Prime Travel Data
A page from
Enjoy-Europe.com
by
John Bermont
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"Data! data! data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay." So said Sherlock Holmes to Dr. Watson in "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" by Arthur Conan Doyle. The information on this page will help you to keep your feet on the bricks and out of the clay. The Prime Travel Data page for each country of Europe consists of elementary information known to the majority of the citizens but not necessarily to visitors. For example: their postal code, money, dates for holidays, time zone, and some other basic infrastructure. Please read the following discussion of the content and then follow the links to each country. This is a work in progress so a number of countries are not yet posted. NATIVE NAME The names that we know places by are not always the names used by the local citizens. For instance if you see Suomi on a timetable or rail car, you might not know that it is really Finland. Finns know that it is really Suomi, their name for their homeland. Along the same line, citizens of other countries seldom use the names that the country itself uses. Over in France, for instance, Germany is known as Allemagne. In Germany, France is known as Frankreich. Listing all the cross references here would consume a few extra trees a/o kilobytes. Consult your Berlitz Travelers phrase book for others. In the Reference Section of each is a list of countries with the names as known in the language for which the book is written. CAPITAL CITY The capital city is shown in its American spelling. If there is a different local spelling, that name is shown in italics. For example, Americans know the capital of Austria as Vienna. Austrians know it as Wien. Dutch people call it Wenen (you probably don't need to know that.). POSTAL CODE Each European country has an internationally recognized abbreviation, just as we have for the United States, USA. The code for Switzerland is CH (Confederation Helvetica), though the code for most other countries is more easily identifiable. The code is used as the prefix in postal zone codes for international mail. You see it most often on an oval sticker on the rear of automobiles in Europe. The oval sticker, about 4" x 6", is placed near the license plate. TELEPHONE CODE Each country has a telephone code for incoming international calls. This number is usually shown on letterheads and business cards with a + (plus sign) in front of it. The same convention is used here. The telephone code for North America, including the USA, Canada, and most of the Caribbean, is +1. There is more information on making international telephone calls in How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook. The telephone chapter is available online for a free read and print-out at chapter 19, "Communicating as You Travel Europe." LANGUAGE Languages listed for each country are those used officially or in print and conversation. It is not necessary to know these languages to travel, though it is very helpful. Generally you will have little trouble communicating in English in western Europe since it is the second language of many people. When you are traveling in eastern Europe, the best second language would be German or perhaps Russian. My limited German was understood by police in Slovakia and Ukraine and was very valuable in other countries as well. If two or more languages are listed, each is usually a regional language. Do not expect everybody to be bilingual. In fact, Belgian citizens sometimes riot over the use of Walloon (French) or Flemish (Dutch). Brussels, the capital city, is officially bi-lingual, but the rest of the country is divided in half by a strong linguistic wall. In some cases, a second language is not listed here because it is spoken in a very limited region of the country. For example Basque is spoken in the north of Spain around San Sebastián, (one of the beautiful cities of Europe). German is common in the Sud Tirol area of northern Italy around Bolzano, known as Bozen in German. German is even an official language in a small part of Belgium. There are a few similar cases. For much more about the languages of Europe see "Languages, Numbers, Alphabets," chapter 26 of How To Europe. CURRENCY Name The name of the currency of each country is shown as it is on the coins and bank notes. Just as Americans call the dollar a buck, slang terms are often used in Europe. British commonly talk about the price of things in quid rather than in pounds. The Scandinavians typically translate their unit of money into English. Thus in Denmark a krona is often called a crown. As of January 1, 2002 the euro debuted as the currency of 12 European nations. Gone to the trash bin of history were the French franc, Dutch guilder, Italian lira, and many other currencies. The euro makes travel much easier in the dozen countries using it. But, there are another 30+ countries with their own currencies, prominent among which are Switzerland and the United Kingdom, i.e. England. Value The value of European currencies relative to the US dollar and to each other changes every day. In order to find