Breakfast?

Every hotel where we have stayed in Germany, Switzerland, and Itaky included breakfast in the price of the room. However, it is a light Continental breakfast, served from a buffet. There is no menu.

Every hotel we've stayed in Germany, Switzerland and Italy included a buffet as well, but it wasn't a light Continental breakfast, it was more substantial than that... soft boiled eggs, variety of cheeses and lunch meats, yogurts, cereals, fruits, breads, pastries, juices, milk, coffee and tea. Can you email the hotels and ask them?

I've spent over a hundred nights in Germany and Austria in the last 10 years, and in everyplace I've stayed, breakfast was included in the room price (and it's been a traditional German breakfast, Kaiser rolls, butter, jelly, sausage, cheese, müsli, fruit, usually a soft boild egg). In almost every case, I've stayed at what I would call small, traditionally German hotels and booked directly with the hotel using the email address on their website, and the price they have shown on their website said it included breakfast. I have notice, however, that on many booking websites, like Booking.com, to look competitive, properties, particularly the more expensive ones, are removing breakfast. They still serve breakfast, and they probably serve it for free to directly booked customers, but for booking website customers, it is an extra, usually at an unbelievable price. American chain hotels do the same thing, even if you book from their website. If your booking does not explicitly say that breakfast is included, you'd better expect it isn't.

Not all hotels include breakfast and some may offer it and it can be very expensive at the larger American hotels such as Marriott, Westin and such. I check out the reviews on all my hotels on Tripadvisor.com and most of the time the other travelers will say if breakfast is included. Typical European breakfast is cereal, yogurt, pastries, rolls, lunch meats, cheese juice and coffee. I try to stay at B&B's because they always include breakfast and they usually are less expensive and more quaint to me.

Jennifer, As the others have said most Hotels provide breakfast, either in the cost of the room or at an extra charge. The breakfasts tend to vary somewhat by country. Germany and Switzerland tend to have fairly substantial breakfast (as Lee described) while Italy tends to be a bit more "basic". I have encountered a few Hotels that provide more of a "North American" breakfast (Eggs & Bacon, etc.), but those are not too common. Will you be staying in large "chain" Hotels (Sheraton, Hilton, etc.) or more "local" European Hotels? Happy travels!

I am packing some granola bars, fish crackers, nuts and dried fruits to get us through the odd timed hunger pangs.

We stayed at a variety of hotels on our recent trip to germany- from Chain down to Mom and Pop; all had excellent, filling buffet breakfasts- but as I rdcall, all qouted prices "including breakfast". So if breakfast is provided in germany, tend to be good

I was hoping that may be the case in most of our hotels. I will definitely check out the tripadvisor reviews. This is a very last minute trip for us. Although We have been saving miles for a long time to be able to go business class, it is either a now or years later trip with the baby on the way and my doctor cutting me off from travel a couple months earlier than expected. James, I didnt book any of the rooms or flight myself, my husband did last week while he has been working out of town. Breakfast isn't anything more than a cup of coffee to him but my daughter and I would be delighted to have a light buffet/cereal since we will most likely be up earlier than him. We are so excited to go. Thanks for all the replies.

I would check the hotel websites again to see if breakfast is offered. If not, then make sure you go grocery shopping the day before and pick up some fruit, or pastries, or joghurt to snack on in the morning. Then go get breakfast someplace else, in a cafe on a market square perhaps. Brunch is popular in many cities, so that might be even more fun to do with the family.

In the places you're going, if breakfast isn't included, you probably won't have to go very far to find a nice cafe that'll offer you tastier and more varied breakfast options than the hotel.

In practically all of the hotels/pensions/B&Bs, etc, that I've stayed at all over Europe (all of which were ones Rick suggests in his excellent guidebooks), bfast was included each AM. Often, especially in hotels he suggests in countries such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland, they've been quite good. Range from place to place, of course, but typically have consisted of things like breads, rolls, jam, cheese, cereal and yogurt, hard or soft boiled eggs, coffee, tea, etc. I rarely recall being disappointed in what was served or feeling that I had to go eat bfst elsewhere. Have a great trip!

I have an offbeat note.... you mention a 4 year old, and that you are pregnant. :o) Sooo... I strongly suggest having a piece of hard cheese and some sausage, a few crackers or nuts, maybe a piece of fruit or cup of yogurt on hand in your room. Midnight snacks are normally not available in mid-range European hotels, and in addition, waking early to find yourself ravenous, with a cranky low-blood-sugar child and an hour wait for breakfast is NOT the most pleasant experience in the world.

Particularly in your first few days of jetlag, you'll find yourself hungry at odd times.