J_Correa

There is a chain of hotels in Germany (and other places in Europe, I think) called Romanitik Hotels - we stayed in one in Nuremberg, which was great. I believe there is one in Rothenberg too. I would definitely look into these hotels on future trips.

Our rate was about 85 euro per night for 2 people, including breakfast. There were people with kids in the dining room in the morning, so I am sure they had family rooms availible.

Flying_Mom

Try the Accor hotels... novotel, mecure, sofitel. Most of their hotels offer free accomodations for children under 18 when sharing a room with their parents. They also eat free too. We returned a few days ago from Munich with our 2 kids - ages 11 and 13. We stayed at the Novotel Munich City Center where they offer family rooms at a hotel that is centrally located and family friendly.

As far as discounts for kids... Germany was great for our family. We used the partner tickets on our travels around Munich- 5 people travel for one price all day. The Bayern ticket which also covers 5 people all day for longer train journeys- Salzburg, Fussen etc. Also, all of our sightseeing sites offered free admission for children under 18- castles, etc. Germany was very family friendly and we enjoyed our visit very much. You can read my Munich at Christmas trip report by clicking on my name.

Have a great time.... Germany is a beautiful city with very friendly people.

Larryincolorado

Did you really pay €17 ($25) for each adult breakfast just so you children got breakfast for "free"?

Was €17 all inclusive, or did they charge extra for coffee, too?

I can't believe how overpriced Novetel is. No, repeat No, reputable German hotel charges for breakfast at all. On my last trip, I hardly ever spent much more than €17 for an entire day's meals, let alone breakfast.

J_Correa

"No, repeat No, reputable German hotel charges for breakfast at all."

The Kings Hotel on Dachauer Strasse in Munich does - I was shocked. We stayed there the last night of a 2 week trip and after having breakfast included in the rate at each hotel in Germany we stayed in. At the Kings Hotel, I didn't even think to ask if there were an extra charge for breakfast, so imagine my surprise when a bill for 30 euro (for 2 people) came to our table. I guess that is what I get for assuming

And then of course, on our walk to the train station, we passed no fewer than 4 bakeries, at which we probably could have stuffed ourselves for half the price.

Flying_Mom

"Did you really pay €17 ($25) for each adult breakfast just so you children got breakfast for "free"?"

Now Larry, Did I say that I only stayed at the Novotel for the kids breakfast? I was only giving MsStp a hotel recomendation for families. The kids eat free at each meal was just part of the program that the hotel offers. We did eat at the hotel for breakfast on Christmas morning at it was OK... lots of food offered at the buffet but NOT worth the money charged. The breakfast room was filled each day when we walked by so I guess some people do not mind spending that amount of money for breakfast. We ate breakfast the other days of our visit at a cafe which was much cheaper and much tastier in my opinion.

jodeenyc

ttt

logos999

You'll find chains that are aimed at foreign tourists to charge extra for breakfast quite frequently. Those where breakfast is included in the price are geared more toward a german speaking clientele. I'd always look for "breakfast included".

Grcxx3

Larry - the Hollander Hof Hotel in Heidelburg also charges for breakfast - at least they did in 2005/06. When we were there in Dec 2005 it was 11 Euros per person for breakfast. We chose to walk a couple of blocks to Starbucks and fed all 4 of us for MUCH less.

Larryincolorado

I know that a lot of places are trying to HIDE a part of their high price by making breakfast an expensive extra. Considering that it is traditional for German hotels to include breakfast in the cost, I don't consider them reputable. This is particularly common on booking websites, where, for hotels that normally include breakfast if you book with them, it is extra on the booking website to try to trick you into thinking they're saving you money.

logos999

>I don't consider them reputable.
Agreed 100%

Grcxx3

I don't know anything about booking websites because I never use them. With the Hollander Hof (quite a nice and frequently recommended place), I booked directly with the hotel. They were quite explicit in letting me know breakfast was extra.

My DH doesn't care about breakfast, all he wants is coffee. But with 2 teenage boys - I try to make sure breakfast is included!

tcreath

Definitely research and reserve a car before leaving! You usually save money, and, as mentioned above, you won't want to hassle with finding a rental car company after a long flight.

I wouldn't worry too much about the food. I too am a very picky eater, and a 29 year old one at that! What can I say...my taste buds are particular! I loved German food though. I don't eat red meat either, and there are plenty of options. It's hard to go wrong with a schnitzel and they come in an assortment of meats (pork, chicken, veal, turkey). And if you are really struggling, there are many ethnic restaurants where one can find pizza/Italian, etc.

Best wishes and happy planning1
Tracy

humbletraveller

We were in Germany in the spring of 2006. Finding vegetables will be quite a trick. Asparagus will be in season and there is even an Asparagus Road. Salads seldom appear on menus - red meat and potatoes are on every menu.

As for rental cars, AutoEurope got us a vehicle through Sixt. We paid something like $1,400 for 6 weeks and were actually given an upgrade to a BMW, but could not use it as we were travelling through countries not approved by Sixt.

You could also check OneTime and SideStep.

