Brian

I will be flying into Frankfurt in April but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should spend anytime in the bigger cities. For a first time visitor should Frankfurt or Munich be high on the agenda?

Brian Kilgore

I've had one trip to Germany, skipped Franfurt, and have been told several times since that I did the right thing. <BR> <BR>I did enjoy Cologne, and I did enjoy a trip by boat on the Rhine River, and I did find Dusseldorf, which was my principal location, worth a couple of days. <BR> <BR>BAK

Ben Haines

Fodors <BR> <BR>Dear Mr Johnson, <BR> <BR>As Mr Kilgore says, Frankfurt is not old and beautiful (no fault of theirs -- the Americans and British bombed it to bits). But if you take the trains from the stations at the airport in the other direction you soon reach Mainz, Wiesbaden, Koblenz, and beautiful Rhineland towns in between. Further off, Cologne is attractive and Munich, four hours away by restaurant car train, is more so. Dusseldorf is similar to nFrankfurt, good for business and for evening life, but too bombed and rebuilt for much daytime enjoyment. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Europe. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR>

mast

Hi Brain, <BR> <BR>I just returned from Germany and for big city I think Berlin is the best. To me it is even better than Munich. Forget Frankfurt totally. Berlin will move you. <BR> <BR>mast

Jeff

Brian: I won't disagree with the other posters, but if you are coming in from a distance, like the U.S., I would suggest stretching your legs in Frankfurt. We trained in to Frankfurt from the airport and walked around the older areas of Frankfurt b/f venturing on to Rotherburg. Not the highlight of our trip, but a nice way to stretch our legs b/f hopping on a train or in a car. Took only an hour or so, Just a thought. <BR>

kathi

have flown to munick 3 times rented a car and drove around Germany. for 4 people, it's less expensive than a train pass. Rothenberg, Landshut, Passau, Garmish, Oberaubergaum (sp?), Mittenwald were all wonderful,as were the castles. also heard Heidelburg(sp?) is great...next trip...Been to Munich twice but not high on my list

Russ

You're right if you're thinking that much of what Germany has to offer can be found in its smaller towns, where time is slower and the culture less affected by the outside world, but if you'll be in Germany at least a week or so, you ought to spend at least a couple days in a larger city, I think, and Munich far outshines Frankfurt. The best concentration of interesting smaller towns, history, and culture, in my opinion, is to be found in the Rhine Gorge between Mainz and Koblenz (as suggested by Ben and Brian K.) and the nearby Mosel River Valley, both of which are near Frankfurt to the northwest. If you have ten days, try to spend 3-4 in this region seeing some castles, exploring some wine towns, hiking or biking, if the weather is good, and throw in a day trip to a larger city like Trier or Cologne. Then, spend 3-4 days seeing Munich and nearby places like Dachau and Andechs Monastery, and 2-3 seeing places in outlying Bavaria, such as Berchtesgaden, Garmisch, and Neuwchwanstein Castle near Füssen.

Roger B.

Frankfurt & Munich are 'okay', but the countryside needs to be seen 1st in this country (most of the cities were rebuilt in the last 50 years). You might want to take an express train to Wurzburg after you land & spend the 1st night there (jet lag rest), then rent a car & you're already at the starting point of the Romantic Road. <BR>

Linda

The nice thing about Germany is that it has excellent large and small cities. Of the large cities, Berlin is incredible. The history of the 20th Century is there (as well as an ancient ruin in a museum), culture, nice people, fun & food. Dresden/Meissen is just 2 hours from Berlin. <BR>Munich is nice and as a base to see other smaller cities.

pat

I also support the idea to visit Berlin, it is now under renovations, and there are many important sites and landmarks there, just an hour from Flughafen Frankfurt.

roger

Actually, Germany has very few large cities at all. Frankfurt's population is well under a million, for example, as is Stuttgart's. The greatest interest for the tourist by far lies in the mountains lakes and forests of Germany and the towns and villages they encompass. <BR> <BR>I agree with other posters who recommend Berlin as THE most attractive of the bigger cities, followed by Munich and Cologne. Don't forget Hamburg though, it has quite deal of charm despite the ravages of the war. Downtown Dresden also has been to a large extent restored <BR>to its former glory.

A. Bogner

Hi Brian! <BR>Very interesting question. Well I am german and in my opinion Hamburg is one of the nicest big cities in Germany. It's a shame because Hamburg is always not regarded to be worth a visit although it has so many things to offer. There is an amazing variety of museums, exibitions, night life, shopping possibilities (from cheap Kitsch to luxury goods) and there is also an amazing variety of splendid architecture. For example the "Speicherstadt"- the biggest Warehouse- complex in Europe, fantastic houses from the last century in Eppendorf/Rotherbaum, the beautiful town hall, which has more rooms than Buckingham Palace or the pittoresque Blankenese with lots of beautiful houses. <BR>If you're interested just visit one of Hamburgs travel sites on the Internet and let yourself be surprised. It's great. If you want more information, feel free to email me. <BR>Greetings, Andree

Jeanette

Andree, Hamburg was a wonderful place to visit. I enjoyed every German city to tell you the truth, but remember Hamburg as a beautiful and friendly place. Berlin resembles a modern American city with its expressways and shopping mall, and its night lights. All are worth a visit. <BR>