Ways to stay cheaply in Germany

AirBnBs are usually cheaper than hotels.
East Germany is cheaper than West Germany.

East Germany is cheaper than West Germany

Germany completed the reunification process on 3 October 1990 ;-)

Youth Hostels might be an option for lodging

There are some nice places in the country even castles check the link above
Also available for adults in private rooms

Berlin's accommodations can be expensive. That factor also depends where in Berlin, ie in which district. Munich is more expensive than Berlin in regards to hotels of like kind , ie 3 star to 3 star.

Of course, there are cities near Berlin that are and maybe cheaper . I am not staying in Berlin this time. With the deplorable lousy exchange rate, I am staying in a city only visited by local tourists, ie, totally off the international tourist radar, Magdeburg, a convenient train junction also, and since I already know that city anyway. Magdeburg is very affordable.

How about Schwerin, lovely enchanting place with inexpensive if not cheap accommodations? If you prefer a town smaller than that of Schwerin nearby , then I suggest Ludwigslust. You list as an alternative, Leipzig....good choice.

Re: Berlin itself . If you want to find cheaper like accommodations , look those districts where foreign tourists, incl. Americans, do not visit....go out to Koepenick, Karlshorst, Warschauer Strasse, Jannowitzbrücke area, Pankow, etc.

Work on your German, it'll help if you want more than just superficiality while visiting

Have you checked out lodging on booking.com? That's a good place to compare costs in different cities for your travel dates. You may save a worthwhile amount of money by then going to the hotel's own website to make a reservation. Or you can compare apartment rental rates on booking.com and Airbnb. An advantage of booking.com is that the exact address is shown.

I haven't been to Leipzig but liked Dresden, Erfurt and Potsdam [that was supposed to be Poznan!]. Erfurt came through the war pretty much unscathed. Dresden did not; a small part of the historic center was restored/rebuilt.

Schwerin is, indeed, a lovely place.

Forget post #1: permanent short-term rentals of housing spaces are widely illegal in whole Germany. The East-West pricing is simply not true because obviously accommodation prices are demand-driven, so

• attractiveness of destination,
• date of travel (summer, winter) and
• events play a role.

Price tip: Look for smaller Garni hotels (breakfast only) and chains such as Motel One, ibis, Holiday Inn Express, Premier Inn. For a 2023 ranking of chains see results of DISQ test on budget hotel chains.

Price tip for meals: a lot of restaurants offer "Mittagstisch", so special meals for lunch at a reduced price.

1) Fulfilled in every city / town in Germany.

2) Also Hamburg can be affordable. See the three criteria above. Through summer vacations for example Hamburg is very affordable because people are on vacation and directly at the coast lines. Same valid for Berlin - if not a large event happens. Counter example: never try to book a hotel in Cologne during GamesCom days. Some folk festivals, fairs and sport events are real price drivers.

3) The towns you selected are former GDR area, so all people grown up there until 1990 had Russian as second language, not English or another one. Tip: use DeepL app for best-quality translation from / to German. Btw: your last name is a plus to start an exchange. It is one of the most appearing last names in Germany. English is more common in our 5 biggest cities.

4) "lenient" is not a city but a mindset thing. As our chancellor Merz mentioned recently Germans are sometimes very normative / regulating with their environment - including me. If it happens: just say sorry and add a longer quickly spoken sentence in English. Most will not understand this and turn away with some kind of a grumpy noise. Give this a smile.

There are so many nice places: my Schwerin was already mentioned, Potsdam near Berlin is a place, Bremen and Bremerhaven for a different northern impression, Goslar and Wernigerode in Harz Mountains, Bamberg, Dortmund ... . There are tons of smaller towns along ICE long-distance train network (see ICE network map).

Have a nice journey.

I think I would try Potsdam or maybe Leipzig. What is it that you want to really do while you are there? Sightseeing, visit museums, landmarks, research?
Do not use AirBnB. You risk not having a place to stay as they are often ruled to be illegal, There are vacation apts. you could choose from, or apt. hotels if you want to be able to cook and do laundry. Try Ferien Wohnungen to find places. https://www.fewo-direkt.de

This is related to the post, but not the question for the OP so much.

My wife and I booked a cheap flight to a European destination (Ireland) for the end of July, first part of August. Not when we usually travel, we avoid peak season, but due to other commitments, that was the time period allowed (it is funny, being retired but still having so many "commitments")

We found most of Ireland to be beyond our comfort level of cost, so we decided to scale back Ireland and thought it might be a good time to explore some of the "other" cities in Germany for part of the trip. We have found very nice, very reasonable lodging prices in Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Aachen, Bad Ems, and other towns. Basically cities and towns just off the tourist radar, and in this case being a bit looking for tourists since we are encountering holiday season for many of the locals.

The OP does not mention the time of year, that matters, both for tourism and where Germans like to spend their spare time, or demand due to business activity. A town expensive one month, may be bargain basement prices the next.

My other advice is do not scrimp too much on food and beer. For me food and drink are a main reason to travel and a great window into local culture. Getting grocery store items for an early breakfast, maybe a lunch or snacks is fine, but don't make it every meal. Also consider picking things up at a market, a traditional butcher, any one of dozens of great bakeries everywhere, a great way to interact with people and get some regional delicacies.