out what exchange rates you will be facing on your trip, check the financial section of a major metropolitan daily newspaper or call your bank. The Wall Street Journal publishes a daily "Foreign Exchange" column with the commodity and stock prices. It shows the exchange rates in effect between banks for amounts of one million dollars or more. Tourists will be exchanging much smaller amounts and cannot get as good a deal. Exchange rates are also published daily in the International Herald Tribune, the "New York Times of Paris." Tear out or copy one of these columns and tape it into your Travel Record Book. You can also go to Money Exchange Rates on this site and follow links to current exchange rates for currencies around the world. Chapter 8 of How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook goes into far more detail on all aspects of money in Europe. EUROPEAN UNION, The EU The European Union is a political and economic union of most of the European countries. The countries which are not yet members are in eastern Europe, though most of the former Soviet Bloc nations are now members. Whether or not a country is a member of the EU can have an influence on travelers. Since there are no Customs or Passport controls between member nations, travelers are free to bring almost anything from one country to another. For example, if you are going from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki, Finland you'll notice that most of the passengers on the ferry are stocking up on booze and beer. When you get to Helsinki and see the prices you will understand why they do that, and why you should also. The EU open border doesn't always work regarding passports. When I used international buses to cruise through the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 2006 there were passport checks at every border. Not only that but my passport was taken inside the police station and returned to me in 10 minutes or so. Locals were waved through. SCHENGEN AGREEMENT The Schengen Agreement is another open border deal. It is meant to provide easy access for travelers from one country to another. It was designed for people who visit Europe from countries for which a visa is required. Prior to Schengen, a visitor from Brazil would need a visa for each country he or she wanted to visit. Now, one Schengen visa is accepted in a couple dozen countries. It should be obtained from the first nation you plan to visit. The Schengen Agreement has made a problem for some Americans who want to have an extended stay in Europe. Americans do not need visas for most countries of Europe. For decades Americans have been allowed to stay in almost any country for 90 days. On the 89th day they could cross the border, get an entry stamp in their passport, and return to where they were hanging out. Unfortunately, the "Schengen Zone" is considered one country for visa purposes. So, assume you are hanging out in Paris as I have done. Going over to Belgium, Germany, Spain, or just about anywhere else within a day's journey will not work anymore. On top of that, and even worse, you can stay visa free in the Schengen Zone for 90 days. But you must then leave the Schengen Zone for 90 days. This is going to cramp me. I've spent 5 or 6 months over there on some visits and I plan to do it again. It is going to be a logistics challenge, but no problem. However, the Schengen Zone keeps growing and will probably include all of Europe some day. Then it will be a problem, unless the USA joins the Schengen Zone. Fat chance. The USA is tightening its borders, not loosening them. TIME ZONE There are four time zones in Europe. The notation in the Prime Travel Data pages is GMT+X, meaning GMT plus X number of hours. GMT is Greenwich Mean Time, the time at the Prime Meridian running through the Greenwich borough of London. USA time zones start with GMT-5 (GMT minus 5 hours) on the east coast to GMT-10 in Hawaii. In other words, it's always later in the day or the next day in Europe. Sometimes you see Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) written instead of GMT. UTC is a scientific term and is the same as GMT for all normal intents and purposes. Don't let them buffalo you with high falootin jargon. Ask someone who uses UTC why it isn't called CUT. ELECTRICITY The juice is different over there. Most of it is twice the voltage. Spark! And the frequency is 83% of American frequency. If you don't know what this means or what effect it will have on you then click to "Electricity in Europe," chapter 11 of my book on line. GENERAL OPEN HOURS Limited Hours of Operation The business hours of restaurants, banks, post offices, stores, and tourist offices included here have been culled from my notes and photographs. Passersby would often be curious as I photographed the front door of a closed shop. Times given are only approximate since they vary from city to city within individual countries. These times are on the conservative side and present hours for the smaller and medium sized cities. Business hours in the larger cities are sometimes longer and sometimes include Sunday openings. Notice that nothing opens very early, and few things are open very late. A midday