Surprise! Minneapolis RS Alum gets all spontaneous and joins the last 2017 My Way Alpine Tour!

I can only answer your question about hotels in Frankfurt. There are many decent hotels near the station that will cost less than the Intercontinental. This is not an iffy area unless you actually walk into the red light district, and this is a pretty well defined 2 block by 3 block area.

Check out these hotels:
Hamburger Hof
Adina Apts.
Hotel Nizza
Victoria Hotel
Le Meridian
Concorde Hotel
The Pure
Ibis on the Friedensbrucke

For dinner, these places are tasty with good, Frankfurt style German food:
Klosterhof
Leib & Seele
Atschel
Dauth Schneider

If you arrive on the 23rd, there is a wonderful Harvest Fest happening in the city center.
Let me know if you want more info on Frankfurt.

We did the My Way Alpine tour last September and had a fantastic time. Can't speak to questions about Frankfurt and train (we took train from Munich), but I can provide some information about Chamonix. We did not stay an extra night, but we were very fortunate to have a perfectly clear day on our full day in Chamonix. We went up to Aiguille de Midi and all the mountain tops were covered in fresh snow -- awesome! Since you can never predict weather, staying an extra night might help to ensure a nice day to go up the mountain . . . or it might not. Also, by that time in September all the lifts were closed except Aiguille du Midi so that is something else to consider -- no lifts on the other side of the valley or to glaciers were available. Hope this information helps you make a decision.

I like your spontaneity. The faster InterCityExpress trains from Frankfurt do terminate at Munich, in which case you'd make a connection to reach Salzburg in 5 hours. But there are also a few direct EuroCity trains (very standard European trains) that do the trip in 30 minutes more with no connection, departing Frankfurt (Main) Hbf usually at 8:20, 12:20, 14:20, and 16:20. Either of those can be booked now for a specific train with an advance purchase discount.

Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it.

So literally a minute before clicking on your post, I was thinking I need a long weekend somewhere before my scheduled winter tour - Munich, Salzburg, Vienna in December. I thought I could make it from last July - Best of Switz. through next December, but oh, I am hankering for some European refreshment. I will be researching London, I think for a quick refresh.

Anyhow, I did My Way Alpine in July of ?? - the first year it was offered. I also cannot answer the Frankfurt and train questions. I chose not to stay in Chamonix longer. I had been in Chamonix once before with the Eastern France tour. For My Way Alpine, we had great weather, a great hotel; I had a great room. We went up Aiguille du Midi in the morning, mosied back through town, considered going up another lift and decided not to. We opted instead to sit on the hotel lawn and sip white wine. Lots of fun. The river ran directly in front of the lawn and we were able to see folks rafting and floating along. If I had thought of that in advance, I might have been into that either the afternoon I was there or the next day.

But that was July. If the lifts are closed in September, and if river rafting/floating is potentially not available (too cold?), then, based on my experience, there may not be a lot to choose from. I think it does hinge on the weather. I think there may be a larger variety of things to do out of Geneva.

This is currently my favorite tour. I would consider it again. Have lots of fun!

Thank you so much for the information! The folks on this site are always so willing to share their knowledge and experience - I hope you all know that it inspires those of us who haven't travelled abroad extensively to act with more confidence when making arrangements. That being said, I have reserved our train tickets from Frankfurt to Salzburg and elected to go direct - it just makes more sense to me, since we'll be tired. I also managed to squeak in two days early to our hotel is Salzburg. As far as Chamonix - I can't decide. I've looked at the website at the hotel we're staying at and if there's not a lot to do, I'm not sure I care. It looks stunningly beautiful. An extra day of hiking, looking at the mountains and drinking wine doesn't sound so bad. So, do any of you have a recommendation for a hotel in Geneva? We'll be taking the shuttle from Chamonix to Geneva on 10/6 or 10/7 and flying home on 10/10.
Thanks much, Liz

Thank you Tom_MN. Your advice regarding euros is appreciated. The last time we landed in Amsterdam we had plenty of time to convert our US Dollars to Euros. This time we are making a connection to Frankfurt and have two hours to make our connection - if time doesn't allow a stop to convert cash to euros it's good to know to do it at the airport in Frankfurt. And Ms. Joe - I have booked the Victoria Hotel for one night - thank you so much for the information. I live in the city, I'm not afraid of city life, and if there are "characters" around well, you know, that's the way it goes. It's part of the experience. The most important thing to me is a clean room, respectful staff and convenience to the travel hubs, whether they be rail or air.

Keep in touch. We can meet for coffee if you like.