Erfurt is surrounded by lots of nice places to visit. I'd spend the whole week thereabouts. We spent a few days exploring this region (Thuringia) prior to Covid. Trains get you most places you'd like to go and distances are short.

https://www.thueringen.info/fileadmin/userdaten/bilder/content/map.png

Look into:

Bad Langansalza
Mühlhausen
Weimar
Eisenach
Schmalkalden

Tripadvisor is a good starting point for online information for these places...

Train map of Thuringia:
https://images.mapsofworld.com/deutsch/thueringen-de-rails.jpg

Accommodations listings from the TI in Thüringen; you remember a little German, right? Pick a town and try Ferienwohnungen since you want to cook:

https://www.thueringen.info/uebernachten/

Deutschland-Ticket:
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-germany.htm#Deutschlandticket

Hi MuellerFamily, one place that I might suggest, at least in Berlin, is Motel One. It's a chain of German hotels that are very clean and very comfortable and generally affordably priced. They offer breakfast, although it's not included in the price, which is typical in Germany. However, I believe if you sign up for a membership, you can get your first night's breakfast for free. The breakfast is very good. And there are Motel Ones all over the place, especially in the larger cities. I stayed at the Motel One right by the train station, and it was a wonderful location there. https://www.motel-one.com/en/

Also, a lot depends on when you're going. Munich is five times as expensive during Oktoberfest than it is the rest of the year, and generally summer is going to be more expensive than spring and fall, and winter will be the cheapest season.

With regards to speaking English, I don't think there is a single large city in Germany where you would have a problem. There are areas in some of the smaller regions, like the Black Forest and up in North Rhine-Westphalia, where English is not as well spoken or sometimes not even at all. I rented an apartment from a couple in Östbevern, where the wife spoke English, but the husband didn't speak a word of it. It wasn't a problem for me because I speak German. Not especially fluently, but enough to get by. But you can always figure out ways to communicate.

I will say the smaller areas will be much less expensive. I was in Germany the last time in 2022, and paid around €120 a night for a studio with full kitchen services at the Adina Apartment Hotel Hackescher-Marx in Berlin. But then, two weeks later, when I was in a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia, I spent €50 a night for a three-bedroom apartment. Obviously, these prices will have gone up in four years, but I'm just saying that your prices are generally going to be cheaper in smaller towns.

One way to find places in smaller towns (and cities) is to go to the town's website and then to the tourist page. For example, if you are looking for accommodations in Munich, go to muenchen.de, and then scroll through for Tourism or Hotel information. There will be a lot of places listed here that won't be listed in other places. Even the small towns have websites like this. Just take the name of the town and add .de to it, and you should be able to find their website. Some of the smaller towns' websites may only be in German, but you can always use Google Translate there. Dresden has the same process: just go to https://www.dresden.de/de/tourismus/tourismus.html.php and look for lodging.

Another option is to go to booking.com, where you can find lots of hotels, apartments, and other types of lodging there. You can sort by price, by location, in many other ways. You don't necessarily have to book it there, although you can. I usually prefer to go to the original website, but some of the smaller places do not have their own website, so you may need to book on booking.com. Regardless, it's perfectly safe to book there, and it's a good resource.

My wife and I have different interests in Germany.

My wife rather than going to a lot of Museums and landmarks would prefer doing activities like walking around city, riding a bike, eating out a little, relaxing in a park.

I would prefer connecting somewhat with my German ancestors and seeing some landmarks and Museums. My great grandmother's Jahnke side of the family came from Prussian descent. She was born and raised in Thuringia Germany area, but her ancestors came from north central Poland when it was a part of Prussia. From my understanding they were German not Polish.

My great grandfather, the Mueller side of the family, came from southern Germany near the black forest area. Growing up my grandmother actually had a cuckoo clock that came from there. My grandma always wanted to visit the black forest but never had the chance in her lifetime.

My mother's grandmother was born and raised in Denmark and northern Germany.

I have the highest DNA from Germany. DNA shows from Eastern Germany into Poland, southern Germany, and Northern Germany. I have DNA from other areas of Europe, but I always have felt a strong connection to Germany. Maybe it was all the German food my grandma would cook growing up from her mother's cookbook or maybe it was I just always loved so many things about Germany.

My wife would love to visit the Black Forest or Hamburg, but both regions I heard are outrageously expensive. My wife loves all the water in Hamburg and would love taking a boat ride there. I told her everyone says Hamburg is way too expensive and out of our price range. I think black forest I would need a rental car that I can't afford. I heard north eastern Germany is way more affordable than southern Germany, so that is region I am picking to visit.

So since I will be flying into Berlin area I was thinking of connecting with some of that Prussian ancestory, maybe visiting Potsdam. Maybe see Thurgia area if I can by train sine that is another area my family came from. Maybe take a train ride over the border to Poland since that was once part of Prussia. Maybe seeing Museums and landmarks, but not have that the center of the vacation. Probably do some of what my wife wants to too.

My wife would love to visit the Black Forest or Hamburg, but both regions I heard are outrageously expensive.

I didn't find Hamburg that expensive, and I definitely did not find the Black Forest "outrageously expensive." I'm not sure where you're getting your information from, but I can tell you that the Black Forest is pretty reasonably priced, in my opinion.

I think black forest I would need a rental car that I can't afford.

