Have you checked out this website yet? It has a lot of helpful information about places to see and how to get around. I found it useful when I planned my trip to Germany. http://www.bensbauernhof.com/

Mesh, I would spend less time in Frankfurt and Cologne with more time in Munich and environs.

Just my opinion - enjoy!

Much as I love Frankfurt and Cologne and think you can certainly have an enjoyable time in both cities, you might want to cut a day off here and there and spend a few days in Berlin. Especially since you will be up near Hamburg anyway.
Since you said part of your trip was business, I was not sure if your days in each city were kind of set.

Aachen is interesting if you are fans of Charlemagne or want to see where the emperors were crowned up until 1562 when the venue was changed to Frankfurt. I think I would find it interesting, but I am a history buff.

Thanks a lot for your replies.

Have to keep a day each in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Tubingen and Munich for business meetings. As for Berlin, shall keep it for another time as I do not want it to be just a day trip - would like to spend two to three days. What about Bonn worth a day trip from Cologne?

What are the best areas to stay in these places - around 100/120 Euros(absolute upper limit) is our budget.

For lots of German trains and railpasses: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id9.html

You can order German Railpasses direct from bahn.de or for about the same price thru U.S. agents - actually last time i check a few days ago you would save a few bucks thru U.S. agents if you factor in the 3% credit card fee - and if you have to refund a pass, etc. it will be easier dealing with U.S. agent.

You should certainly be able to find hotels under that budget unless you are hitting any of those cities when a trade fair or other huge event is going on. I find really lovely hotels for under 100 € for a double by using www.hrs.com.

For Frankfurt, you might look at Westend, Bornheim or Sachsenhausen or even near the train station. I know some people are put off by the nearness of the red-light district, but I have never been bothered by it.

I think I would rather spend another day in Frankfurt than a day in Bonn. There are such lovely neighborhoods here, and so many things to see and places to visit. If you need suggestions, just ask! Frankfurt is such a historic city, though it tends to get a bit ignored.

You can use your German Railpass on S-Bahns - commuter railways that often run thru cities - sometimes sharing tracks with the U-Bahn (metro) on which passes are not valid

However unless you have used a day on your pass to get to your city it would be foolish to use a day simply to take S-Bahns in cities like Frankfurt, munich and Berlin and hamburg where they can be very useful - rather either just buy local tickets or buy the very inexpensive day passes - on weekends you often can ride all weekend for the cost of a one-day pass.

But if arriving in a city after using your railpass then yes ride the S-Bahns free with it until midnight. In Berlin an S-Bahn elevated line runs thru the heart of the Mitte - the old middle town center and by many sights - Reichstag - Brandenburg Gate area - Museum Island - Alexanderplatz - a great way to orient yourself to Berlin.

I think you're planning too many days for Frankfurt, Cologne, and Hamburg. They're all big cities and not as interesting (at least to me) as smaller places.

I agree with Peg - but OP says business concerns demand those days

But even from Frankfurt - one of the most modern boring cities IMO in Europe (save for museums) you can easily hop by train for the day or a half day to Heidelberg, one of the finest cities in Germany and the rare one not destroyed in WWII - the castle of your dreams sticks out of it.

Or hop from Frankfurt to the Rhine Gorge, about an hour away by train and hop on the K-D boats thru the gorge (best part Rudesheim to Koblenz IMO) (www. k-d.com) - perhaps getting off to trek up to some ruined castle - and railpasses are fully valid on these boats - just flash your pass when boarding - always get on.

From Hamburg there are a couple of neat towns that are nearby - like Goslar and Celle - each with good train service.

From cologne you can also do the K-D boats

Aachen to me is one of the worst dreariest cities i've ever seen for tourists - yet if Charlemagne's church - cathedral is of interest that may make it worthwhile but there really IMO is not much 'there' there otherwise - except stinky water you can drink.

In Cologne we loved Ludwig museum (art museum) with many art objects by Picasso and Dali.
From Cologne we made a half day trip to Bruhl, to see the Augustusberg castle. We go there by train (15 min. ride).

