Where to stay for a short visit, within one hour of FRA, to the south?

I just got back from Heidelberg, and Rick needs to visit this town again. It has probably been 30 years since he was here last. He tells people in his book not to bother with Mainz either and this is a wonderfully historic town.
Have you considered visiting Frankfurt? If the weather is cold and rainy, you have dozens of museums to choose from and plenty of historic sites to see if the weather is decent. Medieval churches, cloisters, archeology, Holy Roman Empire, Farmers markets?
If it has to be town south of Frankfurt though, try Seligenstadt which is a charming, quaint town that Rick has never visited, or Worms perhaps which I doubt he has visited either. If you are a Martin Luther fan, Worms is for you, or if you are interested in Jewish history, Worms is one of the 3 SCHUM cities, a UNESCO treasure.

Thank you. Would you suggest Worms or Seligenstat over Heidelberg? (I would say that we are not Martin Luther history buffs, nor do we have a specific interest in Jewish history, but we do have an interest in history in general). A cute and picturesque walkable town, with a quality museum on any topic, would be ideal.

Not really interested in Frankfurt itself, and I am not sure why. Perhaps because we live in a big city and are more drawn to the quaint and picturesque small and medium towns when we travel.

And good point about Rick probably not visiting Heidelberg in 30 years. There is also appeal in going to places that Rick doesn’t recommend… lots of tourists follow his footsteps so perhaps the other places would be quieter.

Thank you.

I recommend to spend a look at Darmstadt, known for culture and science; I lived and worked there for a long time.
It provides also a close access to famous Bergstrasse with UNESCO world heritage sites, castles, palaces, museums and themed parks.

btw: Darmstadt provides a direct and comfortable bus connection to Frankfurt airport. It is also less touristy compared to other towns in the area.
I recommend DeepL for translation.

Choose Seligenstadt then. Lots of half-timbered buildings, the Einhard Basilica, beautiful old abbey.

If you reconsider Frankfurt, you could take an excellent morning walking tour of the city.

From Frankfurt to the airport takes about 15-20 minutes by train.

Not really interested in Frankfurt itself, and I am not sure why.
Perhaps because we live in a big city and are more drawn to the quaint
and picturesque small and medium towns when we travel.

And good point about Rick probably not visiting Heidelberg in 30
years. There is also appeal in going to places that Rick doesn’t
recommend… lots of tourists follow his footsteps so perhaps the other
places would be quieter.

Heidelberg does NOT go unnoticed in other guidebooks. It's a very popular destination, especially with Americans; Rick's dismissal of Heidelberg appears to have had very little impact on tourism there.

But with around 160,000 residents, Heidelberg is no small, quaint town, and as I read your post, you want "quaint" and "picturesque", right? I'm thinking that Hanau-Steinheim, one of the small-town stops on the German Timber-Frame Road, might be just the place for wandering around... it's a small suburb of Hanau with its own train station and super-cute... old town walls, half-timbered houses...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu83Y5T6NvA

Sample schedules from Munich:
- Munich 14:51 > Hanau Hbf 18:01 (or 16:49 - 20:01?)
- Hanau Hbf > Hanau-Steinheim station: a 2-minute ride on the S-Bahn train.

• The Brunnenhof in Hanau-Steinheim
• Several hotel options Hanau proper

Schedule from Hanau / Hanau-Steinheim:

DIRECT S-Bahn trains to FRA airport leave H-S every half hour at :03 and :33 after the hour and take 40 minutes. If you stay in Hanau proper, you leave on the same trains 2 minutes earlier.

Thanks everyone, these are some solid ideas. I will share with the family, check the train connections/times, and decide among these options. And we will reconsider Frankfurt too, that walking tour does look interesting.

I would consider Heidelberg "small" -- we live in a city of 5 million people so 160,000 fits small/medium in my mind, and it does seem like a good option. But Hanau-Steinheim looks really great and exactly the type of place I'd like to wander for my last morning. This looks like a fantastic option and a place that was not on my radar at all.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I appreciate it.