You do NOT need a car in the Black Forest. I spent four nights there in Gengenbach and got around all over the place by train. You can visit Strasbourg by train in France, which is 40 minutes away. You can take the Black Forest Railway to the quaint and beautiful towns that are in the Black Forest. It's really a wonderful place, and I can't speak highly enough about it. Gengenbach was one of the most beautiful places I've stayed, and I loved it. It's really a charming location as is the whole of the Schwarzwald. And one more item of note; if you stay in Gengenbach or one of the other towns in the Black Forest, you get a KONUS pass, which entitles you to free rail travel throughout most of the district.

And again, do your own research. I'm not sure again where you are getting your information, but if it's from commercial blogs or Facebook, I would discount those. One good thing about this form is that we all know each other, and we all have some foundation for what we speak of. Regardless, if you really don't want to go to the Black Forest, then don't go, but don't discount it because you think it's overly expensive and you need a rental car, because I can tell you that both of those assumptions are not based on truth.

When I tell you that the Black Forest is reasonably priced, you're talking to someone that likes to travel on the cheap side and would not go to a terribly expensive place without good reason. I would tell you so

My wife rather than going to a lot of Museums and landmarks would
prefer doing activities like walking around city, riding a bike,
eating out a little, relaxing in a park.

The outskirts of Berlin might suit you in this case. Look into Grünewald and the Wannsee. Then there's Kladow as well.

You can walk in Goethe's footsteps from Ilmenau, not far from Erfurt:
https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-trail/thuringia/goethe-hiking-trail-ilmenau-thuringian-forest/18294127/

Mardee is correct; there are places you can stay in Black Forest that won't require a leg or an arm. We stayed here a while back. It's in Steinach, not far from Gengenbach andust a few minutes walk from the scenic Black Forest Railway, a major rail artery though the Black Forest. We bought groceries at a small market in town. Current prices for the 2-BR apt start at around €40/night for two, and our train outings from Steinach were free with the KONUS card:

https://www.traum-ferienwohnungen.de/13558/

Of course, Thuringia is a whole lot closer to Berlin.

I think with Hamburg you can combine both interests because it has also an emigration museum with old registers (Ballinstadt).

You shall be very aware of the various layers of history in Europe including today's area of Germany.

Jahnke is a German name but Prussia was not always Prussia - first Prussia was around Königsberg, today Kaliningrad.

Come here to Oberpfalz. Weiden, Amberg. I am partial to my regions with Zoigl Bier (Windischeschenbach). US bases in the area so English is understood. Some public transpiration, I had a Schweinsbraten for under 14 euro today.

Your last name indicates it is not only a German name as pointed out above but also the name by its spelling is a North German name.

RE: the ancestors from "north central Poland when it was part of Prussia." That could be Pomerania , more specifically the area east of the Oder, ie , Hinterpommern .(eastern Pomerania) . Maybe even West Prussia or East Prussia, the "land between the Vistula and the Memel?"

Tracking down this information, do you know the name of the village or town they lived in, originated from, or close to the mouth of which river.

If you want to see and explore the Prussian roots , so to speak, of your family, I would suggest renting a car and driving in the rural areas of Brandenburg, which originated as Mark Brandenburg, see the villages in the Greater Berlin....Grossbeeren, Neuruppin, Luckenwalde, Rheinsberg, Werder an der Havel, etc , or go to these Prussian back-water areas and towns , Prenzlau in the Uckermark area, very scenic.

I went to Prenzlau in 2024 , (didn't have enough time, have to return) , you'll get a different feel from what you may be used to in Germany.

Re: northeastern Germany less expensive.

This is the area of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern., very true in regards to hotels. There used to be 2 areas called Mecklenburg, ( Strelitz and Schwerin ), both associated with Prussian-German history, now that is combined administratively to just one

Lovely areas and cities there well worth your energy and time to explore and be acquainted with...Greifswald, Schwerin, (take the direct train from Hmaburg Hbf) , Stralsund, Ludwigslust.

In conjunction with what the others above are saying, one thing I should mention is that it is very easy to find a lot of information about your ancestors in Germany. Most of it you can find online before you even leave home. My father's paternal great-grandfather came from Ostbevern in 1815 and my father's maternal grandfather came from the Hanover area around 1879 . I'm still working on the maternal side from Hanover, but found a ton of documentation about the Schürmann family from Ostbevern, as they had been there for centuries.

Most churches have marriage records and baptism records online now, although they may be difficult to read, but they're still available. You can also try emailing someone in the town. I was lucky enough to find a gentleman in Ostbevern who has made a hobby of genealogy and kept track of all the immigrants who left the town from the late 1700s on. When I visited there in 2022, he and his wife took me under their wing and spent several days taking me around to various places in town. I saw the baptismal font my ancestors were all baptized at and the church where my great-great-great-grandfather was married. It was a fascinating experience And I highly encourage you to seek that out if you have the opportunity.

I’ll echo the Motel One advice. My husband and daughter stayed at one of the Munich ones and said it was a pretty good option for something no frills.

My parents’ budget travel trick was always to do the main meal lunch (cheaper) and to hunt for the department store in the city since it normally had a pretty good cafeteria option for $ prices.

