Rick Steves' Europe: Archive: Germany, Austria, Switz. & Prague 2003

Rick Steves' Germany, Austria, Switzerland & Prague: 2003

Please share any ways we can improve or fix this guidebook. Are there recommendations in this book that disappointed you? Do you have any new experiences or new places we should consider? Any warnings or tips? Here's what you thought:

Munich and Berlin
Kudos for your recommendation of the Jodle-wirt (sp?) pub in Munich. The comment in the book is "totally incomprehensible to the average tourist" and that is so right, but it is so much fun! The accordian player is a riot (even though we didn't have the slightest idea what he was saying), the service is great and the other patrons were very friendly. If you want a truly Bavarian-beer-drinking-singing-experience, don't miss this! We stayed at St. Paul's hotel (not mentioned in the book) and it was great! Amazingly cheap rooms (65 euro with bathroom in room in November) very clean and great service. The rooms have twin beds, FYI. Right next to an U-Bahn stop and St. Paul's Church outside is gorgeous.

I think Berlin gets overlooked as a neat city to visit. Yes, it is large (very) but the history it holds is fabulous. We stayed at Hotel Pension Funk and had a beautiful room the size of our living room at home! Gorgeous furniture and owner Michael is very knowledgeable and friendly. They even offered to set out breakfast for us when we left at 4am. We would definitely recommend this hotel and Berlin!
Kellye <email>
Dallas, TX USA 12/31/03

Germany
Just returned (12/8/03) from 2 weeks in Germany. While there, we were able to watch the euro hit all times highs against the dollar for the last 5 days of our trip (which continued after we returned). It certainly made an impact from previous trips but we used several hints from the 2004 Germany book and posters on this site.

BAMBERG: Great town for your first night in Germany (we'd been to Wurzburg and Rothenburg on previous trips.) We used a web booking service for private accommodations noted on this graffit board: www.bed-and-breakfast.de. We had a garden cottage for two with private entrance and our total bill was 46.80 euros per night including breakfast. It was about half a mile from the train station in the old center.

MUNICH: We stayed at Hotel Bristol and liked the location and proximity to the U-Bahn and tram(100') at Sendlinger Tor. As it rained several days, having the station so close was a real blessing. Free internet access, very good breakfast and helpful people. The non-smoking floor was having some renovations but was not a problem. Highly recommend it. Great museums (Alte and Neue Pinakotheca (sp) and Deutchtes museum) and the Christmas market was OK. It had more of a commercial feel than any of the others we visited.

NURNBERG: Had family there who actually is/was a war bride. She showed us many WWII things and talked of the reign of Hitler so made for a very interesting addition to the Documentation Center, Congress Halle and other sites noted in Rick's book. New tram service all the way from main train station to Center. Very good Christmas Market.

ERZGERBIRGE MTNS: We wanted to explore the area were nutcrackers and the smokers were made so went here. Stayed in a wonderful hotel in a small village (Tannenberg near Geyer) called Zum Hammer. 60 Euros with a wonderful room, service and breakfast. This is the former east Germany so no English except for the younger folks. Plus, my German is so bad, they had a hard time understanding me but it was delightful in our efforts. Also, went to the Christmas market in Annaberg-Buchholz during the day. Wonderful small town with hills as now in the mtns. Lots of history surrounding these towns. Also, went to Seiffen. If you like shooping for authentic wooden crafts, you'll love this place. It has some rich history of the smokers, and wooden toys and to see it flourish under unified Germany is amazing. Met someone who was there in 1990 and one shop was open. Today there has to be well over 50. Clears out at night as the buses take off.

DRESDEN: Wonderful city. Wish I had spent more time here. Staying at the Hotel Kipping but Rick's book isn't always a means to a lesser rate. We were still pleased with the 90 Euro (by now that means $108.) Still a wonderful deal as the room was huge, no noise, close to walk the Christmas market (our favorite), museums, and sites of the city.

NAUMBERG: Recommended by a poster on this board so gave it a try. Another gem hidden and wished we had more time. Stayed at a pension found by the very helpful TI on the market square. Only 40 Euro and they hlped us make a picninc with all the leftover food from breakfast. First time that's happened on our travels.
Terry <email>
TX USA 12/13/03

Prague Guide
Rick's guidebooks are great but never overlook the added benefit of these boards. I found a guide for Prague on this site, her name is Sarka and her web site is /www.prague-guide.info. She is well priced, her English is great, and she is very knowledgable and willing to customize however you want. I would recommend her to anyone going to Prague and considering an introductory or indepth tour (s).
Jim Meehan <email>
McLean, VA USA 12/07/03

Add Lugano
Here's another vote for adding Lugano — it makes a great alternate base for the nearby area with excellent train service to Milan, Como and points north in Switzerland. The small city has some very nice areas for strolling, shopping and good, reasonable restaurants. It is also a gateway to the lovely towns on Lake Lugano and the great "up top" hikes overlooking it and the Ticino area. Menaggio on Lake Como is also a reasonable bus ride away. We took the bus there from Lugano, spent a very relaxing day exploring Bellagio and Como, with a train from there to Lugano then completing the loop.
Les <email>
Miami, FL USA 12/01/03

Germany/Austria highlights
Got back two weeks ago, here are some highlights:

ROTHENBURG: Stayed at Café Uhl (Rick recommended), wonderful rooms, great breakfast. I recommend starting your shopping at the Friese shop, and mention that you use Rick's books. The store owners were so nice,went out of their way to explain everything, take a lot of pride in what they sell, also their prices are very good.

NEAR REUTTE: Stayed in the recommended Hotel Hohenrainer. The rooms were huge, and very nice, from our bed you could see the castle ruins ...amazing view. Had a great cheap "no-menu dinner" (soup to apple pastry) in the connected hotel across the field. The family couldn't have been nicer to us.

SALZBURG:couldn't find availability for any Rick recommended places in our price range. Stayed at Gaestehaus Steinerhof on Moosstrasse. Check out their website www.gaestehaus-steinerhof.at. Their place is as beautiful as it looks in the pictures. The Haslauer family was so wonderful: Herr Haslauer didn't speak much English, but tried very hard. Quick bus ride into the old town.

MUNICH: Hotel Helvetia was a great bargain, shared shower and bathrooms were very clean, desk staff was very helpful, shady neighborhood, but didn't feel unsafe.

On a whim, I took a community college non-credit German course before going. Although nearly everyone we met spoke at least some English, I felt that even my beginner level language skills made the trip more enjoyable, plus helped in a few pinch situations. I got lots of smiles for my attempts, especially in the smaller pensions. Laura <email>
Pittsburgh, PA USA 11/30/03

Cologne, Bonn, Rothenburg, Mainz
Just got back from a ten day trip to Germany. Here are a few general thoughts and some specific city information:

Cologne: I flew in to Frankfurt and took an ICE train to Cologne. If you're considering going straight to Cologne or Stuttgart via Frankfurt, you might want to look into the Air/Rail option through Lufthansa. Had I used this, I wouldn't have had to pick up my luggage until the train station in Cologne.

I've been very pleased with the hotel reservation link through the Deutsche Bahn website (Click "Int. Guests" for English). I've found the distances listed for the hotels to be accurate. In both my reservations, I was looking for hotels by the train station and I was not disappointed. My guaranteed rate was less than the other travelers and best of all, I did not need a credit card to hold my room (must check in before 6 pm, though).

I did a lot of homework before my travel. I found online street maps of the cities I would be visiting and emailed myself the link before I left. I kept all my Europe information in a folder in my Hotmail email account. When I was overseas, I had everything: my confirmations, maps, train schedules all in one place on-line. I posted internet recommendations for each of the cities visited on the this site's cyber cafe board.

Cologne: I stayed at the Comfort Hotel am Dom in Cologne (Comfort is a US hotel chain). One block from the Hauptbahnhof (train station) and Cathedral, 40 Euro single with breakfast, very welcoming, English-speaking staff.

If you're going to the top of the Cathedral, be warned. It is a very steep and long climb. I'm in good health and had to stop many times to catch my breath. Travelers with any health issues might reconsider. If you can help it, don't take your daybag with you. On a lighter note, the short church tour is nice and only 2 Euro.

Bonn: I was here for a conference. If you're swinging by this area, the town zentrum is off the haubtbahnhof. Nice walking district with many shopping possibilities.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber: I enjoyed the Nightwatchman walking tour in Rothenburg so much I did it twice. He changed the tour the second night, I'd like to think it was because of me, but I think it was due to construction. Had dinner at the Restaurant Glocke and it was one of the nicest meals I had in all Germany. The staff was indeed very friendly and accomodating. Order the Schweinfilets in champignon sauce. Wonderful!

Warning when you come back from Rothenburg. Wurzburg Hbf (Hauptbahnhof) and Sud are two different stops. I almost got off at the wrong one.

Mainz: Stayed here the night before my 10 a.m. flight from Frankfurt. Stayed at the Hotel Königsberg, across the street from the main station. I booked this through the Deutsche Bahn site, and found that I paid less than half price as the traveler ahead of me in line (57 Euro single versus 120). Comfortable business class hotel with English speaking staff and probably the nicest bed I slept in the whole time. Their website is www.info-mainz.de/Hotel-Koenigshof. Site is in German and English. There is a nearby Italian restaurant called Calabria. Excellent Italian food, complete with Italian speaking waiters! Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. Schottstrasse 5, Mainz

I did not regret staying in Mainz because there are many shops, restaurants, internet cafes right around the station (there is plenty within the station as well). I was able to buy an inexpensive travel bag at a local shop when my carry on couldn't accomodate my souvenirs. I called home from a nearby phone shop. Plus, trains leave every ten minutes in the morning to the airport. It was only 3.20 Euro for the ride.
Zaida <email>
CA USA 11/29/03

Bad Experience at Guesthouse GerberHaus, Rothenberg
My wife, our 1 yr old son and I recently came back from a 10 day trip to Germany and Switzerland. We stayed at Guesthouse Gerberhaus while visiting Rothenberg, Germany. Good location, very nice cozy place with decent service and excellent breakfast. But we were charged 20 Euros more (10 Euros per night) than what was committed to us over the phone (while reserving the room). Twenty euros may not be substantial compared to what we spent on the overall trip but the folks at Gerberhaus either went back on their word or the person making the reservation did not document the promised rate. What annoyed us even more was the fact that they were not even willing to give up 10 euros as a goodwill gesture. Make sure you confirm room rates by email at Guesthouse Gerberhaus. Their accounting/documentation is pathetic (stuff scribbled in pencil on an old note book)!
Govind Bangarbale <email>
Tampa, FL USA 11/27/03

Rhine Valley, Colmar, Luxembourg, Basel
We used Rick's Germany book in August on a fantastic trip. We flew into Frankfurt & immediately drove to Baden Baden where we spent one night at the Steigenberger Europaeischerhof. It was a very quaint city with a ruined castle on the hill that had a wind chime. We did the Black Forest drive that Rick suggests in his book. Staufen was the cutest little town. I definately recommend a stop there at least to walk around. Frieberg was very large and impersonal in comparison.

