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Youth hostels offer clean, safe and most highly affordable lodging with no limitation on age. Most hostels offer food service and lockers. In larger cities, they are better staffed than in smaller areas, and one can return at any time of night. In smaller towns, hostels tend to have an earlier evening deadline, after which the doors are locked, and no one is permitted to enter.

Local, family-owned hotels are less expensive than chain hotels. In general, tipping hotel staff is not necessary. In regions with a large tourist trade, many families offer rooms in their house for very affordable prices that include breakfast. Such vacancies are recognizable by the “ZIMMER FREI” signs.

Temporary, furnished apartments are advertised in the newspaper or on notice boards on university campuses; an ad would include the word “zwischenmiete” which is similar to a "sublet." One can also find “WG - Wohngemeinschaft,” which are single, vacant rooms for rent in apartments shared by several people, usually students.