There's a number of "backpacker" guides to Europe on the internet. Here's one's take on Berlin.
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/germany-travel-tips/berlin/

On the research it says the Jahnkes came from Posen, Germany which my family says use to be a part of Prussia. Then later they moved to and lived in Thuringia. Posen, Germany is now Poland from what I researched. West Poland Krazenka and Zlotow are specific areas in Posen , Germany - Prussia. Family members said this use to be Prussia.

So If I stayed in Berlin I think I can take a 2 - 3 hour train ride to this region make it s long day trip. I was thinking Poznan, Poland?

“Forget post #1: permanent short-term rentals of housing spaces are widely illegal in whole Germany.”
We are renting via AirBnB in October and have found many offerings.

I just went to Hamburg last week. It wasn't any more expensive than other cities. We had great Portuguese food. The Harbor rides are kind of expensive, but just walking along the Harbor was lovely. Walk through the Elbe Tunnel. Motel One was 130€ per night with breakfast. I am sure there are cheaper places, but we wanted a hotel near the harbor.
If you aren't sure of prices, do look on Booking dot com to see what decent hotels are running. Lunch specials are the best deals in any city. Make that your main meal. This is what Germans do. Lunch is their big, hot meal and dinner is some bread and cheese, maybe a salad too.

The train system here is great. You don't need a car to get around, not even in the Black Forest regions. Pick out the towns you want to visit. Use the Deutsche Bahn website to figure out the best ways to get around. But since you only have 7 days, it might be best to stick to the north.

"Gott erhalts Die Oberpfalz" Very attractive Region with very reasonable prices for Lodging and Dining

Stay in Waldsassen or Neualbenreuth and do a daytour in the Czech Republic Karlovy Vary ,Loket , Cheb , Františkovy Lázně
with Adriana Tours

Altmühltal nearby also very attractive

Your family members are correct in asserting that Poznan used to be called Posen. In anglophone historiography until 1945 Posen is used to indicate the current city of Poznan. Quite correct too, as they say, that the province of Posen was part of Prussia, known as "Prussian Poland" This lasted until 1919 when German troops just pulled out of the city and withdrew from the province.

The final defeat of Napoleon in 1815 saw the Great Powers at the Congress of Vienna redraw the map of central Europe as part of the power politics and returned the province of Posen to Prussia with its largely Polish population in the rural areas, the Germans were the inhabitants in the city of Posen.

One can easily take the train from Berlin central station , Berlin Hbf to Poznan, (I've done it) , keep in mind that once over the border, ie the Oder River, you need a seat reservation when going from Frankfurt an der Oder to Poznan.

I went back to Frankfurt an der Oder last summer as a day trip, it had been years since I was there last, pre-pandemic. If you have the time to spare, I suggest visiting Frankfurt an der Oder, a place no one, I mean, no one goes to, not even German tourists.

Walking from the train station to the Oder River takes ca, 40 mins, or you can take the bus in front of the train station. The town was a garrison town (Garnisonstadt) as were numerous towns in Prussia west and east of Berlin...bottom line, this didn't help in terms of defense.

Hamburg is expensive for renting, not necessarily for visiting, especially if you get a fairly priced hotel. Many attractions are free--the Elphi, the churches (you pay for the visit to the steeple), wandering around the Speicherstadt or along the Landungsbrücken or the shipwrecks/beach at Blankenese (Treppenviertel), the Botanischer Garten and the Stadtpark and the Boberger Dünen sand dunes and the Klövensteen animal park and the Reeperbahn / Beetles Platz. Your train ticket includes the ferries, so instead of a harbour tour, you can see Hamburg from the water by ferry (how the locals enjoy a summer day). From Hamburg you can visit towns and cities like Lübeck, Bremen, Schwerin, Lüneburg, Glückstadt, Jork, etc. easily for any type of vacation. Hamburg is super easy in English, would allow you to look up your ancestors as well. Incidentally, I work with someone whose name is Jahnke.

Berlin, however, would also be a great jumping off point. You can get easy, affordable trips (even day trips) to a great number of locations, and of course there are myriad amazing and affordable historic sites, museums, etc. in Berlin itself. I loved the DDR museum, for example.

For hotels, people have given fantastic advice. We have had great luck with the Ibis hotels (with school groups), but you can find nice, inexpensive hotels around the edges of the cities easily enough--and if you are using a day train ticket, taking an extra 15 minutes to get into the city from a hotel further out is hardly a big deal. Obviously many of us do that daily. And you might just end up in a gem of a location by accident!

Oh, and for the local trains, be sure to look into multi-day tickets for the city (often gives discounts on attractions), regional flexible fares (for example, the Schleswig-Holstein Ticket), and in some cases the group ticket is cheaper than two individual ones.

Ok thanks for the input. I saw youtube videos where they said Hamburg was more expensive to visit, but now that I am hearing a different story I am thinking not to always trust what I hear on youtube.

Since my wife insists we have checked bags and refundable tickets I will be having larger checked luggage with me. Will this be a problem if I choose to travel on a long distance train with them? They will be the 24" size suitcases. I am hoping if I decide to like stay in Berlin maybe a couple nights and then a couple nights in like Lezpig or Hamburg that those suitcases will be allowed on the long distance ICE train?

That isn't a problem as long as you can lift them into the train (although even then people are often willing to help). I would keep valuables on your person just in case, but really I have never ever had a problem or heard of one. There are racks, areas behind some seats, etc.