We drove to Basel, Switzerland and spent a few days visiting a friend. We stayed at the Hotel du Commer, which is a reasonably priced three star hotel in an expensive city. They swim in the Rhine River, which is very clean in Basel.

Then we drove to Colmar, France (used Rick's France book) and stayed at the Hotel Rapp. This was a small little hotel in the historic district, within walking distance of the Underlinden Museum, the church and the river. Colmar is the "Venice of the north".

We took the wine roads from Colmar through the Alsace/ Lorraine region up to Luxembourg. This part of France is very different from Paris. There are small little villages spaced closely together with vineyards everywhere.

We stayed in Luxembourg City at the Hotel Francais for a few days. Luxembourg City is really a great city; very metropolitan. Their museums rival many other big cities. Luxembourg has 7 castles & chateaus outside of the city. We found 5 of them and explored this great country.

From Luxembourg we went back into France and toured Verdun. This is a battlefield from WWI, complete with bunkers, cemetary and museum. It was very historic and reminded us of the horrors of war.

Next we went across the river to the Mosel Valley in Germany. This is a wonderful area with acres & acres of vineyards. This is a vacation spot used mainly by locals.

We stayed a few days in Bacharach, which is a small medevial town in the Rhine River valley. Thus far on the trip we hadn't run into many Americans. That changed completely in Bacharach. There were tons of Americans in this area.

We stayed at the Altkoelnischer Hof Hotel. This hotel was very historic and wonderful.

We lucked out and stayed in Bacharach during their fall wine festival. They had a band, dance area, wine & food tastings, acrobats & lots locals having a blast.

We took the Rhine cruise down to St. Goar, where we toured the castle. The scenery between Bacharach and St. Goar was awesome with tons of castles along the river and the Lorelei. The Germany book details what to see at each mile marker.

Lastly, we took a side trip to Cologne. The cathedral is breathtaking! Their art museum is also wonderful. As usual, Rick's books helped to make our vacation amazing!
A. Kirkland <email>
Oldsmar, FL USA 11/13/03

Germany, Austria and Czech Republic
Spent two nights in Salzburg staying at the Alstadthotel Wolf Dietrich. It was very clean and a short walk from the sights. If you get a chance, have a meal at Ristorante Pizzeria Al Sole. Pasta dishes were delicious, place was clean, prices were reasonable and most of all, the Italian owner was a delight! The restaurant is next to the Monchsberg elevator.

In Bavaria, Germany I stayed with family — but did visit Linderhof and Wies Church. I had been to Linderhof before and was again disappointed that the grotto was closed. Took the train to Munich for the day and really enjoyed the Treasury museum. For the price of your ticket you receive an audio player which gives information in English on the museum items. Also drove to Chiemsee and took the ferry to see the another Ludwig II castle / residence. Very enjoyable.

My final weekend was spent visiting Czesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Stayed at the Hotel Ruze — which myself and two other companions a huge room. Again it was clean with much charm. I loved this little town with its castle tour and more relaxed pace.
Linda <email>
Cleveland, OH USA 10/31/03

Germany, Switzerland and Prague
My husband and I just came back from two weeks in Germany, Switzerland and Prague. We stayed only in places recommended in Rick's book.

Despite the 'touristy' comments about Rothenburg we decided to visit and absolutely loved it. What a quaint city. Definitely do the Night Watchmans tour. It was more informative than we expected. We stayed at Hotel Altfrankische Weinstube am Klosterhof. What a great place. If you go to Rothenburg definitely stay there. Mario and Hanne were awesome hosts. The room was clean and cozy. We had dinner in the pub downstairs — the food was great and the hospitality was even better. After taking the Night Watchman's Tour we went back to the pub for a drink before turning in and met some great people. Definitely a fantastic recommendation.

Also, make sure to visit the Friese shop. We just wanted to stop in to see what it was like and we were treated like long-lost relatives. We were given a map signed and dated by Anneliese and ended up buying a cuckoo clock (I know, very touristy) for a price that we would never get anywhere else in Europe (and had it shipped). Everyone came over to meet us and shake our hands. It was incredible how nice they were. Great suggestion, Rick!

Stayed in Hotel Deutsches Theater in Munich. It was okay, the location wasn't great. We had to park our car in a public garage down the street overnight. Stopped at the Hofbrauhaus for a drink. Our waiter obviously hated Americans. He was incredibly surly and chewed out my husband in German when we presented our credit card to pay the bill. Not the greatest experience. If one hates Americans, the Hofbrauhaus is not the place to work! Maybe he was having a bad day....

We took Rick's advice and booked tickets for Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles ahead of time. We were able to just walk right up and pick up our tickets. We opted to walk to both castles. Neuschwanstein is uphill all the way but it was a good workout. Still, we were glad to know about our transportation options before we got there. Stayed in Hotel Sonne in Fussen. Very friendly staff, very clean hotel. We wanted to stay in Hohenschwangau at Beim Landhannes but after contacting them several times unsuccessfully we gave up.

We absolutely loved Baden-Baden. What a beautiful city! We stayed at Hotel Tanneck. Heidi was so awesome, she gave us a map with detailed directions and gave us a great recommendation (small, independent, local) for dinner (Hotel Rathausglockel, also recommened by Rick — the food was outstanding and our host/waiter was so nice). The hotel was really interesting and very clean. The view from our room was great and the walk down to the city center was very pretty.

Despite Rick's Gimmelwald suggestions, we opted to stay in Interlaken, Switzerland. We stayed at Hotel Lotschberg. Nice hotel, good breakfast. It was fine until we checked out — Fritz started going on about the US goverment and the value of different currencies. It made us a little uncomfortable because we really didn't want to get into any kind of a discussion. Otherwise it was great. We went up into the Alps — definitely worthwhile. Jungfraujoch was great. The views were incredible but be careful — the air is noticably thinner! We had to stop a lot while we were out hiking.

While in Prague we stayed at the Cloister Inn. It was a great hotel, clean, nice staff, good breakfast and great guests. The free tea, coffee and internet in the lobby drew a lot of people in the late evening together. We met some really nice people. I think we must be the only people in the world who weren't impressed with Prague. It was pretty, the architecture was impressive but mostly the city reminded me of NYC in the 1980's. Fortunately we were prepared for a lot because of Rick's book. We were approached three times in the train station for rooms, followed in Wenceslas Square, and approached several times to change money. Crossing Charles Bridge at night we noticed several people trying to blend into the shadows of the statues. It just wasn't really very relaxing walking around because we always had to be on guard.

We go somewhere different in Europe every year but this is the first time we have used one of Rick's books and will use no other from now on. His advice and recommendations should be well taken!
Kelley <email>
Rochester, MN USA 10/30/03

Berlin & Prague in Oct 03
My wife, our 9-month old baby boy, and I went to Berlin and Prague during the 2nd week of October 03. We had a fantastic time and everyone was very nice to us the whole time.

We stayed at the Pension Alexandra (Wielandstrasse 32; www.alexandra-berlin.de) in Berlin. It was a small pension located on the 3rd and 4th floors of an apartment building, and it was on a side street near Kurfurstendamm and Savignyplatz. The rates were very good and the staff very nice. They had a nice buffet breakfast (cheese, meat, bread, juice, coffee). The rooms were reasonable sized and clean. I would recommend staying there.

In Berlin we visited the Pergamon Museum, Egyptian Museum, the Berliner Dome, Checkpoint Charlie Museum (Haus am Checkpoint Charlie), Kaiser Wilhem Memorial Church, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and the Karlhorst-Berlin Museum. All of the museums and sites were very impressive.

The Karlhorst-Berlin Museum is where the Germans surrendered to Red Army on 8 May 1945. They had some really excellent displays, and the room where the surrender was signed was still preserved as it was on 8 May 1945. Most of the displays were in German, but it didn't take much thought to figure out what most of them were.

We ate many good restaurants in Berlin (Zillemarkt, Luisen Brau, Zwolf Apostle, Gasthaus Dietrich Herz, San Marino). I don't have any complaints about any of them. I really did like the San Marino Italian Restaurant at Savignyplatz. I thought the prices for pizza were quite reasonable, and the staff was very helpful and nice.

Berlin isn't quite as architecturally interesting as many European cities (getting bombed to the ground during WW2 and the Cold War don't help), but there are many interesting sights and history to the city. Many of the sites are currently spread across the city, but the excellent U-Bahn/S-Bahn system make most of them easy to get to.

We took a 5 ½ hr train ride from Zoo Bahnhof to Prague to visit the city for a short time. We stayed at the Cloister Inn in Prague (www.cloister-inn.cz). It was a very nice hotel not too far from the Old Town Square and Tyn church. It was a little more expensive than the Pension Alexandra, but it was still very nice and clean. They also had a similar breakfast to the Pension Alexandra. I would also recommend staying there as it has a very good location and is located relatively close to metro stop "Narodni trida".

We managed to visit Prague Castle, St. Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square, various portions of the Jewish Museum, and the Mucha Museum in roughly a day and a half. It was a semi-rushed trip to Prague, but we really enjoyed it. The sights are also all relatively close together.

We ate at the Restaurace U Medvidku on Na Perstyne 7. This restaurant/beer hall serves cheap and very good Czech food and excellent Budvar Beer. The service was also very good. It is a little noisy since it is a beerhall, but I would definitely recommend it.

Prague is an absolutely beautiful city. The city is probably one of the most architecturally interesting cities that I've ever been to. There were still quite a bit of tourist even in early October, but I highly recommend Prague. BC <email>
Edmond, OK USA 10/29/03

Germany
We recently returned from a 2 week trip to Germany. We used Rick Steves book. We stayed at the Hotel Altkolnischer Hof in Bacharach on the Rhine and found it pleasant. We cannot recommend Gustof Zum Rassen in Garmisch, however: they seemed quite upset we were there, seemed to have no record of our reservation despite e-mailing them twice and calling them once! Hotel Gami Brugger in Lindau was very nice. They treated us great and was a good value right on the island. We had difficulties finding an affordable hotel in Munich, our travel agent found a deal at the Tryp Hotel. All and all everything went well and we even survived the autobahn!
R.Kappes <email>
Mesa, az USA 10/28/03

Hotel Staubbach, Switzerland
We stayed at the Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbrunnen, Switz., as found in Rick's book. We would highly recommend it. The location was absolutely perfect, the staff is very cheerful and helpful, and the breakfasts were great. I give it an A+.
Maureen <email>
Clinton Township, MI USA 10/28/03

Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden & Prague
As usual, I used Rick's handy guidebook on my European vacation in September. I referred to it more than usual, given that each of these cities were places I was experiencing for the first time.

I flew in and out of Berlin, book-ending my trip at the comfortable and friendly Hotel Atlanta. Airport bus X109 drops one off a very short walk from the front door. The double room I was assigned felt too large - but it was clean and the bathroom fixtures didn't take too much time to figure out. Bless hotels that have showers larger than matchboxes! Alexander and Mrs. Ivanov at the front desk were particularly helpful in answering various questions and in helping me nurse a twenty-four hour bug I came down with my second day in town. The buffet breakfast was substantial (juices, cereals, meats, cheeses, and several types of bread) and served in a quaint dining area. The location was ideal - far enough away from Zoo Station to avoid the seediness and traffic of that immediate area but close enough that I could jaunt over in slightly less than ten minutes. Upon my return from a few days in Prague, I got a single room on the same floor as the reception area and really liked it - felt right at home.

