Bacharach or Frankfurt...where should I go?

I think you may get extremely bored staying in Bacharach in Feb. and March for 4 days. If you stay in Frankfurt, there is always lots to see and do and you can travel to all the little towns surrounding the city very easily with the S-bahn or Regional trains. In the evenings, you also have the options of a wide variety of activitys, from theater, to concerts, to museum evenings and 100's of restaurants. I would look for a smaller hotel or B&B in one of the charming neighborhoods in Frankfurt, like Westend, Bornheim or Sachsenhausen. This way you get a great feeling for daily life in Germany, experiencing the open Farmers Markets, the bakeries, lots of individually owned stores and cafes, and beautiful parks.

I love Bacharach, but it is a very small place. Even for me -a guy who loves to linger- 4 days in Bacharach would be too much unless I was really there doing something. Frankfurt, on the other hand, is a modern city with much to offer. I think it tends to be under-rated. Additionally there are many short day-trips that are possible from Frankfurt. Rüdesheim is very accessible by train and sits right on the Rhein river and is backed up by scenic hills covered with vineyards. You can easily make it a day trip from Frankfurt, and that is but one example. Have a great trip. I love traveling in Germany!

Nothing really closes in Bacharach, but there's another problem for that time of year- flooding. The main road along the west bank of the Rhine has flooded at least twice so far this winter, and even rail service has seen some disruptions. You can still reach the towns from the roads that descend from heights above the river gorge, but if there's flooding, traveling between the towns in the gorge will be inconvenient. At that time of year, staying in Frankfurt with daytrips is probably a better option. Jo from Frankfurt usually has some suggestions, and I can give you some ideas in my neck of the woods, if you want.