Patty

I'm planning a two week trip to Germany this summer with my 15 yo daughter. Since our intent is to experience the culture of the country, we are planning to get the German railpass and stay in hostels. Am I crazy? Does anyone have experiences with hostels you'd share?

xxx

I'd say that it depends on how welll you (sleeping in a room with a bunch of teenagers) and your daughter (having mommy along to take care of her) manage to work it out. We've travelled with our daughter(s) when she(they) was(were) a teenager(s) ... She(they) stayed in youth hostels while we used hotels nearby.

Christina

I wouldn't do it (the hostel part), but that's me. I don't know about crazy, depends what you expect. I'm not sure hostels are going to give you German culture so much as the hostel culture. Many of the people in them won't be German. My German friends wouldn't be caught dead in a hostel when they travel, but they are over the age of 30. The railpass is ok, sure, why not. BTW, you might want to make sure you can do that as I've read that Germany is one of the few countries that actually has age limits on hostels (in some parts, anyway). I think you could just as easily or better experience German culture staying in modest small hotels or their equivalent of B&Bs (zimmer something).

KT

I don't think it sounds crazy at all. I think it sounds like a good idea, and a good way for your daughter to meet some other teenagers. You might want to stick to the IYH hostels, which are less likely to be party-party-party places than the independent hostels. The German IYH affiliate, the DJH, has lots of information on the web at www.djh.de. <BR><BR>Lots of hostels now have some rooms with only 2 bunks in them, so if you book in advance you might be able to snag one of them. And lots of other rooms have only 4 or 6 beds in them. Guidebooks like Let's Go, the Rough Guide, and Lonely Planet often have descriptions of hostels that go beyond the bare facts. I'm planning a trip to Germany at the moment (but not hostelling) and I'd recommend the Rough Guide for sightseeing info, too, though Lonely Planet is better for transport. There's also a book called something like The Hostel Guide to Germany and Austria -- not the exact title -- but I found it to be more clever than informative sometimes, and kind of geared to backpackers looking for a good time. (Of course, that might let you know where to avoid.)<BR>

KT

I like Christina's zimmer frei idea, too, though I still don't think hostels would necessarily be a bad idea. I must say, though, that I tend to avoid them because I'm a very light sleeper.<BR><BR>The only age limit on DJH hostels is in Bavaria, where it's 26, but that doesn't apply if you're the head of a family, so you'd be okay. And I've heard that the DJH hostels get plenty of German school groups and other German visitors, though I guess it depends on the time of year.

Rita

Our two children are backpacking Europe right now (by the way Prague has been their favorite -- wonderful hostel with breakfast for US10/each!) -- try www.eurotrip.com for great hostel suggestions/postings.