View Full Version : K-town lodging??
NAC Orlando
14 Jan 2006, 06:27 PM
That Hotel Zum... kind of sketches my friend and I out... no offense. We are thinking about stying in Mannheim as it is the largets city in the Rhein besides Stuttgart. We looked on bahn.de and there is a scheduled train (1 hr or so) to Mannheim at 11:30 pm. Seems ok, but we are also thinking about renting a room/condo from one of the online postings if possible.
Anyone think this is a bad or good idea? We really have no frickin' idea.
dfoote
14 Jan 2006, 06:37 PM
I have been unable to find any information on Hotel Zum. If it looks skanky in the afternoon, I'll just make sure and get good and loaded after the match.
eissman
14 Jan 2006, 06:59 PM
Where is the Kaiserslautern HBF (train station) from here on this map? I know the where-abouts of the stadium...
http://renderv305.bay.prod.mappoint.net/render-30/getmap.aspx?key=F81F650C6D51F8C1EC62
(EDIT: sorry... ignore this... I thought the link would give you the "zoom" option... it did not)
eissman
14 Jan 2006, 07:02 PM
That Hotel Zum... kind of sketches my friend and I out...
LOL! The movie "Hostel" got you thinking otherwise, eh? ;)
joehill
14 Jan 2006, 07:46 PM
That Hotel Zum... kind of sketches my friend and I out... no offense.
why? just cause they don't have a website or did you hear something about it?
i doubt the official kaiserslautern site would direct people to a totally sketchy place. and it's not like the rate is an hourly one.
dfb547490
14 Jan 2006, 08:29 PM
and it's not like the rate is an hourly one.
BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I was planning to take an overnight train from Kaiserslautern to Munich after the game but this place is cheap enough that it's probably worth it to get a room and not have to worry about lugging all my sh/t around all day. Anyone else traveling solo and want to split a room to cut down on costs?? I'll probably give it until about midnight to book the place so PM me by then and let me know
garvex
14 Jan 2006, 08:55 PM
Just booked my brother and I for 16-18th at the Hotel Zum. Hope the booking is refundable if we don't get tickets.
dfb547490
15 Jan 2006, 12:18 AM
OK, I'm booked at the Zum for the night of the 17th. I figure having the peace of mind of knowing I'll have someplace to leave my bags is worth $36.
We're considering staying in a town like Mannheim instead for the match. Do those who have been there have any views on this? Also, we have one person in our party who is flying out from Frankfurt within a day or so after the match. I understand you can take a Lufthansa bus from Mannheim directly to Flughafen Frankfurt. Is that right? Are there other cities nearby that would be better for the night of the match? Thanks in advance!
Shibb
16 Jan 2006, 09:10 AM
We're considering staying in a town like Mannheim instead for the match. Do those who have been there have any views on this? Also, we have one person in our party who is flying out from Frankfurt within a day or so after the match. I understand you can take a Lufthansa bus from Mannheim directly to Flughafen Frankfurt. Is that right? Are there other cities nearby that would be better for the night of the match? Thanks in advance!
I've been through Mannheim once but don't know much about the city. A younger English coworker used to have good things to say about the nightlife there, for what that's worth. I infer from your message that one of your travel companions must return directly to Frankfurt after the Italy match... they should be able to hop on the ICE and get a fast, cozy trip straight up to Frankfurt Airport. I recall my train trips generally stopped to pick up passengers in Mannheim.
I've been through Mannheim once but don't know much about the city. A younger English coworker used to have good things to say about the nightlife there, for what that's worth. I infer from your message that one of your travel companions must return directly to Frankfurt after the Italy match... they should be able to hop on the ICE and get a fast, cozy trip straight up to Frankfurt Airport. I recall my train trips generally stopped to pick up passengers in Mannheim.
Thanks! Does the ICE go directly to Frankfurt Airport from Kaiserslautern? I'm a little worried my brother won't be able to manage connections.
Any sense of other outlying towns that would be worth staying in instead of Kaiserslautern? Worms looks to be too difficult a connection to make. Saarbrucken is in the wrong direction for our purposes.
Thanks! Does the ICE go directly to Frankfurt Airport from Kaiserslautern? I'm a little worried my brother won't be able to manage connections.
To answer my own question: it appears that by train from Kaiserslautern to Frankfurt Airport requires a change at Mannheim to catch the ICE. The ICE is a 30 min. ride to Frankfurt Airport from Mannheim.
Magpie Maniac
16 Jan 2006, 03:06 PM
Whoohoo! We're all set to go!
I about had a cow at the good fortune of scoring a pair of Cat IV tickets to both the Czech Rep and Italy matches. Then it hit me: I have to get flights and rooms.
My brother is going with me, but he doesn't live in the same city as I do. We're both meeting in Charlotte for a flight to Frankfurt. It's difficult to coordinate flights for two people who aren't originating from the same city, but AAA helped me do it. As for accommodations, the agent didn't have much to go on. She showed most everything reasonable booked up in most of the larger cities. I wanted something clean, but I didn't want to fork over $250 per night for a room that we won't be in much.
Fortunately, I ran across a nice place in Lampertheim (http://www.lampertheim.de/). It's a small town a few minutes north of Mannheim and just about 40 miles from the Frankfurt airport. It'll be a short trip to Kaiserslautern, but the Gelsenkirchen trip will take a little over 3 hours. We're going to make that our base and stay there each night. Of course, we'll be getting in late.
