Kassel, Germany

Kassel is pretty much straight north from Frankfurt aM. It's a large city, not known to be pretty in any special kind of way (say friends who grew up there and told me not to waste my time - !). I would recommend hitting the TI after you arrive and use them to find a cheap place to bunk in.

Nice, short side trips from Kassel are Goettingen and Marburg. Both of which have lovely old towns and are true 'back doors'. Marburg has both Germany's first Gothic cathedral and Europe's oldest Protestant university.

Thanks..I will be in Bruges on the 6th and want to be in Kassel on the 7th for the hockey game...I'm still trying to figure it all out...TI sounds like a good place to find the room...Sounds like one night in Kassel will be fine..

http://www.kassel.de/ I don't know, it looks kind of nice to me. The website switches to English.

Try Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide. Although I love Rick's books, they're written more for tourists hitting the highlights of Europe, whereas the other guides I mentioned offer more extensive coverage of the continent, written for both casual tourists, and those who might find themselves in a non-touristed area for other reasons....

BTW, "for the home season opener of the Huskies"? Just curious... the Washington Huskies aren't opening in Germany, are they?

Forget the question, I answered it myself on Wikipedia...

Let me second Juliette's recommendation for Marburg...I spent many a day there years ago...lots of history and lots of character...like a lot small university towns, it has a very lively feel to it, good restaurants and a great nightlife.