Book lodging ahead or play it by ear?

I would make reservations everywhere but only if you can cancel them without charge, at least a day or two ahead of time. That way, you have the advantage of both flexibility and security. The assumption is that you will have some ability to change/cancel/make reservations as you travel, presumably with a laptop, phone, or tablet (at last resort a public computer at a hotel or internet cafe - or by phone as a last resort). And of course, you'll need to keep track of which reservations much be canceled by when to avoid fees.

You should already be able to tell a few months out how a particular town will be on the date you are likely to stay there. Many people make advanced bookings. I use Booking.com to check hotel prices and make some bookings. Type in a date and a city and you'll see how booked up it is. If a town seems to be wide open on the date you are likely to stay, you might check a few options that seem most appealing by budget, location, etc. and either book one now or note them down so you can make last-minute reservations there later if need be. If a town is really booked now, I'd book the best choice still available so I have something at least (assuming I can cancel it closer to arrival if need be). Many bookings on Booking.com have free cancellation options but read the terms carefully and note how long before check-in you have to cancel without fee.

I like to book directly with the hotel or B&B if I can instead of using a booking service. Sometimes you can find a place listed on Booking.com and book with them directly. Sometimes it's cheaper to do it that way (some places will not even require a credit card to hold a reservation, but of course you need to let them know as early as possible if you need to cancel). Sometimes a trusted site like Booking.com or Venere or others are still the best way to book something.

I stayed in Cochem and in Rothernburg o. d. Tauber in April, not a busy time, so I had an easy time booking in both towns. I did book the Cochem hotel ahead of time but I didn't book the place in Rothenburg until a few hours before I arrived, when I had finalized my plans. Had Rothenburg been very busy I would probably have locked in something earlier instead of playing it by ear at a busy time - but some people do. You can often just arrive in a town and find booking help at the train station or something. Rick's Germany book offers tips for these types of last-minute booking for many towns you might visit. But I like having at least a list of places to contact beforehand instead of showing up in a town knowing nothing about possible lodgings.

Hi,

Both ways have advantages and disadvantages. I would opt for a little flexibility in the middle of the trip.

You need to see about rooms in St. Goar immediately. There's a major wine festival a few miles away in Oberwesel over that weekend that draws many visitors. St. Goar, Oberwesel, Bacharach, and Boppard will all be impacted. The weekend wine fest in Traben-Trarbach may impact Cochem and other Mosel towns as well.

I always reserve in advance. That way you have a better chance of getting what you want. There are others out there reserving in advance, and when they find a good place, they book it. They don't say, "I'll save that for someone who books at the last moment."

If you really want to stay in Moselkern, I would definitely book in advance. It is a very small town with few places to stay.

OTOH, if you plan on going to Burg Eltz on Saturday or Sunday, you might want to stay in Treis or Karden and avoid the long hike. On weekends, there is a bus from there to a few hundred yards above Burg Eltz. The buses run every two hours and the trip takes 30 min; you can find the schedule on the Bahn website.

You can find a listing of accommodations in the area, with contact information, here.

I would highly recommend this place, a private home. I stayed here in 2008. The owner is Dutch and speaks very good English. He picked me up at the train station in Karden when I arrived.

Thank you all very much. I'm going ahead with reservations everywhere and making sure to book with places that have moderate cancellation policies, if we need to make adjustments.

Sounds like a good plan.

I've stayed at the Hotel Brauer in Karden several times. New owners are Dutch. Very nice people.