I’ll be in Frankfurt for 3.5 days this fall and want to spend about 1.5 days in Frankfurt and the other 2 days in towns in the area. I’ve decided on Mainz for one of my trips outside Frankfurt but I’m having trouble deciding what to do with the other day – there are so many choices that sound lovely. My short list includes:

Bad Homberg
Wiesbaden
Büdingen

I’m having trouble finding enough information about Büdingen or Bad Homberg. My guide books are useless and there’s not much on the internet in English. So I need help deciding.

In small towns I like charming squares and churches and interesting architecture. I’ve seen enough castles, palaces, forts, and ruins to last a life time! From what I’ve read there’s enough in Wiesbaden to keep me busy for a day (possibly more) but I’m wondering if Bad Homberg or Büdingen are prettier places with enough to do for a day and if I should choose one of these towns to explore.

Thanks for any help!

Try "Bad Homburg" instead: http://www.bad-homburg.de/sc/Tourism...ng/5664940.asp

From your shortlist, I'd vote for Büdingen. A really charming little town. The English version of Büdingen's website is a bit of a mess because not everything is translated, but you'll find some info in there: http://www.buedingen-touristik.de/en/mainpage.html
Assuming you are going by train? To reach Büdingen you have to change trains in Gelnhausen. In case you want/need a bit more to fill the day, Gelnhausen is another pretty little place and well worth a stopover. Their website has no translation at all but the panoramic photos will give you an idea: http://www.gelnhausen.de/Halbmond.508.0.html
Combining these two would make a worthy day trip.

I haven't been to Bad Homburg or Büdingen (yet) but know Wiesbaden quite well. I always hesitate before recommending Wiesbaden in this forum. It is to me a very pretty city, but I usually assume that many Fodorites like mediaeval towns and there is almost nothing left of great antiquity in Wiesbaden, as most of the city is dominated by (quite beautiful) 19th century architecture. So it's worth a visit if you like that style.

There are a few older structures; the old town hall dates back to the early 17th century. There is a tiny fragment of Roman wall left in the city (glued together liberally with 19th C. mortar, not so interesting). Very impressive is the Russische Kapelle, which is built on the Neroberg. If you like panoramic views you can also get a view of the city from the Neroberg, and there is a funicular to take you to the top. The Nerotal, which has a park, is also where you will find some of the nicest 19th c. neighbourhoods. You can visit all the springs in the city (some are boiling hot; all except the Faulbrunnen are drinkable, so bring a bottle) and spend an afternoon in the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Therme (heated therapeutic baths). There is the casino and Kurhaus, where they organise concerts as part of the Rheingau Musik Festival, which runs all summer.

If you have time you could also visit Schloss Biebrich, which is in Wiesbaden-Biebrich, the part of the city touching the Rhine, and take a walk up and down the Rhine with an ice-cream cone in hand.

The only place I would recommend for food (Kaffee und Kuchen) is the Maldaner Cafe, on Michelsberg (which leads to the main square from the pedestrian shopping street (KIrchgasse / Langgasse). This is an old-time cafe (Baumkuchen a speciality) and I'm recommending it because I know that it's still there after many long years - there have been too many changes since I left to recommend any other places - although Michelsberg, Grabenstrasse and Wagemannstrasse from memory have a few restaurants, ditto the market square.

From Wiesbaden it's easy to explore the Rheingau - I particularly recommend Kloster Eberbach, where The Name of the Rose (the film) was shot in part. Or walks through any of the little townships in the Rheingau (like Oestrich-Winkel), where the Strausswirtschaften (seasonal taverns) would be starting up soon (September?). The new wine (Federweisser) and a piece of Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart) is what is traditional in this area.

Lavandula

Büdingen is one of my favorite towns to visit. The website isn't too bad actually, and if you watch the short film, you get a good sense of what is in the town. I can also recommend booking an English tour. I booked one for me and 2 friends a couple of months ago and was thrilled with all that we saw and learned. Price was 41 euro and was supposed to be 90 min. but ended up being over 2 hours. We got to go inside of 3 of the towers /bollwerk, as well as the Hexen Turm. This included going up on top of them too. I thought for the money, well worth it. This little town executed around 400 witches! All in all, an impressive little medieval walled town with no souvenir stores, tour buses or Käthe Wolfahrt stores. Have coffee and cake at the Hexen Stubbe. The Heuson Museum is interesting too.

Another town that is near-by (30-45 min. on the S-bahn and good for a half day or so trip is Idstein. It is on the Fachwerk Route and is chock full of half-timbered houses. A visit to the Union Church is a must. If you like climbing, go up in the Hexen Turm.

Bad Homburg is great for the scenery, the residence of Kaiser Wilhelm which you can tour, the Redeemer Church (it will take your breath away when you walk in, as it is so unusual), the Saalburg, and the Kur Park with Casisno and/or Baths.

Thanks everyone! Good information.

There are 2 votes for Büdingen. I watched the film (now I know how to pronounce the town name) and have a couple of questions:

1. Do people dress in Medieval costume all the time or only for special festivals?
2. What's the better day of the week to visit - I'll be in Frankfurt Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

I haven't made up my mind yet which town to visit. I'll probably wait until I get to Frankfurt to decide and the weather will make the decision for me. It's no fun to walk around small towns in the rain.

What is the difference between the S-Bahn and the RE trains? Is the S-Bahn a commuter/local train and the RE trains are for farther distances? I'm assuming I get the S-Bahn at the Frankfurt Hbf and can buy a ticket from a machine?

I use the RMV website to find the trains to Büdingen, on weekdays there will be more trains than on the weekend, but usually every hour or every 2 hours there is a train. Tickets are only 7.30 € one way. Get on the RE train at the Hauptbahnhof, ride about 30 min. and get off in Gelnhausen, there you walk down the steps thru the tunnel and come back up on the train station side. Off to your left, you will see a yellow train waiting. You have about 10 min. in between trains, so no rush. Get on and ride about 15 min. and get off in Büdingen. Walk down the street in front of the train station about 15 min. and you will enter the Jerusalem Gate of the city walls.

I wouldn't mess around with the S-bahn changing at Hanau, etc. Just do the Regional train to Gelnhausen, as it makes things easier.

They have a lot of medieval fests here and the last one in July, was a huge one, with about 200 stands and the townspeople did dress up for this one. There is a night watchmans tour too, but usually in German, though there is the occasional one in English. Check the website to see if one is listed. The major problem is that the very last train from Büdingen back to Gelnhausen is at 19:30.