Bus #100 was helpful but, boy, is everyone aware of it. At 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning it was jam-packed and it was quite something to watch people aggressively push their way in and to the seats they wanted. I waited until just before closing on a Sunday evening to visit the Reichstag - even into the late evening on every other night of the week the line snaked far outside the building. The Kathe-Kollwitz Museum is currently hosting a wonderful little exhibition of drawings by Picasso that is well-worth dropping in to see. Oh, and much of the Pergamon Altar at the Pergamon Museum is under scaffolding as the museum continues its renovations.

Potsdam was far easier to visit than I think Rick would have one believe, provided you arrive right when Sanssouci opens. I took a regional express train from Zoo Station to Potsdam and arrived in under twenty-five minutes. The connection with the bus to Sanssouci was quick and painless. I arrived at the palace just after it opened and was able to secure a tour quite easily - the multi-page English translation was quite sufficient in explaining each room the German tour visited, and I didn't feel at all at sea. I thoroughly enjoyed the wacky over-sized slippers one has to wear in order not to scuff up the floors. Emerging from the palace afterward, I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of tour bus passengers who, for lack of any other accurate word, were infesting the palace grounds. So, be sure to arrive first thing and your visit should be most enjoyable. I had a cheap lunch at the Potsdam train station - a delicious "kase flute" - something of a cheese bread baguette. Just a buck and large enough to give this small-sized guy enough energy for the rest of the afternoon.

I brought along photocopied pages from my Rick Steves' book for my day trip to Dresden. I found the town a most delightful place, with a very helpful tourist office. The Zwinger occupied much of my day - the picture gallery was terrific; I'd invest in the small highlights-of-the-collection guide available at the gift shop and enjoy the many rooms of beautiful art.

Prague was pretty much the picture-postcard place I'd seen in, well, postcards. I opted not to stay at one of the Rick-recommended hotels in favor of a four-star place I secured via a British-based online reservation system through my travel agent. The Maximilian Hotel is just a short walk north-east of Old Town Square. It's a business-class place with comfortable rooms, spacious bathrooms, and a huge buffet breakfast. The Metro and trams were great ways to augment walking when my feet got too tired. I ate several meals at the Country Life restaurant that Rick recommends - self-serve so no need to worry about rip-offs or language barriers. Actually, communication wasn't a problem at all. I failed to find anybody at any venue who couldn't communicate at least a little bit in English. Which was good, because I would have hated to continue butchering Czech anymore than I did with my "dobry dens." I'd highly recommend arriving at Prague Castle as early as possible - like Potsdam, by an hour or so after opening, the place is awash in tourists.
Tom
Los Angeles, CA USA 10/21/03

Rental Car CDW in Germany
I recently rented a car from Alamo-National in Germany for 24 hours to drive from Munich to Rothenburg and then to Frankfurt. Since our flight home was leaving from Frankfurt the next day a car seemed like the best way to stop at Rothenburg for the night and still get the plane plus a chance to drive on the Autobahn. However I've got an unexpected problem because of the rental car. Although I charged it on a VISA Platinum card I agreed to purchase the Collison Damage Waiver to avoid any claim problems.

When I turned in the car they noticed a scratch on the rear bumper. I didn't know where the scratch came from but I figured with the CDW I wouldn't need to worry. However I received a claim letter from the rental company saying that I am responsible up to EUR 600 deductible and that I should file a claim with my credit card insurance. I was not aware of any deductible on CDW since normally you would get CDW to cover your own car insurance deductible. My credit card insurance would have covered me completely if I had denied the CDW but since I did not deny the CDW my credit card coverage may be void making me responsible for the cost. So in addition to paying 18.40 EUR for CDW I may also will have to pay for the scratch repair.

Also, I did not purchase the tank of gas at the time of rental but agreed to return the car with a full tank. Gas stations are hard to find on the autobahn and near the airport but I found that if I brought the car back almost filled and let them charge me for the missing gas that it came out cheaper than purchasing the tank at rental time and trying to return it near empty.
Allen <email>
Largo, FL USA 10/21/03

Germany/Austria/Switzerland/Prague
Kudos to Rick on his guides to Italy, France, Holland and Belgium, but boo on Germany! Giving Trier its own chapter isn't enough of a revision.

We've traveled with lots of Rick's books and after 2 weeks in Germany, liked his GAS book the least. We thought it was the least historically informative, and while we love his usual humorous style, we thought it had the ring of having been written a while ago by a less mature author (sorry) and only updated in its details. Plus, it tries to cover way too much and therefore, it skips too much: Nuremberg, for instance. It's a glowing, wonderful (and very historically important) city with easy train access, gorgeous churches housing blow-you-away works by Veit Stoss that are in every art history survey text, beautiful fountains, lively markets and great museums.

Lastly Munich is a great city with blockbuster museums, but Rick's description bore little resemblence to the city we saw. He makes it sound like Paris!

His beds and recommended eating is still the best though. We're never sorry when we go with choices there.

P.S. Add Munich's art museums to Mona Winks! They're awesome!
Ellen Vest <email>
Washington, DC USA 10/17/03

[Editor's note: You'll be glad to hear Rick has added a chapter on Nuremburg (Nurnberg) to his 2004 edition of Germany, Austria & Switzerland guidebook, which is available from our online Travel Store].

Kuchl: Lodging near Salzburg
If you prefer staying in a typical Austrian village while visiting Salzburg and area, try Kuchl. The train into Salzburg takes 20 minutes. We stayed at the Pension Wagnermigl, a block from the train station. Franz and Regina, the owners, speak excellent English and are so helpful. The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated, price is right also, at $60 euros per night, with a lovely breakfast buffet: www.kuchl.com.
<email>
ok USA 10/13/03

Germany in October
We had a great trip to Germany last week except for cold/wet weather. I was glad I packed my thermal underwear! Summary of the places we stayed:

St Goar-Hotel Hauser was OK, but next time I think we will stay in Bacharach. It was more of a town than St. Goar. We had a Rhine view but the hotel had an off smell (stale smell??) and the carpet needed replacing. We loved the Rhine boat ride and Burg Eltz. We would love to come back and spend more time in this area.

Rothenburg-Gasthouse Victoria-great value, and one of our favorite places. Alffrankische Weinstube am Klosterhof...great meal and atmosphere. Arrive late (after the tour buses) and leave early (before the tour buses). Enjoyed the Medieval crime and punishment museum and the Nightwatchman walking tour.

Fussen-Planned on staying at Suzanne's B&B but cancelled reservations after reading all of the negative responses posted. Stayed at Romantic Pension, ( www.albrect-neuschwanstein.de) a view of the castle from our balcony, 200 meter walk to the ticket office and received a discount coupon for 2 euros per person. It had a great breakfast, big, clean room... a bargain at 32.5o per person.

Salzburg-got lost from the autobahn...ended up just looking for the fortress. We loved the fortress tour. We wanted to bike but too cold and wet.

Munich-Stayed at Hotel Uhland and enjoyed it and the service. The orginal Munich walking tour is a must and we enjoyed the Third Reich tour. Andechs Monastery is worth the drive...we were the only Americans there at lunch with a lot of older German men enjoying their lunch and beer. Dachau is a don't miss sight. We took the the 2 1/2 free tour with an American guide. I believe we got a lot more out of the visit with the tour.

I only took one sweater which would have been OK but every place we ate was very smoky and I started to smell like smoke. I did take a little bottle of perfume and sprayed my sweater at night and put on the balcony (if it wasn't raining) to air out.

Overall great trip with RS. Driving instructions O.K. I would try to get a map of each town before you get there...don't wait until you find the TI to obtain a map.
Audrey Poche <email>
Cedar Park, TX USA 10/13/03

Rick Steves' Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Prague
I just returned from 18 days in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, with my wife and two children (age 8 and 5) using Rick's book as a loose guide. Just a few observations/comments.

1. Rothenberg. We were there about 10 years ago, and the commercialization has increased substantially. However, it is still worth visiting, but the bulk of sightseeing does need to be done either early or late. The Nightwatchman Tour is an absolute blast. In addition, I cannot overly emphasize how pleasant an experience shopping at the Friese Shop is. Bernie was especially helpful and we ended up doing all of our shopping there. Our purchases beat us back to the States.

2. The Hotel Sonne in Fussen is centrally located (like Rick says), but it is extremely noisy, especially over the weekend. This was the only hotel we stayed at where earplugs were essential.

3. In Salzburg we stayed at the Hotel Mozart (on the "new town" side of the river). This is not a hotel from the book, but it does have a good location and the staff really went out of the way to make our stay enjoyable. Totally recommended.

4. The Augustiner Beerhall in Munich is excellent. Eat at the restaurant (recommended in the book) located nearby. It and the beerhall made for a wonderful evening.

5. Hallstatt, Austria, is incredible. We stayed at Haus Lenz (it is like staying in a treehouse, especially the top floor family room where we stayed). The view is well worth the walk from town. We ate at the Gasthaus Zauner (I think this is right, it's in the book). Their "Hallstatt" sampler (fish) was one of the best meals of our trip.

6. Ride as many summer luges as you can find. Riding around looking for them (and finding them), was one of the highlights of our trip. John Bradley <email>
Columbia, SC USA 10/08/03

Eggimann's B&B, Gimmelwald
I'd like to report to you an uncomfortable stay in Ollie Eggimann's B&B in Gimmelwald. We called looking for reservations, the day of arrival, and requested a 3 night stay. We also inquired if there was an ATM there, as we needed to get cash (he only accepts cash), and we were assured there was an ATM in Murren. We arrived and were shown our room and immediately Ollie instigated an anti-war political discussion by stating, "Your president lost power today." (Bush had asked the UN for help that day). We were off to the races in an American/European antiwar discussion. It was high-spirited and actually a good debate.

We then went on a walk to Murren where, unfortunately, the ATM did not accept my bank card. I only had enough cash for a 2 night stay. We rang Ollie's doorbell ,and told him we could only stay 2 nights. He said, "I only take 3 night stays and that it was clearly stated in Rick's book." I hadn't noticed that when I called earlier. I said ok, but nonetheless, we only had enough for 2. His comment was "lady, that's not my problem". Then he suggested I take the cable car down off the mountain, and then the bus to town, and return with more money. This would have required considerable time, and I didn't want to do that. Now, I'm feeling unwelcome. I would have gone to other accommodations, but Esther's guesthouse and the Mittaghorn are full, and it's dark. Ultimately, Ollie said OK just give me the money for 2 nights.

On review of your book later, it said 3 day stays on "advance reservations", but ours was a same day reservation. But my primary complaint lies with his attitude. He didn't give a rip how he made us feel. Earlier he had shown where to borrow his walking sticks, now things were locked up. But at that point I wouldn't have asked him for anything.