Also not far south of Cologne at Remagen are the remains of the famous Remagen Bridge - that played a crucial role in the final assault on Berlin until it collapsed - the heroic events on the bridge were depicted in the 1969 hit film The Bridge at Remagen - today the bridge itself is gone but its two huge block towers on the eastern bank of the Rhine remain and house a museum about the railway bridge.

You can take a train to Remagen, a cute enough riverside town or you can hop a K-D boat (free with railpasses) there from Cologne and then hop the train back - you could easily include a look at Koblenz - just a few miles on by train or boat from Remagen - this city at the confluence of the Mother Mosel and Father Rhine rivers is a nice large city with a nice Rhine promenade - and at the confluence of the two rivers the monumental equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm (i believe) and is famous in German as a monument to Germany Unity of the late 1800s that led to the Prussian rise and domination of modern Germany that led up to WWI.

Just after the war ended American troops camped on the site of today's campground on the other side of the Mosel from the statue and an American GI simply blasted the horse statue to bits - the massive plinth remained and the state has been restored and is still popular with Germans.

Opposite the Deutsches Eck statue is a monumental fortress of Ehrenberg (sp?) that dominates the Rhine and Mosel confluence - you can walk up there or take an aerial cable way to visit the military museum and capture fine sights for miles up and down the two rivers. A pedestrian and cycle ferry scoots across the river from the Deutsches Eck area frequently.

Ludendorff Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ludendorff Bridge (in World War II, frequently called the Bridge at Remagen) was a railway bridge across the Rhine in Germany, connecting the villages ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludendorff_Bridge -


Bridge at Remagen - World War II Bridge at Remagen
The Bridge at Remagen was the first Allied bridgehead over the Rhine River in the closing days of World War II. Known as the Ludendorff Bridge, the bridge ...
militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/p/remagen.htm

As it turns out we have 20 days in Germany -
Frankfurt 2 nights (business meeting moved to Munich)
Hamburg 3 nights(Nordestedt for a meeting - also hope to do Luebeck)
Cologne 2 nights
Koblenz 2 nights (not yet decided on where to stay - any suggestions?)
Frankfurt 1 night (as we plan to leave most of the luggage at the hotel for the Hamburg/Cologne/Koblenz sector)
Tubingen 3 nights (business meeting + pleasure)
Stuttgart 2 nights
2 nights - aren't too sure - a friend stays in Rheinfelden should we visit him by train or have him drive down?
Munich 3 days

Does this itinerary seem better? Would love suggestions for hotels in Munich.

Thanks

Itinerary seems fine

as for train or drive to rheinfelden - i think friends would always rather have guests arrive in their town rather than having to drive to get them - unless a best friend or so.

With the exception of Tübingen and Lübeck, all your itinerary consists of are big cities which have been heavily affected by World War II bombings. Another small town with authentic historical architecture would make a nice change. Rheinfelden is a pretty little town on the river - in fact, it is two different towns with the same name, one on the Swiss and one on the German side, connected by a bridge. I'd say go for it. Swiss Rheinfelden is a little jewel!!! Like most cities and towns in Switzerland, in fact, because they have not had any wars for centuries.

I'm even inclined to suggest cutting out Stuttgart altogether and spending more time in small towns instead, for example along Bodensee / Lake of Constance.

The friend had offered to drive down to Stuttgart and then take us round for two days in the Black Forest. But I think we shall go to Rheinfelden as we get to see his pretty town which is divided by the river. Thanks for your prompt replies

If your business meeting has been moved from Frankfurt, you might consider only spending your first night there, if that.
It's not an incredible place. Go up the Rhine on your way to Koln and spend a night or two.

I would spend 2 nights in Stuttgart with no problem. The Mercedes Benz museum and the Staatsgalerie and enjoying Stuttgart.

I spent 10 days in the Stuttgart area a few years ago and our favorite side trips were:

* Neckar Valley (you don't have anything there and its so gorgeous). We only had one night and didn't have time to go to Heildelberg so we took the train to Hirschorn and stayed in the castle hotel overnight. Excellent restaurant in the castle on the ramparts, amazing room with view of river, quaint medieval town to explore. Our favorite part of the trip.

* We loved Tubingin and spent 2 days there. Market day in the medieval square was fun. The Wertenberg hunting lodge in area worth the visit for serenity of the cloisters and wonderful tour. Excellent meal in small village cafe.

