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Where are you going?
Arrival
Waldhäuser Ost
Living in Tübingen
Other Information

S.I.P Survival Guide.

Living in Tübingen

Transportation:

While Tübingen is not an enormous city, it still sprawls quite a ways, and therefore has a fairly comprehensive bus system which you will most likely use extensively (Normally since your dormitory is situated on top of a hill overlooking the distant downtown area). The cheapest and easiest way to ride the bus is with a Semester Ticket. You can get one at the Tourist Info on the the Neckarbrücke (about 32,90 ).

Some final words of advice for the bus:
Check the direction written on the front of the bus, and make sure it corresponds with the direction you want to go (normally Waldhäuser Ost or Omnibushof). You can end up taking a really long ride if you get on going the wrong way.
Buses stop running regularly at 12:30. After this the night bus runs every hour until 2:30, so adjust your late nights accordingly. Your only other options late in the night are taxis, minicars, hitchhiking, and walking.

Shopping: Food

As you may already know, or will soon find out, satisfying a midnight craving is next to impossible in Tübingen. If you´re craving brownies, a handful of cookies, or a bottle of alcohol hopefully you have a secret-stash, or a very generous friend because compared to the US, stores close relatively early in Germany. Generally store hours are from about 9am-8:00pm. In addition, some food stores, for example some bakeries, close for a Mittags Pause (12:30-14:00). However, if you remember in time you may still be able to make it to a local gas station (Tankstelle), which remains open until 10pm. In order to avoid-the possibility of not getting what you want, plan ahead and do your shopping during the day.

WHERE ARE THESE PLACES?!!

OMV- (Closest Tankstelle to WHO). Follow Berliner Ring up the hill past WHO and the parking Platz- It's about a 5 minute walk and is located at the top of the hill behind the Greek Restaurant.

Spar/Discount Treff- (Most convenient grocery stores) You can find both stores on the ground level of the Einkauf Zentrum across the bridge from WHO.

Tengelmann- (Within walking distance from Brecht Bau; Sells cloth grocery bags. To get there, either take bus 2 or 6 to Mohlstr. or take a right coming out of Brecht Bau, walk down Wilhelmstraße in the opposite direction of the Innerstadt and turn left at the first intersection. The road goes straight and eventually curves left; the store is right on the corner past the crosswalk.

Handelshof- (Known to be one of the cheaper stores in Tübingen) Take bus 4 heading towards the Omnibushof/Wennfelder Garten. Or once at the Omnibushof get on bus 4 or 8. Make sure it is headed toward Wennfelder Garten so you don't head back up to WHO. Get off at Stern Platz, the second bus stop after the Omnibushof. (If your looking for it, you'll be able to see Handelhof from the bus as you turn right after the first bus stop.) From the bus stop, walk back in the direction you came, and it's on the corner across the street.

Surviving The Store

Welcome to Germany, where the responsibility falls on the customer There are a few important differences, in comparison to the U. S. that are helpful to know before your first einkaufen experience. The first is in regards to fruits and vegetables. Unlike in the United States, you are required to weigh and price your produce prior to purchasing them. Once you're aware of this fact, it´s really rather easy. Weighing scales can be found in the produce section and have several buttons that display the different produce choices. Once you´ve made your selection, place it on the scale and push the button that corresponds with the item on the scale. A price sticker will be printed out and just place it on your respective purchase. The only difficulty may be distinguishing between the different produce buttons. Some have only a word description while others have illustrations.

Pfand is another important aspect to know before purchasing any glass or plastic containers. In order to ensure some glass and plastic containers are returned, a store will charge a small deposit or Pfand for each bottle or jar. Not all glass and plastic require a deposit, but don't be surprised when you're charged an extra 20 cent for a jar of yogurt. The great thing is you´ll get it back, but now the question is how? It just depends on the store, but generally the collection area (usually a room set off from the main store), is towards the back. Take your clear empty-containers to the collection room and a store clerk will count them, sort them, and give you a printed receipt. Bring the receipt to the register where you can get your money back or apply it to your next purchase.

A final point is that grocery bags are not free in Germany. You must pay for each one as needed. For this reason you might want to remember bring your own. Backpacks work great and previously used grocery bags are also a good idea. Cloth bags are very common as well as practical and can be purchased at most stores. Be prepared to bag your own groceries, there are no baggers in German stores.

