We are going to visit Germany and Switzerland in May. We are a family of four. Two minors will be under 4-yr when traveling. I don't have much experience in Europe. Only been in Italy for once. I heard that many bed & breakfast information will be available in the transtations. But I cannot take any risk since the minors cannot stay on streets. Is there a good source to find these lodging on the internet? TIA.

We are going to visit Germany and Switzerland in May. We are a family of four. Two minors will be under 4-yr when traveling. I don't have much experience in Europe. Only been in Italy for once. I heard that many bed & breakfast information will be available in the transtations. But I cannot take any risk since the minors cannot stay on streets. Is there a good source to find these lodging on the internet? TIA.

It depends what your price range is. Yes, there are accomodation bureaux in railway stations; but with a young family, do you want to leave that to the last minute each night?

One site with a range of accomodation is Smoothhound http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/germany/index.html.

Alternatively there is a range of good quality hotels from Accor - http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/index.html. Check the Etap and Ibis brands.

You can also check the tourism websites for the towns you will visit

Lauterbrunnen CH = amazing location imho and dirt cheap (to me)

http://www.lauterbrunnen-tourismus.ch/seite332.htm
Hotels
Apartments
Hostels
B&Bs

Yes, there are accomodation bureaux in railway stations; but with a young family, do you want to leave that to the last minute each night?


I am surely not going to take the risk, so I plan to plan ahead. That's the reason I am bagging information on this board.

Thanks for the information.

for the 2006 soccer worldcup, we looked for & booked well in advance a hostel in Munich. Yes, they did take our family of 2 adults & 2 youths. No breakfast, though, and the limited the number of nights to 3, if I remember correctly.
Believe, we found them by checking on google.de

As you mentioned 'train station', assume you do some train travel, go to the www.bahn.de website, in addition to info on trains, they have info on hotels.

good luck!
rheinlaender

Do Etap hotels offer Internet access or wakeup calls?

Take a look at Hostelworld (http://www.hostelworld.com), it's not just Hostels these days but B&B/Budget Hotels as well.

Do Etap hotels offer Internet access or wakeup calls?
Internet access: In general not, although some do offer Internet access, so don't expect it!
Wakeup calls: No!

Nevertheless, I would also recommend opting for the Etap hotels. These are standardised hotels (Accor chain), so it's unlikely that you will have to face any unlucky surprises. They are good value for money.
In my opinion, the Etaps are comparable with the Travelodges, normally with a smaller number of rooms though.

The usual Etap room is designed to accommodate three people: Two will sleep in a double bed, the third one in a bunk. So I guess, depending on your kids, it could even be possible to stay in one room. In towns with an Etap, you have the possibility to stay in a good room for a reasonable price in a decent location. Take for example Zurich, where the hotel prices are very high normally: The Etap is good priced and close to public transport and 3 people in the Etap is cheaper than 3 people in a dorm the youth hostel!

The Accorgroup also owns the Ibis and the Formula1. The latter is inferior to the Etap due to the lack of privat facilities (with TV, 3 people/room). The Ibis is superior to the Etap (only 2 people/room in general, but things like phone and often Internet) and is spread more widely.

To sum up: If you don't wanna spend to much time to search for a decent hotel in every town: Go to accorhotels.com and search for a hotel at your destination, if available take the Etap, if not go for an Ibis.
(Of course, you could probably always find a better hotel at any location than the Etap/Ibis if you spend time searching, but according to my experience, staying in a Accor will never be a big mistake)

You might want to consider the Pension Panorama in Luzern (www.pensionpanorama.com). The host is very accommodating and the prices are quite reasonable.

Many towns in Germany and Switzerland have their own web sites with tourist information, often including more extensive lodging lists than can be found on commercial booking sites. Try www.<town or region name here>.de for Germany or .ch for switzerland.

Another site that seems pretty good for Germany: http://www.tiscover.de

Also: http://bensbauernhof.com/

When we took our 2 kids to Europe a couple years ago, we found that the Novotel was the best choice from the Accor line. For pretty reasonable prices, they have actual beds for 4people, 4 good breakfasts in a real restaurant were included, and there's always a kids' game room. There was even a pool in our Paris hotel. Although I was a little worried that we would miss out on a truly French experience, I learned that we were staying where French people (and other Europeans) stayed. The charming little Parisian hotels were filled with Americans, of course!