PS - depending on which city we choose for our final night, it looks like the high-speed train from Munich would either follow a western route through Stuttgart, and an eastern route through Nurnberg. It will likely be dark when we are on the train so this may not matter at all, but I wonder if either route is preferred due to scenery or other reasons? Should the train route be a factor in deciding which city to choose as our final destination?

I would consider Heidelberg "small" -- we live in a city of 5 million people so 160,000 fits small/medium in my mind, and it does seem like a good option.

I agree! I am from a city of 8 million people and am going to Heidelberg this week before returning home to New York. I will be staying at a hotel near Frankfurt Airport that is easily accessible by S-Bahn. Every Deutsche Bahn train (DB) I have taken this past week whether it is a regional RB or ICE has been terribly delayed. My friends here tell me that DB is a nationwide “embarrassment” whose problems will not end soon so I recommend taking as early a train as possible back to Frankfurt Flughafen (Airport) for your flight. So wherever you go and whichever route you take, please allow a wide cushion of time.

Should the train route be a factor in deciding which city to choose as our final destination?

No. Rather the train route you choose should be based on you destination. For Heidelberg, come in via Mannheim, since it is a short S-Bahn ride from Mannheim. For Hanau (Steinheim), come in via Wuerzburg.

Every Deutsche Bahn train (DB) I have taken whether it is a regional RB or ICE has been terribly delayed. My friends here tell me that DB is a nationwide “embarrassment” whose problems will not end soon so I recommend taking as early a train as possible back to Frankfurt Flughafen (Airport) for your flight.

Thank you. This is what I have been learning from reading other things too, and the reason we decided to head towards Frankfurt the night before, rather than making the trip all the way from Munich the morning of our flight (which was our original plan).

If our international flight is at 17:00, and we are staying somewhere that has a one hour train journey with one connection (let's say Heidelberg, with a short regional train to Mannheim, and then the high speed train to FRA), what would you suggest we plan for? An ~11:00 train that arrives at ~12:00, so we have a two hour buffer to get to FRA three hours before the flight? Or should we choose a town with bus service to Frankfurt, or taxi/uber? (We do want to be close enough that taxi/uber is an option - even if expensive - should there be a system-wide issue.)

I do tend to be an anxious traveler and like to arrive early. I don't mind waiting around. But I also don't want to be totally wasteful of time either, knowing that we will only have a short amount of time to explore whatever town we are in before we have to leave.

I would consider Heidelberg "small"... Hanau-Steinheim looks really great and exactly the type of place I'd like to wander for my last morning... a place that was not on my radar at all.

In Germany I think qualifiers like "small", "quaint" and "picturesque" find their definitions more often in towns like those several dozen old-world places on the Timber-Frame Road. The route spreads from Germany's north to its border in the south, but is indeed mostly off Rick Steves' radar - only a few of them ended up in his materials.

I'm pretty sure you have much of your trip planned already... but if places like Hanau-Steinheim do in fact tug at your sleeve, you should probably keep the Timber-Frame Road collection in mind for your next visit.

Some statistics on DB train timeliness...

High-speed train performance has dropped off significantly - one in every three trains can be counted on to arrive late according to DB's own data.

Regional train on-time performance surpasses that of high-speed trains. 91% arrive within 5 minute of their scheduled time.

Trains from Munich: To the extent that it's possible you should try to avoid these situations:

1) Changes of train that depend on a previous (IC, ICE, EC) high-speed train.

2) Changes of train with less than 15 minutes' wait time.

3) Trains that do not originate in Munich.

The 14:46 train I suggested in my previous post for Munich > Hanau originate in Munich... at least your train from Munich has a fair shot at on-time departure. It travels direct to Aschaffenburg, where you have an 11-minute regional train connection to Hanau. If you miss that connection, no big deal - there are 18:10 and 18:43 trains from Aschaffenburg to Hanau afterward.

