Family of three, Mother, Father, Daughter traveling to Frankfurt - Germany September 1st. 2009. Thirteen nights total. My daughter, a recent graduate of the university here has macular degeneration, so we are taking her to Germany, while she still has a little vision. One night in Frankfurt for jet lag, three nights in the Black Forest, three nights in Munich, five nights in Prague, my "homeland", one night returning to Frankfurt. We have never been across the pond before. My Problem: Black Forest seems pricey when it comes to lodging, - Can we rent the initial night, then scramble for something cheaper the ensuing nights? A gamble something my wife has not done since she was a child, with her dad, out west. Can we rent from an American Chain, and sneak me (dad) into the room? I will sleep on the floor? Will we get caught and thrown into jail in a foreign country? Should we just forget greedy Germany and go straight to Moravia? Wife and daughter want to pratice their german in Germany, not their czech in bohemia land. We would be willing to stay at a hostle or mom and pops bed and breakfest - after all it is September, haven't the college kiddies gone back to private school by then? Tell me how to search for those hostles. Why is Germany more expensive then Czech-O-Land? Didn't we bestow the Marshall Plan on them, didn't Poland and Czech-O-Land say "why don't we TALK this over when confronted and rolled over by German Tanks? What gives - Maybe I should stay out of Germany. Last question: Why does Munich raise it's hotel prices ONE WEEK before Octoberfest even begins? Prague - lots of classical music, Munich - I know it's a little early for the "fall season" for symphony orchestras in early September, but Munich which claims itself so artsy - ______ does not seem to offer any "serious music" in early Semptember, please tell me where to look - maybe in the local newspaper, if they still have one. If I have to I can polka with the best of them, maybe I shoud take my horn along? Thank you Jon.

There are lots of reasonably priced places to stay in Germany. No need to to do any sneaking around. In most towns you can go the the Tourist Information and they can help, or look for "Zimmer Frei" (Room Available) signs. These are rooms for rent in homes, B&B style.

www.bensbauernhof.com has great suggestions for the Black Forest.

Plenty of websites for hostels ... use google. Enter "cheap lodging hostels" or something similar.

We have found Germany not as expensive as some other western European countries, however, the Czech Republic is cheaper. Did you forget about the many years behind the Iron Curtain? That might have something to do with it!

We have found pretty much everywhere in Europe a wide range of lodging costs. I like booking.com for Germany. Have you looked there?

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's macular. I have it also and am getting terrific results from Lucentis. Is it not an option for your daughter? It looks like there are more things coming in the future which may keep her from going blind or even restore lost sight. I hope for the very best for her.

Jon, you don't say what your budget is for the Black Forest.

We are basing ourselves in the small town of Staufen im Breisgau in September at the Zum Hirschen. Their 3 bedded rooms for a stay of 3 nights or longer rent for 108 Euro. http://www.hirschen-staufen.de/preise.htm

A few years ago, we stayed in the lovely town of Gengenbach at the Hotel Sonne. Their double bedded rooms were under 60 Euro, but I'm not sure if they can accommodate 3 people to a room. You may need to get a single and a double, but their prices are very reasonable. You could probably get 2 rooms for around 100 Euro.

http://www.sonne-gengenbach.de/start.php

We really enjoyed Gengenbach and the Hotel Sonne was a great place to stay.

Well...not sure how to answer many of your questions, but its not a particularly good idea to sneak extra people into hotel rooms. There really are plenty of inexpensive places to stay in Germany, especially if you look beyond traditional hotels.

Here's where we stayed in the Black Forest. It was quite inexpensive and the provided breakfast was very good. There is no English spoken, so you'll definitely be able to use your German. If you stay here, though, you need a car.

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

Have a nice trip.