Before we talk about the dos and don’ts of German culture, you should know that Germany is a big country, and each federal state has its own culture.
Moreover, each individual is different. So, although the dos and don’ts you learn here can help you avoid common mistakes. However, they don’t apply to every individual in Germany.
Table of Contents
Dos and Don’ts in the German professional culture
- Be punctual: Tell the exact time when you want to meet and be there 5 minutes early.
- Keep your word: If you tell your German colleague you’ll do something (even casually), they expect you to do it. For example, you casually told your colleague or friend you’ll bring a book they can borrow. They’ll expect the book when you tell them you’ll bring it.
- Small talk before you start the meeting: Germans like to do small talk for 2 to 3 minutes before starting the meeting. So, don’t be in a hurry to start the meeting. Small talk could be about, such as how are you, the weather, your vacation, work, etc.
- Shake hands firmly while making eye contact: Don’t be lousy when shaking hands. Have a firm grip and make eye contact.
- Bring cake to the office on your birthday: Unlike in some cultures, you bring a cake to the office on your birthday in Germany. You put the cake in the kitchen or the common area where everyone can take it. Lastly, inform your team personally or via email about the cake and its location.
- Give a farewell party: When you leave the company, you should organize a breakfast for the team. It’s not mandatory to organize one, but we recommend that you do. It allows you and your team to thank each other for your time with them.
- Don’t drink during office hours, even if it’s allowed: Many German offices allow drinking alcohol during office hours. However, it’s best to avoid it. Unless it’s a team celebration and everyone is drinking.
- No one likes a drunk: Team events after work are pretty common in Germany. Everyone drinks, party, and have a good time. It’s critical that you know your drinking limits to avoid making a scene.
- Don’t take things personally: Germans are usually direct in giving feedback on your work. It’s vital that you don’t take it personally. It’s about your work and not you.
- Only start eating when everyone is at the table: Teams like to go on lunch together. It’s polite to wait till everyone has their food before you start eating.
- Don’t make noise when eating: Try to avoid making noise when drinking tea or soup or eating food. People sitting with you on the table won’t like it.
Dos and Don’ts of drinking culture in Germany
- Make eye contact when clinking glasses: Drinking is part of German culture. It doesn’t mean all Germans drink or roam around drunk. But if you are with your friends or colleagues in a bar, make sure to make eye contact when clicking the glasses.
- Never misbehave after drinking too much: Drink and have fun, but never misbehave. You’ll rarely see any German misbehaving after drinking.
- Public drinking is fine, but avoid it: Yes, you can drink on public transport, in the streets, in parks, etc. However, you should avoid it. Drinking publicly is acceptable in Germany but not necessarily appreciated.
Read our guide on drinking culture in Germany to learn more.
Dos and Don’ts of dating culture in Germany
- Splitting the bill is common on the first date. However, the man should offer to pay the bill.
- Don’t over-dress for the date. Germans care about how they look, but they keep things simple.
- Be yourself. Many Germans are open to new cultures. So, don’t shy away from sharing your culture and how dating is in your culture.
- Gender equality is important to Germans. If you are a guy, be a gentleman, but don’t try to dominate. Similarly, for girls, don’t expect German guys to pay all your bills.
Dos and Don’ts of living in an apartment in Germany
- Garbage disposal: Germans take separating garbage seriously. If you don’t separate the garbage properly, you’ll even get a fine.
- Following the house rules: Each apartment building has some house rules. Everyone living in the building must follow them. Your landlord can terminate your rental contract if you don’t.
- Keeping the common areas clean and tidy: You came from outside, and your shoes were dirty. As a result, the stairs got dirty. Ensure to clean them afterward.
- No loud noises during certain hours and days (Ruhezeit): Generally, you are not allowed to make loud noises or play loud music after 20:00 on weekdays and 22:00 on Saturdays. Additionally, you are not allowed to make any loud noise, such as drilling holes, loud music, etc., on Sunday. Germans take this seriously and may call the police if you don’t abide. Suppose you invite friends over the weekend, and things might get loud. It’s polite to ask and inform your neighbors about it in advance.
- Ventilating the apartment daily: Germans ventilate their apartments and homes at least twice a day, even in winter. If you like to cook and use a variety of spices, you should ensure that your home is ventilated thoroughly. Otherwise, it will start to smell.