The 16:49 train from Munich to Hanau has the same 11-minute layover and similar back-up trains from A'burg to Hanau.

NOTE: There are ALSO direct high-speed trains between Munich and Hanau leaving 14:46 and 16:45. Their total travel time is a little longer than the previous options. However, there is a certain small advantage in place when you don't have to change trains at all.

Final train to FRA on departure day:

From Hanau or Hanau-Steinheim: As stated previously... 40-42 minutes by direct regional train (S-Bahn.) Departures every 30 minutes. €10 ea. RMV ticket at station.

From Heidelberg: 55- 65 minutes. No direct trains. 1) S-Bahn to Mannheim + 2) 6-7 min. layover + 3) high-speed train to FRA. Departures every 30 minutes or thereabouts. High-speed train tickets are €20 - €28 ea. online depending on ticket type and when you purchase. (The regional train options from H'berg take nearly 2 hours and have multiple changes of train. Don't.)

There is nothing wrong with regular scheduled trains, but you might glance at the vast Frankfurt S-Bahn map, to see if there are any outlying towns that interest you. It might increase the number of options you have for the trip to the airport, and your time flexibility.

It's pretty wordy, but my Trip Report mentions a lot of towns near Frankfurt, starting with the sub-head Fachwerkstraße.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/baltic-germany-fachwerke-landesgartenschau
However, we did have a car for that trip.

I was thinking that someone here already suggested MAINZ, but I'm not seeing it now... So I will...

That 16:49 Train from Munich that I suggested for getting to Hanau is also a DIRECT train to Mainz (20:52.) Direct is good.

Mainz is not a small town (IMHO, thou perhaps it is in yours!)... more similar in size to Heidelberg than Hanau-Steinheim for sure. But it's an excellent city for general sightseeing and great for walking (LOTS of pedestrianized streets throughout the shopping area and the old-town zone.)

And when you leave Mainz Hbf for FRA the next day, there are 3 direct regional trains every hour that take just 25 minutes (€6 each.)

Mainz is not quaint, nor small with about 220.000. It has interesting things to see, but it does not fill the ideas that the OP wants.

If you are interested in half-timbered towns, guess what, Frankfurt has a neighborhood on that route. Frankfurt Höchst. But I still think Seligenstadt is your best bet. It is small, charming and has enough to see to keep you busy for a few hours.
https://www.seligenstadt.de/tourismus/welcome-bienvenue-benvenuti/stadtprospekt-englisch.pdf?cid=302

Seligenstadt to Frankfurt airport is 1 hour and 4 minutes. Departures every 30 minutes at 9 and 39 past the hour on a regional train.. You will change trains to the S-Bahn at Frankfurt Hbf. Cost is 9.75 EUR per person.

Jo: Maybe you haven't been following the OP's comments. The OP is still considering Heidelberg (not small or quaint, right? But in her opinion, 160,000 people is small) and perhaps Hanau-Steinach. Mainz, as I indicated, is similar to Heidelberg in population, but as the OP countered, 160,000 is small. And looking back now, I see you were the one that brought up Mainz in the first place. If Heidelberg is in the running, I see no reason Mainz should be labeled an unacceptable option.

Besides the similarities between Mainz and Heidelberg, Mainz has the clear edge in transportation ease. You were touting its historic value as well.

No one has said Mainz is quaint, btw. But neither is Heidelberg. What makes Frankfurt small and quaint by the way?

Consider the town of Aschaffenburg. Only 50 or so miles from Frankfurt, so it's an easy trip by train on the day of your departure. Very nice castle, interesting old town area, several nice parks, and Pompejanum. Google them and see what you think.

Hi OP,

Heidelberg is great, with a lot to enjoy, however your comment about being an anxious traveler gives me pause. From my perspective the travel effort here feels more burdensome than it looks on a map. You also mentioned catching a train out as early as 11am. What time will you arrive the day before? Will you have some time in the afternoon/evening as well, or are you only getting the morning?