siesta is practiced in a few countries, and then some things do stay open late because everything was closed for three or four hours during the day. Central train stations in the major cities have stores with extended open hours, often to 11 pm and even on Sundays. Gas stations, especially the 24 hour variety on the expressways, are turning into mini-markets just as they are at home. They usually have a good selection of basic foods and drinks, plus maps and other travelers supplies. Gas stations in the cities normally follow the open hours of other businesses. They lock up for the day and go home for dinner. In southern Europe the owners also lock up for the siesta and go home for a long lunch. Many of these gas stations are self-serve, allowing you to buy gas with a credit card when the station is closed. Early Lock-Up Be aware that a posted store closing time usually means the moment that all of the sales clerks are on their way home, even if Oprah Winfrey wants to come in and browse around after hours. Cash registers close fifteen minutes earlier. Some stores are closed for a day or a half day in many countries. All the hair salons, or camera shops, or dairy shops may be closed depending on local custom. This will probably not be posted. The kitchens in restaurants normally close one hour before the restaurant closes. That allows the owner and his family time to sit down and have dinner. He/she will not serve you. Post Offices In addition to the regular hours noted, most of the capital cities have a PTT, post-telephone-telegraph, office open until late in the evening for international telephone and telegraph service. In most countries you can buy a telephone card and use it in virtually all of the phones in the country. But the card will cost a minimum of $5 and if you're only interested in one brief call you would be better off going to the PTT to make it. Poste Restante (general delivery) is available in most cities. See chapter 19 of How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook for detailed information. Overtime at the Bank Banks are typically open one day a week for an extra hour or two. This day may be different in different cities so it is not always shown in the tables. Now that the banks in most countries have ATMs under various names, your need to visit a bank during regular hours is not especially great. Most cash machines accept American ATM cards, debit cards, and credit cards and disburse local currency 24-7. This is a tremendous improvement for travelers over the last 20 years. Along with the introduction of the euro, most banks in central Europe have closed up their currency exchange shop and now let their ATM machines do all the work. Make sure you have a 4 digit numerical PIN when traveling in Europe. Also, make sure that your particular cards are acceptable in the countries you plan to visit, and that your credit card company knows you will be over there using the plastic. Normally it is no problem finding a machine to give you cash, but when it doesn't give you the cash you might have a problem. There is much more about money in chapter 8, "Cash, Check, and Credit Card: Travel with Some of Each in Europe," of How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook. This chapter is not available on line. See the illustrated print edition of How To Europe to get up to speed on this important topic. HOLIDAYS Holidays are listed in the Prime Travel Data for each country because they are extremely important in Europe, much more so than in America. Not only are all the banks and post offices closed, but all stores, many restaurants, and even some hotels are normally closed. Train schedules vary and city bus, streetcar, and subway service is reduced or stopped completely. Museums are either closed or mobbed. Plan to do very little on holidays. Also, watch out for early closings of businesses and public services on the day before a holiday. For example, noon on Christmas Eve is the end of the day for most shops in Europe. Since many countries also take the day after Christmas as a holiday you would be well advised to finish your shopping on December 23. If that is a Sunday, make it December 22. No Day Off If a holiday such as Christmas falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, businesses normally do not close on the adjacent Friday or Monday as in America. Ireland and Britain do it the American way. Easter Dates for the variable holidays depend upon Easter. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, March 21. Being as how the orbits of the earth and moon are not in synchronization, Easter and the holidays which are fixed by it fall on different dates every year. Easter is not listed in any of the tables because it is a Sunday and almost every business is closed anyway. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday" with "fat" as in meat fat) is named Carnaval, Carnival, or Karneval in some countries. Carnaval is derived from the Latin carne (meat) and vale (farewell). This is the last day before Lent begins, so they drink up and party hard! In those places where Mardi Gras is a holiday you will find the entire period from the previous Friday night to Ash Wednesday to be a pretty wild festival. For a Carnaval you'll never regret or forget go to Maastricht. If you are working in Germany, wear a tie you want to get rid of on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, Weiberfastnacht. Women can do as they please for one day a year, especially in public. One of the customary rituals is to cut off the ties of the men in the office. We all looked pretty silly with a tie snipped off at the third button. The secretaries stapled their trophies to the walls above their desks. The variable holiday dates for western European countries which follow the Gregorian calendar (that's the one we follow) can be determined from the following table:
