My husband and I
will be ending a tour and plan to spend six nights in Germany. In and out of Frankfurt Airport. We want to travel south to Strassbourg. We arrive at 2:30p and want to hit the road stoping along the way. The plan is the last 2 nights in Frankfurt, 2 nights in Strassbourg, one night on the way and one night on the return. We are renting a car. Looking for suggestions as to where to stay both going to Strassbourg and the return. Looking for charming towns. Looks like there are many choices. Not Heidelburg, we have been there and looking for something smaller. Thanks for any input.
Posted by
Paradise
6650 posts
Bergstrasse wine towns north of Heidelberg
Deutsche Weinstrasse towns west of the Rhine
The most scenic region near FRA is the Middle Rhine Valley, which is stuffed with castles and old-world wine towns. It's not between FRA and Strasbourg, but not a lengthy detour either.
Posted by
836 posts
You may want to check the city's calendar of events for the places you're considering. Sometimes you can discover a special festival or other event that makes the stop very worthwhile.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8946 posts
Charming towns around Frankfurt are plentiful. Marburg, Limburg, Eltville, Idstein, Büdingen, Gelnhausen, Bad Homburg, Seligenstadt.
Are you really planning on driving to Strasbourg after a flight from California? This is a dangerous thing to do. Consider taking the train and get your car the next day.
Posted by
OP
el segundo, CA, usa
64 posts
Not flying frpm LA but from Istanbul. Should be good also only want to go part of the way.
Posted by
OP
el segundo, CA, usa
64 posts
Thanks for the suggestions. We are staying the first 2 nights in Mainz. It's almost the the same distance from the airport as the city center. We will visit at least one possibly 2 of the charming towns near the Mainz. We are exploring the idea of driving along the Rhine. Now the decision train or drive??
Posted by
Paradise
6650 posts
You do not need or want a train for reaching Mainz from FRA or within Mainz. Using the train to Mainz from FRA airport (about €5) and from Mainz to the Middle Rhine Valley towns (and back) is very simple. A day pass called the Rheinland-Pfalz Ticket (€29/2, buy from a ticket machine at the station) is the most cost-effective ticketing solution for 2 adults visiting the MRV by regional train:
http://www.vrminfo.de/en/tickets/tickets/ticket-offers/rheinland-pfalz-ticket/
On the Rhine your travel is covered all the way north to Remagen along both sides of the river.
West side: https://www.mittelrheinbahn.de/assets/images/6/MRB_Karte_Streckennetz_2018-66058e06.svg
East side train line (most of it anyway) : http://www.vias-online.de/data/9_netzplan_rhg.jpg
The same ticket covers destinations much further afield as well - including the Deutsche Weinstrasse towns I mentioned previously, all the way south to Karlsruhe; see the complete coverage map for the R-P ticket:
http://www.vrminfo.de/fileadmin/data/pdf/2012/RLP-Ticket_streckennetz.pdf