awheaton

So, we have decided on our trip!
Flying out on July 4th (not debatable)
Landing in Munich a.m. July 5th
Seeing Munich with day trip to Neuschwanstein Sat July 5th - Thursday July 10th.
Heading for Dresden Thursday July 10th, possible side trip to Bamberg (instead of Roth.OTB)
Relaxing in Dresden Friday July 11th - Sunday July 13th
Heading to Berlin Sunday July 13th
Seeing Berlin with day trips to Potsdam and Hamberg Sun July 13th - Sat July 19th
Flying home Saturday July 19th

Main point of advice is hotels/lodging. Need ideas, not big on the idea of hostels. Looking more for mom and pop or cheap but decent places. Two adult twenty-somethings. Also open to advice about our choice of cities... we have considered the trip in reverse as well. Thanks!

Russ

"...not big on the idea of hostels. Looking more for mom and pop or cheap but decent places. Two adult twenty-somethings. Also open to advice about our choice of cities..."

Your destination cities are somewhat at odds with your objective of cheap lodgings. If you ARE "open to advice about our choice of cities..." there are ways to keep your costs down.

There are extreme-value mom-and-pop B&B's and apartments where you'll pay 30-50€ double per night, usually with breakfast, in most areas of Germany - everywhere but major cities like the ones you've chosen (although you may or may not get lucky and find something reasonable several miles out.)

You might restructure you trip so that you stay in smaller places and visit major cities on daytrips or en route.

I recently had a studio apartment in lovely Neustadt an der Aisch, a town not far from Nuremberg; it set me back about 19€/night. From there, I did daytrips by train to Nuremberg (45 min.), Bayreuth (about 2 hrs.,) the adorable walled town of Iphofen (15 min.,) and Bad Windsheim (20 min.) I had stayed in Neustadt previously several years prior as well and made daytrips (also by train) to Rothenburg (about 1 hr.) and Würzburg (about 40 min.) I could have visited slightly more distant Bamberg from Neustadt in about 1.25 hours.

Iphofen photos: http://www.stadtbild-deutschland.org...&threadID=2985

The above destinations may or may not be for you and are just an example. IMO, for daytrips to work well for you, they should be 2 hours or less from your travel base.

dfourh

When I went to Dresden two years ago I stayed at the Fliegerhorst (with mini-kitchen) - - it was the cheapest thing on booking.com, and was a really pleasant tram ride from the center - - it was a cool experience in its own write. Last summer we stayed at the City Hotel right in Neustadt for more than twice the price with pool and prime position for restaurants and clubs, and it was great too. But if I were you, I would consider checking booking.com and comparing customer rating and distance in location to trams, and staying at a place like the Fliegerhorst. Why? Because the trams are great, and no less pleasant than walking out the door of your hotel to a restaurant. In a city like Dresden, the tram ride itself can be a trip in itself, and as long as you can easily get around and have great comfort, there is no issue.

The same goes for Berlin. Public transportation there is fantastic, so look online and compare price vs. customer ratings (read in detail what people say), make sure it it conveninent to public transportation (very likely), and stay there - - in comfort, with nice bennies, for cheap. Sites like booking.com, venere.com, and hotels.de make this very simple. Then: two weeks before you go, check AGAIN, to see if all of a sudden other hotels haven't slashed their prices, so that you can get an even better place at even a better price. Seriously. They do this (and I have done it many, many times). Book something that sounds reliable, comfortable, and convenient (cancellable - - without pre-payment), and then keep checking, and get something even better closer to travel time.

Ingo

If Dresden: For twenty-somethings I'd recommend to stay near the Dresden-Neustadt district which is the most vibrant area with lots of bars, clubs, restaurants, galleries/artisans etc.

Try these:

www.cafe-ole-dresden.de

www.hotel-mezzaluna.de

http://www.hotel-martha-dresden.de/index.php?id=1&L=1

http://www.das-nichtraucher-hotel.de/

http://www1.mezcalero.de/index.php?article_id=1&clang=1

Apartment: http://www.urlaub-anbieter.com/cityw...eneviertel.htm

sparkchaser

I know an awesome and cheap hotel that is around 40-50 Euro per night but it sandwiched between two strip clubs with another across the street.

Michael

This past spring we traveled through central Germany relying exclusively on the tourist offices to find a room and had no problems. In Würzburg and Bamberg there were no rooms available in town, but the tourist offices found rooms for us that were within 15 km. or less in neighboring towns and villages. The offices always had an English speaking person available and took into account your desires in that they did not push high end hotels. Some rooms were very small, but all were clean with en suite bathrooms (one exception which perhaps turned out the best stay), and the cost was generally around 70€ per night. I would rely on the tourist office when traveling in Germany except for large cities (Munich, Berlin, Hamburg etc.) where I would have reservations.

iris1745

You can find whatever price range you want on booking.com/Germany

Put in your city and dates and you will find you can filter by price.

Keep in mind, look for 'free cancellation' if you use this site.

iris1745

As dfourth said, look a few weeks out to see if there is a cheaper price at the same hotel, but you must have booked with 'free cancellation', otherwise you may be charged when you book.