Hostels or B & B

Bavaria Ben always has great suggestions for Germany. Irmgard Orth's B&B in Bacharach, unlike Burg Stahleck castle/hostel, is right in town and NOT 500 step stairsteps above town, a location that really discourages exploring the town and the area. http://www.bensbauernhof.com/irmgardorthbacharach.html Ben has further comments on this page if you scroll down - says his single room was 20€ w/ breakfast. At hostels, you might find a multi-bed room for close to that price, but not a private room, and you won't have the same cultural experience: http://www.bensbauernhof.com/tenthstammtischanniversary2009.html http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g580190-d1200064-Reviews-Orth_Zimmer-Bacharach_Rhineland_Palatinate.html Rothenburg: http://www.bensbauernhof.com/fzfrothenburg.html

Look for Pensions. I've stayed at pensions in Bacharach, Munich and Rothenburg (the only name I recall is Pension Poesel in Rothenburg). The standard in Germany is very high - expect a nice, clean room. I've stayed in hostels in the area too, the only one I'd really recommend on your itinerary is Burg Stahleck in Bacharach. It's very clean and nicely run but usually booked solid, so make a reservation. In Italy, we stayed in a variety of hotels and apartments. The only hostel we stayed in was in Verona, which was just okay.

Allie, If you're interested primarily in Hostels, have a look at the HI Hostels website, as they likely have properties in most of the places you'll be visiting. I've found the facilities are somewhat consistent between locations, and they're well run. I'd recommend buying an HI membership, as that's compulsory to stay in some of their properties. Here's a few suggestions for some of the locations you listed: > Bacharach Pension Lettie - right in town - the owner is wonderul and makes great Waffles; Burg Stahleck - Hostel in a Castle - only disadvantage is that it's WAY up the mountain so a bit of a hike from the station - there's a trail up through the woods but not the best option at night. > Rome Alessandro Palace - fanstastic Hostel only about 9 minute walk from Termini - very modern with electronic card locks on the rooms and many Dorm rooms have ensuite - I usually book a four-bed Dorm; The Beehive - a smaller Hostel which is also located near Termini, and run by an American couple. > Cinque Terre Ostello 5 Terre - located in Manarola and very clean and well run, but STRICT lockout in the afternoon which is a problem for me; Corniglia Hostel - somewhat new but looks good - Corniglia is up on a bluff, but Shuttle available from the station or use the stairs.; Mar-Mar Rooms - in Riomaggiore - they offer basic rooms (no breakfast) but also have somewhat of a Hostel. > Gimmelwald The legendary Mountain Hostel is your best choice. There's a Bar and cooking facilities and the crowd there is usually a lot of fun. There are also a number of private rooms (check the Guidebook) at Esther's or you could stay at the Pensione. Happy travels!

You need a better definition of "B & B". Over here, where few hotels include breakfast, it's fairly distinctive, but in Europe, particularly in Germany, places that include breakfast are the norm. So almost any hotel is a B & B. Now, if it's intimacy you are looking for, you probably want a "Privatzimmer", a room in a private home. These are not some elderly couple's spare room. In every PZ I've stayed, there was an area of the home, usually one floor, set aside for guest rooms and most had a private bathroom. The best place to look for Privatzimmer is on a town's own website, www.town.de under "hotels", "Unterkunfte", or "Übernachten". Sometimes places with Privatzimmer are designated as "Haus". One word of warning, a lot of times the owners of PZ don't speak English. In 2004, I stayed in a nice Privatzimmer in Boppard near St. Goar and Bacharach. I picked it because it's a little less known than the other two and the prices seemed good. Also, I was planning on seeing Koblenz and Braubach (Marksburg), and Boppard was more centrally located. If I were going to Bacharach, I would choose Im Mahlerwinkel. In 2002 I stayed in Rothenburg at Raidel (at the time it was recommended in Rick's book. Don't know if it still is). I'd stay there again. It's on the first car traffic street outside the pedestrian zone so a little noisy at night on the street side, but we, nevertheless, enjoyed our stay. I wouldn't use Munich's town website. It's a captive of HRS, a big booking site, so only those places that charge enough to afford HRS's commission are shown. I have listed a few places on my Munich webpage. I haven't personally stay in them, but they have been recommended by others on this site.

For Paris I highly recommend any of the three MIJE hostels in the Marais. They are renovated 17th-century private mansions and are centrally-located. Both Rick Steves and Lonely Planet call them "the best budget accommodations in Paris."

I would stay at the hostel in Bacharach (I did in '73 and was in Bacharach last month where I stayed in the also mentioned Irmgard Orth rooms). It is in an old castle and that more than makes up for the walk up. The walk is not really that bad, although I did slip and fall on the way down last month. (it was muddy on the trail). My 21 year old son had no trouble with the climb. I had to catch my breath a few times. I stayed in the hostel in Rothenburg in '73 also and it was ok, in the old town. I realize that hostels are no longer barracks style beds for those traveling under their own power. You could find a room in Rothenburg for probably the same price as the hostel. Check out the excellent town website - www.rothenburg.de - which lists all the accommodations in town. Their English version is excellent.