To B&B or Not to B&B
Bed and Breakfasts aren't just great big Victorian British cottages run by kindly but nosy little old widows anymore.
These days, it seems everyone's hanging out a "Bed and Breakfast" shingle. In Ireland in particular they can get to be so thick on the ground whole communities seem to be composed of nothing but B&Bs.
Introduction
What to expect
Resources/links
The B&B concept—a handful of rooms run as an inn by a family in their own home—has spread throughout Europe, North America, and—increasingly—the rest of the world.
In Italy, the category is even called "bed-and-breakfast" (or, rather, a "bet-hand-brrrek-feest"); in France it's a chambres d'hôtes (shaamb-doat); in many other countries it's "guest house."
What a B&B is like
A bed and breakfast or guesthouse essentially works something like a small hotel, one which provides breakfast and is located in the owner's home (or at least an a converted apartment in their building).
The size is usually limited, by varying regional laws, to no more than 3–12 rooms (typically more on the order of 3–7 rooms).
In practice, this means a cozy, welcoming, friendly place and plenty of interaction with your hosts. Oh, and B&Bs are usually anywhere from 5% to 40% cheaper than hotels.
Expect to pay anywhere from about $40 $200 for a double room at a typical B&B (perhaps up to $250 for historic properties in popular destinations).
There's no guarantee you'll get that prototypical kindly older couple and mansion of huge rooms loaded with chintz and doilies, charmingly creaky wooden floors, and a sumptuous breakfast spread at a communal table that will leave you needing to crawl back into your canopy bed for a nap before you head out for the day.
These days as many B&Bs are installed in modern city apartments or isolated farmhouses as in grand old homes in town, and many no longer even feature the resident-owner. Usually, however, a friendly, family, home-like atmosphere prevails.
There are sometimes drawbacks to the B&B, however. With a hotel, you are guaranteed a certain degree of anonymity: you just ask for your key at the desk and then are left alone. This is often the opposite of a B&B, where chitchat is considered part of le charme—but sometimes, you just don't want to make small-talk with the owners and other guests. On the other hand, a B&B can be a great opportunity to meet some local folks and really get an inside scoop on the culture.
Also, at a B&B there's often a curfew, either stated or implied—after all, you wouldn't want to wake that kindly older couple up at 2am when you stagger back to your room, now would you?
They sometimes require breakfast or half or full board, private baths are rare (but getting less so), but the service is almost usually friendly and personable.
Incidentally, never take board (meal) requirements unless you cannot avoid them, as is often the case in resorty places like spas and beaches (especially in season). Eating in a local restaurant is usually a better bet and offers more variety night-to-night.
For a certain kind of trip, I enjoy B&Bs immensely (for a taste, read my award-winning essay on the subject, Bed, Breakfast, & Beyond in Ireland).
Finding the perfect B&B
As usual, the best resource is usually the local tourist office, which almost always keeps a complete list of all bed and breakfast outfits in town and, in the best cases, includes that list on its Web site...with links. That said, here are resources to help you find B&Bs across Europe and in specific countries.
Note that there's a thin line (often just which set of local standards, requirements, and legal complications the owner wants to deal with) between a B&B and rental rooms.
Airbnb.com (www.airbnb.com)
This monstrously successful network of both official and unofficial B&Bs, homestays, and apartment and house rentals lists hundreds of thousands of places to stay in nearly 20,000 cities in 192 countries around the globe. Wow. The idea of someone inflating the old air mattress for you is just a metaphor. Usually, you stay in a guest bedroom, futon, or fold-out couch. It's kind of like couchsurfing, only you pay anywhere from $25 to $250 per night (usually a great deal).
BedandBreakfast.com
(www.bedandbreakfast.com
)
Massive site and booking engine with more than 475,000 B&Bs listed and described all around the world—including more than 50,000 photos and video and 100,000 customer reviews. I wouldn't have partnered with it if it wasn't among the best, most complete, and most thorough sites devoted to B&Bs.
