Lodging with 3 kids

Patricia, try e-mailing the hotels directly and asking about family rooms that will accomodate you (mention the ages of your children and the fact that you are bringing your own portable crib).

Many places have family rooms that are not listed on third-party websites, and often not even on their own website.

Yes, it is usually a fire code thing. I think I may have to try apartments. Funny, I don't have this problem in Croatia - they always have hotels and inns with adjoining rooms or sitting rooms with fold out sofas. I guess Germans just don't tend to have kids anymore, or certainly not 3+

You might look at various hostels which offer family rooms for up to 6 people. They often have their own bathrooms and a small kitchen. This might be your best option. Or look for an apt. or a B&B. There are farms that offer family rooms too.

If you tell us where you are thinking about going and the dates, we might be able to offer more information

Knowing what towns you're going to will help. You may also want to consider making a home base and getting an apartment, especially with a one-year-old. With an apartment, you'll have your own kitchen, so you won't have to have a cranky toddler out in a restaurant every night. You'll also have a washer and dryer. And many apartments provide cribs (and high chairs) so you won't have to bring your own.

I'm a HUGE fan of farmhouse stays. If you're spending any time outside of the bigger cities, I'd definitely recommend them.

I'd also recommend getting a copy of Cynthia Harriman's book, "Take Your Kids to Europe". She only updates it every few years, so if your library has a copy, you can check that out. It has lots of useful info on traveling with kids, including finding accomodations. She includes websites to help with this. I've found that going through the regular search engines for finding accomodations for families in Europe doesn't work that well.

I''m going to try apartments & direct email. We're going to look at staying in/near Heidelberg and if I can't get accommodations there, I'll try Wurzburg. I remember liking Heidelberg as a child -- the college town atmosphere, the castle, the hikes, the boat rides . . . We generally are very off the beaten path because my family is German, so for us to do something very touristy will be fun.

There are so-called "Familienhotels" that cater to families but they can be very expensive. Many German families rent appartments when they travel. It will give you more room than a hotel room and it will be often much more affordable. And there are lots of options for those everywhere, most of them available for rent by the day. You can google with search terms like "Ferienwohnung". Many cities will have websites that list those on a tourism page which is often available in English (even if the rest of the website is in German only).

Well, I checked out some Ferienwohnung and they are not interested in fewer than 5 nights rental, so those are out. I have emailed Heidelberg's tourist information and await their reply. I'm also checking two extremes - Heidelberg Suites and Steffi's Hostel. Yikes.

Patricia: Many Ferienwohnungen have no minimum stay at all - though there is a small surcharge for shorter stays. It depends on where you're looking.

We very much enjoyed our 3-night stay here:

www.loreley-apartments.de/

I suggest looking through these pages as well:

www.accommodation.de

The attractive village of Bad Wimpfen (near Heidelberg on the Neckar River) has this place with room for 5:

http://www.haus-am-marktplatz.de/

Tried those, no good.

I can get a room in Hotel zum Pfalzgrafen, but it's not optimal. Very basic accommodations and some guests have complained about bar noise nearby. Dirt cheap, though.

You can try a couple of sites for farmhouses -- www.landtourismus.de, or www.bauernhofurlaub.de. Click on the British flag to see the site in English. You need to know the name of the state you're going to. They'll give you links to websites for privately owned farmhouses. Many of these are in German, but if you email them, probably someone there (or a neighbor) will speak English.

I am not interested in farmhouses. My family are farmers, so I don't need that experience! I find it kind of funny that people are entertained by farming. For me, it's nothing but work.

We are traveling for 3 weeks and this is only a layover. We want to be near the Bahnhof and not lug suitcases, etc. for 5 people (2 of whom cannot help with luggage)

It's looking like the Pfalzgrafen for us. They will put us in the rear, away from the discotek, and they have given us a double room with two connecting singles. It is a bit far from the Hauptbahnhof, so a taxi is likely for us, but on the plus side is is only a few hundred metres from the Schloss. The price includes breakfast and with five mouths to feed, that is a boon.