Driving Germany With No Reservations?

Posted by Peter (Vancouver, Canada) on 07/13/09 05:53 PM

My girlfriend and I are visiting Europe this fall, mid September to mid October. We're starting in Denmark, renting a car and staying with friends and relatives throughout the country while there (can't beat free accommodations!). The plan is to then head south and drive through Germany, maybe hitting Switzerland, Austria etc for approx a week and a half give or take. The only places that we want to visit for sure so far in Germany are the Nurburgring, Munich and Berchtesgaden (visited the last 2 in 2006). With this in mind and no concrete itinerary, what can we expect in terms of finding accommodations "on the fly" when we arrive wherever it is we end up on a particular day? Will having a car make it harder to find accommodations that have provisions for parking?

We'll have GPS and our trusty Rick Steve's book as references.

Posted by Beatrix

Calgary

07/13/09 06:15 PM

2297 posts

You're not travelling during the high season so it should be fairly easy to find accommodations without reservation. The exception would be Munich if you happen to arrive during Octoberfest - which is from Sept 19 - Oct 4 Reservations are a MUST then and it's already very late to find something affordable.

Posted by Peter OP

Vancouver, Canada

07/13/09 06:58 PM

5 posts

Yeah Munich is more of a day trip, stopping for the day and then moving on to find accommodations. I consumed my fare share of beer in 2006 during the World Cup that gave me a pretty good idea of what Oktoberfest will be like ;)

Posted by Anna

Lawrenceville, Georgia

07/13/09 07:09 PM

693 posts

As the previous poster said, travelling during fall season would definitely avoid tourist crowds. Also, you are so much more flexible with a car and can stay in small towns and even villages, where quite often the local pub or "Gasthaus" has a few rooms for rent. Also, the prices in the smaller towns would be much more reasonable. Parking would likely not be a problem at all in smaller communities. For Munich and Berchtesgaden and near the Nuerburgring check out www.hotel.de for reasonable lodging. In Munich, park the car (the hotels will tell you if they have parking) and walk or take public transport. The wonderful thing about Germany and Austria is that you find great pubs and restaurants just about everywhere for a nice break during a day's drive. Do get an international drivers' license, just in case and have a designated, non-drinking driver. Get a good map and have fun!

Posted by George

Levelland, Texas, USA

07/14/09 06:55 PM

19 posts

My wife and I traveled southern Germany and Austria for 12 days in September 2007. We had reservations only for the first and last stops. The only place we had any problem was Vienna. There we went to the train station and used a room finding service. All the rooms were clean and reasonably priced. We liked staying in the small towns best. Enjoy your trip, the GPS will really help !

Posted by John

Brangwin, Wa, USA

07/15/09 08:32 AM

349 posts

No problem

Posted by Travel Boss

Myrtle Beach, USA

07/15/09 08:43 AM

12313 posts

That's pretty much the time of year and type of travel I enjoy most. I keep a small spiral bound notebook with phone numbers for a handful of places to stay and call ahead in the morning before I arrive.

I've never gone homeless but once felt I might (when I dropped in for Octoberfest on opening day). I was still able to find a pension with a place for a good price but the TI was a zoo and it took at least a few calls before I found something.

Outside of Octoberfest, Munich will be easy. During Octoberfest you can do it if you're flexible and call a lot of places. You may end up in a nearby town and have to rail in to the fest.

In old city centers, there is less likely to be parking at your lodging but there will be parking nearby. Ask your hotel, hostel, pension when you call ahead, they will recommend a parking place.