annetti

We will be in Frankfurt for 5 weeks beginning late June 2005. Suggestions are needed for favorite museums, restaurants, places to visit in the city and day trips. Opinions please on places/restaurants you liked and places that we can avoid. Are there parts of Frankfurt that are dangerous during the day or night and should be avoided? Is there a museum pass available? Any hints for inexpensive dining will be appreciated, other than the usual supermarket suggestions? I don't think we'll be doing too much upscale dining if the dollar's value continues to decline or even stays where it is now. Thanks everyone.

platzman

If you will be in Frankfurt that long, I recommend a German rail pass for taking lots of daytrips. Within a few hours of Frankfurt, you can find Wurzburg, Nuremburg, Regensburg, Heidelberg, Rothenberg, Freiburg, Rhine and Mosel river valleys, Mainz, Koblenz, Trier, Bonn, Cologne, Marburg.
I hate to be blunt, but Frankfurt is not exactly the most interesting city in Europe. There is a small old town area on the same side of the Main river as downtown. And across the Main from downtown is nice.

compac1882

Frankfurt for 5 weeks....

<b> Lots to do Spend a few days in Mainz (Short train ride ~45min),

See the Roman Museum also a Viking ship restored (found buried in the mud a few ~20 years ago, walk their pedestrian shopping area, Find
&quot;Marc Chagall's&quot; only Stained glass windows in Germany (might be in St. Stephen church.) Its in a church up from the city center,

Also a must the main Dom, city's gothic Cathedral w/ crypt. The Guttenberg museum. Which is near by.

Their river walk area is nice lots of events near,

A good starting place for your Rhein- Main river boat ride on the K-D line....

Frk zoo is fun for all ages.
How about 5 weeks is not enough </b>

annetti

Thanks for the more positive suggestions that Fkt is worth spending time visiting. I was a little depressed after reading the first reader's comments. I can't help, but think that a city with all that history, museums, etc. might not be that interesting. Is there a museum card one can buy like in The Netherlands? Anyone know?

Marilyn

annetti, I think you'll find lots to do, especially if you include day trips outside the city. And staying somewhere for 5 weeks is a really different experience than being a tourist for a few days or even a week.

In fact, I have a feeling that Frankfurt is the sort of place that will be more enjoyable for 5 weeks than it would for 5 days. You will have the opportunity to attend events and seek out some of the smaller attractions that you might not bother with as a tourist.

Having said that, however, I think you already know that this is not like spending 5 weeks in Paris, London, or Rome.

kmchick

There's a 2 day city pass that gets a discount at most museums, but I don't think there's an admissions pass.

There's great shopping in one of the new neighborhoods (can't remember the name), I could spend days shopping there.

annetti

Marilyn: you are right that having an extended time in a city to explore it makes a great deal of difference. We spent 5 weeks in Lyon last summer. After 3 days my husband was ready to leave, but at the end of the 5 wks, he loved it and declared it our best trip ever. This proves to me that three days often does not penetrate what a city can offer. If all you see the first three days in a place is a surly waiter, or have trouble parking your car, get lost, have bad weather, or are recovering from jet lag, whatever, it just is not fair to the place you are seeing for the first time. Unfortunately, most people seldom have enough time to really explore a town and see what it offers. We know we are lucky; we'll have 5 weeks to explore Frankfurt and the surrounding areas. Thank you Compac1882, too.

ekim

I think most travelers would agree that Frankfurt is not one of the top tourist cities in Germany. The good news is that it is a pleasant place to stay, has good restaurants, and it a great town to use as a base for exploring other parts of Germany.

Take a look at our Destination Guide for Germany on www.ThereArePlaces.com for a quick review of the &quot;Best Places to Visit in Germany&quot;. Then, buy a good quality guidebook to research more details on the attractions of interest.

By the way, the area to the east of the Train Station in Frankfurt is one that you should avoid (drugs and prostitution). Some of its residents overflow into the train station but the German Police are always present at the train station.

I hope you have a great time and take adavantage of being so close to many of Germany's major tourist areas.

Ekim
www.ThereArePlaces.com

annetti

thanks Ekim. Anyone have any restaurant suggestions? Some vegetarian choices would be nice.

Marilyn

I'm afraid I can't give you specific names, but I can tell you that German food is probably my least favorite cuisine in Europe, and when I spent my 5 day stints in Frankfurt I managed to avoid it entirely. There are lots of excellent Italian, Thai, and Chinese restaurants, many of them in local neighborhoods. The Italian food tended to be more like Italian food in Italy than like Italian food in America, if you know what I mean.

I actually had a great time shopping for Italian shoes. There were huge sales in early February and I got some wonderful buys.