As others have pointed out you'll need to make a change in Mannheim, to a new platform, with your bags. Only you can really decide if this is how you like to travel or if this is too much to deal with before jumping on an international flight. Will you lose sleep the night before? Will you be able to enjoy the time spent there or will you be preoccupied with your departure plans?

Given your comments, you may be better served by choosing a charming village/neighborhood closer to/in Frankfurt.

If you do decide on Heidelberg, I'd recommend staying in/near the old town so that you aren't wasting the small amount of time that you have. Keep in mind that it is a short cab ride from the train station. You may also need to factor some time on foot. Most of the streets in this area are pedestrian zones. If all else fails a taxi line can be found near Bismarkplatz.

Explore the old town. Cross the river on foot for some great views/photo ops. The castle is quite large and not something that I would try to fit in with the time that you have unless your arrival allows you to check it out before closing.

Russ, I mentioned Mainz as being a city that Rick recommends not to visit and I said it was historic. It was never a suggestion for a place to stop.
My suggestion for Frankfurt was for the neighborhood of Frankfurt Höchst which is on the half-timbered route, which several people have recommended. One of those places in Frankfurt that Rick does not seem to know about, nor do many others on this forum. Yes, it is quaint there. If you are there on market days, Tues. Fri. Sat. from 07:00-13:00, it is even better. Lunch in front of the schloss is lovely, and a visit to one of the oldest churches in Germany is a must.
https://www.pro-hoechst.de/hoechster-perlen/
https://www.deutsche-fachwerkstrasse.de/en/Homepage.html

Only problem with Heidelberg is that the trains usually take longer than an hour, more like 1.5-2 hours. Was just there on Fri. and it took almost 2 hours to get there and back due to delays. Mainly people standing in the doors so they can't shut.

Thank you everyone, all of this information is really helpful and gives us a lot of good options.

I should've better described what I mean by "small and quaint". Probably what I better mean is something that is picturesque and scenic to walk around, isn't a modern city full of skyscrapers (we live in Chicago), is of a reasonable size that it is easily navigable on foot. A town or city where we can do something like a "self guided walking tour of _____" and spend a couple hours following the route, or just wandering on our own past some of the sights (a formal published tour is NOT necessary, but I do like following Ricks' self-guided walking tours, and know other vendors provide things like that too). A half-timbered town would be fantastic. Or a town with a castle or fort. Or just something unique to look at - we'll be with our teenage sons and they like having a destination, even if it's just a cafe with a famous/local food item. I think a town like Heidelberg provides both "scenic" and "something to do". And I was wondering if Heidelberg is our best option, or if there are other options out there to consider. But I didn't really explain that well. (It's hard to know how the feedback will go sometimes, and I don't want to write too much at first!)

You've all given us some fantastic options. I'm going to take some time to look at the train journeys to/from each of these places, plus the things to do within them, and make a decision.

To address a couple other questions -

We will be spending the full day prior in Munich, probably leaving around 5 pm. So wherever we stay, we will ONLY have the next morning. We are generally early-to-bed, early-to-rise, so we would get breakfast early, and likely have around ~3 hours for sightseeing in the morning before we need to leave. It would definitely be a quick look wherever we are, and I know we likely will not see "everything" there is to see. That is OK. I'm just looking for a place that will feel like we are still on vacation, seeing something memorable and interesting our last morning. I don't want to "waste" that last morning.

Wherever we stay, we would stay within the Old Town or scenic area, to make the morning sightseeing easy. I'd also look for a hotel that ideally has a 12p checkout, so we could likely leave our bags in our room, go sightseeing, return, grab our bags, and head towards the airport around noon (or whenever). Or at least a place that could hold our bags at the front desk while we sightsee.

