"No turn is a wrong turn"
Traveling Europe without reservations -
“Zimmers on a Budget” - is FUN !
We all hear and read about those carefree souls who travel throughout Europe with no reservations, little preplanning,
and have wonderful stories to tell of their exciting experiences. How do they do it?
We’ll limit this Backroads to Germany, Austria and Switzerland (maybe a little France, too).
Independent travel without room reservations is, first of all, a mentality. KNOW in your own mind you can do it,
and then you WILL do it. For example, learn “where to look” and “how to identify” potential places to stay. How
are they marked? How do you recognize them? How do you find them? Finally, in the back of your mind, always remember
in worse case, you CAN pull out your VISA or M/C and stay at some expensive hotel, if you don’t want to spend the
night in your VW Golf.
Suzie and I have fun traveling the back roads and learning new places to stay and things to do, and maybe we can
help you devise your own method. Driving into an Altstadt (old town) area of a little berg, some people just see
the highlights.
We see a cobblestoned street - maybe its lined with little restaurants, bierstube, weinstube, and other little street level businesses… with “rooms to let” on the upper floors! Signs on the front of the establishments often say, “zimmer” or “zimmer frei” or “pension,” or “Gasthof” or something similar. Or if you don’t see some signs go into a bierstube, and ask the person tending bar for the location of a zimmer.
Or you can ask a local person and practice
your German words.
Let’s define these Deutsch terms into English:
Zimmer
(“room”) and Zimmer Frei
(which means “room to let - vacancy”- frei means free, or vacant). The most commonly found term is Zimmer. A zimmer
frei can technically be located in almost any category of accommodation (Hotel - Pension - Gasthof - Gasthaus -
Bauernhof - Private home). Zimmer in Private Homes: usually a room or rooms to rent, sometimes with private bath/toilet/shower
or without (usually in hallway) and almost always includes breakfast. Ask to be sure.
Zimmer mit Frühstück - bed with (and) breakfast
Pension
- bed and breakfast place
Gasthof
(or gasthaus) - hotel or inn (guest house)
Hotel Garni
- bed and breakfast place (no restaurant)
Bauernhof
- farm. Many farm families have rooms/apartments to rent.
Overnight usually includes breakfast (but
not always - be sure to ask). In most cases the rooms to rent are in a separate section of the main farmhouse or
a separate house just for guests.
Now you have the idea of what to look for and how to read the signs. You say, “What’s a zimmer like?” Good question.
Zimmers come in all descriptions, from a single room in a private home, with shared bath (very economical) all
the way up to a 4 star hotel with private rooms, private bath, WC, and other nice amenities (usually the most expensive
zimmers). Almost all zimmers in Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria include a hearty breakfast (Frühstück)
in the price.
Many experienced travelers will tell you,
if you are traveling solo or with just another person or two, just 'play it by ear' and seek accommodations without
advance reservations. I agree - and we have had great luck from our experiences. While learning the ropes, we suggest
you start looking for your “zimmer for the night” by 1500 to 1600 hours, as most zimmers are closed by 1800 hours,
full or empty. This is not always the case, but don’t count on it until you learn the ropes through actual experience.
But, if you travel with several others and you know where you will be on any given date and have an established
itinerary then by all means reserve ahead. Or at least arm yourself with lists of possibilities in each location
within your price range. If you arrive early enough - you can check out several places before deciding. Make a
habit of asking to see the room prior to acceptance (a standard procedure - routine to most hosts).
Although many of the lower budget accommodations prefer guests to remain at least 3 days, it's not usually a requirement.
The longer you can stay - the lower your per day rate. One night stays can sometimes be difficult to find if you
are looking to stay on budget - but they are available. Anytime you get yourself in a situation whereby you can't
find lodging - find the local Information Office and they will find you something if there is anything available.
In all our years of travel to the area, 99.9% of all the zimmers we’ve seen have been extremely clean, fresh, and
“sparkling”… but we “do as the Europeans do” and ask to see the room before we accept it. We have every right to
“look elsewhere for now” (FAR more diplomatic that negatively “rejecting” the room, which can be taken as a personal
affront by the proud owner). Of course, if a major weinfest or other celebration is in progress and almost all
places are full, “any room is fine.” And if all you can find are hotel rooms from $200 USD for a 4th floor walk
up to higher prices for lower level rooms, walk away! Then pull out your map, look for another town (a few km away)
and go there for the night! Experience!
Breakfasts can vary from a reasonable serving of cold cut meats, cheeses, hard roll breads, butter, jams, juice,
coffee (and a few other items) to a full-blown multi-tiered symphony of cheeses, breads, meats, eggs, juices, milk,
fruits, jams, butters, spreads, cereals, nuts and other wonders.
Prices of zimmers will vary (we quote pricing for two) from $18 USD per night to $75 USD per night. Here’s a note
that will surprise you… in our experiences, the most expensive have never been the fantastically wonderful zimmers
we will always remember!
Another point: All our favorites we found (stumbled onto) on our own, with no referral of any kind from anyone!
They are in Seefield-Meiling (SW of Munchen) to Andechs to Urach to Werfen, Austria, to Lermoos, Austria, to Lauterbrunnen
Valley in Switzerland. They vary from a room in a private home to a fully furnished one bedroom apartment, and
some of the views are the most breathtaking of your lifetime.
- - - - - 
If you note in my past and future writings, I seldom tell the name or list our zimmers. Why? Because I am trying
to encourage you to find your own wonderful experiences as did we. It’s really very exciting to “go with the flow”
and not know where you’ll be until you get there. And it’s so much fun to find so many exciting places to stay
that are just not in the books and on the internet.
Final note: If you are more “driven to reach the next town” than you are to relax and enjoy wherever you are at
the moment, this type of travel will drive you nuts! So just get a Eurail Pass and forget the small towns and back
roads. Y’know, travel by rail is another fantastic way to see your favorite Europe, and it’s the favorite travel
mode of many!
Suzie and I hope you all have many wonderful travels, experiencing it all your way, seeing what you like. It’s great for lasting friendships!
