Hi there,

I have a work trip planned to Frankfurt from 1/28-2/1. My itinerary looks like this:

1/28, arrive at 5am, some work business in am but have most of the day free
1/29, some work appointments but will have some time in afternoon and evening free
1/30 free
1/31 free
2/1 depart

I plan on seeing the city of Frankfurt on the first two days of the trip, but I've noticed that many people find it on the dull side. Therefore, I'd like to spend the 30th and 31st somewhere else, but not too far away. I've already been to Heidelburg as a student, but could be convinced to go back. Would Mainz be a good town to spend a night in since it is so close to the Frankfurt airport?

I've seen several other towns along the Rhine listed- could you suggest your top picks for a woman traveling solo (by public transportation), who is interested in art, food, and culture? Of course, it will be January...

One consideration is that I have the first three nights hotel in Frankfurt paid for from work, while the last night is on my own dime.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Frankfurt is dull when compared to other cities, but it does have its charms. The two areas Sachsenhausen and Bornheim each have character, good for an afternoon stroll and dinner in one of the nice neighborhood cafés. Look them up. Public transport is excellent, no problem gettting home.

The Rhine valley looks a bit bleak in January, cities with lots of character are a better bet: Marburg (barely an hour by train), Bad Camberg (even quicker), certainly Heidelberg (-berg not -burg if you look it up), Bad Homburg (barely 20 minutes on the S-Bahn) - and don't forget about the cultural offerings, concert season is in full swing:
www.germanticketoffice.com/suche_en.php

Frankfurt is dull when compared to other cities, but it does have its charms. The two areas Sachsenhausen and Bornheim each have character, good for an afternoon stroll and dinner in one of the nice neighborhood cafés. Look them up. Public transport is excellent, no problem gettting home.

The Rhine valley looks a bit bleak in January, cities with lots of character are a better bet: Marburg (barely an hour by train), Bad Camberg (even quicker), certainly Heidelberg (-berg not -burg if you look it up), Bad Homburg (barely 20 minutes on the S-Bahn) - and don't forget about the cultural offerings, concert season is in full swing:
www.germanticketoffice.com/suche_en.php

Trains at ww.bahn.de

Wuerzburg is a reasonably short distance by train from Frankfurt. It is a vrey compact university town. It is sometimes called the Salzburg of Germany, because of its valley location, many churches, a beautiful castle overlooking the Main river, with a great museum, the Residenz - a huge palace in the middle of town, and many nice restaurants, including the wine restaurants of the Buerger Spital and Julius Spital. These two have their own nearby vinyards. The Wzbg. white wines are well known throughout Germany.

Heidelberg would be on my list too. Though if you're looking for something smaller, check out Trier.

Hmmm
If it were me, liked art and three nights hotel were paid, I'd stay in Frankfurt those three nights.

Frankfurt may not be the most exciting city, but it is filled with interesting museums that could easily fill your time there. Check Fodor's "destinations" for more info.

I'd also check out the churches and do a bit of window shopping downtown.

One night, I'd go to an apfelwein bar in Sachsenhausen for dinner and another night I'd eat in one of the traditional German restaurants on/near the Roemer.

I spend my last day/night in Mainz and see the cathedral and the Gutenberg bible. It's a quick trip to the airport from there.

Good dinner choices would be at Malepartus in Bornheim, Paulaner behind the Dom, Friedberger Warte (700 yr. old watch tower), Adolph Wagner Apfelwein Garden. Bornheim is a great neighborhood, mostly buildings from the 1900's, wonderful produce market on Wed.& Sat. and a beautiful Chinese Garden. For your 1st 2 days, you could take a walking tour with "Frankfurt on Foot". They do a 3 hour tour that is quite interesting and at only 12 €, a real bargain. Frankfurt seems to have quite a few hidden gems that people don't know about. www.insidertours.com

For day trips, Mainz is a great choice. The Dom is really beautiful and they have a great shopping zone all around it. Bad Homburg is nice, you could go up in the Taunus mountains and visit the Saalburg - a reconstructed Roman fort or hike, depending on the weather. Wiesbaden could be a day trip too.

If you like shoes, try the Leather Museum in Offenbach. Even my husband thought it was cool. I also like the Judengasse Museum, the Historic Museum, the Archaeology museum, the Städel, Museum of Modern Art, the Geld Museum (money)and the Palmengarten is a great place to go, especially if the weather is nasty. If the weather is good, go up in the Main Tower to the observation deck. Great photos from here.

There are heaps and heaps of day trip options within the range of one hour by train, so I'd stay in Frankfurt and just do day trips without luggage and returning in the evening. So much easier than dragging all your stuff along and changing hotel. Trains run till late at night, so even if you want to have dinner somewhere else you'll still be able to get back to Frankfurt in the evening (and yes, you'll be safe on DB trains...). Mainz is not closer to the airport than Frankfurt itself, so getting to the airport is just as easy from Frankfurt. I'd save myself the hassle.

Several of these options have already been mentioned. Marburg would be my No. 1 vote for a bit of "fairy-tale Germany".

There's a fast train going from Frankfurt to Cologne and you can be there in about an hour. Beside the cathedral and many other churches, Cologne also offers several extremely good museums, both archaeology and art. Close to Coligne is Bonn, also with quite a lot of museums from its time as the German capital, if you're interested in German post-war history.