In conclusion: 1) He tried to apply his own policy incorrectly. 2) He was not gracious in trying to come up with a solution for his guests. 3) He vigorously let us know he was not just antiwar, but anti-American.

In summary, we were made to feel most unwelcome and not treated as guests. I would never return and I would never recommend this B&B. I've been using ETBD since 1996 and have always been well advised.
Lynn Halverson
USA 10/06/03

Two Weeks in Germany and Austria
My wife and I just returned from a great trip to Germany and Austria taken during the last two weeks of September. The weather was beautiful and warm most of the time, which naturally made everything even better. We have some general thoughts on German/Austrian hotels:

1) On a hunch, we packed a 5 oz. bar of soap, as those hotel bars of soap the size of sugar cubes get tiresome, and were we ever happy we did! Only 1 of the 8 hotels where we stayed had a bar of soap, and it was miniature. All the others had either no soap (for the shower), or small packets of liquid soap. Has anyone heard of this trend toward not providing soap? We had never encountered it before, but will now always carry our own.

2) Hair Dryer — On previous trips to Europe almost every hotel room had a hair dryer. This trip only 1 or 2 did. However, when we asked at the desk, they all had one behind the desk which we could use for our stay. Who knows what the other guests did, but we were happy!

3) The German/Austrian bedding was a problem, especially in the warm weather we had. The standard heavy comforter was very uncomfortable, presenting the user with choice of being hot or cold, no in-between. I had read the suggestion of taking along a top sheet, and promptly forgot about it. We should have, as the warmer nights would have been much more comfortable with just a sheet.

4) European hotel bathrooms continue to puzzle us with their reluctance to use shower curtains or other barriers, making a wet floor almost inevitable.

Now some comments on destinations and hotels:

Cochem on the Mosel was a wonderful spot to spend our first two days after flying into Frankfurt. The Hotel Lohspeicher, though a little pricey, was very nice, and the proprietor/chef Ingo Beth was a wonderful host and cook. The restaurant is excellent.

Baden-Baden is one of the most beautiful cities we have visited, and we loved it. The Hotel Am Markt is nice, though the two women who run it are brusque and not terribly pleasant. The hotel does have internet service available, but only 10am-2pm, which was very inconvenient for us, so we never used it there.

The Friedrichsbad Roman-Irish bath spa was interesting, to say the least, and a ONCE-in-a-lifetime experience (at least according to my wife). Along with all the attendant distractions it is a little confusing, even though directions are in English. Because of that it was not the total relaxation experience some commentators had led us to expect. Maybe a second trip there it might be more so, but I guess that's out.

Reutte, Austria was a huge disappointment. We went there on RS's recommendation, and found it virtually devoid of charm. The Hotel Moserhof was excellent, though, and we enjoyed the Tirolean Folkfest at the Maximillian Hotel with an American couple, Dani and Charles from Texas. If not for having met and spent the evening with them, Reutte would have been a washout. Fussen or Garmisch appeared to us to be a much preferable stop in the Neuschwanstein area.

Salzburg was great, and it didn't hurt that the weekend we were there was Oktoberfest and about 80 degrees and gorgeous. The Sound of Music tour RS recommended, Bob's Tours, was great and only 30 Euros for 4 hours.

I just saw a negative comment on the Hotel Goldenen Ente, and we agree with much of it. It is in a wonderful location, just off the main Platz in the old city. The room was, however, quite spartan — probably the least comfortable of all hotels we stayed in. We didn't find it noisy, though — even with Oktoberfest.

Hallstatt was beautiful, again in perfect weather, but it got rather quiet and lifeless Sunday evening late in September. Gasthof Simony was comfortable and charming, though we have heard of many people whose reservations went awry. We had no problem with ours, and everything went as it was supposed to.

Rothenburg was everything RS says, including the Night Watchman's tour, which is a lot of fun. Gasthof Greifen was very nice, and the best price we paid anywhere. The free parking in the backyard was a real plus, and there is a hotel a block away with an internet cafe. It also has laundry facilities for guests.

Dresden was an interesting stop, and RS's recommended Hotel Kipping was wonderful, with an excellent restaurant. Dresden is coming around after its difficult history, and we would like to have spent more time there.

Our last two nights were spent in a town RS avoids, but one we like — Rudesheim on the Rhine. We stayed there once before and loved it, and did so again. It is only a 35-minute drive (on Saturday morning anyway) to Frankfurt airport, so an excellent spot to spend the last night before flying home. Ringhotel Central is a wonderful, family-owned-and-operated hotel in an excellent location, with a great restaurant. Rudesheim has a fun-filled area called Drosselgasse, with lots of outdoor cafes, music, and...yes, tourists, but mostly German tourists.

A great trip, our second RS-tutored trip to Europe. We'll follow him again in the future.
Ron Haas <email>
DeWitt, MI USA 10/03/03

Berlin Reichstag lines/Prague
The observation that evening lines at the Reichstag are long, is correct, especially on Fridays and weekends. However, the daytime lines on Saturday are almost as crowded. 60-90min wait when I was there on 6 Sept. The earlier comment about reserving ahead may be the best way to avoid the lines. In either case, there is a security checkpoint. Pocketknives of any sort will have have to be checked in.

Prague: Stayed at the Hotel Julian. Nice hotel with good service as Rick states, but some rooms face the street and are thus bit noisy in the early mornings. For future guides, it would be useful to include the nearest tram stop ("Kinského zahrada" tram stop for Hotel Julian) and some useful mtram lines (#6,#9,#12) for the hotel and restaurant listings, since the tram lines are a bit more extensive than Prague's metros.
Michael <email>
Austin, TX USA 10/03/03

Salzburg/Vienna/Prague
Rick ~ Loved your self-guided walking tours! I used them for Salzburg, Vienna and Prague last week.

Salzburg — Really enjoyed the Augustiner Brewery. A bit hard to find, but worth it! Did Bob's Minibus SOM tour plus the luge ride. How fun! Stayed at Hotel Golden Kreone — clean and safe.

Vienna — Thanks for the tip on the $2 euro tickets for the Vienna opera. It was an amazing experience! May want to note that several sights were closed on Tuesdays (might have been the time of year I was there, not sure). Was not impressed with Pension Dr. Geissler — the room was okay, but had to go up three floors to use the shower; breakfast was not good; but the staff was great and very friendly/helpful.

Prague — Wonderful tips on how to navigate the city. Pension Unitas is a gem — very well run, clean and bright, affordable. Some parts of the Jewish Museum are still closed due to last year's flooding. Keep up the good work!
Tracy <email>
Dallas, TX USA 10/02/03

Salzburg Hotel
Rick recommends Zur Goldenen Ente in the heart of Salzburg but we hated it! Our room was bare bones & we found the place very noisy. Keep up the great work, Rick, we love ya!
Leslie Granger <email>
San Jose, CA USA 09/29/03

Berlin
Pension Peters was booked, but they have an apartment in East Berlin not far from an S-Bahn stop at Hackescher Markt. It was excellent and there are plenty of nice places to eat in the neighborhood. Recommend staying in East Berlin since most of the major sights are there.
D. Ryan <email>
Pitman, NJ USA 09/23/03

Rhineland
We enjoyed our cruise on the Rhine but were very disappointed with the tour of Marksburg Castle. It is not feasible, as Rick suggests, to put together an English tour on the spot. We had to settle for a German tour (no tour, no access to the castle) and it was awful. We couldn't understand anything. The English "guide sheet" was a joke. We couldn't understand why they don't provide English (and French, Spanish, etc.) audio guides. After all, these can be at worst self-liquidating and at best a profit center. Save your money! This one isn't worth it. One other item. We were stalked by two young men who were obviously looking for an opportunity. They followed us on the train and off again. Stay alert!
Tommy and Marjorie Cooper <email>
Waco, TX USA 09/21/03

Hotel Uhland — Munich
I'd like to second any and all recommendations for the Uhland in Munich. Nikolaus at the front desk was unbelievably helpful, and the rooms were huge for not much money at all. A very nice surprise.
Riley McDowall
Vancouver, BC Canada 09/19/03

Reichstag Lines
I love Rick´s guides, but it was not true when I visited the Reichstag that there were short lines in the evening. Maybe they are shorter in the day, but they were long in the evenings.
Sharon Peerenboom
Salem, OR USA 09/17/03

Guidebook Hotel Values
On our recent Europe trip we stayed at several of the lower priced hotels from the guidebook. A few really stood out. First of all in Vienna, the Hotel Hargita was great. Great people, super clean rooms. Nice breakfast. Superb Value! The only caveat is you better like stairs.

In Salzburg the Institute St. Sebastian was an incredible value. Again, super clean and comfy room. Great view, super friendly staff, good breakfast, close to the sights. Very nice place. Highly recommended for budget travellers.

The Hotel Helvetia in Munich is a super value as well. Less than a block from the main banhof. 24 free internet access terminal, great breakfast.

Lastly Suzy's B&B in Interlaken. DON'T STAY IN INTERLAKEN! But, if you must Suzy's B&B was a nice place. It's near the west station. Interlaken is horrible, and I would never stay there again. Go to Lauterbrunnen, or Gimmelwald.
Bret Spencer <email>
Phoenix, AZ USA 09/17/03

Getting into Berlin's Reichstag
A good tip for travelers who don't feel like waiting in line to get into the Reichstag building (easily an hour wait — out in the open). If you are willing to spend the money, you can make a reservation for the Rooftop Restaurant in Reichstag. I had lunch there and it wasn't outrageously expensive (entree in mid-teens euro) and the food was good. Bring along your reservation confirmation, and you can walk straight in via the handicap entrance without waiting in line. You can make reservation on Reichstag's website www.bundestag.de The restaurant is open 9a-4:30p, then 6:30p-12MN
yuen <email>
philadelphia, PA USA 09/08/03

Berlin to Potsdam
Instead of taking the S-bahn train from Berlin out to Potsdam, an easier way is to take the Regional Express train operated by DB instead (you can get on at the main stops including Alexanderplatz and Zoologischer Garten). This is particularly important for the next few months until end of Dec '03 because the S-bahn in closed for construction between Zoologischer Garten stop and Charlottenburg stop, but not the case for DB trains. If you take the S-bahn you'll have to change for a bus between the above 2 stops. I bought a 7 day Berlin transportation ticket (BVG) for zones A,B,C for 29Euros. And that ticket covers the DB train ride. The trip takes just over 30 minutes.
yuen <email>
philadelphia, PA USA 09/07/03

Suzanne's B&B, Fussen, Germany
Despite warnings from other travellers on the grafitti board concerning Suzanne's B&B in Fussen, Germany, I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, our family found out first-hand why others have expressed disappointment with this B&B. I had booked in Feb. for a 2 night stay in July and mailed in a 1 night deposit. The room & especially the bathroom (which was down the hall, not specified in the reservation or Rick's book!) was not clean. Besides our being extremely upset by the lack of cleanliness, Suzanne told us we would have to move our things to a different room for the 2nd night.