*Stuttgart itself didn't hold much appeal. We enjoyed the Baraoque Ludwigsburg Palace, an easy day trip.

Per the trains: If you are a family group, you can travel together very inexpensively within a given state. I believe when we were there it was approx. $20 Euros for a family day pass of unlimited travel. We had family living there who turned us on to these passes, as none of our travel sources mentioned them, and we were going to buy much more expensive tickets from the states. They are available from all train ticket machines.

Here is the info on the Wurttenberg monastary/hunting lodge in Bebenshausen, a short way from Tubingin:

http://www.travelgermanyinenglish.com/bebenhausen.html

Since you will be in Stuttgart and the Black Forest area, don't miss a chance to chill out in one of the spas of Baden Baden. Many Europeans love to vacation there and it is a neat town to walk around in filled with cafes and not to expensive restaurants. The spas are very elegant and will be a nice rest for you and not prohibitively expensive (bathing suits optional!) Afterall, President Obama stopped there, so how bad can it be? It is also a fun drive as the road twists and winds up the mountain to get there.

the train ride from Tubingen to SIgmaringen is very scenic

Here is a nice city guide for Frankfurt and the surrounding area with some of the highlights and events going on for the next few months (you did not give a time frame from when you will be here). It is fairly comprehensive, with some good photos too. Frankfurt is a good base city for various side trips. There are so many great little towns nearby that are easily reached by train or S-bahn.

http://frankfurt-on-foot-cityguide.blogspot.com/

you can travel together very inexpensively within a given state. I believe when we were there it was approx. $20 Euros for a family day pass of unlimited travel.>

I believe they cost 29 euros to 39 euros now for these Lander Tickets - you cannot use them on express trains but they do cover all other forms of transport from trams to buses to metros to regional and commuter trains.

If you buy a German Railpass then extra days after the minimum is only about $20/day so however - but as up to five can ride on the Lander Ticket i think the more traveling together the cheaper the Lander Tickets are p.p.

All Lander tickets are covered on www.bahn.de - German Rail web site.

remagen: I went sept. 2007 The drive from the mosel wasn't bad,but i sure would not return.Not much to see and the museum is full with 6 people. just my take jayvee

321sister - i have not gone in the Remagen Bridge museum and yes would only take a look at the remains of the bridge if passing by it between Cologne and Koblenz. It's a sight that is more evocative of its historical importance than the scant remains itself.

palenque; buy a post card. jayvee

Not sure if you are still planning to visit Stuttgart or not, but here's my two cents. Although I spent 2+ years living in Stuttgart and loved every minute, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to split your visit between Tuebingen and Stuttgart. You could stay in Tuebingen for the whole time and take a day trip into Stuttgart and visit the Mercedes-Benz museum (if that's your cup of tea - it is fascinating!). There also aren't a whole lot of budget hotels in downtown Stuttgart.

There are many wonderful towns to visit in the vicinity of Stuttgart - Ludwigsburg with its gorgeous Residenzschloss has been mentioned (English tours available, but check the times in advance); another favorite that I believe you can get to easily by train is Schwaebisch Hall (smaller than Tuebingen).

For a lovely hotel in Frankfurt, I found this one in Sachsenhausen. http://www.hotel-am-berg-ffm.de/

This one in Westend: http://www.hotel-goelz.de/

and this one in Bornheim on the Berger Strasse, and it sits across from 2 great half-timbered Applewine garden restaurants that were built in 1600. http://www.bornheimer-hof.de/

Lucky you - 3 weeks in Germany!

You may have moved on from this question, but I loved seeing the Charlemagne-built church in Aachen, and the surrounding old part of the city. The cathedral museum was also worthwhile. It's not far from Cologne, so a day hop will suffice. Cologne's cathedral is simply stunning, and the Romanesque churches in the city are also fascinating. But then I love visiting old churches...

I think you are wise to save Berlin. When you do go, plan on a minimum of 4 days. Fantastic city!

I have not moved on from this question. I am so thrilled by all the responses - truly amazing- keep them coming.

Thanks

one more question - is there a luggage room at the Heidelberg train station ? If so we could visit Heidelberg on our way to Frankfurt from Koblenz.