School Holidays
School holidays in Germany are set at the regional level by each federal state. Each year for autumn, Christmas, Easter, and summer, plus schools in most states also have a winter break around February.
A few states have a break of about one to two weeks for Pentecost around May/June.
Car insurance and taxes in Germany
The calculation of motor vehicle tax is based on two main components:
- CO2 emissions (two euros per gram per kilometre)
- Engine size (two euros per 100cm3 for petrol engines and 9,50 euros per 100cm3 for diesel engines).
Before a person can register a car in Germany you must have proof of third party liability coverage for all damage or injury to another person, car or object.
While collision or comprehensive insurance isn’t required by law, most institutions financing the purchase of a vehicle do require it.
Supermarkets in Germany
Here is a list of some of the local stores:
- Aldi was the first discount chain in Germany
- Edeka Group is the largest German supermarket corporation
- Kaufland is a German “hypermarket” chain
- Lidl
- Netto Marken-Discount
- Penny Markt
- Rewe
- Tegut-Markt
Lidl and Aldi are the cheapest but they mostly have “no-brand” products, which doesn’t mean that the quality is bad. Edeka, ReWe, Kaisers are discounters as well, but they are more expensive, even when you buy their own brands like “JA!” at Rewe. Btw, some of those supermarkets are quite popular in the neighbour country – if you planning to move to Poland, you have a good chance to shop under these brands.
There are two types of supermarkets in Germany. The regular one and also the discount supermarkets. You can find almost everything you need in a discount supermarket at a low cost. Popular discount supermarkets: LIDL, NETTO, ALDI, and PENNY.
Also, everything is closed on Sundays. Yes, so you better get your supplies on time. The busses barely run, the whole town becomes so silent. It’s tough when you found out you ran out of bread!
So, what do you think of German living and lifestyle? Do you think you can live here? If you want to know what the whole removal process looks like, please contact our customer service specialist. If you want to know about the removal costs – use our instant removal quote on this page, alternatively, check this page: removals to Germany