Help finding Pension's for Germany travel

First, to get the best prices and, by far, the best cultural experience, stay in the smaller towns, not in big cities. Most towns in Germany have a town website, usually at www.[town name].de. On these websites, you will usually find a list of accommodations, by type (Hotels, Pensionen, Gasthäuser, Privatzimmer). The website might have an English side; if not, look for "Unterkünfte", or "Übernachten". Many of the pensions will have a website, some in English, with email addresses. If the website is in English, you should be able to send an email in English.

I have had a great deal of success doing this.

If you have some specific places and need assistance, email me offline, and I will try to help.

BTW, do you speak any German? Speaking German opens up a plethora of opportunities for savings and culturally rich experiences.

Jodi, how are you travelling--train, car or? It really makes a difference on locating "zimmer frei". We have found some great places, but they are generally on the outskirts of small towns in tourist type locations. Where specifically are you travelling? I also might have some recommendations.

Lee has given you excellent advice. Still, many of those sites are not available in English. If you provide the towns you plan to stay in, I'm sure some of us German speakers could have a look too and guide you through them. You are less likely to find such places if your trip focuses on large cities; although there are some homey places in the suburbs, they're scarce downtown, and commuting in from a suburb isn't all that convenient.

With just 9 days, it might be best to hit one large city and see a given region or two rather than try to travel "all around in Germany" - it's a pretty big country.

We will be renting a car, so we will be able to go wherever we want. We will fly in to Hamburg because we are meeting our son there. He speaks German and he will travel with us and then fly home with us. The plan is to spend two nights in Berlin, one in Dresden, two nights in Munich, two nights in Rothenburg, and one in Koln, then back to Hamburg where we fly out of. I have chosen these cities per recommendation from Rick Steve's and also Germany for dummies. I have already been doing quite a bit of studying and I know which are the main points of interst that we would like to see. Our son has not been out of the northern area of Germany so he is looking forward to seeing all these places as well. I know it is kind of crazy but it is what we want to do. Hope this helps in providing us with further info. on where to stay.

These websites may be helpful:

http://www.cometogermany.com/

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/germany.html

http://www.bedandbreakfastineurope.com/deutschland/en.htm

Okay, so yes, more than a little crazy. You need at least 3-4 days for a place like Berlin. I'd skip Dresden and Cologne and subtract a night from R'burg to make this more do-able, but it is your trip.

Rothenburg is the only non-metropolis you're visiting and offers the best shot at modest accommodations. Here are the English pages:

www.rothenburg.de/index.php?get=121

Click on "list of accommodation" and then try "pensions" and "private rooms". You'll get a list; click on the name for more info. Many hosts have websites that are linked. Anything that says "Detwang" isn't right in R'burg - see Rick's book on staying in Detwang.

The list is in German :(

Bettenzahl = total number of beds
EZ = single room
DZ = double room
Bad/Dusche = w/ bath or shower
ohne = without bath or shower

IN the cities: Hostels offer family accommodations, many w/ private bath. Stay together for 20 Euros or less at most hostels each incl. breakfast: www.djh.de, click on Englsh option.

On the outskirts of Munich there is a small town named Gauting. Check their website www.gauting.de for pensions & zimmers. We stayed at Gastehaus Bauer several yrs ago--not sure of prices but the rooms were great. You can take the S-Bahn into Munich. On the outskirts of Rothenburg in Nordenberg is our favorite--Pension im Vorhof--internet site is www.vorhof.de. Earlier this month, we had 2 double rooms (our 16 yr old was with us) with bath--had a wonderful buffet breakfast. We've stayed here on 3 separate occasions. We often find a zimmer by looking for "zimmer frei" signs. We know just enough German to find out the price, etc. Ask to see the room. We try to find a place before dark--they won't usually answer the door after then. Have a great time!

Umm, have you tried Ricksteves.com or checking one of Rick's books out from a library?

In November, don't worry about making reservations unless a town is having some kind of major festival. You'll get a better deal with a walk-up, as the hotel operators are desperate to get any warm body in one of their many vacant rooms!