Last December I stayed in Darmstadt for several days doing day trips to places i've always wanted to go - i've been traveling in Germany for too long to admit and i'd already seen all the major 'must' sights and headed off to some lesser lights, which i found quite nice, including:
SPEYER
I'd always overlooked Speyer because it's in quite an industrial area on the Rhine - but i had heard of its Wunderbar cathedral so decided to head off. I came by train and, not having a town map, went towards what i thought must have been the imposing tower of the famous cathedral.

But upon reaching the monumental church i saw that it was closed and nobody around - even in December i thought this odd, so headed back to the town centre, walked down the very pleasant pedestrian shopping street, at this time lined by one of those wonderful German Christmas Markets that sprouts in every town.

After fortifying myself with a piping hot Glughwein (sp?) the ubiquitous spicey hot wine served at these markets, i saw at the end of the street what certainly must have been the bombastic cathedral that was my Holy Grail for coming here.

And the church didn't disappoint - one of the finest in Germany - and behind it all the way down to the Rhine is a neat park and gardens, which could not much be appreciated in December however.

Anyway I found Speyer to be a delightful town cathedral or no cathedral - it's close to Frankfurt by train, lying on the line between Mainz and Karlsrhue i believe. The train station, in whose cafe i downed another hot Glughwein whilst waiting for a train, is about a half-mile from town.

So if looking for somewhere low-key but fun head to Speyer!

Thank you, Bob, for this suggestion.

Traveling to this region in early December. Already planning to see the cathedrals in Mainz, Worms & Koln. Will see if we can fit Speyer in as well.

We're considering spending our last night in Darmstadt, leaving from the Frankfurt airport at about 10 AM. Appreciate your suggestions.

Susan

Thanks Susan - Speyer is just down the rail line or road from Worms, just a few minutes. I did not have time to see the Worms Cathedral, which i think is great, and it's a larger town - looked nice from the train.

Darmstadt - i stayed there only because of the ETAP hotel was a short walk from the train station and the rooms cost about 30 euros - right in the town center - i visited the typically lively Christmas Market in the main square at night - had the traditonal hot spice wine - lots of locals gathered there after work to sip wine and gulp beer - a social center. did not see much else of Darmstadt as the days were dark before i got back from my day trips.

Cologne's cathedral of course is world famous - perhaps because of its size - believe it's the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, or was. And the riverside there, even in winter, is neat.

Something else to put on our going list of why we must return to Germany, again & again. I'm not sure I should even mention this to my husband. He'd really love to see that cathedral.
Last week we almost went to Speyer- we were very close but the traffic towards Speyer was horrible.

Karlsrhue is another little gem. It's a fairly new city but the museums were great.

Something else to put on our going list of why we must return to Germany, again & again. I'm not sure I should even mention this to my husband. He'd really love to see that cathedral.
Last week we almost went to Speyer- we were very close but the traffic towards Speyer was horrible.

Karlsrhue is another little gem. It has an attractive city center built on a radius from the Schloss and some great museums.

Sorry about that double post. I wrote it the first time and disappeared. Well, I guess I know where it went now.

Karlsrhue also has one of the finest Christmas Markets in the Rhineland area - of course in the town centre - it was one of the best i saw and of course deserved another gulp of Glughwein!

PalenqueBob,

Speyer is on my list for a day trip whilst staying in Heidelberg, so vielen dank for the report.

How was Darmstadt? I've wanted to go to the Art Nouveau museum there and also to see the Jugendstihl building. Darmstadt also sounds like a convenient departure point for FRA airport.

Like i said i didn't really see much of Darmstadt because i went out everyday and returned after dark - short days of December. But what i could see in the town centre was a typical pleasant pedestrian shopping drag but most buildings seemed new so i suspect was heavily damaged in war.

But i can't really judge but i suspect a so-so city with some nice draws like you list, which i would also have liked to see.

And yes it's quite close to the airport, just a bit southsoutheast. by train, however, it takes a bit longer than driving as seems you have to go into Frankfurt and change - could take over an hour.

In May, we stopped in Speyer on our way from Bacharach to Gengenbach in the Black Forest. We parked right by the Cathedral and then walked around for awhile. Very lovely.

As I have often mentioned, my husband and I are always trying to find those little towns in Germany off the beaten path that most American tourists haven't yet discovered. So far, our favorites: Bad Wimpfen (near Heidelberg on the Neckar River); Iphofen, Dettelbach and Karlstadt (near Wurzburg) and Gengenbach.

Gee bettyk, It feels like mentioning them might start the stampede but okay...
Bad Urach was a charming little town, we had a nice stay at the Gast Haus Walter near the center. There is a waterfall that makes for a nice morning walk and the area is just lovely. The same road leads to the AlbThermen. It was a nice bath and gets 4 out of 5 stars in my book. The water wasn't as hot as it could have been but I loved the stainless swimming pool. Lots of jets and a good sauna area.
We also enjoyed Badenwieler at the southern edge of the Schwarzwald.

Oh heck, truth is, there is very little I don't love about Germany!