Drugs

Now that we've captured you attention, there are a few things to know about buying medication in Germany:

Anything, in the way of medication, that can be administered to reduce, cure, or relieve someone from an ailment can only be sold in an Apotheke.

Handverkauf (HV) is medication available without a prescription- It is equivalent to our over the counter drugs.

Germany is very strict when it comes to the selling of pharmaceutical drugs, therefore, all medication is kept behind the counter. One must ask the pharmacist for assistance buying any form of medication.

There is always one pharmacy on call if needed after closing hours in the evenning, Sundays, and on holidays. To find out which one is on call, go to any pharmacy and it will have posted the open pharmacy, its address, and where it is located with in the town.

To make sure you receive the correct medication, if available, you may want to bring along the empty container from a previous purchase. Plus it also help the pharmacist determining the quantity, dose, etc. needed.

Although purchasing medicaton is generally no problem, we recommend bring medication from home that you are already comfortable and familiar with. lf you are bringing a prescription from home don't forget to bring the actual prescription from your doctor, otherwise you run the risk of having it confiscated at customs.

In addition to medications, cosmetic items such as kleenex, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and skin creams can also be found in an Apotheke.

Other Shopping

We found Tübingen to be a bit expensive when it came to general shopping. For example, shoes and clothing. You may want to visit neighboring towns (Stuttgart, Reutlingen) before you make any large purchases.

The Flohmarkt, or Flea Market, was very popular with our group the first couple weeks of the program. It was a great place to find furnishings for our rooms for a very reasonabel price. If you're interested in checking it out, it's every two weeks in the parking lot near the Freibad. Look for Flohmarkt signs around town.

What to do and what to see

TOURIST SPOTS: Tübingen has many beautiful places to visit and we recommend you visit them all. For example there is Schloß Hohentübingen, the Stiftskirche, the Rathaus, and the Stadtmuseum in Kornhaus. The program will provide a few tours lead by the tutors, but we recommend that you also buy a guidebook to insure you don´t miss anythimg. Also keep your eyes open during your stay for the many festivals around the Tübingen area, these are usually advertised through posters.

BARS (KNEIPEN): Tübingen has many different bars and Kneipen like the ones mentioned in chapter IV. As you explore tbe city and make new friends you will visit many different ones. There is also a free Cafe and Kneipen guide avalible at the beginning of the semester usually passed out near the MENSA- Keep an eye out for it and have fun.

MOVIE THEATERS (KINOS): Like most late 20th Century towns Tübingen offers wide selection of movies. To find out what is playing and where check the lists posted outside the various movie posters at any of Tübingen's theaters. The easiest place to check is at the Museum theater (right downtown in the neighborhood of the Deutsche Bank and McDonalds on the corner of Wilhelmstrasse and Am Stadtgraben). Student tickets cost about 6 with ID. Films are also screened once a week in building 5 of WHO and cost less.
In the event that homesickness demands seeing a good ol' American film which has not been dubbed the theaters in Tübingen occasionally run films in their original language (i.e. English). Look for posters for what and when at the theaters. And for the really hard pressed there is a theater in Stuttgart wich shows original language films every night. It is located in the suburb of Vaihingen at Hauptstraße 6, and you can get them with the U or S-Bahn (U1 to Schillerplatz or S1, S2, or S3 to Vaihingen Bahnhof).

RESTAURANTS AND CAFES: Tübingen has many different restaurants and cafes scattered around the city. Some good ones are Neckarmüller, EI Chico, and Wurstküche. Depending on what you like and how much you want to spend, we recommend you explore the city and find what you like.

FREETIME: There are many fun things to do around WHO depending on what you want to do. For example on nice days many students go to the Freibad to sun, swim and socialize. Most people have a good time here so consider it. There, is also a student sport institute for those so inclined. Ask your tutors, neighbors, and friends about places to go and have fun.

Medical Services
All students receive free medical service while they are attending school.*
As part of your tuition and fees for the program you too are entitled to the same services the German students receive. Your teacher and tutors will recommed doctors and clinics to you if needed. One final note: don't hesitate to use the services you have paid for them and will not pay any additional fees regardless of the services. Only prescription drugs will cost an additional small fee.

*(Editors Note: this is not correct. The SIP program provides you with insurance. Though it is government subsidized, it is not free. The insurance is included in the cost of your program.)

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