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Next to the usual hotel aggregators like booking.com, expedia, etc I am using Google Maps to search for accommodation. It really works well if you search for accommodation in the local language. For French I am using the following key words: Gites, chambre/maison/table d'hôte, gite rural,
and I always find some nice places especially in bucolic regions in France.

So far I have only have identified Ferienhaus in German, having less options being returned by Google Maps. What are the synonyms in German known for the different types of accommodation available in rural areas?

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2 Answers2

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  • Unterkunft - the most general word that includes everything else (just like accomodation)
  • Hotel
  • Gasthof, Gasthaus - translates best as "inn", may or may not offer rooms as well as food
  • Pension - similar to bed&breakfast, the most common in rurual areas
  • Berghütte, Hütte - shelter for hikers and mountaineers in alpine areas, generally offers only shared rooms
  • Ferienwohnung, Ferienappartment - apartment for short-term rental, will have bathroom and cooking facilities. May be part of a larger complex or the owner's house.
  • Ferienhaus, Ferienbungalow - same, but implies a separate building
  • Jugendherberge - Youth hostel
Michael Borgwardt
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One type of German accommodation for informal, budget, bucolic accommodation is a Naturfreundehaus, which literally means "friends of nature-house". Those are youth-hostel style places in often quite stunning settings in the German speaking countries.

Naturfreunde-Hais Kolm Saigurn. Naturfreunde-Haus Kolm Saigurn, Austria. Photo ⓒ unknown.

There exist similar accommodation in a handful of other countries, but those sections have nowhere near the density of the German speaking countries.

An international search-engine in German and English is available at www.naturfreunde-hauser.net.

gerrit
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