My husband and I are just starting to plan our trip to lower Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We are flying into Frankfurt instead of Munich because we found flights using the FF miles. We will be renting a car at the airport and want to drive only about 4 hours that first day. Any suggestions on where we should stay that first night? We prefer small towns rather than cities.

Depends where you're going, of course, and for how long. If we were going back to Bavaria, we'd return to Marbach, a small village just outside Lauda-Konigshofen. It's probably less than 10 miles south of the autobahn that goes from Frankfurt thru Wurzburg, and further east. It's about 10 miles north of Bad Mergentheim, which is a very interesting town. We stayed at Zum Lamm, a gasthaus there. The Schilliger family is very hospitable, and Klaus, the father, is an excellent chef (be sure to try the wildschwein). Their website is
http://www.weinbau-schillinger.de/gasthaus.htm
where you can get a vision of the place. Altho the website is only in German, Klaus and his son-in-law, Jurgen, speak English well. You could either e-mail or phone them. Did I mention the food was excellent?
One feature of their location is that, if one arrives with jetlag, they're a nice distance from FRA, and near a lot of interesting Bavarian towns (Rothen-burg is about 45 minutes south, and Wurzburg about 45 min. NE). Jurgen was very helpful in 2003 giving us directions to the Residenz in Wurzburg and other nearby towns of interest.

If the Rhein (and a bit northwards) are not out of your way consider Bacharach, a wine village about 90 minutes away.
It is walkable from end to end in 15 minutes, has gothic chapel remains, several very old half-timbered houses and restaurants, a bit of medieval town wall to walk, a nice riverside promenade/park, and did I mention, wine cafes?
Or go south to Gengenbach on the western edge of Bavaria, and only 45 minutes from the French border and Alsace-Lorraine. Its like Rothenburg for non-American tourists!

In the past we have stayed in the Jagdhotel Rose in Miltenberg (49-9371-400617). It is a charming small hotel, in a delightful old town, with the proverbial castle overlooking it and the Main river. It is about 1 1/2 hrs drive from the FRA airport, east on the A-3 autobahn, to the Stockstadt exit, and then south along the Main. It is on the way to Wertheim (the start of the Romantic Highway), Wuerzburg is 71km, and one of my favorite castle , the water castle Mespelbrunn is less than an hour away, in the hills of the Spessart. One caution though: The hotel doesn not have an elevator.

If you are heading south from Frankfurt, you could stay in any of the following towns:

Rothenburg on the Tauber - on the "Romantic Road" less than 2 hours from Frankfurt

Dinkelsbuhl - a little further south on the RR from Rothenburg

Almost anywhere in the Black Forest. (We will be spending a few days in Gengenbach in May.)

I can highly recommend Bad Wimpfen on the Neckar River about an hour outside Heidelberg (www.badwimpfen.de).

If you could provide more info on your next destination, that would help.

Peg, Just so you know, cars rented at the airport or train station in Germany carry a 19% surtax. If you can rent away from the airport you could save a lot. Contact Bob Bestor at Gemut.com to see what they recommend on rentals for flights into Frankfurt. He will take care of you.

Depending on where I was going next I sould spend the first night in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. You will get the immediate immersion into the Germany you came to see. Be sure to take the nightwatchman's tour before you crash for the night.

After Rothenburg you are on the Romantic Road (Romantic only because of the quaint villages like Rothenburg and Dinkelsbuhl) or you are within easy access of the Autobahn for speedway access to your destination.

Just a word of caution. Some folks can drive the first day after crossing the Atlantic. I can not. It takes me a day to reset the internal clock. I would take a train to Munich, Freiburg or wherever and pickup the rental car the next day.

Good trip in any regards, Gary

Gary, I understand what you are saying. On our first trip back to Europe in 1999, we landed in Frankfurt and had hotel reservations for our first night in Regensburg, about 4 hrs away. By the time we found our hotel (we got lost a bunch of times) we didn't know which end was up!!

Now, we know not to plan to drive more than an hour or hour and a half max on that first day. That's why we have chosen places like Beilstein on the Mosel, Rothenburg and Bad Wimpfen for our first nights stay on our last 3 trips. This year, we are going to Bacharach.

If you want a town that is old and beautiful but not full of tourists (like Rothenburg), consider Bamberg. Its Altstadt is lovely and full of good restaurants.

Thank you for all the suggestions. Leaning towards Rothenburg. I am concerned that it might be too touristy. Any thoughts? Also the next destination is probably Salzburg.

Rothenburg is very nice for one night. It is touristy, but also charming. You will get a better feel for it if you stay the night as the day trippers leave and you are left with a quiet mideival city for the evening. Be sure to go on the nightwatchman's tour.

If you are heading south why not consider the Wurzburg area.

However, I'd stay away from Wurzburg and do a night or 2 in the towns of either Sommerach or Volkach. They are both about 40 minutes by car from Wurzburg.

These are two very small towns along the Main River.

It would be a great place to unwind at very reasonable rates.

I stayed there with my dog for 3 months in 2004. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Didn't see any Americans there the entire 3 months I was there.

Definatly head for Rothenburg. It is an easy drive from Frankfurt airport, and even though it is touristy, it is also so charming and you feel like you have arrived in medievel Europe right off the bat. The Nightwatchman's tour was a highlight..in fact we enjoyed it so much that we are making a point of taking our 13 year old son there this summer. Don't miss the shopping for beautiful Christmas ornaments at Kathe Wolfkart.