InnSite (www.innsite.com)
Another one of the biggest and bestest worldwide B&B Web sites. Particularly strong in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia (though also offerings in South America, Central America, and a smattering in Asia and Africa). It's a sort of virtual catalog, not a booking engine, which means anyone with a B&B can post their own entry—which means you get a lot more choice than with most of the booking services.
![Partner](https://www.reidsguides.com/images/partners/partner.jpg)
Venere.com (www.venere.com)
Generalist lodging booking site based in Europe with a huge representation of B&Bs (in addition to hotels, agriturism, and other options).
![Partner](https://www.reidsguides.com/images/partners/partner.jpg)
Booking.com (www.booking.com)
Another general booking site, and one of the few that includes B&BS (under the category "Guest Accommodations").
Pamela Lanier's Bed & Breakfasts (www.lanierbb.com)
A premiere worldwide guide to guesthouses, inns, and B&Bs with great coverage on every continent—in Europe, this includes some 220 in Italy, 54 in France, 39 in England, etc.
Karen Brown (www.karenbrown.com)
The descriptions of hundreds of inns and B&Bs throughout Western Europe that fill the Karen Brown "guidebooks" (Technically, they are no longer guidebooks—certainly not in the online editions—since they do not maintain editorial integrity, but rather include on the site only those properties that pay for inclusion. In my book, that's called an "ad," not a guide.) Still, even if she's sold out, the properties themselves are pretty fantastic (though as many are hotels as B&Bs).
Bed and Breakfast Inns Online (www.bbonline.com)
More than 5,200 B&Bs, mostly in the U.S. and the rest of North America, including some in the Caribbean.
BBOnline (www.1bbweb.com)
Properties scattered throughout the entire world. The clickable map can be a bit buggy, so perhaps stick to using the drop-down menus to search.
Europe Traditionae Consortium (www.europetraditions.com)
Collection of B&B organizations and chains in the UK, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Slovenia.
Educatorstravel.com (www.educatorstravel.com)
B&B network for teachers by teachers. This is a way for y'all to earn a bit of extra cash and stay really cheap while on the road (and with fellow educators, no less). The cost? $40 per night for two people at more than 6,000 member homes in 50 countries (plus an annual membership cost of $36, which also covers your spouse). The reason? Even though you guys should get paid way more than, say, lawyers, for some reason in our society you make virtually no money at all (I know: my father, my mother-in-law, and my cousin Jill are all teachers—well, Dad's now retired, and he taught at a university, but still).
B&Bs networks — Country specific
B&Bs in Austria
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.austria.info.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, www.privatzimmer.at (German only).
B&Bs in Belgium
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.visitbelgium.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, www.erfgoedlogies.nl, www.taxistop.be/4/4benb.htm; Local: www.bnb-brussels.be, www.brugge.be, www.bedandbreakfast-gent.be, www.bedandbreakfast-antwerp.com.
B&Bs in Denmark
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.visitdenmark.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, www.bbdk.dk, www.visitcopenhagen.com, www.meetthedanes.dk
B&Bs in France
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- Gîtes de France (www.gites-de-france.fr) - More than 8,500 hosted B&B options in addition to cottages and such (mostly in the countryside, not the cities).
- Bed & Breakfast Paris (www.parisbandb.com) - Over 100 B&Bs in the City of Light.
- Bed & Breakfast (www.bedbreak.com) - Hundreds of B&Bs in France.
- The national tourist office: www.franceguide.com
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, www.gites-de-france.com, www.bedbreak.com, fleursdesoleil.fr, www.parisbandb.com
B&Bs in Germany
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- Bed and Breakfast (www.bed-and-breakfast.de) - Links not to specific German B&Bs, but rather to a network of agencies in dozens of major German destinations that will book bed and breakfasts for you in their own regions.
