My husband has a conference in Frankfurt starting November 5 and we thought we'd fly 3-4 days early to sightsee. We're open to flying into one city, driving or taking train then flying out of Frankfurt. He'd like to visit a castle or two and we'd both prefer to visit small towns and be in a rural/nature setting rather than city sights on this trip. First off, is November 1-5 too late to have decent weather for country drives? Secondly, what castles are reasonably near Frankfurt (by train or car rental) that are picturesque and well-preserved? (He's been to Wurzburg castle). I'm a little reluctant to commit to traveling with hubby because of uncertainty of having good weather and given recent foot surgery, don't want to risk slipping on icy or snowy conditions. Thank you!

>>> we thought we'd fly 3-4 days early to sightsee.
>>> what castles are reasonably near Frankfurt (by train or car rental) that are picturesque and well-preserved?
When you can be in Germany 3-4 days before you need to be in Frankfurt, you can trivially land anywhere in Germany, spend time anywhere, then take ICE trains to Frankfurt from practically anywhere Germany in half a day. Do you still need to constrain your visit to near Frankfurt?
What type of "castles" are you interested in? There are Burg/Festung type, the fortress kind, all along the Rhine River Valley in various state of ruins and restorations. There are also Schloss/Residenz type, the palace kind often found in Bavaria.

>>> I'm a little reluctant to commit to traveling with hubby because of uncertainty of having good weather and given recent foot surgery, don't want to risk slipping on icy or snowy conditions.
You might encounter evening to early morning snow or icy conditions at higher altitude locations. The issue in your case is probably not the weather you are concerned with. If you visit Burg-type of castles not restored to the current accessibility standards, such as Rheinfels, Marksburg, etc, the paths are often uneven and the stairs can be very steep. The Schloss-type of castles are meant for the royals and are much easier to walk around with sure footing once you get inside these palaces. However except for in-city palaces such as Würzburg Residenz, Residenz München, Schloss Nymphenburg, most castles are built for the defense and are necessarily located in hard to get to places, meaning you can't get to the doors by car. Even the Schloss-type castles such as Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee, etc, there is a quite a trek from the point you can park any kind of car to the palace entrances.

Thanks for quick reply, Greg. We're not limited to Frankfurt and can fly into one city and out another (more expensive) OR fly in & out of FRA and take ICE though prefer it be no more than 3 hours away by train given our limited time. Lichtenstein Castle has captured his imagination, so something like it, or Burg Eltz (I realize they're two different directions, but to give you an idea), so I guess fortress-like and medieval. Also by then maybe I can handle walking a half-mile one way and still be able to walk around the castle. I may even be able to do 1-2 miles in 6 weeks, but just don't want to have to hike 2-3 miles one way. Given that, which castles would you recommend?

Potentially, I can also fly in/out of Munich to sightsee then he can continue onto Frankfurt for his conference. That opens up another city and its environs. Is that a better option than Frankfurt?

What's weather like in these cities in early November? The talk of rain/fog/early snow made me think twice but maybe it's not as bad as travel guides say. I don't mind cold, just wind or wet & drizzly.

Cochem is not far from Burg Eltz. Very scenic area. I have been in late November and the weather was ok, Just cold, no snow. You could go to Nuremberg also.

An easy and popular option would be to fly in and out of Frankfurt and just see the middle Rhine Valley. It is close to Frankfurt and with limited time would be most bang for your buck. Many, many fortress-type castles, captivating towns on the Rhine and quite a few good cities to visit in the area (Mainz, Wiesbaden, Limburg, Idstein, Büdingen ...). And Schlösser (palaces) - there is a good example of one in Frankfurt-Höchst, or you could even stay in one: Schlosshotel Kronberg, in the small township of Kronberg im Taunus close to Frankfurt. Close enough for DH to commute in to his conference.

Lavandula

Oh, and weather - sometimes you can get an early snowfall at the beginning of November but it doesn't stay. It will be cold, but probably no black ice on the roads. However, winter tyres are mandatory. Think temperatures of about 4 degrees celsius during the day. The Rhine Valley is not as cold as other parts of Germany. Wiesbaden has thermal springs. There are pictures of when the Rhine was frozen over at Wiesbaden-Biebrich in the 19th century, but nowadays the climate is too warm for that.

Lavandula

I also just saw you are looking for country drives - the hinterland of the Rhine is ideal for that, but you picked a bad time of year to do countryside (most vegetation being dead, and past the autumn glory). You could explore the towns in the Taunus, which is just to the north / north-west of Frankfurt. A car would be a good thing.