If the train is really crowded (usually only if the train before it was cancelled) it might be tricky, but people find a way to make it work and are generally accommodating even then. Go for it!

You are only traveling for 7 days.
Yes, you can check a bag but it doesn't have to be large or heavy. Take 7 shirts, 1 extra pair of pants, 7 socks and underwear, plus what ever toiletries you need. Traveling lightly is easy.

Cheaply? Either a hostel or Airbnb will likely be your cheapest options. You’ll be fine with an Airbnb; I’ve stayed in 13 or 14 in various parts of Germany and never had an issue. Make sure you read all the reviews on Airbnb and pick one that has many positive reviews. They should have a license number on their listing; if they don’t, assume they aren’t legal and don’t book it. Airbnb isn’t just for apartments or rooms, you can also book hostels, hotels, inns, etc on it.

3) . I speak/understand very little German and have had no problems typically finding someone around who speaks a little bit of English. Even if there isn’t, usually you can get your point across by pointing or gesturing.

I don't think a hostel will do. I would consider an airbnb but I heard they are banned for tourists to use in Berlin?

I might pay for a cheaper hotel that is not in Berlin's Mitte city center. I don't mind the inconvenience of using the train more.

To get that feel of older Germany buildings I might spend a few days in Erfhurt or Leipzig. Looks like those cities cheaper than Berlin.

....Or might go to Hamburg for the Seafood and water. Although I might be interested in seeing the Reeperbaum, I know the wife would not and she would make sure I had an unexpected funeral if I even attempted to go there.

Or maybe it would be cheaper just to stay 7 days in Berlin and take several day trips to cities outside of Berlin.

If you opt for Hamburg, there are great easy day trips to see old towns (like Lübeck, Schwerin, Lüneburg, Bremen, Glückstadt, Stade).

For hotels, have you tried simply going on Google Maps, choosing a city (Hamburg or Berlin or elsewhere), clicking on Hotel at the top, and you can see tons of options with a price. You can click through to see which ones are hostels, eliminate them, and then pick based on location, price, etc.

No, Airbnbs aren't banned for tourists in Berlin. They are regulated though so you need to make sure the one you book has a registration number.

You could also look into staying at a pension or guesthouse. They can often times be less expensive than the chain hotels.

I think black forest I would need a rental car that I can't afford.

I've traveled quite a lot in the Black Forest, more in the north (22 nights in 4 towns) than in the south (0 nights). I've never rented a car. There are several rail lines connecting towns in both the north and the south, most notably the Schwarzwaldbahn, going from Offenburg to Donaueschingen via Triberg. In fact, although I've used buses quite extensively, I think every place where I've stayed has been on a rail line.

Places I've stayed:
Bad Herrenalb
Alpirsbach
Freudestadt
Bad Wildbad

Other places I've visited:
(walked around, not just passed through)
Baden-Baden
Hirsau
Calw
Titisee

A lot of places in the Black Forest give you a Konus Karte, which allows you free rail and bus travel in the Forest.

Now, as far as traveling cheaply in Germany, I think traveling cheaply (please, inexpensively) and not speaking German are kind of an oxymoron. In big town, intercontinental hotels, someone will speak English, but they will not be cheap. In small town, family run Gästehäuser, you'll spend a lot less, but you are not so likely to find English speakers.

Staying in small towns is an excellent way to minimize your travel expenses. In over 160 days in German, less than 15% of my nights have been in towns with over 20k population, and my total expenses on the ground (accommodations, transportation, meals, incidentals, not including airfare to get to Europe) have been less than 60-70 euro/night/person. But I took German in high school and have studied it since, so, although I could not be a UN translator, I can find a way to communicate. This allows me to stay in Privatzimmer, Ferienwohnungen, and small Gästhäuser, which are less expensive than 3 star hotels, which by DEHOGE standards have to have someone who speaks English.

In my experience, the least expensive place to find accommodations is on the towns own website, www. town name .de. The accommodations in a town will be listed under Ünterkünfte or Übernachten. Some of these listings are in German only, some are in English. Use Google translate. Some places will be listed in German, but email them in English. They might respond in English; if they don't, well, of well, you tried. You haven't lost anything.

I've stayed in lot of small towns where I used the town website to find an accommodation. They were also listed on Booking. I compared the place on Booking to the place on the town website and I found that the places on Booking were always the ones with the highest prices. Use Booking if you have to, but understand you WILL pay more.

I am looking for an affordable Germany vacation, relativity speaking.
I will be buying groceries at Aldi and storing them in my hotel room
to save money on restaurants.

The least expensive lodging is a hostel. Many have common kitchens for cooking a meal. Unlike the US, you will find few hotels in Germany with a refrigerator and microwave in your room so you will be eating only cold prepared meals if you stay in a hotel.

For public transport, consider a Deutschland Ticket to keep your costs low and under control.

As long as your wife can behave courteously at home in US museums, she will do just fine in Germany. If she starts to get too loud, head to a busy beer garden for lunch or dinner. They should be plenty loud and no one will be listening to you or your wife.

Have a great time!

