Day trips from Mannhiem

Frankfurt is only an hour+ away and there is certainly a lot to see there. What about Worms? Jewish history and the Reformation are the 2 big draws there.

I used to live near Mannheim, so allow me to make a few recommendations.

You've already visited Heidelberg, but if you haven't done it yet, drive up the Neckar Valley towards Bad Wimpfen. It's similar to the more well-known Mittelrheintal, with many attractive towns and castles. Bad Wimpfen is probably the highlight, though.

Also, try a scenic drive through the Odenwald region (the mountains that you see to the east of Mannheim). My favorite towns are Lindenfels, Michelstadt, and Erbach. Breuberg also has a particularly well preserved castle, whereas Lindenfels' castle might be one of the most attractively situated ruins in Germany.

I'm going to agree to disagree about Worms with Jo. Yes, the town has a very long history, but very little of that past is noticable. The city got pounded in the war, and little remains from before this time. It's like a smaller version of Mannheim with an old Rhine bridge and cathedral. Now.... if you want to see a left bank Upper Rhine city that also has a long Jewish history and a magnificent old Romanesque cathedral, go to nearby Speyer instead. In contrast to Worms, Speyer was virtually untouched in the war.

The small town of Lorsch has an abbey that dates from the Carolingian period, and a very pleasent, if small, main market. Nearby Heppenheim is also a gem.

Easy day-trips from Mannheim:

Less-than-90-minutes-drive radius:

• Strasbourg (France)

• Baden-Baden, Black Forrest

• http://www.kloster-maulbronn.de/en/home/

I was going to suggest taking the train to Karlsruhe and the streetcar (S1) up to Bad Herrenalb (Black Forest) where you could hike or relax in the not-for-the-shy spa.

Maybe the city of Speyer or back to the the Pfalz Wein region: Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and Landau?