Lavandula

I have been to Frankfurt with hubby several times; the longest and with most day trips and most time in Frankfurt I recount here in this trip report Daytripping for Two Weeks (or more?) in the Frankfurt Area

Definitely check out Frankfurt on Foot tours--best way to get an overview and quick walking tour of Frankfurt--IF foot up to it

Definitely a car to explore Rhine and/or Mosel River valleys with castles galore--Berg Eltz and Marksburg are my 2 faves, but---IF foot is up to it

My fave city in Germany is Trier for its history and such--definitely need a car

My experience with trains in Germany is almost all positive--but a car will cut down on walking

Thanks for the tips, Lavandula, Macross and TexasBookworm. We decided to fly in to Munich instead, and have Thurs-Sun, 4 full days then I'll fly back to US while he continues onto Frankfurt on Monday. The airfare was cheaper to Munich. So, the plan is:

Thursday -- arrive 9 am, check in lugguage at hotel then walking tour of Munich, explore the city
Friday -- take Bayern train to Neuschwanstein Castle & see Hohenschwangau too, then return by train, unless there's more to see in Fussen.
Saturday -- train to Salzburg? Or is this trying to do too much in one day and too ambitious for a 4-day visit. Open to other ideas
Sunday -- Dachau concentration camp then return to Munich and just chill
Monday -- return flight at 11 am

Feedback anyone? Do we need a car given our itinerary or can we get by taking the train to these sites? My plan is to stay near the central places to visit in Munich to minimize my walking distance. What areas (or hotels) do you recommend we base ourselves for walking distance to most city sights & restaurants? Since we spend so little time at hotels, I'm fine with budget or mid-range hotels and B&Bs as long as it's meticulously clean (which I'd expect, it being Germany!)

Any not-to-be-missed sights in Munich? On our list currently:
Marienplatz, Haufbrauhaus, English Garden...but non these of these will take more than a day to enjoy, right? Also, if the weather is wet/very windy, what indoor activities or places to visit would you recommend?

Thank you in advance for all your helpful tips!

Instead of Salzburg and assuming you have a good weather day, you might consider taking the train from Munich to Garmisch, and going up to the Zugspitz.

No, you don't need a car. All easy to access via train/bus.

Staying near Marienplatz or the Hauptbahnhof is ideal for a short visit. We tend to stay in Munich Ost, from where it's easy to get anywhere via train, but for my upcoming shorter visit I've chosen hotels near Marienplatz and the Hauptbahnhof as they're walking distance to just about everything we want to see. Munich is well served by public transport and easy to navigate.

Love your trip report, TXbookworm! I'm saving it as reference on a future trip. Hubby rotates between Madrid, Paris & Frankfurt on his annual fall conferences so next time we're in Germany, I think I'll follow your travel path! Appreciate all the details -- so useful! Might have to stalk your page for other trip reports, haha ;-)

A few things that might interest you, taken from my own personal list of things I want to show my niece on our trip in December -

Observation deck - Rathausturm - views over Munich from the tower of the Neues Rathaus.

St. Peter’s Church, Peterskirche behind Marienplatz, the oldest parish church in Munich. Its tower, which the people of Munich call Peter, is one of the best viewpoints in the city and at the same time houses the oldest bells and clocks in Munich. On a clear day, you can see the Alps.

Frauenkirche - Munich Dom (Cathedral to Our Lady)

Viktualienmarkt

Englischer Garten - surfers - the waves on the Eisbach River at the entrance to the Englischer Garten attract surfers and onlookers from around the world. The spot is famous throughout the world for being the largest, best and most consistent city center location for river surfing. People have been surfing here for 40 years.

The late Baroque Asam Church (located on Sendlingerstraße just a few minutes’ walk away from the Sendlinger Tor (Sendling Gate) - one of Munich’s most ornate churches.

Great suggestion on Garmisch, Melnq8! I wouldn't have known about this place, but it's exactly the kind of Bavarian small mountain town experience that could make our trip especially memorable. I almost wish we weren't going so late in the year...here's hoping for decent weather. Thanks for the Munich suggestions too. Oh my, I do need to bone up on how to read & pronounce German...all those multiple consonants & vowels strung together in new ways injects spelling bee fear spasms into my brain!

The Zugspitz is a good option year round. All you need is a clear day to take in those glorious views from the top. We're hoping for a good weather day to do it in December.

More info here:

https://zugspitze.de/en/winter/mountain/zugspitze

If you plan well, you might also be able to incorporate the small town of Mittenwald, although with short days, it could well be a challenge.

Travel--glad to be of any help. "Stalk" away--I have trip reports which include more about Germany (a springtime week and a Christmas market week from Frankfurt), Germany-Belgium in November, Madrid, Spain (Barcelona and Terragona mostly), and a couple which include Paris as part of student-leading tours (plus several in the UK and Ireland and a couple in Rome). Not bragging--just saying maybe some of them could be helpful.

I've been to Munich twice but once long ago and once on a short day with students, so I don't have much to add--except definitely Dachau. Zugspitz definitely good suggestion--even in not-great weather if go with right attitude (we had a little snow and fog on July 1!).

About Neuschwanstein--loved it in late 1980's, even though surprised at how few rooms actually saw. Hated it a few years ago--what crowds! what unfriendly, robotic guides! what truncated looks at the rooms! what a hassle with timing and tickets! This was in June; November may be different. So...if you decide to go, just be forewarned that it may disappoint; it's lovely from a distance, but we saw very little inside.

About Neuschwanstein--loved it in late 1980's, even though surprised at how few rooms actually saw. Hated it a few years ago--what crowds!

I feel the same way - I've been there 3-4 times - first visits were great, but the most recent visit (December 2017) was awful. Painfully busy, rushed, and a waste of a day (we visited from Munich - long day).