need ideas for 5 day vacation from Frankfurt airport

Jeff, from everything I have heard, Heidelberg is over-run with tourists that kill all of the charm, and it's not all that charming to begin with. I have never been there, this is only what I have heard. Take it for what it's worth to you.

In 5 days from Frankfurt you can easily see the northern end of the Romantic Road. Take a train to Wurzburg where you can either rent a car and meander as far south as Nordlingen or take the bus. There is a ton of information in the Plan Your Trip section of this website. Otherwise get Rick Steves' Germany book for more info. Most libraries have it if you don't want to buy it.

In August we landed in FRA and drove straight to the Rhine about 90 min staying at exc value Pensione Lettie in Bacharach, then saw many castles along the Rhine and walked Bacharach and St Goar. You can also cruise the Rhine as a romantic option. then we drove to the tranquil Mosel Valley staying in fairytale Beilstein. there are many castles also in this area (Burg Eltz) and wineries to visit and also you can ferry it along the Mosel and experienc ethe locks.. We did this w/ 4 nights and thought it perfect. Lettie may be closed in january so plan ahead.

JS,

Thank you very much for replying to my information request. I think a tour of the Rhine like you're suggesting sounds marvelous. I wish you well on your next travels.

Jeff

I don't think Heidelberg will be overrun in January. It's not a bad place, but maybe not the most impressive either.

Burg Eltz IS terrific but closed in the off-season. The next best castle on the Rhine is Marksburg, which IS open in winter, 11-4 pm: www.marksburg.de . It's in Braubach, just south of Koblenz, which would make a good base in winter. Figure 1hr 10 - 1hr. 30 minutes to Koblenz from FRA. Koblenz is a large enough city to have a variety of pubs, restaurants and other services. From there you could also daytrip to Cologne, Trier (on the Mosel River, Roman ruins, Germnay's oldest city), and some of the smaller Rhine villages (Bacharach, St. Goar, Boppard) though these towns won't be very "open" at that time.

From Koblenz take your daytrips on a Rheinland-Pfalz ticket - daypass for the regional trains, under 30 Euros per day for 2-5 people (Good as far as Bonn; buy regular tickets for Bonn-Cologne.)

At that time of year, assuming there is snow on the ground, I would suggest heading to Rothenburg and then on to Munich. Neuschwanstein is spectacular, as is the beauty of the mountains with snow on them. Heidelberg is also a very charming town, and not as touristy as some would have you believe. I prefer to avoid what others may say and experience things for myself. Many people have said that Innsbruck is a must-see. We were there 10 minutes and could not leave town fast enough.

Hello Jeff, Answering your question is easy : Ride in trains from the Frankfurt airport to St. Goar at the Rhine River, stay at a hotel at St. Goar every night. (I like Hotel Hauser). Go on day trips from St. Goar :

Ride in train from St. Goar to Bingen, ride in a ferry across the river to Rudesheim, then ride on a chair lift up the hill to the Niederwald monument (if the chair lift is operational in the winter), up there also look at the Ehrenfels castle ruins, and the best view of the Rhine river valley. Do not spend any time or money in the town Rudesheim. Return to Bingen, and ride on a big boat on the Rhine River from Bingen to St. Goar, before sunset. (it is one of the world's GREAT boat rides).

Visit the castle Marksburg at Braubach : ride in train from St. Goar to Koblenz, ride in train or Bus from Koblenz to Braubach. Ask for the Bus schedule at the Tourist Information office in Koblenz. The Bus is probably best for returning to Koblenz.
Last whole day : Wurzburg.

An amendment to my previous posting : if you will be in Germany five nights : stay at St. Goar four nights. The last night stay at hotel in Mainz. (short walk from Mainz train station to hotel). The next morning (the day of your flight from Frankfurt airport) ride in a train from Mainz to the Frankfurt airport. Acquire all the train schedule and boat schedule information before you fly to Germany. Try to reserve tickets for the Marksburg castle tour a day or two before you go to it. They want a maximum of 20 persons in each tour group. At Marksburg castle having a guide talking in English is not important. There you can get a map (in English) of each floor in the castle. And Rick Steves' book on Germany says everything you need to know about the Marksburg castle. Marksburg is a much better castle than Burg Eltz. (Burg Eltz has more things in the rooms : wood furniture, clock, etc.). Plan to have some slack time each day. I think you will not have enough time to go to a Frankfurt pub.

