My wife and I fly out of Frankfurt at 7:30am on September 25th. We'll be in Munich until the 23rd.
Originally we planned to just head up to Frankfurt and stay in a hotel hear the airport (since we have to be at the airport early).
I thought I'd check here to see if anybody had any unusual alternatives for us to consider? Some neat small town connected by rail, or cab ride, or?
I've thought about Heidelberg, but would it be too far?
Thanks in advance.
Heidelberg looks like it would work with a 3:30 wakeup call. The only train option is at 4:28(!) and arrives at 5:12.
Frankfurt or Mainz could also work... still a 4:00 wakeup call, but worth thinking about.
Your best option might be to visit places along the way (Augsburg, Heidelberg, etc) and end up staying at a hotel near the airport. Hopefully someone else can recommend a specific hotel...
Heidelberg sounds kind of far away. Taxi from Frankfurt to Airport will cost you about 35€ and takes about 10-15 min. Or you could be on a train at 0500 which takes about 15 min. If you stay near the train station that is workable. Or you could stay nearer the airport and pay more per night but be closer. Why not explore Frankfurt on the 23rd and 24th? There is certainly plenty to see here. There are also lovely neighborhoods to stay in if you would like more of a small town feeling. We have hotels everywhere in this city.
Marburg is a 1hr train ride straight north from Frankfurt and could be a nice 1 day overnight. Has a castle on the hill and a pretty old city up the hillside. Lots of stairs and walking up hills in town!
Koenigstein is just outside of Frankfurt, also rail connected, and is a really cute stop. It can be a kind of richy-rich sort of town, but has lots of nice places to spend the night and has a cool thermal pool/spa set up right in town. Even in the winter you can lounge on the outdoor bubble beds in the heated pool and look to castle ruins on the hill opposite you.
If you plan to stay in Frankfurt, ask Jo - she'll give you a great rundown of what to see and do.
I second the suggestion for Marburg-lovely old walled city and not too far from Frankfurt. Another option would be Wurzburg. If you decide to do either city, send me a pm and I'll make hotel/restaurant/sightseing suggestions.
At what time do you want to get to the airport? 5:00? The S-Bahn takes 27 min from Mainz Hbf to the regional bahnhof, under the building across from Terminal 1. You could leave at 4:32 and get there at 4:59. There are three good hotels (Hammer, Schottenhof, and Königshof) immediately across the Bahnhofplatz from the Hbf. There are also S-Bahn ½ earlier (arr. 4:29) and ½ later (arr. 5:29). If you are flying Lufthansa, and using Terminal 1, 5:00 should be adequate. If you are on an airline that uses Terminal 2, you'd better leave more time.
I once had a reservation for the Best Western in Rüsselsheim. It's more expensive, but closer. I cancelled it when I got the one in Mainz.
In June, on our return home from the Middle East we flew from Istanbul into Frankfurt arriving around 10 pm so stayed at the Sheraton right at the airport. This is a more expensive option but since we didn't have much time decided to go with the convienent option. Our flight the next morning was at 8:30.
The Sheraton was very convienent but will probably be the most expensive option.
Try the Hotel Monopol in Frankfurt. Right next to the train station, it is over 100 years old, beautiful lobby, free breakfast, free drinks and minibar all day. I asked and the front desk said taxi is about
22 € to airport. Hotel Ibis on the Friedensbruche is another nice option. It is right on the river with a park out in front. It is about a 5 minute walk or so from the train station. It is wonderful to walk up the river, which leads you past all the museums and straight to the old city center and the Kaiserdom.
Marburg isn't walled, you must be thinking of another place. It's still a perfect back-door with tons of cobbled streets, cafes, castle, and fachwerk houses.
juliette, you're right. i was thinking of the castle itself. have you ever had coffee in the cafeteria on the top floor of ahrens dept store? lovely view; we do it every time we visit.
Yes, that cafeteria does have a good view. We also enjoy the Italian and Swedish restaurants right on the Marktplatz, but if anybody visits Marburg they have to have an "auflauf" dish (think individual casserole) from Cafe 1900 on a street fanning off the Marktplatz.
Heidelberg and Wurzburg would be too far from Frankfurt. If you are travelling by train (not driving), I would stay in downtown Mainz. There are lots of shops for last minute shopping and strolling, a cathedral and several restaurants all set in a smaller town atmosphere. The Mainz train terminal is easy access to downtown and it's about a 30 minute train ride to Frankfurt. Actually, if you check out the deutsche bahn website, you have an option to take the train to a specific terminal at Frankfurt airport. There is someone on this forum who stays in Mainz the night before and has a hotel he stays at. In the search box in the upper right corner of this screen, type "Mainz hotel train terminal". You'll get some info. Have fun making memories!