As for my anxiety - I usually feel OK when I know I have a good Plan B available, which is why we decided to head closer to Frankfurt the night prior. The trains from any of these cities you all suggested seem frequent enough, and even if we miss the scheduled connection, it seems the next train should come along soon enough - or we grab an Uber and pay. I don't want to stay anywhere that requires numerous train changes, but all the options suggested seem reasonable, and I'll be able to relax and enjoy the morning. (Although direct connections to Frankfurt are more appealing than changing trains.)

We are very light packers and plan to travel with just a backpack each, which will make it easy to be nimble at the train stations, and should make us better able to move quickly if we need to.

This was a long reply. All this to say, you've all been super helpful with your suggestions and given us some really good options. THank you.

With 2 teen sons, then a big yes to Heidelberg. It is a huge university town (25% of the population are students) They will enjoy the castle and the atmosphere on the main street.

Right Jo, I just don't see why you're saying Mainz "does not fill the ideas that the OP wants."

They want "...to spend the last morning walking around this final town, perhaps a quick sightseeing stop, before heading to the airport." As you said, Mainz is a "wonderfully historic town"... and its large pedestrian zone is great for strolling. It's 25 min's from FRA by direct train, and they can get to Mainz from Munich by direct train as well. Mainz has its own little Half-timbered corner of town and of course the Augustinerstrasse and a fine concentration of churches and sights within a short amble from the Marktplatz. Mainz also has market days on Tu, Fr and Sa 7-14:00.

I first thought Mainz was too big to suggest as well - Smallsea said "small" - but since Heidelberg is an acceptable size for Smallsea... what needs does Mainz not fill, exactly? I think there have been a lot of reasonable suggestions here - including Hoechst and Mainz - and that Smallsea will do fine sorting out which is best.

The core of Mainz looks like this from the air. It's no megalopolis.

Hi, I wanted to come back and report on our decision. I took all the suggestions here and mapped them out: from Munich to the destination, and from the destination to FRA. My goals were to minimize transfers to the main destination; to be within 30 minutes drive of FRA with public transit options also; and to avoid the train route along the Rhine edge of Germany (like through Stuttgart) due to heavy construction and delays on that line (and choose a route along the central/east side instead, like through Nurnburg).

And then of course, to have something interesting to do in the town.

We decided on Selingstadt. It was PERFECT and we all loved it.

We had a direct train from Munich to Hanau, with a short 10 minute regional train from Hanau to Selingstadt (the regional train was canceled and replaced with a bus due to staffing issues, but it was pouring rain and we couldn’t find the bus so we just grabbed a taxi which was easy and inexpensive enough.) So that was a very easy journey.

We arrived around 8pm and just went straight to the hotel - Hotel Zum Ritter which was amazing. We had a huge family apartment - it was a full two bedroom apartment with kitchen and living room above the hotel. Breakfast in the morning was AMAZING. And it was something like 135 Euros. By far our most reasonable family accommodation on the trip.

In the morning after breakfast we followed the guided walk from the map shared here. It was the perfect amount of “things to do”. We all loved the walk along the river to the moated castle, and we loved exploring the old town. The cathedral and its garden were very cool - I loved the apothecary garden, and things were blooming still even in early January. And the town itself was adorable with the half timbered construction.

We got lunch and ate a picnic in the town square, and went back to the hotel (we had a late checkout) and decided to just get an Uber to the airport, which was 40 Euro and also very fast and easy.

It was the perfect place to end our trip, and let us feel like we did/saw something on our last day, without wasting the time before the flight, but also not being rushed in a bigger city to try to cram everything in.

Thank you all so much.

The town was very un-touristed, at least not by Americans, and we encountered several service people who spoke no English. We enjoyed the experience of communicating through pantomime and pointing also, plus Google translate, which was a good experience especially for the kids.

Anyhow, thank you all for giving me lots of good options.

For anyone in a similar situation - looking for a place to spend a half day before or after a flight at Frankfurt - I highly recommend Selingstadt as a quiet and authentic destination, and the Hotel Zum Ritter for their great hospitality.

It also looks like the town is on a large regional bike path which could be fun in warmer months.

Thank you!!