I will be delivering a lecture in Weimar in June (17-18). I plan to fly in to Berlin (arriving on the 14th), then take a train to Weimar (probably on the afternoon of the 16th). I fly out of Frankfort on the morning of the 20th, so thought I would simply take a train in Weimar on the afternoon of the 19th and stay in an airport hotel in Frankfort.

This gives me roughly two days in Berlin, a day or so to tour around Weimar, and no time in Frankfort. While in Weimar, I plan to visit Buchenwald.

Does this seem like the best use of my week or is there something I'm missing that I should see? Should I try to spend Saturday afternoon and evening in the city of Frankfurt as opposed to staying near the airport?

Thanks.

rgrusin - spending a night at the airport is ok if you are planning to arrive late and leave early. Given you will probably have an afternoon and evening, I would opt to spend it in town. Both Frankfurt and Mainz are only about 25 minutes from the airport with very frequent connections. Frankfurt (though it gets a bad rap on this board) is a very cosmopolitan city with lots to do and excellent restaurants. Mainz is much more rustic with a magnificent cathedral, the Guttenberg, Museum, and a church with wonderful stained glass windows by Marc Chagal. I usually opt for Mainz staying close to the Sud Bahnhof.

Fairly good itinerary, I suppose.

Don't know about your budget. Thus, I find it hard to recommend any specific hotels in Berlin.
In general, you might want to stay in Berlin's Mitte district, which is basically former East Berlin's downtown starting with Unter den Linden Blvd. right behind (or in front of, depending from where you're looking at it) the Brandenburg Gate.
Upscale places would be the Hilton on Gendarmenmarkt, which is a brilliant location, the Westin on Friedrichstr., Dorint, also on Gendarmenmarkt and possibly the brand new Radisson close to the Museum island.
Ultimate luxury at Kempinski Adlon facing the Brandenburg Gate and at Four Seasons on Gendarmenmarkt.
On Potsdamer Platz there are the Grand Hyatt (with a great rooftop health club and pool, if that's an issue), a brand new Ritz Carlton and a brand new Marriott. The surroundings here are extremely modern and possibly a bit artificial.
As these are all chain places (Dorint being a German formerly mid-priced chain that introduced some four star properties in recent years and has now been acquired by the French ubiquitous Accor chain), you can fairly easy check the respective websites.
In addition, take a look at the Berlin pages of
www.inyourpocket.com
for reliable info.

rgrusin -

I think you've planned a pretty good itinerary considering what you are doing.

You obviously realize that the trip is too short to do everything. I like the idea of getting the most out of Berlin and Weimar and leaving Frankfurt to another time.

Trains run regularly between Berlin and Weimar and Frankfurt, so that should be totally reasonable.

In Weimar, I don't know how much time you'll have, but I would recommend Buchenwald highly. What are you lecturing on?

If you are interested in German literary culture, the Goethehaus and Schillerhaus are musts as well.

There are a number of other historical sites as well, including wany which deal with Nazi-era. Remember, Weimar even had a government named after it, right? The Weimar Republic. There are theaters and art museums, as well as great cafes and fine restaurants.

I wish you luck and hope you enjoy your stay!

Next door to Weimar is Erfurt, which I can highly recommend. It's one of those extremely pretty & well-kept mid-size towns, with great squares, buildings & churches. You could spend just a few hours walking around, and you'll be amazed. They even have a covered bridge over a river in the style of the one in Florence. IMO, Erfurt is much much prettier than Weimar. Hope you make it there!!