Hans makes a good point about Köln - the train ride is cool too, you get glimpses of castles above the Rhein.
In K. - check out the chocolate museum on that sort-of-island in the river - anybody will direct you.
Prepare to be bowled over as you exit the station on arrival - the famous cathedral is RIGHT THERE bearing down on you...

Thank you all so much for your advice!

I took much of your advice and fit in TWO day trips afterall.

I spent the first couple of days getting to know Frankfurt by foot and fulfilling some work business. I stayed in the NH Frankfurt City hotel, which was stylish and very business friendly and close to the Zeil shopping district, and also not too far from the Romerburg Square. I also walked over the river to the Saschenhausen neighborhood and had a fabulous experience at Adolf Wagner, the apelwein pub I had read about in multiple posts.

I had anticipated sitting by myself, people-watching over a glass of appelwein, but the restaurant is seated family style (like typical German beer gardens I had been to in the States), and the waiter seated me in the CENTER of a table of Germans. I blushed three shades of pink wondering how I would contribute to the conversation, since I don't speak any German and I felt like I was intruding. But I soon learned how friendly my dining/drinking companions were- they were genuinely interested in why I was traveling alone, where I had come from, and offered me a shot and an invitation to join them next door at another landmark apelwein bar- Zum Gemalten Haus. This night was one of the highlights of my trip.

Another Frankfurt spot to eat is the Holbein restaurant at the Stadel Art Institute. Of course the Stadel has an amazing art collection- that goes without saying. The restaurant is a little bit of a splurge, but I just stopped in for a hot cup of tea and a soup pairing, so I didn't spend too much- and the atmosphere was beautiful. Very romantic, good service, sophisticated menu.

Another Frankfurt highlight was the street fair on the Zeil on Saturday- I wonder if this is every weekend? It was a cross between a farmer's market, with produce, cheese, wine, even honey products, and a beer garden, with warm apelwein, sausages and pretzels served at stand up bars or picnic tables. Would have lingered longer, but I had a day trip planned that day...

Oh right- my day trips! The art historian in me really wanted to experience the Cologne Cathedral in person, and it took only an hour by train to get there. I accidentally purchased a ticket to Koln fair rather than Koln central train station, but some kind people set me right once I got there. I had the luck of arriving in time for the 10:30 tour in English, and it was well worth the 6 euros. Hilde was very knowledgable and made the cathedral come alive for all of us, pointing out the restorations after the church was bombed in the war. I really loved the new Gerhard Richter window- stunning when the sunshine bounced the colors off the walls. I also was glad I paid the extra fare and climbed the 500+ steps to the top of the south tower. I would not reccomend it if you are afraid of heights, get vertigo or claustrophobic. The staircase is a narrow spiral all the way up and you have to share it with visitors going down while you are going up. But if you are up for it, the view is fabulous!

Although the church was the reason i went to Cologne, I also visited the chocolate museum (something to do, but not impressed- I had been hoping to get to taste a ton of chocolate! But they had a fine collection of Ancient American objects illustrating the origins of chocolate making and consumption). I bought eau de cologne at the original perfumerie House #4711 (trekked all the way to the flagship store only to realize the same stuff was sold in a tourist shop across the square from the Cathedral). I visited the Kathe Kollwitz museum- I loved this little gallery because I'm a fan of Kollwitz and her drawings are so much more touching in person. But it was a far walk from the Cathedral and my feet were killing me by the end of the day. I LOVED the Brauhus Fruh am Dom, where I had bratwurst for lunch and tried Kolsch- my new favorite beer!

My second day trip was to Marburg. After realizing that both Frankfurt and Cologne were so heavily destroyed in World War II, I decided I had to see a smaller town with some older architecture and traditional character. Marburg had been billed as a fairy tale town and it didn't disappoint. But I did arrive there a little later in the day- 3:00. After my really long day in Cologne, I got a late start to Marburg the next day. Too late to see the interior museum of the castle, but I did get some beautiful shots of the castle and the view of old Marburg from the top of the hill. The center of Old Marburg was as picture perfect as described. I'd love to see it again in the spring or summer months. And it had great window shopping.

One note of advice on this train though- my train to Marburg was tricky. I couldn't understand how it was to leave on the same platform as another train line at the exact same time, and I had to run back to the information desk to learn that it was actually two lines hooked together, and that the trains split in a certain town in the middle! Luckily I got on in the right car and didn't end up in Dillenburg!

All in all I had a fabulous time. I hadn't traveled solo to Europe since I was in college and I forgot how exciting that was. Thanks for the advice!

It is so nice to hear someone report back that they had a great time in Frankfurt. So many people write it off without taking the chance that it might be a really nice, interesting city. Glad you liked it! Thanks for your trip report. I too, think the choc. museum in Köln is a bit boring.

I know you are now back from your trip but for future reference: You asked about Mainz as a possible destination/overnight stop. I have stayed there before an overnight flight and it is very convenient to the airport (on the S-bahn). I prefer staying there to Frankfurt.

Mainz is also a good day trip from Frankfurt if you are based there. It has a beautiful Romanesque cathedral, the Gutenberg museum, a church with Chagall stained glass windows, a pleasant Altstadt

I also agree with others that Würzburg is a good day trip from Frankfurt.

FUBella, I hope you get a chance to return to Europe soon

Thanks! It was a tough pick to narrow down my day trips and I would still be interesting in seeing Mainz. I have a colleague going out to Frankfurt this spring to finish up our work there, so I will be sure to tell her to make it over to Mainz while she is there!