There are still restaurants that don’t take debit cards, even in highly touristic areas, such as Munich, and even more so in the sticks. When we’re over in Munich, we are always at pains to ask our local friends to choose a restaurant that accepts cards. It has been a little embarassing on more than one occasion to want to invite them for the meal, only to find out at the end that the place doesn’t accept card payment. A couple of years ago, we were out in the sticks near the Starnberger See and went to a restaurant in the evening on a hill nearby - the place was jam packed, but they didn’t accept card payments either. It does seem at times a little hit or miss.
My video company used to record conferences for some clients - god knows why as I’m sure no-one ever watched the turgid things.
However, the clients realised that no one was going to sit through an hour long presentation intercut with appropriate slides, so we decided on an alternative approach.
After they’d delivered their session, we’d ask the presenter if they could please summarise their contribution in 3 or 4 sentences. They always could, with the result that they delivered 90% of their message in under 2 minutes. Much more manageable.
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I suppose that’s true of anywhere, it’s always possible to find exceptions to the rule but in my experience it’s very rare to find anywhere that does not accept cards. Just like in the U.K., France or Spain. Using plastic is the norm. I suppose things might have changed drastically since I left Germany in 2013 after living and working there for 26 years but I doubt it. The time I spent in southern Germany last August did nothing to change that opinion I used my card for everything. Literally everything that I paid for.
I agree, which is why it is so immensely frustrating to dine out at a fairly large establishment in a major city and be told that they don’t take cards - it is like going back to the 70s. Our friends have kept their German habit of paying for things by cash, but I’m always uncomfortable walking around with hundreds of Euros in my pocket just to have a meal out 
Choose a cheaper restaurant. 
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LOL, I doubt I’d get much change out of 200 Eur for 6 people, even at a cheap restaurant in Munich 
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If you go south to CH, for 6 persons; that hurts.
As others have said, cheques are indeed alive and common, if not well, in rural France at least. Mainly due to Luddite banking practices I think, as chequebooks are issued without cost even though their printing (and physical handling of cheques ) is expensive for the bank, whereas debit cards are chargeable even though electronic payments are significantly cheaper. Waiting in line while someone fumbles with their chequebook is a daily occurrence here in 17 and we are not exactly “La France Profond.”
17 is totally la France profonde 
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Who’s idea was it for a 5AM start???
O, yes, errr - mine
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Reconcile yourself its not an EV otherwise you would have to leave a day earlier.
Managed to make much better time than expected and on earlier train, at the expense of having to find a croissant for a late breakfast en France rather than at the shuttle terminal.
Oh, the hardship
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First world problems eh
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I was simply stating my observations. My recent experience includes 17.
Hope the conference isn’t too arduous.
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Yeh, WAKE UP AT THE BACK!
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Ouch !!
In retrospect I should have pushed further into France today - we were 90 minutes ahead of schedule and could have got down as far as Reims without needing a fuel stop.
But, then, that could have just as easily been 90 minutes behind schedule and we’d have struggled.
That’s one of the problems with long journeys - build enough slack to allow for traffic and you’ll be early, fail to build in enough slack for traffic and you’ll wish you had. Just Sod’s law
Still, if we get on the road at 9 and limit the mid day stop in Stuttgart to petrol we should make it for 4-5pm.
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Well, we set off at 9 as planned, fuelled up and on the A26 at quarter past and arrived at the hotel reception in Munich after just under 800km, a couple of stops including being pulled off the A8 for a random check by German customs and rather slow traffic through roadworks a bit further down the A8. Slightly over 100kph on average.
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