Last night in Germany will be spent in Frankfurt. Never having been there, I am curious for hotel recommendations that are both convenient to the Christmas market area as well as the S-Bahn so we can easily get to the airport in the morning. Our flight leaves around 1030

Thanks
Geep

Mainz is great - it's easy to get around on foot, unlike Frankfurt - and just 24 minutes by S-Bahn to FRA from the Mainz Römisches Theater train station, at the south end of town; the Ibis Hotel is 1 block from the station. It's just a few blocks north from the hotel to the old town area, just beyond which the Christmas Market is located.

The above station is so named for the Roman Theater that is being unearthed there at the rear platform.

There is also a cluster of hotels around the main Mainz station (Mainz Hbf) but the station is a bit further removed from the old town and market. It's a good area to stay if you want something more than the Ibis, and of course you can get to FRA from the Hbf station too - it's just one stop further away.

Honestly Russ, have you spent any time at all in Frankfurt? Do you know anything at all about the history here or where anything is? Why do you keep telling people that Frankfurt isn't easy to walk around in, when in fact it is really easy to walk here?

Frankfurt is a beautiful, historic, wonderful city. I keep running into people (couples and families) who were actually disapointed that they were not staying here, because when they have posted that they wanted to come to Frankfurt, they were told on Fodors and TA that they should stay in Mainz instead. Don't get me wrong here, I like Mainz a lot and think it is well worth seeing, but there is ten times as much stuff to see in Frankfurt. I simply do not understand why people are "warned" away from here.

Frankfurt city center is 11 min. away by S-bahn from the airport. The Christmas Market is about a 15 min. walk from the Main train tation - Hauptbahnhof. If you tell me your budget, I wil be happy to recommend some hotels.

Geeper and M'girl: Yes, I used to live in Mainz and spent a good bit of time in Frankfurt. Here's why I suggest Mainz. Frankfurt is much larger and has a lot to see, just as you say, M'girl - a better "destination" than Mainz, probably. But for the few hours that Geep is going to spend there, Mainz is more compact, easier to get around in without using public transport, and more interesting, in my subjective opinion, for foreign visitors with limited time who are just looking for a pleasant place to spend a final night in Germany.

If you think Frankfurt is a better place for the poster's needs, M'girl, I hope you'll feel free to make your case and that you'll be able to do so without catching any grief for it.

It has been so many years since I spent any real time in Germany, I can't make a rec, but check out this web site for info on Frankfurt's Christmas market.
http://www.hickerphoto.com/christmas...7-pictures.htm

Mainhattengirl, when I lived in Frankfurt, the Christmas market in the Romerplatz was great. Musicians seated on the roof of the church gave concerts at night and it was magical. Do they still do that? If so, and the op could be there for that, it would be lovely. I have to agree with you. Every few years, I do get to Frankfurt for a day or so, and find it a very easy city to walk in, even now. Haven't been to Mainz in years and years, so no comment on that.

I do remember the wonderful gingerbread-like cookies on ribbons that my kiddies wore around their necks and chewed on while we shopped. Time goes so fast. Do they still make those?

I was going to say the Frankfurt christmas market at the Romerplatz should not be missed if you're going to Frankfurt. The entire old town center is a fun, festive marketplace reeking of roasted chestnuts, gluehwein and gingerbread. You'll enjoy the entire historic square and surroundings. I was told that it was one of the oldest and largest christmas market in Germany. They always have an impressive tall christmas tree (over 100 feet tall) in the center of the christmas market. Just a block south of the square is the Main riverbank where you can cross Eisener bridge towards the museum row (the famous Staedel & numerous other museums) and the Schaumainkai flea market.

I've stayed a few times at the 4 star NH Frankfurt City hotel (dutch/spanish business chain hotel) on Vibelerstrasse.
http://tinyurl.com/yasp8f5
It's very close to the Konstablerwache S bahn station which is only an 11 minute ride from the airport. We like staying there because it's close to the pedestrian Fressgasse(food lane) and Zeil shopping boulevard, but we don't mind tracking our way down to the Roemerplatz. Alternatively you can consider the Sheraton which is even closer to the Konstablerwache S bahn or the Hilton further west (close to the Hauptwache S bahn and 2 U bahn stations). The Zeil shopping boulevard connects the Konstablerwache flea market square to the more upscale Hauptwache lively area. We also enjoy our stays at the Frankfurt Steigenberger Hof and Intercontinental but I think they are even further away from the Roemer. I can't think of any hotel inside the Roemerplatz area itself but downtown Frankfurt is really not that big to walk and we enjoy riding the street trams (more than the underground) once we're inside Frankfurt.

Here is a schedule of events going on at the Frankfurt Christmas market. The brass band playing from the gallery of the Alte Nikolai is great! This Sat. is also the Pealing of the Bells at 16:30. If anyone is going to be town this weekend, there is a also a Swedish Christmas market at the Swedish church. It is a lot of fun and I go there every year. The neighborhood of Hoechst also has one this weekend next to the Justinus church (built in 850) and the Schloss grounds. The weekend after that there is a Medieval Christmas market in Offenbach.

What is really cool is to go to the observation deck of the Main Tower at night. I was up there last night and the lights of the city are fantastic! Once you are up there, it is amazing how many parks are in the city. I like seeing the river too.

Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 21:00 hours
Sunday 11:00 – 21:00 hours

47 Bell Carillon of the Alte Nikolai Church
Daily at 9:05, 12:05 & 17:05

The Tower Horns - Balcony of the Alte Nikolai Church
Wed. and Sat. at 18:00

Visit by Santa Claus
Sun., 6 Dec. at 17:30, Roemerberg stage

Advent concerts - "International Christmas"
Every Fri, Sat, & Sun at 17:10., Roemerberg stage
Various Franfurt artists
Paulskirche 27 Nov..to 22 Dec. daily 11.00 - 20.00
Roemerhalls 4- 22 Dec. daily 11.00 - 20.00

"Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!"
Advent and Christmas songs Liebfrauen Church
Daily from 28.11.-19.12., 19:30

Take a ride on an historical steam train
Sat. 5 & 12 Dec. 13:00 - 17:00, Eiserner Steg bridge
Sun. 6 & 13 Dec. 10:45 - 17:00, Eiserner Steg bridge

I should add Mainz is also a good choice, it's just that both the Roemisches Theater S bahn stop & the Hauptbahnhof S bahn stop are far from downtown where the christmas market is and some of the streets are not well lit at night. So even though Mainz is a smaller town, you'll end up walking further than you'd expect and passing some darker streets at night especially walking towards the Roemisches Theater area. My favorite hotel in Mainz is the Hyatt which is somewhat between downtown and the Roemisches theater. The Mainz Hauptbahnhof area maybe a more lively area to stay but I've never stayed there.

If you go to Frankfurt: there are many hotels around the main railway station from where you can get to the airport. If you look at www.hrs.de the distance to the railway station is given (but click on the map to make sure that it's the main railway station).

The area hasn't got a very good reputation since you're within one minute in the red-light district of Frankfurt. But I have often stayed there for the convenience of being able to just walk to the railway station without needing to plan ahead (the connections to the airport are very frequent) and you can also easily walk to the city centre for dinner or sight-seeing. During the day you're together with thousands of bankers and other business people on the way to or from work and I never felt threatened there even in late night. I'd just recommend no to go for an extreme bargain hotel in the area.

Neither Frankfurt nor Mainz would be my first choice for a Christmas market visit, but in case the OP opts for Frankfurt.

A few weeks ago we stayed at the newly renovated Hotel Victoria near Frankfurt's main train station (my traveling companion was flying back to the U.S. the next day). The hotel was very comfortable and the staff friendly and efficient. We paid 79 euro for a double, including breakfast. We felt perfectly fine walking around at night. And it was very convenient for getting to the airport.
http://www.victoriahotel.de/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...urt_Hesse.html

"the Roemisches Theater S bahn stop & the Hauptbahnhof S bahn stop are far from downtown where the christmas market is and some of the streets are not well lit at night. So even though Mainz is a smaller town, you'll end up walking further than you'd expect and passing some darker streets at night especially walking towards the Roemisches Theater area."

The Christmas Market is held right in front of the Dom on the Marktplatz, the most prominent pedestrian square in Mainz. It's indeed a little tricky to find your way there through Mainz's tangle of streets if you start at the main station. But from the MRT station or the Ibis, it's pretty much a straight shot up Neutorstrasse, which after a couple of blocks turns into Augustinerstrasse, the main street through the attractive Old Town area which houses many pre-war buildings, the street along which most of the evening action is centered. The Christmas market lies right at the end of Augustinerstrasse, basically. I've walked between the MRT station and the Dom many times and it is not brightly lit but never considered it too dark or unsafe for evening walks.

<<The area hasn't got a very good reputation since you're within one minute in the red-light district of Frankfurt. But I have often stayed there for the convenience of being able to just walk to the railway station>>

For that reason I wouldn't recommend the Hauptbahnhof area where I actually stayed last week. It's too far from everything else (except for the dumpy sex shops which dotted the area) and it didn't save me that much time between the Hauptbahnhof (11 minute ride), the Hauptwache (15 min ride) and the Konstablerwache (17 min ride on S bahn). The extra 4-6 minute ride on the S bahn is really worth it. The area around the Hauptbahnhof is neither attractive nor enjoyable, plus it's really too far to get to the Roemer christmas market.

I do it because of the luggage. If I arrive by train, I can drop off the luggage at the hotel without needing to switch to public transport. In the morning, I can just walk to the train station and there's something bound to go to the airport soon.

In the evening, you can take a tram from the station to the Roemer, it just takes the few minutes and they're frequent. Or walk 15 minutes.

Passerine, thanks for the hotel recommendation. I will check it out. We will be at multiple other Christmas markets during the week before. Frankfurt is our egress point, so we need to be somewhere close our last night for our flight home.

BTW, our return flight is 9th December, so mid week.

I'm looking at the Marriott via Priceline, but would consider other places more convenient to both Romerplatz and an S-bahn connection to the airport. Would like to stay under 120E double.

Geeper, FWIW, the hotel will also arrange a car service straight to the departure terminal.

Although it was an easy 5 minute walk to the Frankfurt hbf, we opted for the car service because my traveling companion has some mobility issues. The car service charge was 20 euro, as I recall. The car was a late model Mercedes, clean and comfortable. So for 100 euro, we had a nice room, a good breakfast and door to door transportation.

Try these hotels:
http://www.alexanderamzoo.de/en/home/

http://www.hotel-am-berg-ffm.de/

http://www.hotel-goelz.de/Rooms/rooms.html

http://www.arthotel-frankfurt.de/das_hotel.htm

Oh Mainhatten girl, the "Am Berg" looks really different! Do you think it's possible to walk to the Aldstadt there? Pedestrian bridge? Apple wine bars?

Yes, this B&B is actually on the Sachsenhausen side of the river and the river itself is about a 5-10 min. walk away. The Applewine pub district is also nearby, and the Alt Stadt is across the river. I recommended this hotel to someone else on another forum and they wrote back that they quite enjoyed it. It sits up high, so you would probably get a good view of the city at night.