London and Germany

Day trips from Frankfurt are varied and you will have a lot to choose from. Make sure you see Frankfurt too, as it is a city of some importance to German history.

Mainz is a great town and the cathedral there is fabulous. Cologne is easily reached by train and I like taking the slow train there due to the fact that one, it is loads cheaper and two, you get to see the Rhine and all the castles and vinyards. Or you can take a cruise on the Rhine. Heidelberg is a wonderful, old town, no matter what Rick says. Read Mark Twain before you go though. Closer to Frankfurt I would consider Bad Homburg, Königstein, Kronberg, Büdingen, Langen, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, and so on. Check out the tourist info sites online for each of these towns to see if they have what you are interested in. I am not familiar with all the little towns along the Rhine and their castles but I know that all those folks who are, will be happy to give you their suggestions.

Here is a website that lists all the castles and gardens in the state of Hessen. Though in German, you can still get a good picture of where the various places are and can look them up separately.

http://www.schloesser-hessen.de/schloesser/schloss.htm

How far are you planning on travelling outside London?

If you like art deco Eltham Palace is a must-see and is on the edge of London http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.12744

http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk/londondaytrips.html

Informative website.

A good day trip from Frankfurt, if you wanted to tour the Rhine, would be to take the train to Bingen, hop on the boat (free with a train pass) take the cruise up to St. Goar. Then you could tour the castle and sightsee in town then train it back to Frankfurt.

Celia, I concur with Reg about St. Goar and the Rhine cruise; worth one full day at least. Be sure to stop by Bacharach on your way back, it's well worth a look. If you have the time, a train trip to Cologne would be a great experience; the cathedral there is pretty awesome. If you are a history buff, keep an eye out for the old bridge towers at Remagen.

And while in Frankfurt, there's a good walking tour of the city you might consider:

Insider Tours Frankfurt

I like Heidelberg and Mainz, too. Jo is right- they get shorted in the books. Heidelberg is more of a traditional tourist destination, but it's cute and very alive, with a university, so a lot of young people. Mainz is not touristy, but the cathedral is great (as are a few other churches like the Augustiner), and there is the Roman ships museum. I know Rick isn't thrilled with the Gutenberg museum, but I found interesting. Mainz is also a university town. Wiesbaden, across the river, has a few spas, similar to Baden-Baden. Those might be worth a visit. The stretch of the Rhine up from Mainz to St. Goar or so is very picturesque.

I agree with Cate. We went to the Gutenberg Museum for an hour and spent three. We found it fascinating, contrary to the brush off Rick's book gives it. Also been to Heidelburg and enjoyed the castle, the old bridge and the very plain (contrast with, say, Cologne) cathedral. Make sure you take a cruise along the Rhine.

I should have said that, from London, Windsor is worth a visit and if you are going further afield, Stonhenge, Bath, Salisbury and Winchester are also good choices.

I should have said that, from London, Windsor is worth a visit and if you are going further afield, Stonhenge, Bath, Salisbury and Winchester are also good choices.