- Paint the walls and do the small repairs before leaving the rental property. Yes, the landlord can make the repairs themselves and cut money from your security. However, it takes time, effort, and lost rent to do so. So, be a good tenant and do the small repairs before handing over the apartment.
You should also read our guide on mistakes expats make while living in a rented property to learn more.
Dos and Don’ts with German friends
- Don’t wish a German before their actual birthday: Germans have this taboo or superstition that wishing before the actual birthday brings bad luck.
- Avoid spontaneous visits: Germans like to plan and have a routine. They don’t like it when their routine or plan is disturbed. So, you should avoid making spontaneous visits.
- No means no: In every culture, friends like to tease each other. However, in some, friends do the same thing even more when you say no to them. That’s not the case in German culture. If your German friend says don’t do a certain thing, you should stop doing it.
- Meet your friends with a hug: Greeting your friends (irrespective of their gender) with a hug is common in Germany.
- Bring a gift when invited to a friend: When your friend invites you for dinner or lunch at their home, ensure you take a gift with you. It doesn’t have to be expensive; a bottle of wine or flowers is enough.
- Take drinks or something to eat when invited to a party: When going to a barbecue or a party organized by your friends or neighbors, take something to drink or eat. In Germany, everyone brings something to the party. This way it lowers the burden on the host.
Dos and Don’ts when on the German streets
- Don’t walk on the cycle lane
- Don’t park on the cycle lane
- Give priority to pedestrians
- Cross the road from the zebra crossing or when the traffic light is green.
- Don’t spit on the road. Use a tissue paper instead.
- Make eye contact and greet when you walk by next to someone on the street.
Dos and Don’ts of using the public transport in Germany
- Don’t eat on the train
- Don’t put your feet on the train seat
- Don’t push when walking at the train station
- Don’t speak loudly on the phone
- Use headphones when watching a movie
- Punch your ticket: You must punch all the physical tickets. The punching machine is on every public transport. You don’t need to punch if you bought a ticket online or via the app.
- Let people leave the train before onboarding
- Avoid drinking on the train
Dos and Don’ts on a beach in Germany
- Don’t stare at naked people: It’s common in Germany for people to chill on a beach naked. There are even special nude beaches in some parts of Germany. People don’t like you staring at them.
- Apply sunscreen: It’s best to apply sunscreen when going out in the summer, even if you think you don’t need one. It can protect you from sunburn.
- Clean afterward: Have fun at the beach, but pick up the trash afterward.
Dos and Don’ts of eating in a restaurant in Germany
- Split the bill (Getrennt zahlen): It is common for everyone to pay for what they eat in a restaurant.
- Tip around 10% in the restaurants
- Don’t expect much from the service: Germans are not infamous for their bad service. You may even feel that the waiter did you a favor by serving you food. It is how it is. Of course, that’s not the case everywhere.
- Use the same fork and knife for all the dishes: If you order multi-course food in a restaurant, don’t expect to get a new fork and knife for each course. No one knows why this is the case, and no one has questioned it in Germany.
- Put your knife and fork parallel to the plate to indicate you are done eating.
General Dos and Don’ts in Germany
- Follow the queue: Always follow the line. If someone breaks the line, don’t hesitate to point that out. When confused, ask the person if they are waiting.
- Tip around 10%: Tipping is common in Germany. You don’t have to tip a lot, but tipping up to 10% is a common practice. You can tip the taxi drivers, movers, packers, laborers, etc. Of course, if your bill is 5000€, no one expects you to tip 500€. But they may expect a tip between 50€ and 100€.
- Pay when you use the toilets: It’s very common for the cleaner to stand outside the toilet and collect tips. It’s not mandatory to pay, but it is considered polite to do so.
- Don’t make jokes about Nazis.
- Open and hold doors for others.
- Say thanks (Danke) and you are welcome (Bitte)
- Poor or rude customer service: Germans are straight shooters. They don’t care if you are a customer or a friend. So, don’t be surprised if you find German customer care rude.
- First name or last name: In a formal setting or email, you address the other person by their last name. In the informal setting, address everyone by their first name (even people who are older than you). You won’t hear people calling anyone sir or madam in Germany. In many companies, everyone calls each other by their first name.
It’s important to stress that every individual is different. So, be open and trust your gut more than this guide in actual situations.