All of this may be interesting information, but it helps you not until you know the date for Easter. Easter is March 23 in 2008. Greek Easter The Eastern Orthodox Church follows a different schedule for determining Easter. The Bishop of Rome (the Pope) and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other in 879 and started doing things differently. At that time the western world was using the Julian calendar, instituted in 45 BC by Julius Caesar. Then in 1582 Pope Gregory established the Gregorian calendar to achieve greater accuracy. It was gradually adopted throughout western Europe but did not come into use in England until 1752. The Eastern Orthodox Church did not buy in at all and continues to this day with the Julian calendar. The consequence is that Easter is usually celebrated on a different day in Greece. Every 3 or 4 years they happen to fall on the same day but often they can be a month apart. The 2008 date for Orthodox Easter is April 27. The next time that both Easters are on the same day is April 4, 2010. It will be here before you know it. A number of other countries in eastern Europe follow the Orthodox Church date for Easter. OFFICIAL TOURIST OFFICES Most countries maintain one or more official tourist offices in the USA. The official tourist office is the best source for the most complete and accurate information for any country. These offices will normally not make reservations for you, but each of them do furnish lists of hotels and restaurants, free maps, brochures describing places and events of interest, and information describing special deals available to tourists only. Before you visit a travel agent or buy a single guide book, sit down and write or phone the official tourist offices of the countries you are planning to visit. Your mailman might be a little unhappy about the results, but you'll get more free information than you ever bargained for. You can also make a virtual visit to these offices on the internet. Most countries have a web site with plenty of information. Look in the enjoy-europe.com exclusive TRAVELERS YELLOW PAGES in classification Official National Tourist Offices to click through. AMERICAN EMBASSY and CONSULATES Embassies and consulates exist to assist in the conduct of official government business and commerce, and to help American citizens in need, up to a point. If your passport is lost or stolen, your first move should be to contact the nearest consulate to get a replacement, and to enable them to put out a notice on your disappeared passport which is probably on its way to be used for some illicit purpose along with the other 30,000 which take a walk every year. If you are arrested or become ill, the embassy can provide you with a list of lawyers or doctors. If you die, the embassy will assist in arrangements to transport your remains home. Income tax and Social Security information is available, and birth of American citizens can be registered. If you take up residence over there, advise the nearest embassy of your address to assist them in contacting you in case of an emergency. If you need to visit an embassy, go early and bring something to read and a game for the kids. The "service" is not especially efficient or friendly. That could be because most of the employees are local citizens, not Americans. Can anyone tell me why people from Somali and Ireland are working in American consulates and embassies instead of American citizens from Detroit or Wichita or San Jose? Consulates usually maintain a commercial section and a library with business directories and various periodicals. The commercial offices are usually not at the embassy. Look for them in an office building in another part of town. In Geneva it's at the airport, a short ride on bus #10 from the train station. In Frankfurt, after waiting in line outside the embassy and then getting confusing information once I got inside, I accidentally discovered the American Center Library on my way back to the train station. These libraries usually have a decent collection of business and trade directories and journals. USA KNOWN AS: The United States is almost never called that in Europe. Usually the words "united states" are literally translated into the native language and are sometimes followed by a misspelling of America. You may sometimes see our name in newspaper headlines and on rate schedules in post offices. But just as often we'll be lumped in with our Canadian and Mexican neighbors in the native translation of "North American," not unlike our name for everybody over there as "European." |
