Alternate base to Frankfurt
 

Hi
I'm currently researching our next Europe trip (Germany, Switzerland & Austria in Sep/Oct) and flying in to Frankfurt from Singapore is an option.
I'm not sure if Frankfurt is the base we're after for approx. 5 nights as it seems like rather a large city which my husband and I are not big fans of (mid 30's, enjoy scenery and nature). We are thinking about doing day trips to Heidelberg, Black Forest and Cologne. Is Frankfurt the best option or are there smaller towns that would be an alternative?
Thanks.

The "Black Forest" (a very large region) and Cologne are probably too far apart for day trips of comfortable length.

To achieve the most efficient day trips with your plan: If you stayed in Mannheim (near Heidelberg - but who wants to stay in Mannheim, really?) those 2 trips (let's just say Freiburg for the Black Forest trip) would take about 3 hours of your day on the fastest trains (plus a short journey for Heidelberg.) If you stayed in Heidelberg, those 2 trips would cost you about 4 hours per day. But either way, you have to get to Mannheim in the first place, so you're backtracking a lot.

On top of that, you aren't seeing the Black Forest on such a trip - just one city - and Cologne in a single day may bee too hurried for some visitors.

I suggest you catch a train from FRA directly to Cologne (about 1 hour) for a couple of nights. Then travel to a Black Forest base town - maybe Gengenbach - on another day, making a stop in Heidelberg for several hours on the way (this day would cost you about 4 hours train time.)

Gengenbach is a good place for short day trips to other BF towns - Strasbourg too. Other towns might work well too - G'bach is just an example.

Photo of Gengenbach: http://www.stadthotel-gengenbach.de/...innenstadt.jpg

Since Frankfurt is such a hub, it makes great sense for day trips. I stayed in the Frankfurt area with hubby on 2 trips when he worked and I traveled around solo during the week, taking a ton of day trips. On the weekends we traveled further afield via car (that's when we went to the Black Forest area).

I did go to Koln as a day trip and enjoyed it immensely. Of course I didn't see it "all" but saw several key things. It's very "walkable" from the train station.

I also did Heidelberg as an easy day trip; again, didn't see it all but enjoyed it.

The Black Forest is, I agree, not feasible as a day trip.

But there's soooooo much to do from Frankfurt--the Rhine and its castles, Mainz, Worms are probably my 3 favorite.

Yes, Frankfurt is a big city--but one I have grown to appreciate.

Staying in one place with easy access to trains (like the Frankfurt area) is in my opinion the best use of your time and energy. I really think there's a plethora of day trips that will please; if you have some keen desire to see another area further away, like the Black Forest, then you will have to plan to have more than one "base" or a different one altogether.

Here are my two trip reports with descriptions of the many day trips I was able to take.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...kfurt-area.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-frankfurt.cfm

In addition to the remoteness of Frankfurt to your destinations, there is often an issue of accommodation price in Frankfurt. The city hosts many conventions and prices spike up several folds during these times. I skipped staying in Frankfurt many times because of this. You can easily check if this is the case by using a booking engine to probe around your travel dates: are there less availability at much higher prices? One that gives me a good feeling is the map view of booking.com. If I see more grays with higher prices, but not a week before or after, there is something happening in town eating up accommodations.

Appreciate the responses and information. Sounds like Frankfurt will be a good base for some day trips but we will also look at moving to another base for the Black Forest.

Due to the frequency of trains, I think Frankfurt is an ideal base too, besides the fact that I am kind of passionate about this city. There are many lovely residential neighborhoods with turn of the century architecture, nice B&B's you could stay in.

The proximity of the Taunus Mountains, the Rhine, ancient monasteries like Eberbach Monastery or the Abbey in Seligenstadt, medieval walled towns like Büdingen, and of course Heidelberg, Bad Homburg, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Worms, Speyer, Idstein, Eppstein, Kronberg, Gelnhausen, Aschaffenburg, Michelstadt, the Odenwald or Würzburg are all very easy to get to from Frankfurt, and most less than an hour away.

Have a cruddy, rainy day not ideal for sightseeing? You can choose from dozens of museums that match a wide variety of interests.
http://www.kultur-frankfurt.de/porta.../0/0/1424.aspx