When we told her the next day that we would prefer to leave and not stay a 2nd night, she got into a very unprofessional confrontation with us in front of our children and other guests. Upon her insistence, we had to pay her 1/2 of the 2nd night's rate just to be able to leave. We felt the payment was money well spent just to be able to leave this woman's home. We found a very pleasant, clean room at the centrally located Hotel Kurcafe for less money for our family of 4. We also saw rooms for similar rates as Suzanne's at the recommended Hotel Hirsch, but they had no vacancy at the time. The folks at both of these hotels were friendly, welcoming, and professional. Fellow travellers, do not stay at Suzanne's B&B in Fussen! Laura Leman <email>
Elmhurst , Il. USA 09/02/03

No Castle Wait for Early Birds

Your info on Neuschwanstein was very helpful. We took your advice to get there early and avoided a 3-hour wait for tickets ! Also taking the bus up and horse carriage down was the way to go. Thanks !
Sheila Kelleher <email>
Whippany, NJ USA 08/31/03

Gasthof Simony, Hallstatt
I had read a negative report about this lovely old house, but was determined to check it out for myself. Susanna Scheutz is all about making her guests comfortable and her breakfast was the best one we had in all of Austria!
Ann Erickson <email>
Vidalia, GA USA 08/29/03

Just returned from 10 days in Switzerland (Aug 14 thru Aug 25). Visited Zug, Zurich, Lucerne, Lugano, Bern, Murten, Gruyeres, Aigle, Montreux, Neuchatel, Brienz, Gimmelvald, and Murren. Some humble opinions:

I don't know why Rick doesn't mention Lugano as an option. It is absolutely beautiful with lush mediterranean vegetation, Italian architecture, tiny lakeside towns, and of course mountains (worth two days). It is clean and was also not overly crowded in August. Gorgeous place.

Although the setting of the Lake Geneva is grand, Montreux, the city, is not (very dirty). I'd recommend skipping this town entirely (but do take a drive on the Corniche de la Voux through the vinyards).

Neuchatel was also dirty but had interesting architecture and sandstone colored buildings. A good splurge is a sunset dinner over Murtensee at Hotel Murtenhof's terrace restaurant with some Mont Vully wine, of course. Fantastic!

We asked the TI for a recommended driving tour down to Lake Geneva and back. The lady at the TI was helpful with a scenic route and very enthusiastic.

At Berner Oberland we spent a day with a hike in the Alps (from the Schiltornbahn) and a swim at Lake Brienz (magnificent setting). We left Brienz with a drive over a mountain pass on our return to Zug.

Zug is a small, immaculate town half hour south of Zurich. Very nice place.

There is a restaurant outside of Zurich called 'Tobelhof' (moderately expensive) in the town of Gockhausen. Truly a magnificent outdoor restaurant serving fantastic authentic Swiss food. The restaurant appears to be situated on a farm on a plateau overlooking the Zurich plain. Magnificent views, memorable place.

They say Switzerland is expensive but with the favorable exchange rate with the US dollar, it is no more expensive than any other place in Europe (and definitely cheaper than Scandinavia and the UK).
Paul
Pittsburgh, PA USA 08/27/03

The Hotel Uhland which Rick recommends in Munich is outstanding. The staff is very courteous and breakfast is wonderful. Its a family owned hotel and they obviously take pride in the hotel! Also in Frankfurt Rick recommends the Hotel Manhattan — I did get the 10 euro discount which is great and its a lovely hotel right on top of the Hauptbahnhoff. Happy travels!
J Dietrich
Columbus, OH USA 08/26/03

I just returned from Munich and stayed at the Hotel Deutsches Theater recommended in Rick's new book. The hotel is fine but can be very noisy. If you stay on the courtyard side there are many people socializing until late and you may be there a night when the actual theatre show is taking place. On our way back to Munich we stayed one night more on the other side which happen to have construction outside early in the morning but I suppose it's only temporary. The staff was overall friendly and the location and breakfasts were great!

In Salzburg we stayed at night at the Hotel Goldene Krone. Like Rick says creaky floors. The breakfast was not great and the staff not the friendliest. There was no shower curtain and no soap. We did call and make a reservation the day before and the hotel did accomodate us.

Hotel Admiral in Vienna I highly recommend. Most of the staff speaks english and can help you with any of your travel needs. Rooms are large and comfortable. Breakfast is not great as I found with the hotels in Austria but not Germany.

When visiting Prague stay at the Hotel Pyramida. It is not in the old town or other busy areas but has a tram stop right across the street which takes you to the castle and beyond. It's also quiet. The breakfasts are large buffet style even though I wasn't a great fan of Czech food being served in the morning. This is a big 4 star hotel with all the amenities but the exchange rate is good if you're looking for a little more ease and comfort. English is easily spoken by the staff which is a great help. The czech language is impossible to decipher for english language speakers. And Rick's right get a map right away. Walking Prague is the only way-there are new architectural discoveries at every turn. What an unbelievable city for especially for those interested in medieval architecture and art nouveau influences. The cement block apt. bldgs the communists built are in sharp heartbreaking contrast to an otherwise creatively beautiful city that is evidenced before.
Candice <email>
Miami, FL USA 08/23/03

A cautionary note about the TI in downtown Vienna. The gentleman at the info desk told us than it was NOT possible to reserve tickets for Schonnbrun Palace. Being the sceptics we are, we went ahead and called the number listed in Rick's book, and OF COURSE we could make reservations. And a good thing too. At 1:00pm the line for tickets was halfway down the courtyard. Also: don't be too surprised if they have no audioguides available if there are large crowds. But the free pamplet they give out (English) gives all the info you need.

We enjoyed our 2 days in Salzburg very much, and in particular our stay at the Nussdorferhof Hotel. The staff were unfailingly friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. The room was large by Euro standards, with a lot of extras we usually expect from a 4 star hotel.

Enjoyed the concert in the fortress very much, but I wish someone had warned me in advance about the stairs!! From the fortress courtyard you need to climb about 4 storeys to reach the concert room. A little tough for someone with bad knees. Concerts with similar programs take place in venues with easier access.
Candyce
Oberammergau, Germany 08/20/03

Hallstatt, A Special Place

In July, my husband and I meandered our way from Bavaria via Innsbruck and Berchtesgaden to little Hallstatt. Our accommodations for 2 nights were at Gasthof Pension Gruner Anger which was very clean and convenient. They also offer free parking to their guests. Our first experience in Hallstatt was a visit to the Umbrella Cafe along the lakeside. While emailing our family and friends we enjoyed gazing out at the beautiful Hallstattsee and the surrounding mountains. What a delightful place! We also enjoyed our evening meals at the beer garden along the lakeshore. We took a tour of the famous salt mine, shooting down 2 sets of wooden banisters at 25 kpm...that was fun! The ferry boat ride on the Stefani across the lake to the train station was very enjoyable, and we did a little exploring on the other side. Be sure to climb up to the Catholic Church and Bone Chapel as the grave markers in front are quite unique. We were both sad to leave Hallstatt as it's a very special place.
Sue Cramer <email>
Peoria, AZ USA 08/18/03

Salzburg
Some of the staff at the TI on Mozartplatz are downright nasty. I complained about one, then heard them talking about my complaint. (As Rick warns, people can and do understand you even if you aren't speaking their native tongue!) Also, they apparently don't like to book Bobs tours here, although Rick recommends Bobs tours. Finally, the Naturefreund house is certainly nature, but not freundly! Rude people working there who bit our heads off. They were apparently busy during the music festival, but hey, they knew it was coming! Just be aware that any time you travel to a town during a festival, about half the town regards you as a nuisance. I always try to speak the language, never approach anyone by speaking English to them and have always used Ricks books, but Salzburg was a bummer this time.
J Dietrich
Columbus, OH USA 08/16/03

We spent a lovely weekend in Baden-Baden a couple of weeks ago. Everyone should try the Roman-Irish baths at least once. I don't think I was ever so relaxed as Iwas when I walked out of there (Although my husband says he did a lot more sight seeing than he had planned!) The parklands along Lichtental Allee were beautiful, and the little Cafe Casserole near the baths served the best Mussels in wine sauce I have ever had. Can't be as enthusiastic about the Deutscher Kaiser Hotel as Rick, though. The staff were very curt,with the hostess actually yelling at my husband in the morning because he sat down at the wrong table for breakfast. Next time we'll definitely try a different hotel
Candyce
Oberammergau, USA 08/12/03

Hotel Baren, Wengen
I can't say enough good things about the Hotel Baren in Wengen, Switzerland! The best part of the hotel is the food in the restaurant. For just 20 CHF additional, you can eat the 4 course gourmet meal in the restaurant. Maybe I don't get around enough, but the 2 meals we had in the restaurant I rate as some of the finest I have ever eaten. It is a very fine hotel, too. We also spent one night at the Hotel Lotschberg in Interlaken which fully lives up to Rick's recommendation. Great hotel and wonderful hosts.
john russell <email>
charlottesville, va USA 08/12/03

Germany and Austria
We toured a second time with the Rick Steves guidebook — this summer to Germany and Austria — Last year being such a success to London, Paris and Amsterdam! We traveled with our 16 and 18 year old daughters again and booked quad rooms the entire way.

In Rothenburg we stayed at Hotel Gerberhaus. The quad had a seperate room for the girls, very nice and within an arms reach from the Wall. The breakfast buffet was great, only dissapointment was the garden and patio area where you can have drinks and food was a mess..the garden hadn't been tended to at all, with fallen rotting fruit and all weeds. Totally great people, and my daughter could email from the hotel anytime of day.

Took the Romantic Road to Munich, visiting Dachau along the way. I want you to know that we actually found Pension Seibel with Rick Steves' hand drawn map I was navigating while my husband manuevered the Land Rover we rented in Frankfurt through the narrow crowded streets. The first room that we stayed in had garbage in the bathroom basket...and had a non-cooling refrigerator that made the most hideously loud noises every 40 minutes. The girls had a seperate room in the suite again. We asked to move the next night and she was most gracious about it, and the fridge worked in that room.

In Salzburg we stayed at Hotel Trumer Stube. That was a highlight! While sitting in the window we could hear operatic singing lessons coming from somewhere from across the narrow street. The owner was a delight and very helpful..we visited Hellbrun castle actually just the water park and thought it was a hoot. The ride down the river Salzach was tedious, the bus trip back a snap. Sound of Music tour with the small minivan tour, Bob's Tours was good to see the countryside but when he put in the soundtrack from the movie and "the hills are alive.." belted from the speakers I burst out laughing, much to the horror of my daughters. One night had dinner at the Hohensalzburg fortress — we were practically alone,with a fantastic view, great wine, and the food was great — best French Fries.

Hallstatt — the tears came to my eyes to see that town. My daughters melted with the beauty. We stayed at Gasthof Simoney, and I loved it. We had a quad room so our big window overlooked the town square. We too were disappointed that they no longer served dinner as we just wanted to stay there, lakeside and eat. The next morning was another clear day and we had a great breakfast by the lake with the swans gliding by. Salt mine tour was good as it was different, but we had a crabby young guide who would push the people down the slide if they didn't get going fast enough for her. She spoke at length, in German, about the mines, then would translate (for the majority of the tourists) in English — one sentence worth! We had to leave the next day to Vienna and the girls didn't want to budge...but off we went.

