One month in Germany, need help in a big way!!

First, Oktoberfest will occur in Munich while you are there. You will need to get away from Munich to find any bargain in prices.

May we ask what is your budget for rooming per night.

Remembering that gas is very expensive, a train might be the best transportation for all purposes.

Regards, Gary

If you cannot afford a hostel, why would you think renting a camper van would be cheaper? Do you know what van rentals cost or gasoline?

You can certainly rent private rooms by going to google and typing pension or private rooms for the city you are going to. Also, on many outskirts of big cities, they will have smaller hotels that cater to construction workers, what is called "montage". These guys come into town to work for the week and go home on the weekends. These rooms are very basic, but decent and clean and you usually get breakfast. A step up from a hostel perhaps, but not expensive. People do rent out private rooms too. If you were going to Berlin, you would have so many apts. to rent short term. There is also "couch surfing" if you want to try that.

As far as getting around, you can also use what is called "mitfahr zentralen" which is where you ride with people to the next town, contributing gas money. This is a very legit thing and quite popular. Everyone has to register with ID, etc.

Thank you Gary - my budget...well I'd like to stay around 40 - 50 euros per night but I don't know if that is possible - I am also very willing to get off the plane and hop the train to somewhere else that's not so busy. - Nova

Nova,

You should be able to find Hostels for less than €40-50 per night. You might check www.www.hihostels.com for information on prices. Many Hostels include breakfast or offer it at very reasonable cost, so that takes care of one meal every day.

Renting a Camper Van doesn't sound like a very practical solution, for the reasons stated by the others.

To begin with, I'd suggest checking your local Libraries or Book Stores for a copy of Europe Through The Back Door. There's an enormous amount of information there, and it will probably answer many of your questions.

Cheers!

40-50 Euro a night is completly do-able. I'm about ready to go on a 3-week solo trip to Austria and Germany, and I believe the most expensive place I'm staying is around 44 Euro. The majority of them are around 35 Euro - and these are private rooms, not dorm rooms. Check the guidebooks and www.hostelworld.com for inexpensive rooms. I like the RS series better, but the Let's Go guides list a lot of cheap lodging options.

Nova,

you can definitely find youth hostels within your budget in Germany. Check out their website to get a better understanding.

http://www.jugendherberge.de/en/

Just as an example: the hostel in Bacharach is located in an ancient castle overlooking the Rhine and charges

B&B from 17,40 €

half board from 23,90 €

full board from 26,90 €

For shorter travel distances taking the train is a great option and especially on regional train quite cheap. On longer distances I second the suggestion of using a "Mitfahrzentrale". I've done that a lot myself, it's very affordable and you get to meet new people.

On the subject of mitfahr zentrale, I want to caution you that if you use it, PACK LIGHT. I went up to Berlin from Frankfurt and back with a friend of mine. The way up it was just us and the driver and it was fine. On the way back, however, there was the driver, us, and two other passengers. Europeans do not generally drive large cars. You may get crammed in and if you have a lot of stuff there may not be room for it. So if you want to go the camping route, be aware that you have to let the driver know you have a lot of camping gear, so they can tell you if it will fit in their car. Even packing light, other passengers might have a lot of stuff, so the smaller your bags the better off you'll be. (of course, if you're on this website, you probably already plan on packing light anyway!)

Nova - if you're in Munich during Oktoberfest, the odds of you finding a hostel for your price are remote. Even if you do, they will often cram extra beds - as many as will fit into the rooms. They will even sell the space on the floor. If you're into that kind of rocking-Oktoberfest fun, go for it. But you'll find a lot of hostels running well over $100USD per night, and ALL will be super, super crowded.

I'd save your time actually in Munich for the week after Oktoberfest, and maybe catch the last few days, or first few after you arrive.

An alternative would be basing in Vienna, or maybe Salzburg. Both have tonnes of affordable hostels, and have easy access to Germany/Italy/Switzerland/Bratislava/Prague/Budapest/Slovenia, etc, etc. There are also lots of affordable night trains heading east.

I'd hope that helps! Don't underestimate Oktoberfest: Enjoy it, take part in it if you can, but realize 6 million people descend on Bavaria over a few short days.

