Frankfurt - and then where?
 

Hello

I want to take this time to thank all of you who helped me last week pick day trips out of Frankfurt. We went to Heildelberg today, 39 euros RT for 2. It was wonderful! The good times had let us to think about spending more time traveling from Frankfurt.

We got quoted a 4 day pass to any and all cities in Germany for 270 euros/coach, 370/first or 5 days for 300euros/coach, 412euros/first for 2 persons. We will be asking for a 9 days quote tomorrow.

We will be back in 2 weeks for 9 days and we are tempted to go around and visit a few cities such as Berlin, Munich and others using Frankfurt as our point of arrival and departure.

We wanted to ask you if you had taken this offer, your experience and also the favor of helping us put together a good number of places to go that will make sense to make the most of this offer. Where would you go, starting at the Franfurt aiport and returning to it 5 days or 9 days later?

Thanks again!

Epaulino

epaulino:

Have you tried Rothenburg? About 3 hrs train ride from Frankfurt.

A 9-day railpass for a stay of 9-days? You're traveling by train every day?

Berlin and Munich are enough to visit in 9 days if you want to see some interesting large cities and experience what they have to offer. I would think a 3-4 day railpass would be enough.

I doubt that railpasses are a very good deal if you just want to see Berlin and Munich. If you travel on a Saturday or Sunday you can both go from Frankfurt to Berlin for 37 euros total on a "Happy Weekend" ticket - a long ride of 8 hours on the slower regional trains. Alternatively, buy point-to-point tickets in advance and pay as little as 29 Euros each for "Dauer-Spezial" tickets (controlled capacity bargain tickets) and get there on the fast trains (about 5 hours.)

So instead of asking how to take advantage of a railpass, I think it is wisest to first figure out where you want to go and how much time to spend. Then figure the best way to get there.

There are of course many, many good places to go right near Frankfurt that would cost much less to visit. You've seen Heidelberg, but what about Cologne, Trier, Würzburg, Rothenburg? Check into these places too before you launch a far-flung rail adventure that involves too much time inside a train and too little time seeing Germany.

Paulinho, you say "... visit a few cities such as Berlin, Munich and others using Frankfurt as our point of arrival and departure." All that in 9 days? No way.

Don't let your Heidelberg experience mislead you. Berlin and Munich make Heidelberg look like a little village.

If you visit Berlin and Munich both in 9 days you have already not been doing each of these big cities justice - they each have lots to offer, and much more in their nearby surroundings.

Pick one and make the most of it. For example Munich, with many towns to visit between Frankfurt and Munich, on the way there or back - Würzburg, Rothenburg (a side trip, not on the big train line), Nürnberg, and many more. Then Munich itself, and the region - Füssen, Neuschwanstein, and on and on, even Salzburg for a day trip if you get up early and come back late.

Nine days will go like that, and the big expensive rail pass will not pay for itself.

Or pick Berlin - what a city! Spread out, too, and with lots more targets in the region!

Just wondering - why fly into Frankfurt if it is not where you will be doing your sightseeing?

I think I would use the Länder tickets before buying one of those expensive 4 day passes. For example, take an S-bahn to Mainz, tour the city for the day or stay overnight, then buy a Rhineland Pfalz Länder ticket for 27€. Or go the other direction, go to Aschaffenburg, tour around and then buy a Bavaria ticket for 27 €. This will save you a ton of money! Also, there is not a good reason to go first class in the trains usually, so why pay the extra money?

I too, would pick either North or South to go. 9 days isn't really enough time to do both. Berlin is a 4 hour trip from FF. Munich about 3.5 from FF.

Did you tour Frankfurt yet? There is a nice walking tour there, called "Frankfurt on Foot", with native English speakers, that goes every day from the Römer at 10:30. For 12 €, you can't go wrong with that!