TO FLY OR DRIVE Your journey to Leipzig will depend on your home location. Most of us (who live outside of Germany) will fly into Germany and then use public transport to get to Leipzig. If you live in Europe you are well served by various airlines (many of them budget), if you live elsewhere your flights will be more restricted and I throughly recommend extending your stay to see other parts of Germany and or Europe. Fortunately Public transport in Germany is second to none, run efficiently and to time.
DRIVING TO LEIPZIG You may wish to Drive to Leipzig especially if you live on the Continent or the UK. Driving time will obviously be based on where you live.
If you live in the UK and for some reason you decide to drive to Leipzig you will need to be prepared for a car journey of 24+ hours (including the ferry/Chunnel train time), the route is quite good, however it is a very long journey and I advise having a couple of drivers. Personally I have never driven, although we have discussed the possibility of taking a people carrier to be able to take more clothes and bring back more shopping, maybe one day. If you decide to drive I would advise getting to Leipzig on the Wednesday, this will give you time to rest before the events and beer on Thursday. Sat Nav will make your life even easier and I would highly recommend investing a Europe map enabled unit (Tom Tom do a very good unit)
If you want to take your car from the North of the UK you can travel by P&O ferries from Hull to Europoort in Rotterdam. The price is around £250 for a return ticket and includes a 4 bed standard en-suite cabin without a window. It’s an 11 hour overnight sea crossing and after you disembark you have a 10 hour car journey through Holland and North Germany. You will find that you will need to book your ferry for the Tuesday before WGT, spend all day driving on Wednesday to Leipzig from Rotterdam and then recuperate on Thursday before WGT starts on Friday. Info from Tracy
You can also drive via Calais I drove to WGT overnight (the best way to do it!) and I was the only driver - my hands were shaking when we finally got there!!! It's about 8-9 hours from Calais including stops. There again, in my current car, I reckon I could cut that down a bit on the old autobahn! Info from Steve Weeks
FLYING TO LEIPZIG Most of us that live outside of Central Europe will fly into Germany. Depending on where you live will govern where you fly from and too, and how much you pay. I have included information about flights from the UK , I have no detailed information about USA, South Africa and Australia flights (etc), feel free to email me more accurate details.
ETIQUETTE AND NEW ROCKS BOOTS AT AIRPORTS If you dress in your biggest boots when you go to the Airport you will find that you will attract the attention of airport security. Don’t worry they are just doing their job, be pleasant and you will get through (be an arsehole and be prepared for rubber gloves).
Your boots will have big soles, big enough to house explosives, you will be asked to take them off (don’t wear your silly Mr Man socks) and they will go through the scanner with your coat and any hand luggage. (Undo your boots when you are waiting in the queue to get to the security gate), it’s normal for them to have a joke at your expense. Don’t wear or take anything that looks like a spike or anything that is sharp either as part of your belt or necklace (no mini sword pedants), and be careful if you have big rings that could be used as a weapon. Don’t put anything sharp in your hand luggage either; it needs to go in your suitcase in the hold of the aircraft. You will be forced to part with your sharp objects if you have any. If you have spikes on your boots you may find that they have to go in the hold of the aircraft, and you will have to board the plane in your socks! Not a problem, although you might find the terminal before boarding a little embarrassing (It has been known, so be warned).
If you fly via a Large international Airport they may swab your boots with a chemical cloth. This will then be put in a small machine that can detect explosives. Again be helpful and you should be OK. This is a much better system it saves a lot of hassle and unbuckling of boots. On the way home German security is normally more strict, and taken far more seriously (don’t forget Germans don’t have a sense of humour :), they don’t make jokes at your expense they just go straight for the rubber gloves! Use your common sense and you will get through OK.
Bullet belts (or key rings) are not advised at Airports (even in your suitcase), and you may have to open your suitcase in Germany on the way home if you are flying via Schonefeld especially. Security here may ask you to a private room to inspect your luggage (its happened several times to our group).
FROM THE UK Flying to Germany could not be easier from the UK, various budget airlines fly to either Berlin or one of the two Leipzig airports. The most popular route is between Stanstead and Berlin, however there are many other routes. Your route will depend on where you live, when you want to fly, how far you want to travel in the UK before you fly, and how far you want to travel in Germany once you have landed. Cost and Airline preference may also influence your choice of route. If you fly with EasyJet Ryan Air or Berlin Air The cost of a return flight should be about £60-70 depending on your preferences. Fuel Surcharge's may increase the price, book early. If you are driving to Stanstead you will need to park your car, Pink Elephant parking run an excellent bus service too and from the car park, you can book online and will pay £50-60, if you just turn up and park you will end up paying an additional £20. I would imagine that most Airports have a similar policy.
AIRLINE
BAGGAGE
OTHER INFO
FROM
TO
Easy Jet
20KG
Luton
Berlin Schonefeld
Gatwick
Berlin Schonefeld
Bristol
Berlin Schonefeld
Liverpool
Berlin Schonefeld
Newcastle
Berlin Schonefeld
Glasgow
Berlin Schonefeld
Belfast
Berlin Schonefeld
Ryan Air
15KG
£5 Per Item Stored in the Hold of the Aircraft
Stanstead
Berlin Schonefeld
Edinburgh
Berlin Schonefeld
Nottingham East Midlands
Berlin Schonefeld
Stanstead
Leipzig Altenburg
Berlin Air
20KG
Voted #1 budget Airline
Stanstead
Berlin Tegel
Manchester
Berlin Tegel
Stanstead (cancelled in 2008)
Leipzig/Halle
British Airways
30KG
Extra Baggage Allowance
Heathrow
Berlin Tegel
Manchester
Berlin Tegel
Lufthansa
30KG
Extra Baggage Allowance
Heathrow
Leipzig/Halle (via Munich or Düsseldorf)
London City
Berlin Tegel
AIRLINE
REVIEW
Easy Jet
Budget Airline, no thrills, make sure you arrive in time for your flight as they have made a TV series out of peoples anger at arriving 5 minutes late. Try to ensure that you don't get the last flight of the day, they have a habit of cancelling the last flight and merging it with the first flight the next morning. Remember to check-in online before you arrive at the airport, this will allow you to enter the aircraft first.
Ryan Air
Budget Airline, you get exactly what you pay for here, your flight is cheap, the service you get is cheap, run for your seat on the aircraft, be prepared to be dropped off at the far end of the airport and expect to walk to passport control. Be aware that they now charge £5 per item that is placed in the hold of the Aircraft.
Berlin Air
They maybe a Budget Airline, but you get excellent service, you even get free food, very efficient and very reliable.
British Airways
The Premier British Airline, you either love them or hate them, expect to pay double what the budget airlines charge
Lufthansa
German carrier that is well respected. They fly to Leipzig/Halle via a number of hubs and many Goths use this route, it takes longer, but there are less hassles with train and travel too and from Berlin.
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