You are here:  Home > Germany Travel Guide > FAQs

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How expensive to take a vacation in Germany with the current Euro conversion rate?


Based on the current exchange rate (September 2008), you pay around $1.43 for 1 Euro.


Overall, living in Germany is very affordable. To give you more specific information, here are some recent examples on what things cost:


  1. • A typical price for a dinner for 1 person in a family -type restaurant (including drinks) is about 10 - 15 Euros. Cost for a family of 4 (with two small children) for a dinner is about 30 to 40 Euros. This cost is  very comparable to the US.

  2. • Gas is expensive! We can’t deny that! A liter of gas costs around 1.4 Euros. If we convert liters to gallons and dollars that means a gallon of gas will cost you more than $5 !!! However, a gallon of gas in the US is currently $3.40 a gallon, so there is not too big of a difference. Just be prepared when you fill up your car and use your car efficiently!

  3. • Overall groceries are reasonably priced, very comparable to the US.

  4. • Getting fresh bread and rolls in the morning from our bakery for the whole family will cost about 5-10 Euros.


To sum up, in Germany, some things, like gas, are expensive. Other things are similar in price to costs in the US, and there, not that much difference (e.g., like dining out, buying groceries.) There are also still some bargains here in Germany. However, given the current 2008 Euro conversion rate, bargains are  somewhat rare, and you’ll have to spend some time to find them. When you do, they will be worth the effort.

 

Some web pages that link from this site are in German. How do I read them?


We try to link to English pages if possible. However, some sites do not offer English. We still link to them, however, because they provide very valuable information.  Here is is how you can still read them: 


  1. 1)Download the Yahoo! toolbar

  2. 2)Then you can select any text and translate that text. Use the function called ‘Babelfish’ that allows you to do that. Alternatively, go to the good old AltaVista Babelfish web site. You can also copy/paste text for translation or directly enter a URL for translation.

 

Why is staying in an apartment a better choice for your Germany vacation?


Imagine this: a completely furnished apartment, with all the amenities of a fully functional home, conveniently located in the area of your choice and priced at least 20-80% below the price of a hotel room (with far less convenience) for the same length of stay - this can be offered only in a vacation rental!


We  therefore believe that staying in a vacation apartment will offer you several unique advantages:


  1. 1)More Space: Instead of a small hotel room, a vacation rental allows the entire family to stay comfortably under the same roof and enjoy full privacy. A rental  accommodation is also very well suited for extended stays.

  2. 2)More Amenities: Vacation homes typically offer more amenities than hotels do. There are fully-equipped kitchens, a large dining and family room, a balcony, and sometimes a backyard.

  3. 3)More Privacy: Vacation homes offer freedom from the people and the noisy environment present in many hotels. Privacy is one of the biggest benefits of choosing a vacation rental.

  4. 4)Strong experience of daily German life: Vacation rentals offer a major difference from the typical resort or hotel. A resort is a contained environment. If you stay in a regular apartment, you can enjoy and become a part of  the daily life of a small German village. You’ll meet other tenants and neighbors close by, the local people when you walk through the streets or shop in the local  village.

 

Learn more about Germany on Yahoo! Answers:

Live Like a German

Featured Apartments

 

The Allgäu Apartment - Perfect for hiking and skiing in popular Oberstdorf village, close to the village center.

Read more...

German Hide-away on the Lahn River - Live like a German in the small village Waldgirmes, centrally located in the heart of Germany.

Read more...

Reiner:

It’s amazing to see how many people are interested in learning more about travel related topics on Germany in Yahoo! Answers. This is a good place to ask questions and get immediate feedback and answers, or look at resolved questions/answers that can be quite educational.


If you have a question that you think should be addressed here on that FAQ page please let me know and we’ll add if possible…

 

Check out our collection of common questions and answers to help you better plan your German vacation. If you have a question that is not listed here please drop us an email and we’re trying to answer it quickly.

Saarburg


[source: flickr.com]

Uniquely

beautiful Villages

What makes the Live Like a German web site special?


Unlike big vacation rental portal sites (e.g.,  homeaway.com, vacationvillas.net) that list thousands of vacation apartments we focus on a smaller, hand-selected set of vacation apartments in Germany. Less is sometimes more! Why?


This is similar to when you search on Google, and it returns you a list of 14,237,234 results that are matching your query. In this case there are just too many hits. Which one is the best? Do you have the time to scan through all the results to find a good match?


The Live Like a German web site provides rich and detailed information about every vacation apartment that we list. We work closely with the property owner to make sure every little detail is known, verified, and published on our web site. In addition, we are very picky accepting and listing vacation apartments. We carefully select only high quality vacation apartments, when they meet our strict quality standards. They have to be clean, nice, comfortable, affordable, and should make your feel at home during your Germany vacation. Fewer apartments with more details around them makes it easier for you to find a good one that matches your personal preferences.


Furthermore, we provide a wealth of Germany related travel information and and destination guides for each destination that we list, and help you with your Germany vacation planning with insider tips and guidance. This combination is unique, and makes Live Like a German a special place to visit when exploring Germany and preparing for your Germany vacation!