Travel Guide: Cheap flights to Germany
Germany Airlines and Airports
Airline and airport information plus insider tips for Germany
Cheap flights to Germany take just one and a half hours from London. Its history includes Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperors, Bismarck, Nazism, and the building and razing of the Berlin Wall. Germany has given the world some of its greatest thinkers, scientists, artists, and composers, as well as Little Red Riding Hood and the Pied Piper.
Today when travellers step off their cheap flights to Germany, they find cities that are cosmopolitan, cultural and financial centres. They are home to exquisite art collections, world-renowned performing arts, historic and modern architecture, and celebrated red-light districts. When you and your travelling companions disembark from your flights to Germany, you can see cities rebuilt from rubble, follow Mark Twain's footsteps through Heidelberg, and take the Philosopher's Walk.
But it is not all reverence and quiet appreciation - the Germans still know how to throw a great party, as their list of year-round festivals, parties, and events can attest. Luckily there is no shortage of cheap flights to Germany from airports around the UK with such low-cost airlines as easyJet, Thomsonfly, Ryanair and Germanwings, not to mention Lufthansa, the national carrier.
Find the best flight prices to Germany
When to fly to Germany
Peak season:
The busiest season for flights to Germany is May to late October. The weather is at its best and there are lots of tourist events and folk festivals. However prices are at their highest and you might find it difficult to find cheap flights to Germany. In the more popular areas, such as Heidelberg, reservations need to be made in advance. And before you think of booking flights to Germany, it's worth remembering that reservations for Frankfurt's Auto Show in September and Book Fair in October are made years in advance.
Although winter generally brings fewer visitors, it is becoming a popular time to visit as it is a little easier than the summer to find cheap flights to Germany. The ski areas in the Bavarian Alps. Christmas and New Year are typically busy, and Berlin's Green Week in January is a big draw so you might find it hard to book cheap flights to Germany at these times.
Off season:
Spring and autumn are pleasant times for you to book flights to Germany. Resort packages may offer cheaper between-season rates.
Getting Around
Germany has an excellent rail and bus network for getting around the country, as well as major and regional airports for internal Germany flights. Another option is a cruise on the Rhine or Main River. Some cities have areas that are best explored on foot, such as the historic districts in Berlin and Frankfurt. Public transport is the best way to get around a city. Berlin in particular has an excellent public transportation system. Taxis are also available.
Flying to Germany
Major airports in Germany include:
Bremen (BRE)
Nürnberg (NUE)
Berlin Brandenburg (SXF)
Berlin International (TXL)
Cologne Bonn (CGN)
Dresden (DRS)
Düsseldorf International (DUS)
Erfurt (ERF)
Frankfurt (FRA)
Hamburg (HAM)
Hannover (HAJ)
Leipzig/Halle (LEJ)
Munich International (MUC)
Munster Osnabruck International (FMO)
Saarbrücken (SCN)
Stuttgart (STR)
Airlines offering cheap flights to Germany include:
Air Berlin
Aer Lingus>
British Airways
easyJet
Flybe
Germanwings
Jet2.com
Lufthansa
Ryanair
In-flight Reading
Try our in-flight reading suggestions for your flight to Germany:
The Berlin Stories
Christopher Isherwood
Two novels set in 1930s Berlin. The first is about Mr. Norris, an improbable undercover agent, and the second a collection of character sketches of Berlin's bohemians, intellectuals and misfits.
A Concise History of Germany
Mary Fulbrook
A sweeping look at Germany from medieval times to the reunification in 1989 that is a comprehensible, beginner's guide to the country. Read this book and you and your travelling companions will know a lot more when you step off your flights to Germany.
Bismarck: The Man and Statesman
A. J. P. Taylor
A biography of the Iron Chancellor who unified Germany; a complex, brilliant, contradictory and strong-willed man.
After the Wall
By Jana Hensel, trans. Jefferson Chase
Memoir of being an East German teenager when the wall came down and then trying to assimilate Western ways.
A Tramp Abroad
By Mark Twain
Anecdotes and stories - some of them quite tall - about the humourist's travels through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Not one of Twain's best books, but an amusing read and a great way of passing the time when you're flying to Germany.
Insider Information on Germany
Hamburg is a multi-faceted city. Its lake, Alster, is surrounded by stately hotels, stores, cafes, and mansions, and its infamous Reeperbahn red-light district parties all night. For the arts, stroll the Art Mile or take in the ballet and opera. Nearly destroyed by fire and then by WWII bombings, Hamburg is now a cosmopolitan, cultural city and the greenest city in Europe.
Frankfurt provides more support to the arts than any other European city, ensuring you'll see excellent exhibits and performances. Even the nightlife features jazz musicians from all over the world. The city's airport is the busiest in Germany - cheap flights to Frankfurt are available from many UK airports.
One of the cities not levelled during WWII, Heidelberg's Middle Ages and early Renaissance buildings are still standing. A university town since 1386, Heidelberg has produced poets, writers, composers, and philosophers. The markets have glass, crystal, and handcrafted goods, and the nightlife reverberates with student enthusiasm. Hopefully your cheap flights to Germany will mean you're able to take advantage of everything Heidelberg has to offer.
Surrounded by forests and Germany's largest wine-growing region, Stuttgart is nearly two-thirds parks, gardens, and woodlands. Although historic landmarks and buildings did not survive the WWII bombings, today Stuttgart is a major industrial centre, home to corporations such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.
Travel Tips
- Finding Cheap FlightsOur golden rules for finding a cheap flight
- Airlines with low-cost ticketsAn essential guide to how the main carriers operate
- Before You GoAdvice on everything you need to do before you set off
- Regional UK and Irish AirportsFlying from the four corners of the UK and Ireland
- Glossary of Flying TermsAn A-Z of common terms you’ll need to know
- Travel Sickness and DVTHow to stay happy and healthy in the air
Travel links
- WeatherThe weather now in Germany
- Currency converterFind the current exchange rate
- Destination GuideLonely Planet's guide to Germany
- MapGermany Map from Multimap