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Who wrote this? Home and general index. |
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Read half of the book for free: The Complete Travelers Handbook |
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Europe Intro
Clothing Packing List Luggage |
Guidebooks
Electricity Photography Trains |
Driving
Telephones Moving to Europe Living in Europe |
Shopping
Languages Metric System Seeing Europe |
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Learn the basic infrastructure: Elementary Travel Information for Europe |
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Austria
Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland |
France
Germany Greece Ireland Italy |
Luxembourg
Netherlands Norway Portugal Spain |
Sweden
Switzerland United Kingdom |
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Utilize John Bermont's exclusive: A Directory of Links to Products, Services, and Information |
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Airlines to Europe
National Tourist Offices City Tourist Offices City Information and Tours Country Information and Tours Luggage and Backpacks Discount Air Travel |
Villas and Homes for Rent
Hostels in Europe Hotels in Europe Auto Rental in Europe Rail Services of Europe Eclectic Travel Sites Internet Search Engines |
Photography
Guide Books for Europe Educational Programs Newsletters from Europe Personal Travel Pages Personal Trip Planning |
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Get open hours, costs, locations, and more: Essential Visitors Information for the Top Sights of Europe |
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Amsterdam
Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House) Rijksmuseum (National Museum) Van Gogh Museum |
London
British Museum Buckingham Palace National Gallery Natural History Museum Palace of Westminster St. Paul's Cathedral Tower of London Westminster Abbey |
Paris
coming soon
Arc de Triomphe Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) Hôtel des Invalides (The Invalides) Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum) The Opera Montmarte Cathédrale Notre Dame Musée d'Orsay Musée du Louvre |
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Exchange rates, weather, maps: Be informed before you go. |
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Money Exchange
Currency exchange rates, including the euro, British pound, Swiss Frank. |
Weather in Europe
Current European weather conditions and forecasts. Good luck. |
Maps and Time Zones
Free online maps of Europe. Guide to setting your watch ahead. |
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Didn't find what you need yet? |
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Copyright © 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001 James J. Broad © 1987, 1986, 1984, Murphy & Broad Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. This is copyrighted material. Do not reproduce, copy, plagiarize, store, modify, extract, transmit, or purloin any part of this publication in any nation in any form or by any means or for any purpose whatsoever without permission in writing. Prime Travel Data is an update of chapter 29, "Country Data Sheets," from the first edition of John Bermont's How To Europe, originally published in 1982. See About this Data Sheet for important details regarding some of the information presented above. Webmasters: You may link the URL http://www.enjoy-europe.com/cds/about.htm freely on your site. When you link please send the URL for your linking page and a crosslink will be installed to your site if it has significant content for travelers in Europe. Travelers: You may print one copy of this chapter for your personal use. To order the complete book with all of the captioned photographs see the next section below. Permissions: If you want to copy any of this material to your web site, book, article, or term paper ask first. Note that plagiarism includes paraphrasing text and even copying ideas. Everything on this page is original. At least one other well-known travel writer has plagiarized heavily, claiming and getting credit for writing a few dozen books every year. Some of his books include my work, without credit. If you don't want to go to Hell don't steal and don't lie (the two pillars of plagiarism). Finding plagiarists and copyright infringers on the web is so easy. I recently used Google.com to search for a phrase from my site and within seconds found another site that had copied paragraphs and paragraphs. Permissions are freely granted so you don't need to steal. Just ask first and give me credit when you use my work. For permissions contact: publisher@enjoy-europe.com. Privacy Policy: No personal information is collected when you visit this site. To read the complete privacy policy go to Privacy Policy. Site Map: To see everything on this site in one compact listing go to Site Map |
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FLAGS of EUROPE
Keywords for this chapter:
albania andora austria belgium
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