After many hours of research for accomodations for a trip in May to Germany/Austria/Switzerland I am a bit confused. When referring to 'apartments' are these generally separate apartments (as we call an apt in the US) or are they B&Bs ? I have sent emails to several places but no replies and am hoping someone in Fodor-world will know. My initial thought was just a difference in terminology in Europe vs US but the more research I do the more confused I become. Some are obviously B&Bs from the pictures posted however, with many it is hard to tell. Any thoughts ? We will be there 16 days and wanted to find a place to use as a base near the Hohe Tauern Natl Park - we hope to do alot of hiking and exploring outdoors. This is the first trip for both of us to this area so if you have any places you have stayed at feel free to share ! Something with some privacy would be great - ie: B&B might work as long as there was ample privacy space such as balcony, patio, etc. Thanks in advance for your help !

Hi flbronc,

It really depends. And some apartment houses also offer a B&B, and you may be seeing pictures of those too on the websites.

In Germany, vacation apartments (Ferienwohnung) are very, very popular, and you can normally find lot of them in the tourist areas. They will have a kitchen, bathroom, living area, and sleeping area, though it may all be in one big room like a studio apartment. And the kitchen can sometimes be very small, but the text will tell you exactly what kind of equipment it has (oven, microwave, burners, coffee maker).

Also, in German terminology, 1-room is a studio; 2-room is a one-bedroom (living room is the other room); 3-room is a two-bedroom, and so on.

Good luck getting it sorted.

s

Just want to add that a "Ferienwohnung" always comes with a kitchen (no matter how small, but it is always ok for cooking). Especially in Austria they often offer breakfast for an additional fee in a "Ferienwohnung", too. If you don't want that then you don't have to pay for it. Please note there's almost always a final cleaning fee that can be quite high.

Thank you both for your replies. I did find more options when using "Ferienwohnung" to search - and did notice some have rather pricey cleaning fees. Thanks for the heads up on that.. Many of the web sites I found are in German only. We have been learning German but it isn't 100% yet ! Will keep searching. Thanks again for your help.

The Hohe Tauern National Park is a beautiful area.

It's been some time, but I stayed a few times in the village of Turracher Höhe, at almost 6,000 ft above sea level.
It has become a bit resort-style, but you probably can't stop "progress".
http://www.turracherhoehe.at/en/summer
I've stayed at a hotel, so can't help much with any tips re. self-catering apartments.
But if you take that website, for example, the type of accomodation you are looking for would be listed under "holiday flats/holiday homes" or "alpine hut".

You will find more hiking opportunities there (and elsewhere) than you could do in 10 vacations.
One part of the Hohe Tauern is the so called Nockberge National Park. It's quite unique as you have gentle rolling hills surrounded by rugged alpine ranges. So quite easy to hike, but you get the same vistas as the mountain climbers.
http://www.nationalparknockberge.at/en/home.html

P.S. Didn't notice until now that you will be going in May. In that case, I would refrain from those places in high elevations like Turracher Höhe. Or bring your skies ;-)

I almost always stay in apts. in germany. I use booking.com and find them very good. You reserve with credit card and i always pay with cash. good luck. jayvee

321sister - I can't find any links on booking.com for apts? Can you point me in the direction?

Thanks

You got excellent definitions of a Freienwohnung. What's comparable to a B&B is a Pension. It is more casual and intime than a hotel. Usually, breakfast is included in the room price. A Hotel garni is more hotel like, but also usually only serves breakfast in a restaurant setting.

You got excellent definitions of a Ferienwohnung. What's comparable to a B&B is a Pension. It is more casual and intime than a hotel. Usually, breakfast is included in the room price. A Hotel garni is more hotel like, but also usually only serves breakfast in a restaurant setting.

Hi again,

I always use google's translating tools to help me out. You can either capture the text and paste it onto the translating page, or you can copy the page's url and paste it and translate the whole page. I think it's important to read all the text so you know exactly what you're getting and what to expect.

Have fun!

s

May is somewhat early for the Hohe Tauern - most mountain huts at high elevations will still be closed. You can go hiking at lower elevations, though, with views of the Hohe Tauern massif. Zell am See would be a good base.

soogies Put in your city ,dates then scroll down apts will come up if any available. jayvee

thanks 321 - that's what I had done but I only came up with apartment hotels and not regular apartments like VRBO. I was just curious, that's all - always looking for another source for apartments.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for the great information ! I am very pleased to see your opinions echo mine re: Hohe Tauern. I will definitely check into Zell Am See - I had seen this mentioned elsewhere. I hope by the end of May we will be able to hike into some of the higher elevations though. I am sure the scenery is breathtaking regardless. Your help is greatly appreciated ! Will check out booking.com ! Thank you, thank you !!