I stay either in ferienwohnungen ( holiday apartments ) or in very small b&b s that have only a few rooms, usually about 3. For transportation I usually do the Lander tickets or stay in areas that have ‘free’ transportation like the Black Forest. For food I usually get food at stores and picnic a couple of days a week. have doner/pizza/bratwurst for lunch and have some dinners in smaller cafes. Only a few times have I cooked dinners in the apartment, but enjoy a more American breakfast when I stay in an apartment.

My wife and I usually spend about 150€ per day for everything. For some reason I can’t renember or understand, last trip 3 years ago, it was about 110€.

It's ironic. AirB&B, despite it's misleading name, in most cases, is not a true B&B, a place where you get a place to sleep and breakfast (that's what the second 'B' in the name stands for), usually served by the host, who also lives there. In fact, in Germany, AirB&Bs are actually one of the few places where you don't get breakfast, the others being Ferienwohnungen (vacation apartments) and high end international hotels, which strip out an inclusive breakfast to try to make their exorbitant price seem lower. Accommodations in homes, where you do get breakfast, are called Privatzimmer (private rooms). Today, I seek out Privat Zimmer (and sometimes, Ferienwohnungen).

In the last town I stayed at in Germany, in a Ferienwohnung, there were quite a few such places (Ferienwohnungen) in the town. The only one listed on AirB&B was the most expensive Ferienwohnung in town.

Since the early 2000s, most of my trips (5) have been solo and only for a few days in any one place. It was not economically feasible for me to stay in a Ferienwohnung. For the last two trips, with my late partner, it did make sense, for an extended stay in one place. We stayed in a Ferienwohnung in in the Oberallgäu for a week and in another one, in the Spessart, for 9 nights. I think I saved money on food, primarily on breakfasts, although we did have a few dinners in the apartment. But when we arrived, there were no staples in the kitchen - no coffee, no butter, no salt, no sugar, no anything. I had to go out to the store and stock the kitchen, and most of the staples and half of what else I bought - cold cuts, cheese, eggs - where still there when I left. I think I saved money, but not much. But it was nice to have coffee and breakfast before getting dressed in the morning.

Thanks for all the info everyone.

I assume off the airplane in Berlin at airport I can find somewhere to exchange US dollars for Euros? I also assume if take a train from Berlin to Poland should be easy to find a place by train station to exchange Euros for Zloty?

Unfortunately I will have to have at least 1,000 in US dollars cash on the plane to Germany since no one accepts credit cards there I hear. All food, shopping, museums, attractions, bathrooms, and restaurants will only take cash only and no credit cards will be accepted in Berlin for anything from what I been told.

I also can't use an ATM over there in Germany to get cash because I been told not to trust any ATM in Europe they are all rigged by thieves to just steal all your money out of your bank account.

So I will have no choice but to just carry around at all times large amounts of cash to pay for everything since credit cards and debit cards will be useless from what I been told. I just hope don't get pickpocketed.

Cheaper areas to stay in Hamburg look around the St Pauli area, but I read on internet very dangerous area and will most likely have some violent crime happen to you or be robbed if you get a Hotel in St Pauli area.

I will check out the airbnb options too.

Only biggest challenge visiting Germany will getting used to it being a cash only country and no one accepting any of my credit or debit cards

Ok thanks for help not sure for currency. I am thinking of boarding plane with 1,000 us cash and hopefully finding a place at airport or train station to convert to Euros.

Since I heard Germany is cash only and will not accept any credit cards or debit cards anywhere I guess I will have to have large sums of cash on me at all times.

I also heard not to trust any ATMs over there a lot scammers steal tourists money through them. I don't belong to any bank that is international and operated also in Europe so I assume my debit card will be useless.

Do not take 1000$ in cash with you! You will get the worst rates doing an exchange.
Use the Deutsche Bank ATMs at the Frankfurt airport or wait until you get into the city and use an ATM that is inside of a bank. Do not use the random ATMs found at the airport or along the street

Where are you reading all of these off the wall "facts" about Germany? None of them are true! Is this some sort of poorly made youtube channel?

If you want to have some cash with you when you arrive, get some Euros from your bank or perhaps AAA. Money exchanges are so ‘old school’ and costly. As mentioned above, use an inside the bank ATM. And credit cards are used in Germany, just not as much as the USA and many other European countries. Now, if you stay in small places like Lee and I do, paying cash is often the rule. I just go to the ATM, get the cash and pay the innkeeper.

Since I heard Germany is cash only

Not true. But in small mom/pop places and small towns, cards are not always honored. 90% + of my costs go on my CCs. Bring 2+ CCs with you. Get a Capital One card to secure the normal bank-exchange rate (most other CCs take an extra cut on each purchase.)

BANK-owned atms are fine for the cash you will need. Banks like Sparkasse, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Volksbank etc. may apply a flat atm fee but will not inflate the normal rate of exchange.

Not so regarding cash only.

You will find both in Germany. "Cash less hotels " (I know of one in Frankfurt and Berlin, ) both 4 star, and "cash only" eateries, restaurants , Beer Gardens (Munich) , and obviously establishments accepting payment both cash and credit cards, giving you that choice. Those places I usually pay cash...just depends.

You have been misinformed regarding the use of cash and cc. in Berlin pertaining to eateries and restaurants.

Staying in the summer in Berlin can be expensive, ie in excess of 150 Euro. This time I am staying in a city west of Berlin where I would be paying 40 to 50 % less than the 160 to 170 Euro in Berlin for the same type of hotel, a 3 or 4 star.

