Hostels & budget hotels
Hostels (Herbergen) are popular but may be booked out well in advance for festivals, conferences and trade fairs. Vacant student accommodation in university towns can go on offer to travelling students during summer vacation – prospects can be checked at tourist offices.
Most youth hostels (Jugendherbergen) are affiliated with the national organisation Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk (DJH). There are more than 400 DJH-affiliated hostels. Most are closed during the day, usually between 10.00 and 16.00, though hostels in big cities generally offer 24-hour access. Some are not open year-round and many close between Christmas and New Year. When booking with DJH hostels it is important to be clear about check-in times. All can be searched in English at the DJH website.
The basis of youth hostel accommodation is dormitories or multi-bed rooms, for which most nightly bed charges with breakfast are between €28 and €38. But some hostels offer single, double or family rooms at higher rates. A small charge for single-night bookings may apply. There are no age limits (except in Bavarian hostels, where ages 26 and under get priority). Otherwise guests 27 and over without children should expect a €4 additional charge. Children under 3 stay free, children 3-10 at a discount rate.
Holders of valid memberships in the international federation Hostelling International (HI) can use youth hostels but other visitors from abroad can also obtain an international guest card (€18) at a hostel or pay a nightly €3.50 fee for a welcome stamp to allow them to stay. Six of these stamps function as an international guest card. The best advice is to sign up for annual youth hostel membership before leaving home as only permanent residents of Germany can join DJH. Conditions and family and group memberships are explained on the website. For HI details in your home country, go to hihostels.com.
Hostels vary widely – often they are a little out of town but occasionally can be in a castle or heritage building, such as in Nuremberg, Passau or Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Reservations as a rule are held until 18.00 but guests expecting to arrive later can often do so by arrangement when booking. Checkout is 10.00. House rules vary but night-time quiet and self-maintenance of rooms is standard. Bed linen is included in the rate, but guests can usually carry their own.
Self-catering kitchens are normal but breakfast is generally included in the cost. Full or half-board (or packaged lunches) can often be arranged at an extra charge but meeting all dietary requirements cannot be guaranteed. Inquire when booking – individual hostel websites cover most details, including costs for hot meals.
Independent Hostels of Germany is a network of about 30 owner-operated backpacker hostels, with bed rates starting from €9. The criteria are that dormitory beds in shared rooms must outnumber private rooms and community rooms and a guest kitchen and luggage storage must be available for guest use. Hostels are listed as family-friendly, art-friendly, eco-friendly, business-friendly or suitable for backpackers.
Christlicher Verein Junger Menschen (CVJM, the German YMCA) runs 56 accommodation houses, including about a dozen hotels, plus guesthouses, holiday homes and hostels. The CVJM website is in German. To view the site in English, search “cvjm gastfreunde” and use Google Translate. The Lübeck hotel is separately listed. Hostel rates are generally compatible with DJH and budget hotel charges are competitive with private hostels.
Privately operated hostels and a new class of modern budget hotels cater for backpackers, business or budget travellers and families. The A&O Hostel group combines hotel and hostel accommodation in one operation, covering 14 big German cities and offering rooms for families. These establishments include a 24-hour reception desk and bar and most have lounges with computer and telephone access. Flexible and fixed (10% discount) rates are available at booking. Family and women-only rooms are often available and children up to age 6 stay (and eat breakfast) free. Some hostels offer guest kitchens. WLAN access is available in rooms. Parking is generally offered at €5 per night.
A&O rates vary according to availability and can rise considerably when houses are near fully booked. Most hostel dormitory beds start about €9, with bed linen or towels available at a small charge. Where available, single/double rooms start about €15 (linen supplied), but at high-demand times rates can be considerably higher. One single room on a June weekend showed the lowest rate of €90 a night (dorm beds €28) for an inquiry two months ahead. For a breakfast buffet, add €7-10 per person. Users of Interrail, Eurail or German Rail passes can claim 10% discounts on advertised rates using the A&O German booking link. DB City Night Line or ÖBB train passengers and some automobile club members also qualify for discounts. For central booking and more details visit the A&O website.
The Meininger group has 14 German big-city hotel-hostels (six in Berlin) and the central information and booking website translates to English. Meininger also works on higher rates at peak times, with different grades of single or double rooms (some rated three stars) and family or group rooms while offering budget deals at certain times and maintaining hostel dorm beds at lower rates under the same roof. Flexible and discounted fixed rates are offered, but singles will rarely cost less than €40 a night and €50-70 normal for advance bookings. Double, however, will not be much more expensive than the single rate. Towels and linen are included and breakfast costs €9-11 extra per person. Some hotel-hostels offer 30-day stays at lower rates. Wifi is free.
In family rooms there is a 15% discount on the room for all children 11 and under. Breakfast is free for children up to age 6 and children between 7 and 12 get a 50% breakfast discount. Cots are free. Shared rooms have lockers and ensuite facilities. Guest kitchen and laundry facilities vary, along with parking availability (about €10).
Other private hostels in Germany include three St Christopher’s Inns-affiliated properties in Berlin and there is plenty of variety in local hostels in the biggest tourist cities. Search booking sites to investigate availability with filters set for lowest prices first, but Raven Guides recommends comparing rates with the hostel’s own site before booking. For further hostel-style beds at low rates, browse the pension.de website.
Hotels garnis & pensions
These are similar things – private, usually family-run small accommodation houses where a dinner restaurant and full hotel services are not to be expected.
A hotel garni offers accommodation, breakfast, drinks, perhaps snacks, but looks like a hotel. The term is common in France and Germany, comes from the French and literally means "an inn provided with guest facilities". Hotels garnis generally offer single rooms including breakfast in the €45-70 range. Families can sometimes stay for €60-80 a night. Some of the more successful enterprises have managed to expand further without losing their two or 2½-star status. Older-style buildings are the norm, sometimes quaint, but others have been renovated and modernised.
At pensions, expect private rooms on the terms offered. Half-pension (Halbpension) is sometimes available, that is, one meal other than breakfast.
Parking tends to be limited or non-existent. Some of these establishments now offer internet or WLAN access. It’s best to ask what is included when booking or when choosing at the tourist office.
The pension.de listings claim to display more than 12,000 “pensions” in German and English. Many are pensions, but others in fact get much business by housing travelling tradespeople or are basically hostels or boarding houses offering access to facilities such as a kitchen, washing machine and bathroom. Travellers can browse and compare. Some of the bed rates are in the hostel price range.
