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Ten essential German etiquette tips

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Ten essential German etiquette tips
Photo: DPA

Pee sitting down and make eye contact while clinking glasses and you can't go far wrong. For this week's Local List, we've come up with some essential etiquette tips for those on their first sojourn through Germany.

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You may be surprised to hear that Germany has etiquette rules at all. To many expats and travelers in this beautiful country, Teutonic politeness seems - how to put it - generally below the surface.

This is because Germans do not share the self-effacement and conflict-avoidance instincts of, for instance, the British. While Brits prefer to apologise when someone treads on their foot, Germans subscribe more to the "exaggerated sigh and black look" school of etiquette.

But this directness actually makes things easier for the potential holidaymaker/traveller/expat. Since Germans find it very hard to hide their disapproval when you break their social rules, it doesn't take long to find out what rules there are.

Here are some of the things we have discovered. Have you got a faux pas to report as a warning to fellow Anglo-Saxons?

Check out our special German etiquette guide here!

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