- The national tourist office: www.germany-tourism.de.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, www.bed-and-breakfast.de
B&Bs in Greece
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.greektourism.com
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
B&Bs in Iceland
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.icelandtouristboard.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
B&Bs in Ireland
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- B&B Ireland (www.bandbireland.com) - Formerly known as "Town & Country," this is one of the largest and most reputable B&B networks covers both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
- Irish Farmhouse Holidays (www.irishfarmholidays.com) - This one limits itself to B&Bs on working farms—a lovely way to get to see the real Ireland, and usually a key to the best homemade breakfasts.
- Hidden Ireland Guide (www.hiddenireland.com) - Hotels and B&Bs that have some peculiar character to them or are of historic or architectural interest.
- Premier Guesthouses (www.premierguesthouses.com) - Just what it sounds like; stylish, with loads of personality, often pricey.
- Northern Ireland Farm and Country Holidays Association (www.nischa.com) - Just exactly what it says.
- The national tourist office: www.ireland.ie.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
B&Bs in Italy
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- Bed-and-Breakfast.it (www.bed-and-breakfast.it) - Probably the biggest and best of the huge, national services, with more than 10,000 B&Bs across Italy.
- Bed & Breakfast Italia (www.bbitalia.it) - Another major nationwide service, with more than 1,000 members and three quality categories where prices range from €44 to €116 ($52 to $137).
- Bed and Breakfast Association of Rome (www.b-b.rm.it) - Great service with more than 100 rooms for let in my old hometown; downside: prices can be pretty steep (nearly as high as hotels).
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
B&Bs in the Netherlands
- Erfgoed Logies (www.erfgoedlogies.nl) - Some 134 luxurious B&Bs (and 82 holiday cottages) across Holland—plus another 43 B&Bs (and 13 cottages) in Belgium and 9 B&Bs (16 cottages) in Germany.
- The national tourist office: www.holland.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, bedandbreakfast.bbnl.nl.
B&Bs in Norway
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.visitnorway.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, www.bbnorway.com.
B&Bs in Portugal
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- Manor Houses (www.manorhouses.com) - Seriously gorgeous B&Bs, most in dramatic haciendas, mansions, or country homes.
- Portugal: Solares de Portugal (www.solaresdeportugal.pt) - Click on "Casas Antigas" for some 45 manor homes and stately houses (largely from the 17th and 18th centuries); "Quintas e Herdades" for three dozen (generally elegant) farms; or "Casas Rústicas" for another dozen rural homes.
- The national tourist office: www.visitportugal.pt.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
B&Bs in Slovenia
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- Hise s Tradicijo (www.hisestradicijo.com) - "Houses of Tradition" is a consortium of 20 traditional houses spread over Slovenia and that is dedicated to preserving Slovenian traditions, lifeways, and ethnology. Some are set up as museums, but nearly all also offer B&B accommodations or rental cottages.
- The national tourist office: www.slovenia.info.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
B&Bs in Spain
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.spain.info.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, raar.es.
B&Bs in Sweden
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- The national tourist office: www.visit-sweden.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
, www.bedbreakfast.se, www.stockholmguesthouse.com, www.stockholmuptown.com, www.bbob.se, www.bed-and-breakfast.se.
B&Bs in Switzerland
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- Bed & Breakfast Switzerland (www.bnb.ch) - More than 500 B&bs all across Switzerland.
- The national tourist office:www.myswitzerland.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
B&Bs in The U.K.
In addition to the generalists above, try:
- VisitUs (www.visitus.co.uk) - A mind-boggling array of B&Bs in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
- The Bed & Breakfast Website (www.beduk.co.uk) - Some 300 historic and generally funky properties across England, Scotland, and Wales.
- Wolsey Lodges (www.wolseylodges.com) - A collection of 187 premier B&Bs installed in manor houses, Georgian mansions, Victorian country rectories, and the like across England and the UK (with a smattering in France, Italy, and Spain). Even at this level of luxury, prices still range around £70 in the countryside and no more than £100 in London.
- The national tourist office: www.visitbritain.com.
- Other resources: www.venere.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com
.
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This article was by Reid Bramblett and last updated in April 2011.
All information was accurate at the time.
Copyright © 1998–2013 by Reid Bramblett. Author: Reid Bramblett.