cyse

Due to indecisive friends, I'll be traveLing to Germany alone.

Is it safe to do so?
I'm young, so I'd like to hit the nightlife as well. Would it be strange going to clubs alone in a different country?

bilboburgler

Is it safe to do so? Yes

Would it be strange going to clubs alone in a different country? Have you been to a night club on your own?

Cowboy1968

How young/old are you?
You need to be 18 to get into clubs.
The bigger the city is, the more you find people going there on their own.
In smaller towns it is a bit more common to go there with friends.
But when you stay at hostels, chances are good that you will meet people your age to hit the clubs with at night.

cyse

I'm 24, and no... I've never been to a club alone. Also, i'm not planning to stay in a hostel, but rather a hotel. is that a bad idea? Should I stay in a hostel even though I have the disposable money for a hotel? I'll be there roughly for two Weeks.

bilboburgler

cyse, most young educated Germans will speak some or even excellent English. However, if they are on a night out the last thing they will want to do is chat in some other language.

Now most night clubs don't always have much talking but you should find a chill out area. For me the issue is would I lkie to go to a night club in my own country on my own? Why not try it and see?

The hostel idea has some merit as at least you can go in with some sort of wingman.

I'd drop the same question at Thorn Tree and see what the response is.

longhorn55

You're much more likely to find people your own age if you are in a hostel as opposed to a hotel. And a hostel doesn't mean that you are in a big dorm room with 8-10 other people. Lots of hostels have private ensuite rooms. If you haven't already done so, check out HostelWorld.com

Cowboy1968

What longhorn wrote.
The two big chains A&O and Meininger combine dorm-type hostel accomodation and private rooms with bath under one roof. The major advantage are the communal/ lobby areas where you always find people hanging out to surf the web or have a drink. Half of them will typically also not be from Germany.

Whether or not English will take you through your clubbing nights will depend a bit on the size of the city again.

In Berlin, for example, many clubs have almost switched entirely to English as the lingua franca.
You don't have to apologize to the barkeeper for not being able to order in German. Chances are good that his command of German will only be a bit better than yours ;-)

And it will be very common also for locals to go out with friends who don't speak any or not much German so they converse in English all night. Even though clubs are usually not places for lenghty conversation.

cyse

Thanks guys, is there an age limit on people who can stay in hostels? I'm 24 now, but by the time my trip comes around I'll be 25.

Cowboy1968

No age limit.
Those may still exist at Youth Hostels, which are a different kind and run more like a non profit organization.

cyse

Thanks for all the informative responses. Can anyone recommend an area to stay in? I'd like to stay somewhere off the beaten track to experience genuine German culture. However, close enough so it's not a hassle to get into the touristy area and nightclubs.

Thanks for the recommendation of a hostel, the more I read about then online the more I become genuinely exited, thanks guys!

Cowboy1968

There are many areas with tourists, but actually very few really touristy areas.
The latter are areas like the middle Rhine river valley, neuschwanstein castle and surroundings, Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Probably also Heidelberg. And some parts of Munich.
But the major cities hardly look as made for tourists.
What area are you looking for? If you want cities, Berlin and Munich give you a bit of everything.

cyse

Ok, great! I'm planning to stay in Berlin.

Cowboy1968

As a former 12yr resident of that city, I'd guess that most of my compatriots would say that there is no genuine German culture in Berlin. Which will take most Berliners as praise and not as an insult ;-)

For a place to stay, I'd suggest the districts of Prenzlauer Berg and some parts of the Mitte and Kreuzberg districts. With some generalization allowed, any place in the 101xx, 102xx, 104xx or 109xx zip codes will be in an appropriate neighborhood (the x's stand for any number) for a hipster.
As I rarely stay in hotels there, you will probably get better advice from others.

Pegontheroad

In answer to your first question. Yes, it's safe to travel solo in Germany.

ggreen

cyse, Berlin is a great city. I wish I'd discovered it in my 20's! Another way you might meet people is to take a walking tour on your first day - and at worst, you'll get a lay of the land! (When I did one in my early 30's, most of the people in the group were around my age.)

I'd also suggest Hamburg for a city with a great, laid-back vibe. We had a great time hanging out in the bars and cafes in the Altona district, and then a short trip into Hamburg's famous Reeperbahn for clubs, as well as the touristy sights in the center of town. As a woman, I'm not sure I'd hang out in Reeperbahn by myself but wouldn't have a problem in Altona...

And overall, you could do worse as a solo traveler than to travel around Germany. Even with only a smattering of words (and a phrase book), we had no problem taking trains and visiting sights. Should be a great trip!

cyse

Thank you all for the positive and informative responses. I hope I meet people as friendly and positive as yourselves on my journey.

The walking tour sounds like a fantastic idea, thank you.