And, one day while you are in Germany, visit the town Bacharach (at the Rhine River) for one hour. It is a charming little town. It is a good place for lunch or dinner. The beer garden near the train station has good beer, wine, food, and tables inside. I do not know its winter schedule. See Rick Steves' book for more eateries there. A train ride between Bacharach and St. Goar is about 15 Minutes. Germany is GREAT ! I hope there will not be rain every day you are there. Bring umbrellas, and a warm coat and hat and gloves.

I share Ron's enthusiasm for St. Goar as a base - it's surely one of the best in the warmer months - and for Bacharach and the whole Middle Rhine area. I've stayed in St. Goar in March and April when it was really quiet and had an enjoyable stay. But in January there are no boats or chairlift rides because the weather is prohibitive. You'll be in a virtual ghost town if you base in any of the small villages. You can, but you must appreciate solitude, and maybe rent an apartment with a kitchen. Boppard is large enough to have a few places to eat, etc., but you'll need to transfer in Koblenz for daytrips north and west anyway. Koblenz is probably your most convenient base for the area in January, IMO.

Jeff, I put a high priority on visiting WURZBURG (Rezidenz, and Hofkirche chapel). It is located southeast of Frankfurt. Going on a day trip to WURZBURG from Koblenz is possible, riding in trains (3 hours, each direction). In the Koblenz train station a man in the trains information office can give you a printed itinerary of the best route for riding in trains from Koblenz to WURZBURG. If you go to WURZBURG your last whole day in Germany, bring all your baggage with you in the train from Koblenz, and when you depart from WURZBURG go to Mainz, check in at a hotel in Mainz.(Park your baggage at Mainz when you are traveling from Koblenz to WURZBURG). Mainz is a good location for overnight accomodation the night before the day you fly from the Frankfurt airport. The day of that flight : ride in a train from Mainz to Frankfurt airport. After being at Koblenz a few nights, I would sleep at Mainz two nights, and go in trains to Wurzburg the day in between those two nights. - Auf Wiedersehen.

Mainz-- Gutenberg museum for your concideration

another vote for Wurzburg. You can take the train right from the airport in Frankfurt, and it's about an hour's ride. Members of our family stayed at the Hotel (blanking on name but will reply again soon as I remember it. could be the Europa.)near the train station, which was reasonable. They said the Chinese restaurant in the hotel is good. In Wurzburg, you can tour the Residenz, the Festung Marienberg, the Capelle on the hill, and lots of churches. The downtown market square is fun, and we like to sit in a sidewalk cafe with a beer and people watch. From Wurzburg, you can easily travel to Rothenburg (45 minutes), Heidelberg, Nurnburg, etc. You can also visit Wertheim and Miltenberg between Frankfurt and Wurzburg. Both are charming old towns, and in Wertheim you can literally climb all over the old castle.

In Wurzburg, it's the Hotel Regina, not the Europa. I have been in the rooms, and they are not fancy but appear to be clean and of average (European) size. One thing I have noticed is that most larger hotels have a range of rooms, from cell-like to super luxurious.

Dear Jeff,

You may want to consider a train pass for germany. I believe there is a day ticket for that general area. The rail pass is good for trains, rhein river boats and buses. It really takes the pressure off of driving. Since you only have 5 days, KISS. As others have stated, yes definately travel up the rhein to Koln, then back down the other side. You won't need to worry about hotels, simply get off the train and get a guesthouse. There are also some Castles that are hostels and thus very inexpensive. Remember that a 2hr Train Trip can get you to a lot of places in Germany. Trier is a great historical site that could be side tripped on the way up. Typical IC Trains stop at each little town, which is great for a true German Wandering Trip. Bag going south to Rothenburg unless you want to be a typical tourist. Sounds like you want to take it easy, wander and party. See next post for some useful links. Good Luck. We are leaving 12/20 - 01/05.

Valuable German Travel Links

http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/eurail_germany_denmark_saverpass.htm

http://downloads.raileurope.com/map_europe/germany.html

http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/prices/germany/laender_tickets.shtml

Its been about 9 years but Dinkelsbühl was a wonderful little town not far from Rothenburg.

If you go to Würzburg by regional train (least expensive and not much slower than the fastest connections), it will take you 2:25 and cost €20,10 pP. If you go to St. Goar, it will take 1:30 and cost €16,05 pP. If you have never been to either place, pick the shorter trip and lower cost. On the middle Rhein you can see Marksburg castle and the ruins at St. Goar. Go a little farther, and you can see Burg Eltz.