The St. Pauli area is not at all dangerous other than pick pockets. I am not sure where you are reading all of this! It is the party district, so there are a few drunks and a lot of noise, but it is heavily policed (smallest precinct in Europe) and quite safe, even for a group of partying young women. I have been out there alone at night as a woman and felt perfectly safe. There is crime, but it's generally of the organised variety or related to those industries.

St. Pauli can be a bit loud and dirty--it's the clubbing district, after all--and you want to stay off the Reeperbahn directly for that reason. I would say don't stay there simply because you won't enjoy it. Staying a few blocks off the Reeperbahn, however, could be a great area. For example, the Superbude St. Pauli or Hotel St. Annen are totally fine.

You could also look a bit further out (for example, I can say that my family stay at the Hotel Kreuzer on the very western edge of Hamburg when they visit. I can personally verify that it is safe and clean and about a 10-12 minute walk from the S-Bahn station). This applies to any location. We stayed at an Ibis at the edge of Berlin a few years back and used the S-Bahn trip into town to review our maps and plan for the day. It was perfectly clean and had good breakfast, though the room was smaller than we usually get. Nevertheless it was perfectly adequate. Try to pick something with breakfast included--a cup of coffee goes a long way! You can always make sandwiches for lunch or be very German and eat out for lunch and have sandwiches for dinner. Or just buy a sandwich or a Currywurst or Döner for lunch and find a spot for a picnic with the locals! No need to eat fancy meals even when out and about, and you get a great authentic experience.

Finally, DO NOT carry that much cash. Pickpockets are the biggest danger you will face. As others have said, Germany accepts credit and debit cards--though usually it's easier with Visa and Mastercard than with AmEx. You can get small amounts of cash at ATMs pretty much anywhere. Since COVID more places take cards, though there are still a few cash-only businesses (typically for smaller purchases like a currywurst). The catch is that your card may charge an exchange fee each time, so getting a bit of cash at a time is your best option--you don't want an upcharge on a single soda you put on your card! It's about balancing how often you use the card with how much cash you will carry.

Remember that you want to enjoy the trip, so while being conscious of your budget is important, it is also important to plan to "bust" it a bit. Give yourself soft limits, not hard ones, and plan carefully for the bigger expenses (transportation and accommodation). Anything extra you don't spend is a nice bonus after the trip, so budget higher than you think you will actually spend so that, after a day of long walking and sightseeing, you can splurge on that meal or so that you can spontaneously see that extra museum. It's about making memories. So if you plan to spend, say, 100 Euros/day on food and entertainment, then set aside 125 Euros before the trip, but try to keep to the 100 in your head, but only as an estimate. You won't spend the entire trip counting pennies that way, and when you get home, whatever you haven't spent can go in the jar for the next trip!

Ok thanks for all advice. The advice on this forum has been way more valuable and accurate then what I heard on YouTube or read on the internet. I am so glad I will be able to use credit/ debit cards after all .

I heard on YouTube the best way to travel by train in Germany is purchasing a Duetschland monthly subscription based ticket. I would just cancel the ticket after the month of April and not get charged for May since I'm going mid April.

Can use it for all cities in Germany including airport to train station in Berlin.

The D-Ticket is valid on all forms of local transport (subway, tram, bus AND on regional trains.) It is NOT valid on long-distance trains.... ICE, IC, EC, etc. See page below.

https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-germany.htm#What%20are%20German%20trains%20like

I would just cancel the ticket after the month of April

That won't work, because the standard cancellation deadline is the 10th of the month. So you either have to buy before April 10 and cancel right away, or you buy from a reseller who circumvents this deadline (illegally, but there are currently no penalties for doing so) and who also sells you a ticket that doesn’t automatically renew. The aforementioned Man in Seat 61 knows a few of them. Find one that doesn’t charge fees.

I've never seen a cashless Gasthaus, Hotel, Etc. in Germany, but I have seen many cash only places. In fact, places that I stayed at for 14 of the 20 nights on my last trip were cash only, and generally among the lowest priced places in town. Note: the two places where I stayed for the other six nights didn't say the took CCs, but they didn't indicate on their websites that they do, either.

Credit card take part of the cost of the room, so the less expensive places to stay can't afford to take cards. Insisting on using a card just limits your choices to the more expensive places.

"furthermore, the Deutschland-Ticket is not valid on means of transport that are operated primarily for tourist or historical purposes".

I saw this last paragraph on website for Duetschland ticket. Does this mean can't use it as a tourist or for tourist travel?

I was about to buy it then read that last paragraph and wondered.

There is a "cash less" hotel in Frankfurt on Poststraße opposite of the Hbf., adjacent or close to Hotel Hamburger Hof. I spent one night there in 2023, a bit pricey as it is a 4 star, handed over the cc when I could have just as easily paid the cash amount. At check-in as a walk-in, I was told the hotel was cash less and if that was agreeable with me. Well, if it's policy, it's policy.

Likewise with the Intercity Hotel Berlin Hbf, "cash less" at check-in and at breakfast. That was my experience in Berlin last summer. The word used is "barlos" and that message is conveyed in English as well, which I never use for these transactions.