PS - Here's a good article on camping in Germany: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/lifestyle/travel/features/article_1330916.php/Camping_in_Germany_without_a_car

You'll find B&B accommodations in rural areas of Germany at very low prices. Stay away from Munich.

Last year I visited Loeffingen in the Black Forest - a good jumping off point on a rail line that cuts east-west through beautiful scenery. Lots of hiking and outdoor activities in the area. This place was 16 Euros per person per night with breakfast:

http://www.haus-liebermann.de/

A bit north of Freiburg, also on a rail line, is Elzach. Not a bad place for daytrips into the more mountainous parts of the Black Forest (Hausach, Schiltach, Triberg, bus connections to Hausach) or into Freiburg (train). I also daytripped from here to Colmar. Here's a list of places that range from 11 to 17 Euros per night each. I stayed at Haus Steiert - very nice.

http://www3.toubiz.de/ztl/default/result.php?page=6

Would you like FREE train transportation during your stay? One cool thing about staying in certain towns like those above is that you get a free "Konus Karte" from your hostswhich allows for free travel on all local and regional trains and buses within the Black Forest.

www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/service/konus/was_ist_konus/uebersichtskarte/hier_erhalten_sie_ihre_konus_gaestekarte

Here's a map of the area of free travel:

www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/service/konus/was_ist_konus/uebersichtskarte

A few details on the card in English:
www.blackforest-tourism.com/konus/fahrt_mit_bus_und_bahn

And here's a list of towns where hosts issue the Konus Karte:

www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/service/konus/was_ist_konus/uebersichtskarte/hier_erhalten_sie_ihre_konus_gaestekarte

Ben has some good, cheap B&B rec's here for Southern Germany:

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/accommodations.html

Look into daypasses (Laender tickets) for rail travel within Bavaria and the other states (good for up to 5 people traveling together.)

www.bahn.de/international/view/en/prices/germany/laender_tickets.shtml

Once you have feeling for where you want to go, there will be lots of suggestions. Near the Munich airport is the Hotel zur Gred in Freising, which has single rooms for 36 euros per night with the shower and toilet in the hall.

http://www.hotelzurgred.de/

Often in small towns near more major ones are discounts, especially if you are will to rent a room without a private shower bath. Lee who often posts here has made several trips using public transportation and staying in nice, inexpensive places:

http://www.germantravel-info.com/

Regards, Gary

"I'd like to stay around 40 - 50 euros per night "

Is that 40-50 Euro per night for just accommodations, or all expenses? I rarely spend more than €40 per night for a room with breakfast in Germany.

In '07 I spent 13 night traveling around Bavaria and spent
€37 per night average, including 2 night in Munich @ €54 per night. Omitting Munich, I spent €34 per night.

Last November, I spent €28,50 per night for 12 nights on the Mosel, in the Harz, and in the Black Forest.

You can do this if you stay in a lot of Privatzimmer (rooms in private homes) and family run B&Bs. I make reservations in advance to assure the best prices; I find them on the small town websites, usually www .town name.de. If you are basing yourself in one place for a while, you can save even more on accommodations plus meals out by getting a vacation apartment or Ferienwohnung. You can also find these on town websites.

Hello!

We (a young couple with no money) went to Munich during Oktoberfest, and we had such a great time (on a budget). We stayed at Euro Youth Hostel, which is walking distance away from the Oktoberfest grounds. Go to www.hostelbookers.com to find some good deals on hostels. Definitely book early for Oktoberfest period. If you book early you will be MUCH, MUCH better off (early being about a year in advance).

I also recommend that you do one of the free walking tours around Munich. They are about two hours (they really are free- you just leave a tip if you enjoyed yourself), and you will learn and see SO much. I also recommend that you do a tour of the Dachau concentration camp. This tour isn't free (it's not very expensive though, and you get a discount if you go on the free walking tour), but it is a very interesting thing to see.

Enjoy your trip!

I think the only place you will have budget problems is in Munich during Octoberfest (hostels will be full if you haven't reserved something ahead).

The rest of the time you should be fine with hostels for about 20 Euro a night. If you hostel a lot, joining a hostel association is probably a good idea (we joined HI on our last trip).

You can get around cheaply using the local trains after rush hour traffic rather than the high speed trains.