A first time poster here!

I'm interested in hearing of any budget accommodation options available in Lucerne and Lake Como.

We're after a private room, ideally for around 30 euros each per night.

Thanks so much for your help!!

Hi cougal,

Sorry, no specific recommendations -- but for budget lodging in Switzerland, take a look at both www.bnb.ch and www.rooms.ch. You can search by town name or map.

Also, just fyi, Switzerland uses the Swiss franc, not the Euro.

Have a great trip!

s

The terms "Budget Accommodations" and "Luzern" seldom are found in the same sentence unless it's; "There are no budget accommodations in Luzern".

That having been said, two of the lower cost altstadt (old town) Luzern hotels (but not as low cost as you've indicated) with views of Mt. Pilatus (My motto: why stay there unless you're getting an Altstad hotel room with a mountain/lake view)are:
1. the Hotel Pickwick (http://www.hotelpickwick.ch/english/10_room_rates.php#)

2. The Tourist Hotel: http://www.touristhotel.ch/English/English_index.htm

Good luck

There may be some "budget" recommendations for Varenna made by Rick Steves.

I'm not sure you are going to have much luck with that budget level in the mid-lake area of Como but I could be wrong.

The area is probably much too popular for anyone actually to charge that little.

Take a look at the Hotel de la Paix in Lucerne. It's the most "budget" place we've ever tried. The location is very good. We have stayed at the Grand National on the lake a number of times, and also at the NH Hotel Lucerne.

Look up Varenna in a Rick Stves Guide. I stayed at a hotel there in '99 I think it was called Hotel Varenna, but I could be wrong.It is right on the lake, within walking distance of the trian station, and was very reasonable. There are shared bathrooms, (which there will be at the price you're looking for). And the price includes breakfast and dinner. I loved it there. Some believe the owner, Laura to be rude, I find her to be direct, but charming. It's all how you look at it I guess.

That would be Albergo Olivedo.

Hi Cougal - There are a couple of hostels on Lake Como - they may have private or family rooms.

Steve

There are YHAs in both Wildhaus and Meiringen, both not too far from Lucern if you have a car. Loved Wildhaus - high up, good walking, hostel excellent standard and some twin (non-dormitory) rooms. Meiringen too OK although hostel only average, but Meiringen's waterfall is famous of course as the place where Sherlock Holmes got "killed off" until a disappointed readership persuaded Conan Doyle to miraculously resurrect him.

A very big thank you for all this excellent advice. Hugely appreciate it! We have ended up booking at Hotel Garni Corona which has rooms available for 65 euros per night in July.

In case someone else is searching on the same topic, I found this website http://www.hotelsmenaggiolagocomo.it...gio_hotels.htm had some great links to reasonably priced hotels.

Lake Como,

There is a hostel in Menaggio.

The Albergo Olivedo (Varenna) includes dinner and breakfast so that may work for you. We have stayed there twice.

At any hotel, if you are staying more than two days and offer to pay cash, then you might negotiate a better nightly rate.

You don't say what month.

You also might research the hotels in: Lenno, Cadenabbia, and Tremezzo as options. I think any locale from Como to mid-lake would give you a very similar feel.

We have NOT stayed there, but the Hotel Beretta in Varenna (one star) would possibly fit your budget. Probably no lake view, but it would be an easy walk to to the lakefront and central Varenna.

In Luzern, I can recommend the Hotel Alpha.

Hotel Alpha Pilatussstrasse 66 and Zahingerstrasse 24, Lucerne
T 011.41.41.240.42.80
F 011.41.41.240.91.31
[email protected]

http://www.hotelalpha.ch

The bathrooms are down the hall but it is clean and nice. We had a balcony that looked out on Mt. Pilatus.