True, limiting oneself to only credit card establishments cuts down your choices when it comes to eating. I know of eating establishments in Berlin, Munich, Vienna where posted out front a sign in English "cash only" just so the customer is forewarned before entering. As of 2023 (I was there then) , the famous Munich Biergarten auf dem Viktualienmarkt posted just such a sign where food orders are placed, regardless of the number of foreign tourists frequenting that place.

No, I think that means that the Deutschland Ticket can't be used for rail transportation on lines that are specifically for touristy things, like the Harzquerbahn, the train that take tourists up the Brocken (a mountain in the Harz N.P.) or on the Zugspitzbahn, going to the top of the Zugspitze. Whether you are a tourist or not, you can use the ticket on normal trains that carry all kinds of passengers. Probably also not valid, I'm sure, for the Zahnradbahn (cog train) that goes up to the top of the Wendelstein.

I'm sure all of the regularly scheduled trains of the Bahn and their regional subsidiaries (ÖPNV) are covered.

I've been on all of the above, but I can't even think of what historical railroad there are. I don't think I've ever been on one.

"Tourist transportation" means things like Ho Ho buses, funiculars, or those fake trains on wheels that drive around city centers telling you facts. None of these are public transport and people buy tickets just for each individual thing. They are a tourist attraction only.

Ok thanks for info. Thinking of free cheap activities can do in the Berlin...

I was thinking maybe sunbathing in a park relaxing and having a picknick. I always seem to tan so easily while my wife burns.

In the US in April it starts getting warm enough to go tanning out in the sun and having picknick not sure if that's the same in Berlin?

Berlin has great fun parks I read and music in the parks?

Do be aware that sunbathing in Germany may be different. Lots of nude sunbathing or for women, topless. So, don't be shocked.

Look at the average weather for April in Berlin. Pretty sure it is not sunbathing weather, or even picnic weather. Pretty similar to Ohio.

In the US in April it starts getting warm enough to go tanning out in the sun and having picknick not sure if that's the same in Berlin?

Not really the case in April, except for over-average warm days. April is more sitting on a sunny park bench.

Honestly, just some walking tours can get you so far. Just get a feel for a city, sit at a cafe and, over a single cup of coffee, watch people go by.

Ok interesting. Well Berlin probably further north than where I am.

I was at first thinking shorts, t- shirts, blue jeans, a light sweater,and a light blazer in April....but maybe need to pack warmer than that.

Google says Berlin is a high 13 - 15 celcius in April. Yeah more like a high of 20 - 24 celcius where I am at in the US in April so a bit warmer.

I heard Berlin has a goth culture? Might be something interesting to see for free or not much money I assume. I was totally into the Goth look wearing all black as a teenager but now that middle aged I have grown out of it.

I really like operas, musicals, plays. If it didn't cost much maybe seeing one of those in Berlin or Hamburg. Maybe could be inexpensive if got the nose bleed seats way up top?

Yes, all of Germany is further north than you think it is. You almost certainly won't need shorts. Pack comfortable pants / jeans (really, wear one and pack one), a few layers, and a good all-weather jacket.

Hamburg is Germany's musical theatre capital and even a worldwide player. It remains the only city to have a non-English production of Hamilton. You can attend everything from Broadway musicals (The Lion King sells out nearly every performance for over 20 years now) to little two-man plays in a cabaret-style theatre. We have a local production called Heiße Ecke (about life on the Reeperbahn) which is appealing even if you don't speak German and is really fun--I've been twice (though I do speak German). I've heard good things about Tschüssikowski as well, but I haven't been.

For the Schmitts (local productions, cozy theatres, local favourites): https://www.tivoli.de/programm-tickets/spielplan

And for the big ones, you can check here: Stage Entertainment

Or for last minute tickets, try here: https://www.musicaltickets-hamburg.de/restkarten.html

We also have local theatres like any city, and if you want to see some of that, let me know and I can find a few links. I have a friend who does local plays. Of course, not speaking German is a hinderance, but it could still be fun.

And for the Elphi (Elbphilharmonie, our awesome concert house), you can look here. There are some super cheap tix:
https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/de/programm/TICKETS/

How about Leipzig? It's cheaper and train connections to Dresden and Poznan are easy. You'll have no problems with English there.

Yes thought about Leipzig. Might stay there.

I was thinking since having an early flight out of Berlin when I leave back for USA staying at a hotel at airport for 1 night. It's like a 7 am flight. So I assume a hotel by airport would be faster than having one in Mitte. It's also cheap hotel.

I also was thinking staying at an airport hotel when I arrive in Berlin for first night. I land like 5pm in the evening in Berlin at the biggest airport in Berlin. I figure my wife and I will be so jetlagged we will just want go to bed as quickly as possible and won't be interested in sightseeing the day we land. It's also a cheap hotel at airport.

The other days we can stay more in an hotel in the center Berlin or in Leipzig.

Thoughts? Think good idea?

Care to name those hotels? It is seldom that any airport hotel is cheap.

After landing, you should go out and walk around and not just go to sleep. It will help with the jetlag. So, go into the city and stay in a budget hotel.

Be careful with name "airport hotel". If you have to sit into a train to get to these hotels you can also get a FEX or other fast train train to Potsdamer Platz in around 25 minutes which is very center like. No hazzle and waste of time the next morning.

Loginn hotel Berlin airport looked cheap?