Hi, I'll be flying into Franfurt next week and definetly want to see some castles and some of the wonderful German countryside I've heard of. I only have two days though, any advice?

Are you planning two day trips (back to Frankfurt each night?) You could do both if that's your plan, it's very doable. OR you could stay over night in HD and do a short cruise on the Neckar - the river that runs through HD.

Thanks for the reply sam, Yeah, I considered returning to Frankfurt for both nights as I found a really great deal on a hotel. I wouldn't mind staying in an inn or BNB in HD or somewhere along the Rhine, Karlsruhe maybe? I think taking the rail is best, or would renting a car be mor economical?

Ordinary train ticket from Frankfurt airport to Heidelberg costs between 13.50 and 22 euros depending on route (via Frankfurt or Mannheim) and type of train. <BR><BR>There are many villages and castles along Neckar. Take a boat or local train from Heidelberg.<BR><BR>It is also easy to take a daytrip from Frankfurt to the more famous Rhine Valley.

Thanks for the info, I'll definetly look into those plans, thanks again.

If you hope to do both H'berg and the Rhine and aren't going to do anything in Frankfurt, I'd suggest basing yourself on the Rhine, maybe in Mainz; Frankfurt is a number of miles east of Frankfurt airport, and your real destinations are miles to the west. Mainz is very nice, but larger than the quaint little Rhine towns you might have in mind and doesn't have much in the way of private B&B's, but it's central to your destinations; the budget options include the Hotel Ibis (2 blocks from the Mainz S&uuml;d station, very handy location) and the Hotel Stadt Coblenz (closer to the middle of town, a bit further to the station.)<BR><BR>But honestly, if in two days you hope to really see some castles and scenery, and maybe cruise down the river, you'd do well to drop Heidelberg altogether. If you don't have to leave at the crack of dawn on Day 3, head instead to one of the small towns on the Middle Rhine and get a B&B for a couple of nights. Boppard, St. Goar, Oberwesel, and Bacharach are all very attractive towns on the west bank of the river. All have train stations and boat docks, and in St. Goar (where 3 castles are visible from the riverbank) there's a ferry across the river that will help you get to Marksburg castle in Braubach (train north along the east bank) - a real medieval castle that, unlike the other Rhine castles along the river, was never destroyed. Tour tickets are cheap.<BR>www.roadstoruins.com/marksburg.htm<BR><BR>Heidelberg is, well, okay if you have extra time. But it's a bigger town that's fairly heavy with traffic and<BR>not especially convenient for those travelling by train and getting around/sightseeing on foot without the use of buses and taxis.<BR><BR>I stayed in a very nice B&B in Oberwesel this April that ran about $35 double - a bit of a walk from the staion. I'll look up the address for you if you're interested.

The day pass (valid from 9 am) for Rheinland-Pfalz is a good idea. You can use it from Mainz along the west/left side of the Rhine. Mosel is also covered, all the way up to the borders of Luxembourg and France (www.bahn.de, click on Int. guests and Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket).<BR><BR>The Sch&ouml;nes Wochenende/Happy Weekend Ticket is not limited to the Bundesland.<BR><BR>Both tickets are only valid for the local trains RB, RE, IRE, SE and S-Bahn.

The Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket also covers the east/right side of the Rhine, north of Kaub.<BR><BR>Pfalz, the white castle on a sandbank in the middle of the river, is just outside Kaub. There is a car ferry there, but no train station on the west side.<BR><BR>My favorite viewpoint in the valley is on top of the hill over St Goarshausen. Walk up the path thru the vineyard. Great view down to Burg Katz.

Thanks for all the great info guys! I really learning a lot. I'm trying to maximize my time there and this is certainly helpful. Thanks again!