If you are staying in Munich for any length of time, no vehicle is needed. Public transportation is wonderful. You can travel to the airport on the train. City cards are available for Munich for varying periods of time. I would check them out to see if you are interested in any of the admissions included. Otherwise, you can buy transportation passes for differing numbers of days.

Good luck and enjoy!

AisleSeat

If you are on the move a car is a great way to go and I agree with the advice to book through Gemut.com. Remember that there is a 19% surcharge on cars rented at airport or train stations so you can save a good bit by getting your car from an off-site lot.

When you are in Munich you will want to turn in your car and use public transportation. The subways and trollys are reliable and easy to use and you will save the hassle of big city traffic and parking. Pick up another car when you leave Munich.

Go to BiddingForTravel.com and see what Priceline is doing for hotels in your destination cities. I have seen some dates in Munich where people are getting rooms in the $75-80 range THAT'S DOLLARS!

If you go to Fussen to see the castles then take a day driving to Salzburg you can hit some of my favorite stops, Wiesekirche, Oberammergau, Ettal Monastary, Linderhof, Garmish, Mittenwald and Hall.

For your 8-year-old.... there is always McDonalds but the restaurants feature a lot more that bratwurst and wiener schnitzle. German restaurant have good fish, chicken and it is a little early but the Asparagus is wonderful.

Larryincolorado

>>Salads seldom appear on menus.

Oh, yeah. Then how did I manage to have a salad with almost every meal in October.

Maybe you just can't read German. Salad is "Salat".

It probably took me a minute to find this menu, http://www.weinhaus-wieghardt.de/dow...peisekarte.pdf, online. Not only do many dishes come with a "Salatteller" (salad plate) or Gemüse (vegatables), there is also a Chefsalat and Gemüserösti.

tcreath

We too got a small salad with just about every meal, and I found them to be delicious. As mentioned above, they were usually filled with shaves carrots, tomatoes, radish and a delicious white dressing. I would assume that if one would like to order a larger portion most restaurants would be accommodating.

Tracy

ira

> What will my picky 8 yr old eat?

Whatever you set in front of her, and if she doesn't like it she can go to bed hungry.

FlaAnn

Tacky, Ira.

Dear MsSTP,

"Trying to figure out Mittenwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We'll definitely go to the castles."

I would suggest that you break from the crowd and go up the mountain to stay in Ettal or Oberammergau. Garmisch and Mittenwald are both wonderful towns, but esp. Garmisch can be overwhelmingly busy with traffic and tourists. Why not get out into the Bavarian countryside a bit? Since you plan to go to the castles, I think you might want to be near Linderhof, and you will certainly want to see Oberammergau and the cloister at Ettal, too. A very nice pension right on the main street in O'gau (not necessarily a good thing, as always lots of traffic, but rooms were quiet) is the Enzianhof. We stayed there many times when our daughter was young, though it's gotten much bigger and fancier now, even internet for guests. But it's still a comfortable house with blonde Bavarian furniture, a refrigerator in the room and a good buffet breakfast. Rates about 55 euro for a double room plus 7 euro for a child's bed. See www.enzianhof.de/html_eng/index_eng.html. Trains/buses run to/from Garmisch to Ettal and O'gau on a regular basis.

For Neuschwanstein, another gasthaus-style hotel only much fancier is the Hotel Rubezahl in Schwangau, just outside Fussen. I like it a lot because it's on an edge-of-the-village street where the cows still come down the street to the barn next door for milking and you look across a broad valley of meadows to the castle on the side of the hill. They bill it as a million-dollar view and I agree. From our balcony last time, as we sat sipping a glass of wine in the evening and staring at the castle, a shooting star burst over it. You can't buy experiences like that. Rates in the 75-90 euro range with a child's bed, I believe. See www.xn--hotel-rbezahl-2ob.de/

You need to decide on car or train pretty quickly (I always vote for car because I like to get off on side roads to explore) and if it's car, pay for it in advance (Hertz is very good at pre-paid $$ rentals). However, March is quite snowy still...

Enjoy your trip wherever you stay. Bavaria is the best.

Aramis

I may be repeating some things already said (long thread!), but DO NO rent a car while in Munich. Transportation is too good. Pick up the car when you leave.

I can't see how hertz could possible be the best price for a car - Auto Europe, or Europcar are your best bets for booking a vehicle - and do it before you leave.

As for hotels, don't book Europe through Expedia - they don't have the selection that many other sites do and their criteria are too restrictive. You can use them to compare (when you can even find them displaying something that other sites have) but try sites like booking.de, and hrs.de for more selection - they have English page versions.

I almost always book directly with the hotel after researching and comparing on a variety of sites - you can ensure you get what you are expecting and I think that if there is an issue you just might get a little better response if you booked directly and left the commission in the hoteliers pocket.

FlaAnn

I'm with Aramis! Don't ever take the easy way and reserve in Europe thru an internet booking site. Every town and village has a website with tons of accommodations, including pictures and prices... you can then check this forum and others for traveler's experiences there.

I should have noted that I have no experience with the car rental agencies mentioned, but be careful if you're pre-paying in euro, as most will up the price as the $ falls. That's why I mentioned Hertz, because they quote prepaid prices in $$, which is probably only going to get worse in relation to the euro...