Kronberg or Heidelberg or both?

You have picked a gorgeous hotel in a lovely setting. The town of Kronberg is quaint and their castle is an original Staufen castle built in the 1200's. Visit the Johannes church to see the painted wood barrel vaulted ceiling. Near by is the city of Bad Homburg with the palace of Kaiser Wilhelm II. It is his only palace that is original as it wasn't bombed. The Redeemer church next to the palace is stunning, with a gold mosaic ceiling and Art Deco/Byzantine decor. Odd mix, but it works. Nice spa in town, as well as a casino.

The Christmas markets in the big cities mostly begin around 26-29 Nov. The towns will be decorated. Heidelberg is worth a visit, but if you are exhausted, you might want to save it and see it in nicer weather.

Here is the list of the larger markets in this area:
* Frankfurt Christmas Market - 26 Nov.- 22 Dec
* Mainz - 27 Nov. - 23 Dec.
* Weisbaden - 25 Nov. - 23 Dec.
* Rüdesheim - 24 Nov. - 21 Dec.
* Marburg - 29 Nov. - 23 Dec.
* Darmstadt - 24 Nov. - 23 Dec.
* Hanau - 28 Nov. - 22 Dec.
* Aschaffenburg - 27 Nov. - 22 Dec.
* Heidelberg - 24 Nov. - 22 Dec.
* Mannheim - 26 Nov. - 23 Dec.
* Seligenstadt - 27 Nov.-14 Dec.

The smaller markets:
* Idstein - 5-7 Dec.
* Büdingen - 3-7 Dec.
* Gelnhausen - 11-14 Dec.
* Höchst - 29-30 Nov.
* Bad Homburg - 29 Nov. - 21 Dec. Sat. & Sun. only
* Kronberg - 13-14 Dec.
* Eltville - 6-7 Dec.
* Oberursel - 27-30 Nov. Medieval Market
* Bad Soden - 6 Dec.
* Hessen Park - 29-30 Nov. & 13-14 Dec.

Thank you for the quick response Ms. Jo! Is Kronberg large enough to walk around for the day or will we be wanting to get out and see another area? It seems there are a few Christmas markets that weekend that we will be there, so those are good options.

Kronberg is right next to Opel Zoo, if you have any interest. I would be telling a fib if I said it was the greatest zoo in Germany, but decent enough. They allow dogs, which is one of the reasons I often go there.

Nearby Königstein im Taunus is also a very nice town.

If you want to try a typical German mineral spa, Kronberg puts you right by Wiesbaden, Bad Homburg and I believe Königstein also has a thermal bath.

Finally, if the German November weather decides to grant you a rare clear day, you can consider a hike up to the summit of Großer Feldberg (look for the mountain with the TV and radio towers on top- it's unmistakable). The view is spectacular, but only worth the effort on clear, low humidity day.

Kronberg is rather small, so half a day will let you see most of it. I would plan a day seeing a neighboring town. Bad Homburg would be my choice. If you like Roman stuff, they have a great reconstructed Roman fort called the Saalburg, outside of Bad Homburg. Or pick a Christmas market in the town that appeals to you the most.
http://www.saalburgmuseum.de/english/sb_en_home.html

Have not been to Bad Homburg but would always take Jo' s advice. However ,I do have to say that I really love Heidelberg and especially enjoyed their Xmas market... Love the walk up and view from the castle.

While I like to promote the vicinity of Frankfurt for its completely underrated beauty in your case you should really know a few things here:

• Apart from the Schlosshotel Kronberg is pretty boring. From the Schlosshotel you could hike up to the Kempinski Falkenstein hotel (probably even more impressive than the Schlosshotel) but that covers about an afternoon. Yes, there are a few medieval castles in the area and of course there is Frankfurt with one of the oldest and most beautiful Christmas markets in the world - and it will be open by then.

• Heidelberg has more to offer, including a nice Christmas market (although clearly not as beautiful as Frankfurt's) - but there are no hotels in Heidelberg that are comparable to the Schlosshotel Kronberg. The best hotel there is a Renaissance which is currently undergoing renovation. A beautiful and most romantic half-day trip from Heidelberg is Schwetzingen with its chateau-style castle that was once a summer and love hide-out for the elector.

Heidelberg is mighty charming, but regardless of what you do you will have a grand time. It will be cold, so be prepared. I recommend a Gore-Tex parka for both of you and if you're going to be doing a lot of walking you should get a whole rain suit. You can bring gloves, a scarf and a stocking cap and build up layers underneath the Gore-Tex. That's enough to get you through Winter.

BTW, Rick Steves always says to travel light. I'd like to refine that and say that weight is not the issue; it's bulk. So my mantra is, "Travel Thin." I always avoid cotton clothing and instead use Gore-Tex, nylon, and some of the other synthetics. For example, instead of a sweater I pack a Nike, long sleeve warm-up top. It has a fourth of the volume, all of the fashion, and a good measure of the warmth of a sweater. Choices like this reduce bulk, improve your options for getting your clothes quickly laundered, and reduce weight as well. For socks, I still use primarily cotton or wool since there's no synthetic alternative that I've found, unless you're just going to be fancy and wear dress socks all the time.