We stayed at K & T boarding house in Vienna, which was very nice. It, however, is a long haul down the busy, hot Mariahilfer Strasse — then the five flight of stairs up was thigh-wrenching. Do take a cab or subway from the train station! The sex shop under their place is slowly going out of business...never saw anyone going in the door. Tina a great host! The town is lovely, would stay closer to the old section next time as Mariahilfer Strasse is a drag to walk down. It became very hot on this leg of the journey and after Hallstatt the girls weren't loving the idea of traipsing all over the big city. Went to Schonbrunn Palace...asked for the student rates for our daughters and she refused to give it to us because they didn't have a "student ID"... hot, long lines and after Neuschwanstein, and Versailles last year it was pretty boring. The Powdery Wigged workers trying to sell you tickets to some musical event or other were so ever-present...couldn't move a half a block without being stopped. Definitely would like to go back in the winter or late fall and start there versus ending there.

We took the City Night Line train from Vienna to Frankfurt our last night to catch our plane. That was a highlight. We made reservations in advance here. We had a cute compartment with bottled water, soaps, towels, comforters... As the train pulled away we enjoyed drinks in the dining car watching the castles and little villages go by, the sun setting and the lights coming on in the country side. We all slept like babies... rocked to sleep by the train. The next morning we had breakfast brought to us. — The best!
Lisa B <email>
Plymouth, mn USA 08/10/03

Bavaria
In July, my husband and I picked up a rental car as we left Munich and drove south into Bavaria. The first stop was Wieskirche (Wies church) and we weren't disappointed. A choral group from America was performing when we entered the church and the accoustics are phenomenal...really a treat.

We lunched in the picturesque town of Oberammergau and enjoyed the beautiful frescoed buildings. Schloss Linderhof was being renovated on the outside, but was open...small castle but exquisite. Be sure to walk up to the grotto!

We stayed at Hotel Maximilian in Ehenbichl, just outside Reutte, Austria. A lovely little village and Gabi made us feel very welcome at the hotel. It is correctly described in Rick's book, very clean and they will do your laundry (10 Euros/load, includes wash/dry/folding). We ate 2 excellent evening meals there, besides a wonderful breakfast each morning. We took advantage of the free bicycles and had a ride along the Lech River. Also hiked up to the Ehenberg castle ruins above the town for the great views.

We made reservations in advance to visit Hohenschangau and Neuschwanstein castles. It's so much easier that way...no lines. The area where they are located is lovely and the tour of the interior of both castles is worth the price...really enjoyed the view from Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge). The walk/climb up to Hohenschwangau is no problem, but we recommend the shuttle bus for Neuschwanstein. Fussen is a fun town to visit for the great shopping street and ice cream on the square. We did have a problem accessing our email (aol) in the Bavarian region. Sometimes we could read it, but we were never able to respond or send mail.
Sue Cramer <email>
Peoria, AZ USA 08/09/03

Switzerland & Germany
I went to Switzerland and Germany last summer with my aunt and uncle and they had Rick Steves book and it was the first time i had ever heard of the book. I thought it was great because it had all these stories about the places you were visiting. I fully enjoyed the book until we got to Rothenburg. I loved the small town and the Night Watchmans tour but when we went to check into our hotel and they said we could no longer stay there because there was a Rick Steves tour coming. So they told us to find somewhere else and we had to search all the hotels and finally found one where i was put into a room that used to be a closet and they just hung a sheet over the window door so you couldn't see in it!

Then when we went to Bacharach we stayed in the Hotel Kranenturm that was supposed to be a tower but it was right by the train and every few mins a train would go by and shake the entire room and you couldn't hear anything. Now I'm not saying that you don't write great guidebooks. I just think you should look a little more into some of the places before you reccomend people stay there!
Lily
OR USA 08/07/03

[Editor's note: We're sorry to hear about your room in Rothenburg. We book the rooms for our tours a year in advance, so the hotels know when we are coming. Rick does mention in the book that the Hotel Kranenturm is 15 ft. from the train tracks and that they provide earplugs for rooms on that side of the hotel. Many of our tours have stayed there and people loved it.]

Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Rick, you are the man. My wife and I spent two wonderful weeks in these three countries and based nearly the entire trip on your G,A and S book. We hit Baden-Baden, Freiburg, Bern, Gimmelwald, Halstatt, Salzburg and Munich. We bought rail passes through you and the logistics were, for the most part, very smooth and hassle-free. Detailed tips on how to negotiate each rail station and city center are simply invaluable for do-it-yourselfers. Our trip highlights were Gimmelwald and Halstatt, both thoroughly charming places. The people we met treated us quite well and without exception appreciated at least a symbolic effort in using their language. The hotels you recommend pretty much live up to the expectations created in your book. The only exception might be Peter's Naturfreundhaus in Salzburg. Stunning view of the city and good food, but the rooms are grundgy and the doors have no locks. Might be ok for the youth hostel crowd, but it was a little unnerving for us. But, that aside, we are much appreciative of your guidance for a fun and efficient vacation. Keep up the good work.
Tom Owens <email>
Kansas City, MO USA 08/07/03

Munich/Dachau
My husband and I traveled by air to Munich from Berlin a few weeks ago. The airports have stepped up their security regarding cameras and camcorders...checking everything...even asked me to remove my moneybelt.

We arrived late in the evening and took the subway from the airport to Marienplatz without any problems. It's very safe. The folks at Pension Seibel waited up for us as we arrived at 10:30 PM, so we were thankful. Rick describes the Pension quite accurately in his Germany book, but I would like to add that they had the best breakfast selections for meats/cheeses, cereals and croissants during our trip. The pension is very convenient to Marienplatz, just a few minutes walk to the other side of the market area...taxi stand right in front of the pension.

We opted for a tour of Dachau from Radius Tours located at the train station, and give them rave reviews...well worth the few extra Euros to have a solid history of the events surrounding the establishment of the concentration camp and what went on within the camp during those years. It was very sad to hear the accounts, but we highly recommend the tour.

Our last evening in Munich was spent at Hofbrauhaus...dining outside in the beautiful plaza. Later we went inside to hear the oompah Band and see the famous frescoed ceiling. It was great fun!
Sue Cramer <email>
Peoria, AZ USA 08/06/03

Trier

We stayed one night in the Zum Christophel hotel and were very pleased. The rooms were very large, clean, and comfortable. The location and price couldn't be beat. A great choice.
Julie
USA 08/04/03

Berlin

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Germany & Austria thanks to Rick's book. Berlin was a most interesting city and very easy to move around in with the Welcome Card. We enjoyed our stay with Annika at Pension Peters and would do it again in a flash! She makes the best coffee in Berlin and was the friendliest hostess we met on our trip.

We took the Discover Berlin Walks just 2 hours after landing and thoroughly enjoyed the 3-hour tour. The Topography of Terror museum is not to be missed — ask for a free audioguide. The Brandenburg Gate and glass cupola of the Reichstag building are great to re-visit after dark. You can ride bus #100 back to the Bahnhof Zoo stop from in front of the Reichstag. The Pergamon Museum is currently undergoing a face-lift, but it's open and the Altar is awesome. Right now, it's a bit of a challenge to visit Potsdam in order to see the Cecelienhof Palace (site of 1945 Conference attended by Churchill, Truman & Stalin) and Sanssouci (Frederick the Great's summer palace). You can either take a bus to Charlottenburg, then catch the #7 S-train to Potsdam or take the subway to Potsdamer Platz and then catch the #1 S-train to Potsdam.

Schloss Cecilienhof was most important to us, so we visited it first. You may take either tram #92 or 95 (final destination Bornstedt/Kirschallee) to Reiterweg/Allesstrasse, then take bus #692 (toward Hohenstrasse) stopping at Schloss Cecilienhof. To then get to Sanssouci, go back to the busstop and take bus #692 once again (destination Bornim Institut fur Agrartechnik)to Reiterweg/Jagerallee. There you take bus #695 (destination Bhf. Pirschheide) and get off at Schloss Sanssouci. To return to the main train station (Bahnhof), just take the #695 bus leaving Sanssouci.

We had a most enjoyable daytrip and had time when we returned to Berlin to visit the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Strasse, which is one of the few synagogues saved from complete desecration on "crystal night" in 1938. For an after dinner stroll and an entertaining time, visit the fountain at the Europa Center (near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church). It's a great place for an ice cream cone, music and people-watching.
Sue Cramer <email>
Peoria, AZ USA 08/02/03

Updates

We just returned from a great three weeks in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, thanks to Rick's guidance. However, we have to disagree with few things. In Hallstatt, Austria, do NOT have the lady at the campground do your laundry. After we left a couple of loads, my wife went back to make sure she hadn't left any lipsticks in her pockets. The woman swore at her in German, not realizing most of us realize what "scheise" means. When I picked up the laundry, it was just dumped in two baskets, not folded at all. All she had done was run the washer and dryer and dump the clothes. Plus I think she overcharged us a bit.

Contrast that to Helen Schmocker's laundry in Interlaken, Switz. She was one of the favorite people we met on the trip, and she did a beautiful job of washing, drying and neatly folding our laundry — for less than the other woman charged.

In Hallstatt the info on Gasthof Simony is out of date. The restaurant has closed, and we stayed in an ugly modern room in the back that wasn't very clean. It has strange separate rooms for toilet and shower and looks as if it had been converted from what used to be the kitchen. Owner Susanna seemed nice, but she's aging and may have a hard time keeping up the place. Her grandson is now helping her.

In the Rhine area, we didn't like Hotel Kranenturm either. Fatima seemed cranky and couldn't be bothered to summon us for phone calls from our son and friend. There is no elevator, and the spiral stairs are hard to climb, even without luggage, to the third floor; she told us just to bring in what we need. It was hot, and though the triple-paned windows do keep out the ripping train noise right outside the window, the "ventilation system" doesn't help. That was about the hottest room I've ever tried to sleep in. We came back for a second night in Bacharach and really enjoyed another of Rick's suggestions: Hotel Altkonisher Hof in the center of town. We were on the third floor there, but with an elevator, a phone that worked, remodeling done right (Kranenturm's is kind of slipshod) and a balcony that overlooked the heart of town, we really enjoyed ourselves.

Our favorite of all places we stayed was Rheinfels Castle Hotel in St. Goar, a really classy place with a fine restaurant right next to Rheinfels Castel. We had a great view of the Rhine out our window, and the receptionist was very cheerful and helpful.

Rick's tips can save you lots of time. His guide to the close parking lot at Burg Eltz made it possible to enjoy a neat sight after only 10-15 minutes of downhill walking, in contrast to some other Americans we met there who had hiked uphill for about 45 minutes from one of the other lots.
Alan Hitt <email>
Stockton, CA USA 08/01/03

Interlaken, etc.

First, congratulations to the team at ETBD for the major upgrade of the books this year. While it has been fun for years to joke with other back door travellers about us all getting lost using the hand drawn maps in the books, this year's books with real accurate color maps at the front of the books has made a quantum leap possible in our enjoyment.

