looking for a cute little german town for an overnight stop. will be travelling back from Wolfsburg to Backnang by train. a town about halfway or it doesn't really matter. nice welcoming hotel that has excellent meal very homely.
looking at the map had thought
weinhm
hanau
hammelburg or
gottingen or kassel but these aren't very small. the train has to be accessible for return to backnang next day. thanks looking forward to what you suggest

after I posted this I googled Hanau thinking it was a small town 91,000! towns are so big in Germany we live in a town of 3000 100km from Adelaide. we think our town is getting a bit big now!! interesting to see what you all think. thanks

Hanau????? About the ugliest town in Germany I know, and I lived there for one year.

Let me suggest Marburg. You'll have to change trains in Kassel to get there, but it is on a major train route. A cute and romantic old university town. More here: http://www.marburg.de/detail/24679

quokka thanks I like what I see might just be the go Marburg. if the train from Wolfsburg stops in Kassel we obviously get off and catch another train to Marburg? would we have to wait long for a train? thanks

I second the choice for Marburg, but I'm a bit biased having lived there for 2+ years. (Not currently; now I'm in NJ.) Also, it's not a small town (55,000 people in the city center). There's at least one train/hour between Kassel and Marburg. Some routes from Wolfsburg have 2 changes, one in Hannover and one in Kassel, but you can check for specific schedules at http://www.bahn.de. Ideally, you want the IC or RE train as the RB (local) is much slower as it stops at every stop.

Enjoy your trip,
Paul

Paul thanks great info. how long would the journey take from Wolfsburg to Kassel and then Kassel to Marburg (approx is fine). we might only end up leaving Wolfsburg around 5pm is that too late for the trains?

Marburg is nice but off your path a ways. I'd do Göttingen on your main route, or maybe Hildesheim, also on the main route to Backnang, home of the 1,000 year rose, a smaller town which has a small but beautiful old town area and a couple of Unesco World Heritage sights. It's a place many foreign visitors don't get to but is popular among traveling Germans on their way into the Harz.

Russ thanks for your suggestions also. my son suggested Gottingen he did an Australian/German student exchange to Germany in Nov 06 for 9 weeks. hadn't actually visited it but thinks he remembers hearing it was nice town. I like the idea of also not having to catch another train, keep it simple. Keep any other suggestions coming in and I will research them all. thanks Kerry

any more suggestions on german towns love to hear of some more. thanks Kerry

sorry forgot to say also hotel recommendations if your suggesting a hotel with a lovely homely meal.

It's been a few years, but we did like Hotel Zur Sonne which is located in the very heart of the Marburg (am Markt). Each room was very differently furnished, we preferred the old classic painted furnitures & beds. I checked their single rate now is still only 42 euro, we really enjoy the location, there are a few others along the Markt area. Marburg is beatiful and the hillslope setting made it even more picturesque.

Dax thank you I am swinging back towards Marburg now you made it sound so beautiful. its down to Marburg or Goettingen?

Dax is knowledgable.

Here is a nice summary of the town: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marburg

Russ has a point that Marburg will add a couple hours extra to your train travel. It's an hour ride from Kassel and an hour ride to Frankfurt. Unfortunately I've only passed by Goetingen and never stopped there. I also heard that it's a city that's fun for students. I'm already passed that stage in my life so I also look for setting & charm if I go to small town. Perhaps Russ can enlight you on the great things about Goetingen.

It's been a while since I was there but I remember Göttingen as an attractive smallish city with a pleasant old town area, several pedestrians-only zones, not heavily touristed, just a nice place. There are some photos of the town to give you a glimpse at...

http://www.goettingen-tourismus.de/s...pmenu=inactive

(click on virtual tour at left)

dax, russ & rhapsody i appreciate all the info and the links. I forgot that Marburg we would have to catch another train. would rather not so looks like I'm back to Goettingen. I will now look up some hotel accomodations unless someone has recently stayed and can recommend. thanks