Germany last week of November

"we land at 7am and were thinking we would immediately head out of town to anther city... we would love to see some castles, or places that allow for nice strolls through town."

Here's your other thread, where you seem to have roughly the same questions:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/frankfurt-november-25-dec-1

I already provided some advice there which addresses your interest in castles and strolling towns.

I had suggested Boppard as a base town for the whole time, but if that doesn't appeal to you, maybe a 2-city base town would work for you. After a long overnight flight, I don't like a lot of extra travel. So maybe you head straight to MAINZ for a couple of nights. Mainz is only 25 minutes from FRA by direct train and has lots to see and do - and a HUGE tangle of streets set aside just for pedestrians (the pink ones on the map.)

Mainz's location makes it easy to take a day trip by train to visit the old-world Rhine towns like Bacharach - and Marksburg Castle in Braubach (see other thread for details.) And for Christmas Markets, you cannot beat the atmosphere in the Rhine town of Rüdesheim. It opens Nov. 21. Why not check it out? Visit Bacharach in the morning, Braubach in the afternoon, and Rüdesheim's market in the late afternoon/evening. Then return to Mainz whenever you like.

R'heim Christmas Market (click on the German flag at the top to see the English pages.)

After Mainz: Take the train to Trier for a couple of nights, a city dominated by its Roman history, and a starting point for Rick Steves tours:

https://en.romantic-cities.com/cities/trier/

And Trier's Christmas Market is open as well!

A day trip from Trier to Cochem (direct train from Trier) might be enjoyable as well. The Cochem Christmas market won't be open yet, but the town is quite beautiful, and Reichsburg Castle is right in town: https://reichsburg-cochem.de/?lang=en

I am always mystified why people do not have Frankfurt on their list of top places to visit? There is so much history here and fascinating sites to visit. The city is an excellent hub too, for visiting small, quaint towns like Limburg, Marburg, Büdingen, Gelnhausen, Michelstadt, Idstein, Seligenstadt or places like the Rhine, Heidelberg, Mainz and more. Hessen Park Open Air Museum is nearby as is the only reconstructed Roman fort in Germany - the Saalburg.

Xmas Markets end of Nov. near Frankfurt
Large Markets
21.11-23.12 Rüdesheim
25.11-22.12 Frankfurt
25.11-22.12 Heidelberg
25.11-23.12 Fulda
25.11-6.01 Speyer (24th 10-13:00, closed 25-26)
26.11-23.12 Wiesbaden
28.11-22.12 Aschafenburg
28.11-23.12 Mainz
29.11-22.12 Hanau
29.11-22.12 Michelstadt
29.11-23.12 Marburg
29.11-23.12 Limburg

Small Markets
25.11-22.12 City Forest, Frankfurt
28.11-1.12 Oberursel
29.11-1.12 Bad Homburg
29.11-1.12 Swedish Mkt. Frankfurt, an der Wolfsweide 54
30.11-1.12 Ronneburg Castle
30.11-1.12 Hessen Park Open Air Museum

I'm with Ms. Jo; I like the area around Frankfurt/Mainz (Aschaffenburg is a favorite of mine). And it's a good airport, and a major rail hub, so almost all of Germany is only a couple hours away. Plus you're close to France, Luxembourg, Belgium, etc...

Trier, Koblenz, Wurzburg, Nuremberg; all of these are easy to get to. You have all the best of the Rhine castles just to the east, the wine country to the west (plus Bamberg's Rauschbier), and so much to do you couldn't see it all in a year.

I'd plan a day (or overnight) going up the Rhine for the castles, a day walking around Mainz, a day in Frankfurt itself (see Sachsenhausen!), and either Trier or Nuremberg for another day. Or just rent a car for a day and drive around and stop in whatever little town catches your eye.

Hi!

If you're in Frankfurt then why not to take Lufthansa flight to Poznan and see Poland? :)
It's perfect opportunity to try Polish food, see beautiful city of Poznan (even if it's not so much advertised) and learn more about Poland's history in a city where Poland has started :)

Just a thought, but maybe it will be useful...

Warm greetings from Poland!
Tomasz

I don't know how to include a reply ? However I second to visit Fulda. Its a beautiful city in Hessen that was crowned the best one in Hessen. Frankfurt has a lot to offer as well besides the modern sections. Are you getting there the 22nd of November or the day after? I fly in and out of Frankfurt at least twice a year. The airport is nice and the car rental counter is easy to reach. I cant imagine you want to immediately run out due to jetlag and you will be very tired. You need a base as well and do trips from there? Be mindful stores are closed on Sundays and on Saturdays stores close earlier . Cafes and gas stations are open . Heidelberg is a nice city to visit. Wow 118$ RT is a good price. That's even better what I pay and I always buy my flights in Germany for a fraction of American prices. Either way enjoy your trip