Now to our review of the Hotel Lotschberg in Interlaken, Switzerland. We were returning to the Berner Oberland this June and wanted to be central for exploration of other areas of Switzerland by train so we preferred this time to stay in Interlaken. The Lotschberg is perfectly located for a three or four minute walk to the West train station, just a minute or so from the restaurant at the Migros, and just a few minutes from the area known as Unterseen which has a great bakery open at 6am for breakfast before hotel breakfast rooms open. Fritz and Susi and their family were lovely hosts, very helpful, always ready to answer questions. Their English is excellent. Our room at Susi's B&B was very clean, bright, well lit, with a great bathroom and all the hot water we needed. We had a view towards the little summer luge on a nearby hill and towards the mountains all around. Sitting on the balcony during a rip roaring thunderstorm was fun. The bed was comfy and plenty big enough.

We love Sommer-rodelbahns (wheeled luges) and discovered a great one in Kandersteg. Kandersteg is one valley over, reached by train from Interlaken West, change at Spietz, take the train towards Brig. Kandersteg is the end of the road and cars go on trains to go through the Lotschberg tunnel to Brig and onwards towards Italy. Its about a 10 or 15 minute walk from the station to the Sesselbahn (chair lift) towards the rodelbahn along flower strewn nearly traffic free lanes. The chair lift is a great one (some say old equipment — we say you get close to nature and the sights and smells — not scary at all) which drops you off at the rodelbahn. Having really enjoyed others including the one near Fussen we thought this was by far the best we had done. We're middle age and bought multitrip tickets till we ran out of money! Wouldn't recomend the walk from the top of the chair lift to the lakes — we didn't think it worth it for the (huge) effort we had to put in to walk there and back.

If you travel by train between Spietz and Brig, you might try for the Cisalpino train which is an Italian tilting train. It travells much faster than ordinary trains and in that section where the train crosses over the valley and the train line three or four times as it climbs the Cisalpino gives a great sensation of flying and fantastic views. Remember that no supplements are payable in Switzerland for special trains such as ICE, TGV, Cisalpino that you ride only within Switzerland, so if you have just a regular ticket you can enjoy this experience. The Migros restaurants have gone from strength to strength, but we thought another cafeteria was even better — the Manora restaurants which are often next to or in Manor department stores. Even better food, even better surroundings and still, by Swiss standards, dirt cheap.

When in the Berner Oberland, don't miss a ride on the ships on the Thunersee or Brienzersee. Very relaxing, very convenient. A great vacation from the vacation. And if you ride on the Brientersee you can go by boat to the waterfall you see on the train between Interlaken Ost and Luzern. ( You know, the one that jumps down the mountain in three or four leaps, as you approach Brienz).
Nigel and Carol Austin-Weeks <email>
near Coventry, UK 07/26/03

Biking & Luging

My husband and I just returned from our first trip to Germany and Austria. Rick's book helped us tremendously and made our trip much more enjoyable. The best part of our trip was visiting the small, out-of-the-way places that we discovered with the help of Rick.

I highly recommend, if you have a car and are near Vienna, taking time out to do a bike ride(appx. 32 kilometers) from Melk to Krems. Melk is right off the autobahn and it is very easy to navigate around this small, charming town. Stop at the TI to ask where to rent bikes. From there, the bike path along the Danube is very well marked and you pass through some of the most incredible places you'll ever see (beautiful little towns, vineyards, etc.). Like Rick said in his book, this direction (from Melk to Krems) is mostly on the downslope so you don't have to do a bunch of extreme pedaling. It is also all paved, very safe and very well marked — -you won't get lost on your journey). Once you reach Krems, find the small train station (right when you get into town) and pop on one of the one-car trains and head back to Melk. We thought it was better than taking the three-hour boat trip back since we did it in about 30 minutes.

If you are traveling between Vienna and Salzburg on the autobahn, check out Mondsee (about 45+ minutes outside Salzburg — -I think — it's easy to find on the map). We just decided to get off the freeway because it looked so beautiful. It was a fantastic place for lunch!! We ate right on the lake (breathtaking and surrounded by the mountains). They also have these cute electric boats you can take out for @ 12 euros for an hour.

If you like to luge, here's a great one. It was in Hallein, Austria, probably 30 or so minutes outside Salzburg (the same town with a Salt Mine Tour — -kinda touristy, but still rather fun). When we were reading Rick's guide, he mentioned a place somewhere near Reutte with Austria's longest luge (I believe something like 1.6 kilometers). This one is 2.2 kilometers and is awesome!! You ride a ski lift up to the top, enjoy the view and then hop on a wild ride. This luge even strapped you in and had "break" signs all over the place with its incredible twists and turns. It was by far the best one we did and certainly the longest. From what I understand it is so new that even the TIs in Salzburg don't have it on their radar for recommendations. We just happened to ask the TI in Hallein. Thanks, Rick, for helping to make our vacation so great. It was all those small towns, etc. that were so fantastic and fun!!!
Catharine <email>
atlanta, ga USA 07/22/03

Make Reservations
My husband and I used the Germany, Austria, Switzerland guide last September. We did not make room reservations in advance, never imagining that thousands of tourists would be walking around, (with this book in hand) using all the hotels/pensions recommended by Rick. We could not find a room in Bacharach or Trier. This year we will reserve ahead!
caryl baumann <email>
cincinnati, OH USA 07/21/03

We began our Germany trip in late May in PASSAU, northeast of Munich on the Austrian border. What a lovely spot: the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilm rivers. Much to see, including the largest church organ in the world. Hotel was great: www.altstadt-hotel.de. Highly recommend the Cafe Duft at Theresienstrasse 22: great courtyard, great food (tapas, soups, salads, mains; menu changes weekly depending on what's in season). The Peschl-Terrasse restaurant is in all the guidebooks and we ate there but wouldn't recommend it.

In BAMBERG, we used a web booking service for private accommodations: www.bed-and-breakfast.de. This worked out wonderfully for us. We had a garden cottage for two with private entrance and our total bill was 46.80 euros per night including breakfast. It was about half a mile from the train station in the old center. We will certainly use this service again in other towns.

NURNBERG was wonderful! Our experience was probably colored by being there on a Monday, when tourists were few, while Bamberg on the weekend was completely overrun. Heading to eastern Germany, we spent a night in NAUMBURG and would have been happy to be there longer. In fact, Naumburg or the next town, Bad Kosen (even smaller), would make great home bases for day tripping. Stayed at www.hotel-zur-alten-schmiede.de.

The lodging find of our trip was in DRESDEN, where we spent five nights at www.mezcalero.de. This is a fine, funky place decorated with an Aztec/Mexican theme. It's about a mile from the Neustadt train station, on a busy street, but extremely quiet because the rooms are in the far back. We had an apartment with kitchen for 60 euros per night (breakfast was 4.50 extra). In the same neighborhood (Alaunstrasse 36-40), the Scheune Garten restaurant's beer garden (Indian cuisine) was great.

Check out www.villa-kesselring.de in EISENACH. Wonderful place, a steep mile-and-a-half walk from the train station.

Thank you to someone on this site who recommended the Trattoria La Fiorentina in MUNICH, a short walk from the Hotel Uhland. We ended up eating there both nights we were in town! It's at Goethestrasse 41, corner of Pettenkofer. We also checked out Rick's recommended Riva Pizzeria, but it had loud music and a loud crowd; La Fiorentina was small and family run and more our style. Another place that looked similar was Friulana at Zenettistrasse 43 (just off Goethestrasse), about a mile farther south, but it did not appear to have outdoor dining.

Railpass users should know about the "General map of passenger service" put out by Deutsche Bahn. It's about 24x30 inches in size, shows detail for every train line in the country, and costs 2-3 euros at train stations.
Janet Sims <email>
CO USA 07/15/03

Bacharach: Hotel KRANKYturm
We stopped in Bacharach, where we began to look for a place to stay. It was a charming town with little, quaint, crooked buildings from the 13th century. Since this was our first night staying in a place where there might not be any helpful German interpreters, we were looking for a place to stay that would have someone who could speak English. Per Rick Steve's recommendation, we stopped at Hotel Kranentrum in Bacharach. No room, they told us...in a not-so-pleasant style. They were housing a Rick Steve's tour group of about 25. But the waiter who was there to answer our inquiry pointed us down the front terrace to Hotel Hillen, a few doors down.

At Hotel Hillen we found a very pleasant, gracious lady who couldn't do enough for us. We found the decor there a bit antiquated, but it was clean and well cared for. After we walked around the town a little bit, we were looking for a place to eat that also spoke English and had food that dad could eat (in Germany this is a difficult task) with his special heart-healthy veggie diet. I felt a bit out-of-sorts since Hotel KRANKEYtrum turned us away not-so-graciously from getting a room, but wanted to eat at their terrace cafe as it had a nice view of the Rhine River and the train rails that passed by our table — not even 5 feet away. We did wind up there for dinner, and we waited forever for our spaghetti dinner (dad had salad) while the trains screamed by and barges with 1,000 — 2,000 ton loads sailed by in the Rhine River beyond. (You'll see this traffic pattern often running parallel to each other: rails, road, river.)

The only beautiful thing about the meal was the view and the flowers on the terrace. We waited forever for the waiter to return. We were really exhausted and wanted to crash for the night, but when the waiter returned we asked for some ice cream for dessert. His reply was to the effect, "Sorry. We are giving priority to the Rick Steve's tour group. I don't have time to get you ice cream." I must say, none of us have ever in our entire lives been refused something we ordered at a restaurant! No time to scoop two bowls of ice cream?!

Fair warning to all of you... if you ever travel using any of Rick Steve's guides, avoid this hotel he recommended! It is truly KRANKEYtrum more than it's own name of Kranentrum. Beware of it, for it has become an instant Rick Steve's "celebrity" and treats anybody not in one of his tour groups with third class rating and snobbery. We asked for our check and paid it in full. (We should have left out the service fee!) Going back to the little, kind hostess at Hotel Hillen we were graciously received and served our dessert in hospitable fashion, then we climbed the circular wooden staircase to our rooms for the night. Honestly, folks, go for the homey atmosphere with the gracious hospitality of Hotel Hillen over the elegant snobbery of Hotel Kranentrum. You'll taste more of true Germany that way.
Holly H <email>
Telford, PA USA 07/15/03

Rothenburg: Go Off Season
I believe the biggest problem is the time of year when Rothenburg is visited. In October 2002, I spent two weeks in Rothenburg at the Goethe Institute studying the German language. I had previously visited Rothenburg in 1989. The basic medieval appearance of the town is still the same, but in off season (e.g. October), there are far fewer tour buses and crowds, and the town is a much more pleasant place to visit. I know everyone cannot travel off-season, but if you can, still consider Rothenburg. Or if you must travel during high season, consider alternatives to Rothenburg, such as Riquewihr, Alsace, France. Riquewihr is also touristy, but, I believe, with fewer crowds than Rothenburg in high season.
Mike <email>
Sylva, NC USA 07/13/03

Hallstatt, Austria
We visited Hallstatt and stayed in Helga Lenz' "Haus Lenz" which is suggested in Rick's book. It was a really neat place to stay and very affordable. Our own bathroom, a view of the lake, big comfy beds, and great breakfasts. All this for only 32 euros per night!! Haus Lenz (likened to a tree house in Rick's book) is perched high above the town of Hallstatt and looks out over the red roofs and steepled churches onto the calm and beautiful lake. Highly recommended. We ate a wonderful dinner in Gasthof Zauner. The reinancke trout was delicious and affordable. The dining room is so charming with the ivy winding in through the windows. It was really neat.