And the hate-it-after-3-days, love-it-after-10-days scenario happened to us many years ago, annetti, and we've always remembered the experience.

annetti

Thanks, Marilyn. I continue to feel heartened by the letters. I don't expect Frankfurt to be Berlin, but Ekim's assessment that it is a &quot;pleasant place to stay&quot; is just what I want to hear. These so-called pleasant places to stay have a lot to recommend them. They are generally less crowded and the service sector is usually not jaded by the tourist. Berlin would have been nice, but our options did not include it, so we're very happy now that Frankfurt is our German &quot;vacation spot.&quot; Question on side trips? How far is Prague by train (or is auto better?); same questions for Budapest and Berlin. Thanks.

Marilyn

Someone else will have to steer you to a website (I'm sure there is one) for train times between Frankfurt and other major cities. I've always flown to Berlin as my time was limited. I do know that Frankfurt is one of the major rail centers of Europe, so you should find that convenient for weekends away and day trips. Have a wonderful time!

cmeyer54

I might also add taking a day trip to heidelberg, a cruise on the Neckar River, down to Baden Baden and the wine road. You could also make it to Strasbourg in about 2 hours on the autobahn. We usually base in Heidelberg after flying into FRA. The castle in Heidelberg is quite beautiful, the cruise leaves every half hour or so and you can get on and off to explore little villages along the way. Baden Baden is wonderful - on weekends, they have outdoor concerts near the casino, the bergbahn is fun to take to the top of the mountain and watch the parasailers. It reminded me of Vail - but its authentic!

traveldawg

I first flew into Frankfurt in May 1970 as a member of the US Army. I have since flown into Germany and Europe over 30 times. I have never been to downtown Frnakfurt or read anything to get me to go there. I will be interested to see your 5 week report.

Having said that: You are going to be very close to some great day trips. We always spend the last night in HEIDELBERG before flying out of Frankfurt. It is a fun city to visit and close to the airport. Visit the castle or old town.

ROTHENBURG is another good visit. You must spend the night here to really enjoy the town. Do the nightwatchmans tour...8pm from city square in English.

RHINE RIVER/MOSEL RIVER: Get a car and spend some time on both rivers. Do the short boat cruises where you can get on and off. Beautiful area. Good wine!

Check for &quot;free&quot; days in German museums. Should be one day that is free to all.

Peteralan

The botanical gardens ( palm gardens?)in Frankfurt are very good. It will give you a nice relaxed day in the midst of all your day tripping!

compac1882

Hi again, I'd 2nd The remarks about
&quot; I might also add taking a day trip to Heidelberg, a cruise on the Neckar River, down to Baden Baden and the wine road. You could also make it to Strasbourg in about 2 hours on the autobahn&quot;

Also a car ride to the Lorelei, Some one please help me w/ the spelling. Its a turn in the Rhine that was narrow and dangerous for ships.

A &quot;maiden&quot; would cause ship wrecks,
&lt;bold&gt; How far is Prague by train (or is auto better?); <b>
I'd vote train. We did a over night train from the area to Prague Left Mainz late ~ 11pm arrive early in Morn ~7 ish. Had an ok night w/ a sleeper cabin.

Remember when looking for connections to Prague it may be spelled diff something like Prahaa

Great city but watch the pic-pockets in the subway. But that's another thread... </b>

BTilke

Baden-Baden is also a nice day trip (or week-end) option...go and soak in the spa, enjoy a concert in the park outside the elegant casino, dine in any of several good restaurants, indulge your sweet tooth at one of the cafes, do some shopping, etc. Easily reached by train from Frankfurt. FYI, the train station is actually in Baden-Oos, so you have to get to town either by taxi (about 7 to 10 euros, as I recall) or by bus (very simple, cheap and about a 10-minute ride).
Marilyn, I have to disagree with you about the food. We spent 6 months living near German relatives (in the Ruhr valley) and found German food quite delicious. It wasn't all fried or fatty pork and potatoes. We ate a lot of salads, lightly grilled seafood, EXCELLENT breads (one of our favorite memories was going down to the Schmiedler bakery every morning for our &quot;mohn brotchen&quot; and pretzel croissants and chatting with the other customers while enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread), and other very healthy, tasty, well-balanced meals. And the pastries were oustanding. There was one pastry shop that served the most delicious cakes we've ever had anywhere (and that includes Paris, rural France, Belgium, and Vienna!).

cmeyer54

another option would be to take the train to Amsterdam; tour the Anne Frank museum, dutch national museum (with all the Dutch Master's paintings), VanGogh museum, bike along the canals with a tour group to a brewery, windmill, wooden shoe factory, cheese factory, etc. take a ride on the canals. Again - it would be a long day trip or a good weekender.

Marilyn

Hi BTilke! Please note I didn't say the food was &quot;bad,&quot; just that it's not to my taste. There may be wonderful grilled seafood, salads, etc, but you have to admit that is not the standard fare in most restaurants, or what German cuisine is known for.

Since annetti was asking about vegetarian options, I thought she'd be happy to know that there is plenty of pasta and pad thai available.

annetti

Some very nice suggestions for day/or longer trips. Thank you