How to Travel Germany on a Budget
Are you planning a trip to Germany? No wonder. The country has a lot to offer, from castles and storybook villages to vibrant metropolises, like Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. Here’s the good news: In general, Germany is not a particularly pricey tourist destination in western Europe, especially when compared to countries like France or Italy. However, you can still find plenty of ways to save and avoid tourist traps and bad deals along the way. To help you plan a fun, budget-conscious trip, we’ve listed our best budget tips for visiting Germany.
A First Build an Itinerary
Before you add every city in Germany to your “to-do” list, take a deep breath and come up with a plan that’s as fun as it is reasonable.
• SLOW DOWN FOR SAVINGS (AND SANITY)
To get more out of your vacation, especially if you’re not in the country for very long, it’s best to choose a region to focus on and come back some other time to see the rest. For example, nearly every tourist visiting Germany says they want to visit “that castle,” meaning Neuschwanstein, made famous by Walt Disney. But if you’re planning to spend your vacation in Berlin, Neuschwanstein is nearly seven hours away (and speaking of Neuschwanstein, Germany has at least 20,000 castles to choose from, and most are not nearly as crowded or expensive as the famous Neuschwanstein!)
• THINK “DAY TRIPS”
Rather than driving to a new destination every day, consider spending two or three nights in each spot and taking day trips. For example, if you’re in Munich, you can easily drive into the Alps, hop up to Nuremberg or cross over into Austria for a visit to Mozart’s hometown, Salzburg.
• GO EAST
Sure, Munich is beautiful and Heidelberg is quaint, but both these cities are also on the pricey side. In many cases, you’ll find better deals in former East Germany rather than the former West.
For example, Erfurt is every bit as quaint as Heidelberg, and the historic Jena and Weimar are both nearby. Berlin is less expensive than Munich, but so is Leipzig, a city with a vibrant arts scene which easily rivals Berlin’s, but provides a more laid back atmosphere than you’ll get in Germany’s capital city.
• CHECK OUT THE NORDSEE AND THE OSTSEE
In the summer, many Germans head off to the Nordsee (North Sea) coast to spend their holidays. Berlin and Munich are always swarming with tourists from around the world, but most of them never make it up to the coast. If you want to see how Germans like to spend their summer vacation, as well as go off the beaten path, head up to the coast and islands, like Rugen. Although you can still find good deals in the high season, be sure to book far in advance because places fill up fast. And be sure to pack a rain jacket and a sweater or two, even if you’re there in August. The weather on the German coast is famously unpredictable.
Budget for Public Transport in Germany
Frankfurt and Berlin are also typically less expensive to fly into from the US than other German cities. Although Germany has an excellent high-speed train network, the tickets aren’t always the most affordable, so if you do want to take the quickest way to your destination, make sure you book your ticket a few weeks in advance. If time isn’t an issue for your itinerary, you will often find that regional trains or busses will be much more affordable. In cities like Munich, you can purchase daily or weekly city card for public transportation which end up to be cheaper than paying for a bunch of individual bus and metro fares.
Accomodation in Germany on a Budget
Finding a bed is rarely a problem in Germany and the range of accommodation from half-timbered hostel to high-rise designer hotel, pension to palace means there’s something to suit all budgets and tastes.
In order not to pay very high prices you should apply some rules: during the high season and major festivals, prices are higher and you may have a hard time finding a room.
A trend in recent years is an independent hostel sector. Though targeted at the backpacker market, these convivial hostels are open to all comers and often offer cheerful modern doubles for less than you’d pay for a tired, cheap hotel. Even the latter are generally clean, even if their decor saps the spirit.
For the hotels the accommodation is not quite the bargain of a decade or so ago, Germany remains good value compared with the United Kingdom at least. Notwithstanding that prices vary hugely, you can expect to pay around €80–120 for a double in an average mid-range hotel. Many city hotels, especially those that target the executive market, offer cheaper weekend rates. Hostels charge about half that price for a double room, and under €30 for a dormitory. The other source of a cheap bed is rooms in private houses or farms those in more remote regions such as the Black Forest and Bavarian Alps abound in country character and provide bargains to boot.
Budget for Drink and Food
Berlin is by far one of the cheapest destinations for food and drink in Germany. For those who are trying to save as much money as possible, meals from the street vendors can offer the best budget meal for under 5 EUR.
Generally traditional German specialties like Bratwurst, Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) or Currywurst, a hot pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with curry sauce, are delicious ways to experience local culture and only cost around 3-5 EUR.
Another meal option you might not expect is the wide range of ethnic food that Germany has to offer. It actually tends to be cheaper than traditional German food, so treat yourself to falafel, kebabs or a Lahmacun (Turkish pizza).
After a night out, you’ll often find that local “late night” food is a Turkish döner kebab. They’ll only set you back a few euro and are delicious!
Beer is obviously very popular in Germany, but it will typically be more expensive if you are drinking in a bar or beer cellar. Grab some bottles to store at your hostel or find smaller local brewers to save a few euros here and there.
Have Fun in Germany on a Budget
Despite being in Western Europe, Germany is a relatively cheap country to explore and even its capital Berlin is one of the most inexpensive metropolitan cities in Europe. And unlike stereotypes on the internet, Germany is much more than just beer, sausages, seriousness, castles, and wild techno parties. Germany is a country with a vibrant international art and music scene, beautiful nature, stunning cathedrals, picturesque small towns and overlooked historic cities. This article will give you some great tips about budget travel in Germany that will make your euro go even further without taking out the fun.
Here some ideas:
Plan your trip to fall during a local wine festival or the traditional Christmas markets.
Check out which museums in a city interest you, and check to see if they have a certain day of the week or time period where they offer free admission.
Renting a bike can typically cost around 15 EUR a day but allows you to see more of the city or outdoors area than you could walking!
If you are going to be exploring the outdoor region, like the Black Forest or Berchtesgaden National Park, consider hiking by yourself instead of as a guided group.
Spend an afternoon having a picnic in one of Germany’s beautiful parks, like the Englischer Garten in Munich.
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