Frankfurt and Schonberg (Westerwald)

Can you clarify where exactly "Schonberg" is? I assume the actual spelling is "Schönberg"? I'm not seeing a town by that name in the Westerwald region, although I see one in the Pfälzerwald, one in Bavaria, one in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and one in Schleswig-Holstein.

Schonberg is in the Westerwald region (if that is the correct terminology). It is located between Frankfurt and Cologne.

Bob, I can't find it either. I thought maybe it had been mis-spelled and tried ...burg, but the only places I could find were those mentioned above. Is your Schonberg a district of a larger town? I know the area between Frankfurt a.M. and Koeln quite well but I've never heard of Schonberg.

From viaMichelin maps and routes it is 56462 Schonberg which is 62 miles southeast of Koln.

Bob, Is it 5642 Schonberg or 5509 Schönberg? That is the Westerwald area ..."O du schöner Westerwald." As for where you are, you're more between Bonn and Siegen, to be more exact, then Gießen If you're going to be in Frankfurt, there is a special train Frankfurt-Köln connection. I suggest going to Bonn, esp if you're interested in classical music, the Beethoven Haus/Museum. Near Bonn is Königswinter where a major museum on the Prussian East is located...if it's history you want to see, the Haus Schlesien.

OK, now I found it. I don't know that immediate area, but you're not too far from Wetzlar, which is worth at least an hour or two visit. And if you're in the Wetzlar area, you'll see two impressive castles that face each other from opposing hill tops. I forget their names or exactly where they are, but you can see them from a far distance. Nearby Braunfels is on my list of towns to visit, but I haven't made it there yet. The A3 runs by the town of Montabaur, and from the road, you can see an interesting looking Schloss on top of a hill. Despite driving by at least once a month, I have yet to stop and visit, so I'm not sure if it's worth your time, but you could find out for yourself.

If it is as you say 56462, it is not far from a really cool area. I found it this morning on my brand new Google Maps just installed today on my iPhone. Yay, Google Maps. Finally. It makes an old geek happy. Idstein is a lovely small town with a tower and walls - we stayed there. It is off the US tourist radar but we discovered it through Jo in Frankfurt. Braunfels, from which New Braunfels in Texas is named, is one of our favourite towns. If you have walking issues you might want to think because there is a lot of walking up. The castle, easy to enter, and all its bastions, even easier, but very steep, is super neat. The town below the walls is so typical, all fachwerk, like Idstein. Much of the area around there is on the Fachwerkstrasse, and wooded and agricultural. We really liked it around there (can you tell?). You're also not a million miles from the Mosel; with only 2 days and 3 nights in each place you won't be able to go off for day trips to Aachen or Trier...

The only place that qualifies as "Schönberg" in the Westerwald forrest is indeed 56462 Höhn of which Schönberg is a suburb/part of town. Höhn was first mentioned in the year 930, so the area must have been attractive to humans for more than 1,000 years. The Westerwald region is beautiful but it only consists of scenery... lots of it... just like in Minnesota. But with more hills. And less prairie. We've got friends in Weyerbusch in the Westerwald. It's great to walk your dogs there. Anyway Höhn-Schönberg is close to the Lahn river valley. That valley has been the archetype of most model railways. It is beautiful and I strongly recommend to visit Marburg (like Heidelberg one of the oldest university cities in the world). Marburg's university was founded in 1527 and was the first non-catholic university in the world (it was a protestant one). The city, like all other cities and towns in the valley, is packed with half-timbered "romantic" houses. Do visit "Café Vetter" in Marburg. You won't find a second view like this in the city. Also visit Limburg (the cathedral and old town) and Bad Ems. Bad Ems was one of the favorite vacation place of the German Emperor's family and the "high society" of the German Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. Read about the "Ems Dispatch" on Wikipedia...

BTW, Marburg... the closest I've seen to a town in Europe that matches Tolkien's description of Minas Tirith. Beautiful univeristy town.

Perfect! Thanks for the help. Definitely impressed with what there is to see. I'll map it out and see what can be done in a whirlwind day trip. Marburg sounds like a must see since I really enjoyed Heidelberg. We will be seeing "the best part of the Rhine" when leaving Frankfurt and going to Schonberg (yes it is in the opposite direction but worth the effort to see again). We will also be driving along the Mosel as we head towards Paris and I will have some questions about what to see and do in an upcoming post.