
   baggage/luggage cart  r Kofferkuli
   baggage check/left luggage  e Gepäckaufbewahrung
   baggage claim/return  e Gepäckausgabe

bank  e Bank
   at the bank  auf der Bank
   to the bank  auf die Bank
   He's going to the bank.  Er geht auf die Bank.
   She's at the bank.  Sie ist auf der Bank.

bank account  s Bankkonto

bank clerk/teller/cashier  r Kassierer, e Kassiererin (fem.), r Bankangestellter, e Bankangestellte (fem.)

Bankfurt  s Bankfurt (nickname for Frankfurt, Germany's banking center)

(Also see: Euro & Money Glossary)

beach  r Strand

bed-and-breakast, inn  e Pension, s Hotel garni, e Hotel-Pension, s Zimmer mit Frühstück

Bundesbank  e Bundesbank (German central bank in Frankfurt)

business trip  e Geschäftsreise

How to be polite in Germany. An article by your Guide:
German For Travelers: The Basics

C

captain  r Kapitän
   flight captain  r Flugkapitän

car, auto  s Auto, r Wagen
   car rental/hire, auto rental agency  r Autoverleih
   rental/hire car  r Mietwagen, r Leihwagen

   > See Automobile Glossary

call (phone) v.  anrufen, telefonieren

cashier, cashier's window  e Kasse

cell (cellular), mobile phone  s Handy, s Mobiltelefon
  Das Handy (The German Way) Will your US cell phone work in Europe?

check/cheque card  e Scheckkarte, e Euroscheckkarte (ATM/debit card)

checking account  s Girokonto (Also see "money transfer" below.)

cockpit  s Cockpit

compartment (train)  s Abteil

For more train vocabulary see our Rail Travel Glossary.

consul  r Konsul, e Konsulin (fem.)
   the American/US consul  der (die) amerikanische Konsul(in)
   the Canadian consul  der (die) kanadische Konsul(in)

consulate  s Konsulat
   the American/US consulate  das amerikanische Konsulat
   the Canadian consulate  das kanadische Konsulat

(electric) cord  e (elektrische) Schnur

counter (bank, train station)  r Schalter
   at the counter  am Schalter

credit card  e Kreditkarte

crew  e Besatzung, e Crew

currency, money  e Währung, s Geld

For the current value of the euro (Germany, Austria) or the Swiss franc, see the Oanda Currency Converter or The Universal Currency Converter. Convert any world currency into any other.

D

departure(s)  e Abfahrt
   arrival(s)  e Ankunft

departures board/sign/monitor  e Abfahrtstafel, r Abfahrtsmonitor

departure time  e Abfahrtszeit

Deutsche Mark (DM)   Former German unit of currency now replaced by the euro
   For the current euro exchange rate (Wechselkurs), see The Universal Currency Converter.

dial (phone) n.  e Tastatur (digital), e Wahlscheibe (analog)
dial (a number) v.  (eine Nummer) wählen
dial direct  direkt wählen

dining car  r Speisewagen

dollar  r Dollar
   For the current exchange rate (Wechselkurs), see The Universal Currency Converter.

E

embassy  e Botschaft
   the American/US embassy  die amerikanische Botschaft
   the Canadian embassy  die kanadische Botschaft
   the German embassy  die deutsche Botschaft

euro  r Euro (European currency)
   See: Der Euro kommt. The euro is now in use in Germany, Austria and 10 other EU countries.

The Euro - Info about the euro from the European Union Web site in eleven languages.

exchange, exchange office (money)  r Geldwechsel, e Wechselstube

exchange (money) v.  (Geld) wechseln/umtauschen

exchange rate  r Wechselkurs, r Kurs
   For current exchange rates, see the Universal Currency Converter (above).

excursion, side-trip  r Ausflug
   to take an excursion  einen Ausflug machen

excursion ticket  e Ausflugskarte, die (verbilligte) Sonderkarte

F

fax v.  faxen

fax (facsimile) n.  s Fax, s Telefax

fax machine  s Faxgerät

You can send a fax from most larger German post offices. You pay for each page sent and any phone charges.

   For more phone vocabulary see our Telephone Glossary.

freeway, motorway  e Autobahn
   on the freeway auf der Autobahn

G

German Rail  Deutsche Bahn AG (DB)

   For more train vocabulary see our Rail Travel Glossary.

German mark  e Deutsche Mark (DM) (=100 Pfennig, old German money)

groschen  r Groschen (100 Groschen = 1 Schilling, old Austrian money)

H

harbor, port  r Hafen

high-speed train (ICE)  r InterCity Express (ICE)

hostel, youth hostel  e Jugendherberge (See links under "Y")

hotel, inn  s Hotel, e Pension

I

information  e Auskunft, e Informationen

inn, pension  e Pension, s Hotel garni, e Hotel-Pension
  bed-and-breakast  s Zimmer mit Frühstück

Internet cafe  s Internetcafé
   Such Web cafes can be found in cities all across Europe.

NEXT > L-Z


Travel Glossary: L-Z
Part Two of this glossary, with related links.


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