Hello I am traveling with 2 children, 14 and 11 years, to Munich, Salzburg and Berlin over a 2 week period in October 2009. Can anyone suggest a reasonably-priced hotel or apartment in any or all of these cities? Many thanks Kym
I haven't been to Berlin, but we've stayed often in Munich and Salzburg and in the countryside nearby.
In Munich, we recommend the Hotel Acanthus. There are a couple of reviews here. And in Salzburg we recommend the Hotel Wolf-Dietrich-- see reviews here. There are apartments in Salzburg and Munich, but not to the extent you find in some other European cities. This list of apartments (60 of them) from the Salzburg Tourist Office seems to be the best resource for rentals, some in the city and some on the outskirts.
Our family has stayed several weeks in the village of St. Gilgen in the Salzkammergut region of lakes and mountains, about 30 minutes from Salzburg. This is a fabulous outdoor area with so much to do, and I think kids your age would love it. We rented a wonderful apartment there last summer (see review my review). It is an easy drive to Salzburg and a large parking garage, and you could go into Salzburg for the day/evening.
I stayed at the Mercure Berlin Mitte and it was good. It is very close (2 min walk) to the Gleisdreick U-Bahn station and a short distance (5 mins) to Potsdamer and Alexander Platz
Posts: 182 | Location: Irvine, CA | Registered: 13 February 2008
Last year we stayed at the Star Hotel in Salzburg. Was reasonable and immediately next to the wall to the historic center. If driving has a parking facility. I booked on Booking Buddy. Seemed like the best rate at the time.
We took Kaydee's advise last year and spent time in St Gilgen. St Gilgen is now our favorite place in Europe next to Sorrento. We will be back in St Gilgen in a few weeks. You won't regret the visit. Don't miss the cable up the top of the mountain and have lunch at the top. Fabulous restaurant and absolute fabulous view as you sit on top of the world. Can see 3 lakes. 30 minutes from Salzburg. Plan on taking the boat over to St Wolfgang. Then off to Mondsee to visit the church where in the movie Sound of Music the Von Trapps got married.
Enjoy your Salzburg visit. Try to work in Winklers Restaurant on the roof of the Museum of Arts. Again a great view.
I am also a fan of St. Gilgen but have only done it as a daytrip from Salzburg. It is small and charming and simply fabulous during the Christmas season.
In Salzburg we like the Hotel Stadkrug, a nice hotel with charm and location and our personal favorite is the Sheraton. The staff is superb, rooms large and comfortable, great beds and we really like the location at Mirabel Gardens. We have stayed there twice and booked again for our visit in December.
In Munich, we like the convenience of staying near the Hbf. Le Meridien is a great hotel with a friendly staff and newly renovated rooms. I love the Sofitel as well but it is not as family friendly IMO.
Berlin has lots of good deals on hotels. We booked the 4 star Melia in Mitte for 80E a night for our trip later this year and they have prepay rates that are even lower. We enjoy the Melia chain and stay in their hotels often.
FYI - I just returned from Salzburg. We stayed outside the city and they mentioned that vacancies are way down in the hotels in city - so don't hesitate to negotiate.
Thanks Debbie. I think I got a good deal through Hotels.com for our stay. It was much cheaper than the quotes direct from the hotels. I have never used Hotels.com so hopefully the booking will flow through to the hotel.
I am now plotting our daily movements and was wondering whether anyone has done an Ice Caves tour while in Salzburg. Is it the one near Hallstatt and do you need to wear winter clothing or is this provided? Kym