The salt mine tour was pretty good, but I think we did it more than anything because it was a rainy day and we didn't think hiking would leave us feeling anything but wet. I would recommend it if you're with kids, but the tour guide was pretty difficult to understand because her accent was very thick. Hallstatt was amazing. It was such a delightful spot to just wind down and relax after being in the bigger cities.
Amanda <email>
Seattle, WA USA 07/12/03

Salzburg, Haus Reichl
We just returned from a long trip in Europe which (luckily for us) included a stop in Salzburg at Haus Reichl. Not only was the house one of the prettiest and cleanest places we stayed, but Franciska was the sweetest, kindest, most helpful hostess that we encountered in all of our 9 weeks of travel. She came running out of the house — plaid apron included — when our taxi pulled up, and she helped us drag our things upstairs despite the fact that it was raining. She offered to order us pizza if we were hungry, and there was a plug-in coffeepot with coffee and tea up in the room.

Our room was really big and roomy and it included bathroom and a balcony with a view of the mountains for only 50 euros a night. Even though we couldn't see the mountains when we arrived because of the rain and clouds, by the next morning when we woke up they were clearly visible. Not only that, but they seemed to be only a few hundred feet in front of us! From our balcony we could look straight out across really green grassy fields at Untersburg (?) and other big, beautiful mountains. Visit Franciska. She is so sweet, she'll make you miss your mom. Plus her breakfasts were amazing. They included cereal, warm rolls, meats, cheeses, coffee, tea, homemade apple tarts, and sometimes an egg. Before we left she even let us pack up our uneaten breakfast foods for our train trip!

I think a definite MUST for while you are in Salzburg is to visit Hitler's Eagle's Nest in nearby Berchtesgaden, Germany. We did it through Panorama Tours and it was great. We paid about 40 euros each, but it was worth it to not worry about the hassle of trains or buses or paying the entrance fee. It was some of the most breathtaking views of our trip. Read about it in the book. . .it was absolutely stunning. But only go if a local (like Franciska!) says that it will probably be clear enough to see from up there. It is often cloudy, but we lucked out! Good luck, have fun, and definitely visit Haus Reichl.
Amanda <email>
Seattle, USA 07/12/03

Prague and Germany
We followed the guidebooks faithfully for 3 weeks in Europe. If going to Prague, don't stay anywhere except Guest House Lida. Clean, spacious, and very friendly. The Prouza brothers could not have been better hosts. Munich- the Hotel Mark is a real find, book on the internet to save a ton of cash. Very clean, great breakfast, one block from train station and walkable to center of town.

Baden-Baden: I agree with the other posters on this site, Hotel Deutscher Kaiser was OK, our room was pretty clean but Frau Peter is not very friendly and is border line rude to guests. Any question we asked about the town or directions, etc. was answered with "It's all in the book. Read it." I asked if she would be around in the morning and she said "Maybe, maybe not. I might take the day off." Yikes, lady, take the crabby pants off.

One small note- we were looking for the John Lennon wall in Prague and the maps give conflicting info. One shows it above Charles Bridge, another shows it below. We were lost. Find the TI at the end of the Charles Bridge and take the street directly across, past the French Embassy, and you'll find it.
Mark <email>
Columbus, OH USA 07/11/03

Vipiteno, Italy
My mom and I just got back from 3 weeks in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. As Rick's book recommends we went into Italy to the town of Vipiteno. We arrived around 1 pm and found all the shops were closed until 3pm. We were disappointed and needed to move on, however we did have a nice lunch there.
Joyce Ellis <email>
McDonough, GA USA 07/08/03

Salzburg
Hotel Goldene Krone was great. Nice room, good bkfst, good location. I left my journal there only 1 week into the trip and he is sending it to me (COD!, of course). Definitely rent bikes and go along the river. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Don't miss Augustiner Braustubl (sp?). Those monks do it right!!
Layne Straka <email>
Utah USA 07/07/03

Hallstatt
Just did Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Prague. Hallstatt was great! Don't recommend Haus Sarstein, though, unless ALL you want is a room with a view. Dusty room, minimal breakfast, and no shower inc. A much better deal and not much more money — Gastof Simony. They accomodated us with a wonderful breakfast(we spent 1st night in a hostel b/c the town was full), and the employees were very gracious.
Layne Straka <email>
midway, ut USA 07/07/03

Vienna- Heurigen
Vienna — the best part of the city was the Heurigen section!! Went to Pfarrplatz area and found a wonderful cafe — Brummbarli. Gabriela Rieter (the proprietor's wife) made us feel very welcome, served great food in a lovely garden setting in back. 1190 Wien Armbrustergasse 9. (011 318 98 46). She was the nicest person we met in Vienna!!
Layne Straka <email>
midway, ut USA 07/07/03

hotel betlem — prague
Unless you want to spend the night listening to people have fun at the next door pub, avoid the Hotel Betlem in Prague. There is NO quiet time and our beds were hard as a rock, not totally covered with a sheet, and the level of cleanliness could have been improved. mary ann elllinger <email>
villa park, il USA 06/19/03

Gimmelwald
Just got back from a two week trip between Paris, Switzerland, and Germany. Paris, Munich and Rothenburg were all great, but we loved the Bernese Oberland so much that we scrapped the planned Rhine/Mosel/Luxembourg portion of the trip to go spend more time there. Stayed at Walter's in Gimmelwald for 3 nights, but only saw him twice. Seemed like Walter is a little less hands on with the day to day stuff, and Tim (a former software engineer, now semi permanent resident of the Mittaghorn) pretty much makes sure the place runs smoothly. Definitely had the best time staying there eating breakfast and sometimes dinner with the other guests than any other place we stayed on the trip. Actually I'm kind of missing Gimmelwald already.
Ken
New York City, NY USA 07/07/03

Romantic Road tourbus departure time
Concerning the Romantic Road tour bus from Frankfurt to Munich, please emphasize that there is only one bus that does this tour, and it departs from the side of the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof sharply at 8 a.m. We were three minutes late, and it was gone. We then had to travel by train from Frankfurt to Rothenburg which took two changes and some waiting. Two days later we caught the Romantic Road tourbus in Rothenburg and enjoyed a wonderful trip into Munich. This is a great tourbus deal with the Eurail pass, but the one-time only departure at 8 a.m. does present a problem that should be noted.
Alan Winchester <email>
Plano, Tx USA 07/04/03

Hallstatt
We spent two nights at Rick's recommended Braugasthof Hallstatt and found it a wonderful experience. We had a really comfy double room with private balcony overlooking the lake. And for less than the rate shown by Rick. Picked up cans of iced-coffee at the local market. Great for sipping while watching the sunrise over the mountain and lake, while relaxing on the balcony. The lady who runs the place was one of the friendliest/nicest people we encountered in Europe. And it is great fun to share your lake-front terrace dining with Tony, her wonderfully friendly big black dog.
Lloyd <email>
Sedalia, Mo USA 07/04/03

Salzburg-Fuessen-Prague-Munich
We rented a van and drove this loop with our 3 teenage boys. A great way to travel. Suzanne's B & B in Fuessen was an entirely "feel good" experience for us all. Ditto the Alstadt Wolf-Dietrich Hotel in Salzburg. However, I would never ever return to the Pension Siebel in Munich — it was awful!!
Rick <email>
Atlanta, GA USA 07/01/03

Wengen Switzerland; Vienna Austria
Stayed at the Hotel Edelweiss in Wengen Switzerland; very friendly staff and nice alpine style room. Also stayed at Pension Suzanne in Vienna Austria; very comfy and satisfactory. Would recommend both places.
W H <email>
San Jose, CA USA 07/01/03

Veggies in Lauterbrunnen
Vegetarians: Hotel Silberhorn, Lauterbrunnen has a wonderful chef which will make you veg. evening dinners that are yummy. The hotel is run by the Von Allen family and is a delight.
dee <email>
kapaa, HI USA 06/29/03

Celle, a finely preserved medieval town
We have used Rick's guidebooks every year for the past ten and we agree on about 90 per cent of what Rick writes about. Heidelberg, Mainz, Dinklesbuhl, Titisee and many more other destinations may not be worthwhile on a first trip to Germany, but subsequent trips make them enjoyable to visit. Celle, with a remarkably well preserved medieval pedestrian only center, is well worth a day or two if you are in the Hamburg/Hannover area. The area was spared being bombed as the desendants of King George (who jointly ruled England from London and Germany from Celle) live there. The town is in the Luneburger Heide (heather) area of Germany and there are a ton of activities and sights to see. There are biking/running trails everywhere as well as canoeing, freilichtmuseums and the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp all nearby.

A real find was Hof Averbeck in Hassel, centrally located to all the above mentioned places and a true gem for lodging. Ross Pennington (an Englishman) and his very helpful and warm wife, Frauke, have a wunderbar gasthof which has 11 immaculate rooms and facilities for children to play as well as a working farm with animals to feed. Antlers abound in various rooms and wildlife is plainly visible in the surrounding fields and woodlots. The 52 Euros nightly rate, sumptuous breakfast included, is very reasonable and the whole ambience is hard to describe. Their website is www.Hofaverbeck.de . It is currently in German but they are working on an English translation. The email is: hofaverbeck-pension@t-online.
jeff scott <email>
boulder creek , CA USA 06/26/03

Hargita Pension, Vienna Austria
Reporting about our four days at the Hargita Pension in Vienna, Austria.

1. They wanted payment in cash (Euros upfront) and before we slept a wink in the room.

2. For all intents and purposes there is no breakfast. There is cold cuts and coffee for three Euros and we were discouraged from signing up for it.

3. The towels are supposed to be changed only after three days; we stayed four and nothing was changed.

4. After the first night I mentioned two matters that needed attention - such as a light bulb over the one bed light fixture. Nothing was done in the four days we were there.

5. The hotel has a side street entrance, but many rooms front on an exceptionally busy, noisy street.

6. The room was clean, fairly new, close to mass transit and train terminal. The price was good. I personally would prefer to pay a few more Euros and get a clean towel, breakfast, and a light that works near the bed
John <email>
Stone Mountain, GA USA 06/22/03

Germany Austria
We returned in early June from our two-week driving trip to Munich, Rothenburg, Coburg, Regensburg, Vienna and Salzburg. We stayed at several Steves' recommended properties. The Kings First Class Hotel in Munich was really lovely and the staff were very kind. We did not fare so well in Vienna, however, at the Hotel Schweizerhof. The guidebook says this hotel is at least four stories above any street noise. That might be true if you did not experience the Friday/Saturday night crowd at the nightclub on the gro