Is Frankfurt worth it?

I'd recommend other Rhine/Mosel things (St Goar or Burg Eltz come to mind) during day 3... we didn't find Frankfurt to be all that exciting. A late afternoon/evening was enough for us.

I've been to/thru Frankfurt a few times. I think there are many better options. I would probably make the change you are suggesting. Wonder if rather than go to Frankfurt AM day 3 and staying you couldn't head out early and catch bus to Rothenburg. Stay a night in Rothenburg? On our trip that was a regret, not being there at night.

Frankfurt is OK, but I would rather spend more time on the Rhine. Frankfurt is a big modern city great for flying into and out of but I did not find much to do or see there.

Caroline, check out this virtual city tour and maybe download the free self-walking tour guide pdf on the right hand side of that page: http://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=317578&_ffmpar[_id_inhalt]=177743 Since it got almost completely wiped out by the British and Americans during WW2 there are only a few historic attractions left. There are plenty of new attractions though, including great nightlife and restaurant scenery. But there also is a restaurant that's been around for more than 500 years and still is in its original half-timbered building - and it's non-touristy as tourists almost never get to the lovely part of town called Bornheim. The French newspaper "Le Monde" in 2007 compared Berger Street in Frankfurt Bornheim with the Champs Elysees and noted that it was actually longer and had more sidewalks cafes than France's main boulevard. There is a lot to see just outside of Frankfurt like the medival town of Kronberg incl. Kronberg castle, which is only a 30mins ride on S-Bahn line S4 from the city center of Frankfurt. Kronberg is overlooking Frankfurt. Another great and historic town just outside of Frankfurt is Bad Homburg. In their castle you can visit the private rooms of the wife of the last German emperor which look like she'd just stepped outside. The palace gardens are also worth a stroll - so is the adjacent downtown pedestrian zone. So in a nutshell: There is plenty to do and see for your day and night in Frankfurt!

For an evening in Frankfurt I recommend either the 500 years old restaurant "Zur Sonne" with its 500 years old buidling (used to be a farm, now completely surrounded by other buildings) on Berger St. in Frankfurt-Bornheim... or maybe this: http://citybeach.de/aktuell/index.php

I would include Frankfurt on a second-tier list of European cities. That is, places that I wouldn't go out of my way to visit, but are perfectly enjoyable if you find yourself there for any reason (like Antwerpen, Ghent, Besancon, Dijon, Stuttgart, Mannheim, etc.). But, I think your best source of info on Frankfurt is probably Andreas, so I'll let him be the guide here.

Do you mind me asking what dates you'll be doing this? I planned to have somewhat of the same journey.

I have accomodations booked in Nurburg til the morning of June 23rd when I'm leaving for Frankfurt and had planned to do the same journey via the bus tour to Rothenburg and then onto Munich.

I however was planning to spend 3 nights in Frankfurt or Heidelberg since I prefer a relaxed pace allowing me to explore and see more than just the most touristy sites. Then 2 nights in Rothenburg and onto Munich from there for a whole week.

SO Can anyone tell me...? Where is a website link to this notourious bus tour? I keep reading about it and see that it starts at 8am but can't find any other info! & also, is it still true that I can pay for the bus tour, get a ticket stub & stop in Rothenburg for 2 days while still being able to get back on the bus with the same ticket and continue my journey to Muncih a few days later?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks,
-Gary

Gary, this is the link for the Romantic Road bus tour:

https://www.romantischestrasse.de/?lang=uk


It travels from Munich to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Munich every day, starting at 8AM. You can hop off at any of the sites along the way (like Rothenburg, for example), but you'd have to wait for the bus that arrives the next day to get back on. I'm not sure if you would have to buy another ticket or if they are good for 24 hours. I would suggest buying a ticket from Franfurt to Rothenburg and then purchasing another ticket from Rothenburg to Munich on the bus the next day. You may end up saving a few euros that way.



Hope that helps!

Regarding the original question. We like major tourist sights (the Rhein, Rothenburg, etc.) as well as the next person. We also like to spend part of our vacation in towns where tourism is a sideline, where Germans live and work in something other than the tourist industry. For us, part of the pleasure of visiting Germany is to get a small taste for how Germans live.

Between Bacharach and the Romantic Road, it might be nice to visit a prosperous German city, Frankfurt, and get a more realistic feel for modern Germany.

I have no great experience with Frankfurt but have known several American servicemen who lived there and enjoyed it very much.

Regards, Gary

Take a look at the area on this sattelite picture: http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&hl=de&geocode=&q=frankfurt+am+main&ie=UTF8&ll=50.111332,8.680573&spn=0.322332,0.722351&t=h&z=11&iwloc=addrAs you can see, it's very green and mountaineous around Frankfurt, especially if you zoom out even more. There are so many beautiful small towns and villages in the area that are all worthwhile. As the above poster says, don't just chase attractions, also spend a day like the locals do it...

Okay... one more QUICK question for someone to answer.

I need an answer FAST since I'm leaving and need to buy the bus ticket by tonight if I'm going to be using the Romantic Road Coach.

I looked it up and found exactly which stops I'll need which is just to and from the center of Rothenburg, but I wanted to ask those of you who have used it before if you think its worth it to take the bus over a train to this destination?

I already have a 10day EuRail pass which I could use there but otherwise I'll probably use the days elsewhere. ALTHOUGH, if the bus tour really goes past and through some things that the trains don't then perhaps it would be worth it.

I noticed the cost of the bus ticket is roughly 15%-20% cheaper when you're a EuRail pass holder so that would make both tickets for me less than $100 U.S. which isn't all that bad.

SO.... I'd appreciate input from everyone if possible since I've gotta make a decision soon. I've already booked my 2 nights in Rothenburg so thats squared away, I just need to select the most interesting way to get there!

Thanks!

Some things to consider.
It looks like with a Eurail pass, the cost from Ffm Hbf to Rothenburg with the bus is €30,40.
If you take the train, a local (RMV) ticket to Kahl am Main is €6,75. From there you can use a Bayern-Ticket-Single (€19) to Rothenburg via Würzburg. Total is €25,75.
The bus takes 2hr 40 min.
The fastest regional train connection via Würzburg is 3hr 15 min (35 min longer), and there are 2 train changes in Würzburg and in Steinach.
There is only one bus at 8:00. There are trains every hour, one at 8:34.
The bus goes into town. With the train, you would have to walk (~1 km) from the station.I assume you are traveling alone. If there are two of you, you split a €27 Bayern-Ticket. Then the fare by train is €20,25 each.

Thanks for the detailed numbers... its kind of a toss up.

Clearly the bus would be a bit more expensive but I may use my 2 extra days on the EuRail in Germany anyway.

I'm just trying to decide what would be the most interesting? if the bus stops along the way a few times or passes a number of attractions where I could get some cool photos then I think the bus would be well worth it.

Otherwise... stuff like walking from the train station to Rothenburg isn't an issue at all... still unsure...... :(

Thanks again for everyones assistance, I went ahead and bought the bus tour tickets since they were affordable enough and it saves me 2 days on my EuRail pass where I can take better advantage of it later in the trip!

Happy travels everyone...