So who else is staying in the general area of Lampertheim, Mannheim, Worms, etc.?
ChelseaMatt
16 Jan 2006, 07:46 PM
Booked officially... just tried yesterday. I have emailed at least 10 different places in the city itself and it has been hard-pressed to get replies in a timely fashion. That being said, I did the same in Munich and found replies to be quicker but not from every hotel. I have only K-town and Frankfurt left to book. Frankfurt is dreadfully expensive!
So far the following are booked on www.kaiserslautern.de:
-Pension Blum
-Altstadt Hotel
-Hotel Heymann
Have not heard from:
>STADT HOTEL
>PFALZER HOF
>HOTEL ZEPP
>HOTEL ZULLAMT
>HOTEL LAUTERTALER HOF
Any and all assistance is most highly recommended.
I have. They're all booked-- we're staying in Heidelberg at the Ibis by the train station
StormTrooper
16 Jan 2006, 09:11 PM
We're staying in Heidelberg that night. If you haven't been, Heidelberg is what you typically think of when you think Germany -- old city, castle, river, old university, plenty of stube. Great town. I'd recommend it over Mannheim (although Mannheim is likely to give wider train connection options).
roadkit
16 Jan 2006, 09:52 PM
Whoohoo! We're all set to go!
I about had a cow at the good fortune of scoring a pair of Cat IV tickets to both the Czech Rep and Italy matches. Then it hit me: I have to get flights and rooms.
My brother is going with me, but he doesn't live in the same city as I do. We're both meeting in Charlotte for a flight to Frankfurt. It's difficult to coordinate flights for two people who aren't originating from the same city, but AAA helped me do it. As for accommodations, the agent didn't have much to go on. She showed most everything reasonable booked up in most of the larger cities. I wanted something clean, but I didn't want to fork over $250 per night for a room that we won't be in much.
Fortunately, I ran across a nice place in Lampertheim (http://www.lampertheim.de/). It's a small town a few minutes north of Mannheim and just about 40 miles from the Frankfurt airport. It'll be a short trip to Kaiserslautern, but the Gelsenkirchen trip will take a little over 3 hours. We're going to make that our base and stay there each night. Of course, we'll be getting in late.
So who else is staying in the general area of Lampertheim, Mannheim, Worms, etc.?
I have rooms at the Hilton in Mainz (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=Y0JXGM3A43BBGCSGBIV222QKIYFC5UUC?ctyhocn=QMZHITW)- <$200 per night. Fairly centrally located for the CZ and IT games and within about 15 miles of the Frankfurt airport. As of this posting they still had rooms available. Using my dates (check in 11th, check out 18th of June) the rates varied from 136 - 171 EURO for a full prepayment rate, and 189 - 224 EURO for the standard refundable rate.
I spoke with a friend who has been there on business and he says it's a great little town. The hotel is situated right on the Rhein river.
Shibb
16 Jan 2006, 10:13 PM
I have rooms at the Hilton in Mainz (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=Y0JXGM3A43BBGCSGBIV222QKIYFC5UUC?ctyhocn=QMZHITW)- <$200 per night. Fairly centrally located for the CZ and IT games and within about 15 miles of the Frankfurt airport. As of this posting they still had rooms available. Using my dates (check in 11th, check out 18th of June) the rates varied from 136 - 171 EURO for a full prepayment rate, and 189 - 224 EURO for the standard refundable rate.
I spoke with a friend who has been there on business and he says it's a great little town. The hotel is situated right on the Rhein river.
Mainz is definitely a cool little town. Small enough to walk around the whole thing, big enough to get lost in (but just). It fronts on the Rhein river, is an easy train ride to Frankfurt or Wiesbaden (another nice little town), and has lots of impressive looking buildings, including one cathedral with stained glass windows by Chagall, iirc. It's also the home of the Gutenbergmuseum, dates back to Roman times, and has a decent microbrewery near the Mainz-Sud station (again, going by memory... it's definitely in the southeast corner of the old town area).
Here's a link that could help:
http://www.germany-tourism.de/e/metropole_mainz.html
msaut9784
16 Jan 2006, 10:17 PM
I'll be staying in Mannheim, so anyone else who is for this game, let me know. I thought it would be a good place to stay due to it being a major hub for train travel. I'll be coming in to Mannheim from Paris, and then heading out to Munich after the US game.
MinnesotaScouser
16 Jan 2006, 11:23 PM
If everything in K-town is really booked, then it will be Mannheim for the Minnesota Brigade. I suspect they will have extra trains running after the match.
Magpie Maniac
17 Jan 2006, 12:24 AM
I'll be staying in Mannheim, so anyone else who is for this game, let me know. I thought it would be a good place to stay due to it being a major hub for train travel. I'll be coming in to Mannheim from Paris, and then heading out to Munich after the US game.
I found a great hotel (http://www.ramada-treff.de/hotels/hotels_index_eng.php?hotel_code=15724) for 75 Euros a night just 5 miles north of Mannheim. That entire area of Mannheim, Worms, Schonau, Lampertheim along the Rhein seems to be a nice little area. Reasonable distance back to the Frankfurt airport and Kaiserslautern is just a short drive to the west.
I found a decent deal for a rental car through National. I want to see some things I can't see from the train.
BTW, thanks for the info, roadkit. We'll visit Mainz sometime between the Czech Rep and Italy matches.