Germany Travel Guide - Accommodation

There is a good selection of hotels in Germany and comprehensive guides can be found at the German National Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses). They can also provide the German Hotel Association Guide, published by the Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband (DEHOGA) (see Accommodation Information below), to which around half of German accommodation establishments belong. A special accommodation guide for the disabled, Hilfe für Behinderte, is available through Bundesverband Selbsthilfe Körperbehinderter e.V (BSK) (tel: (06294) 42810; website: www.bsk-ev.org). Better German hotels are well equipped with leisure facilities ranging from spas and pools to saunas to gyms.

When touring the country with no fixed itinerary, it is obviously often difficult to make reservations in advance. Watch out for zimmer frei (vacancies) notices by the roadside, or go to the local tourist office (usually called verkehrsamt). Visitors should try to get to the town where they want to stay the night by 1600, particularly in summer.

Grading: DEHOGA (website: www.hotelsterne.de/uk) operates a hotel grading system, which follows the usual grading of 1 to 5 stars.

Gasthof: A 'Gasthof' (inn) must provide the same facilities as a hotel except for the common rooms such as a lounge, etc.

Pension: A 'Pension' must provide accommodation and food only for guests. It does not have to provide a restaurant for non-residents, nor common rooms.

Hotel Garni: Provides accommodation and breakfast only for guests.

Information about holidays in castles, stately mansions and historic hostelries may be obtained by contacting the German National Tourist Office.

All-in self-catering deals are available that include sea travel to a German or other Channel port, and accommodation at the resort. The latter might be in anything from a farmhouse to a castle. Details are available from the German National Tourist Office.

The Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof website (see Accommodation Information below) offers information in English about farm holiday possibilities available throughout Germany. A range of guidebooks and accommodation directories can be ordered via the site.

There are over 600 youth hostels throughout both eastern and western Germany. They are open to members of any youth hostel association affiliated to the International Youth Hostel Association. Membership can be obtained from the YHA or Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk (German Youth Hostel Organisation, see Accommodation Information below).

German campsites are generally open from April to October, but some, mostly in winter sports areas, operate year round. It is not normally possible to make advance reservations on campsites. A free map/folder giving details of selected campsites is available from the German National Tourist Office. The German Camping Club publishes a guide to the best sites in Germany. The AA Guide to Camping and Caravanning on the Continent includes a large German section.

Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband (DEHOGA) (publishes the German Hotel Association Guide)
Am Weidendamm 1A, 10873 Berlin, Germany
Tel: (030) 726 2520.
Website: www.dehoga-bundesverband.de

Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof (general information on farm holidays) 
Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft, Eschborner Landstrasse 122, 60489 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Tel: (069) 247 880.
Website: www.landtourismus.de, German only

Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk (German Youth Hostel Organisation)
Bismarckstrasse 8, 32756 Detmold, Germany
Tel: (05231) 74010.
Website: www.jugendherberge.de/en

Deutscher Camping-Club (DCC)
Mandlstrasse 28, 80802 Munich, Germany
Tel: (089) 380 1420.
Website: www.camping-club.de, German only