Is Frankfurt interesting? Worth 3 weeks?
Sep 16th, 2013, 07:57 AM
#21
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Truly, it is your choice; however, I found the city to be incredibly dull and really sort of "meh." Sure, there are a lot of day trip options and yes you can use the city as a base, but three weeks does seem to be a bit much in that particular area.
Sep 16th, 2013, 08:35 AM
#22
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In 2012 I had a fabulous almost 3 weeks in the Frankfurt area. I think the city itself is underrated, but you don't have to spend your time there of course! I had a German Rail Pass and went tons of places alone and then my DH, who was there on business, drove us around on the weekends. Oh, my, it IS a terrific base for so much.
Here's my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...kfurt-area.cfm
Here's my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...kfurt-area.cfm
Sep 16th, 2013, 08:38 AM
#23
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A home exchange home is a base for local exploring, day trips and just hanging out with locals when you get too exhausted.
I do remember an area of Frankfurt where I stopped for an apple wine. It was in the center with lots of cafes, etc. I was there only once overnight due to a plane delay.
One advantage of Frankfurt is that it is a major junction for routes going in all directions across Germany.
I do remember an area of Frankfurt where I stopped for an apple wine. It was in the center with lots of cafes, etc. I was there only once overnight due to a plane delay.
One advantage of Frankfurt is that it is a major junction for routes going in all directions across Germany.
Sep 16th, 2013, 10:41 AM
#24
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Well I love German y and we have done severl rouad trips there.
BUT, not centered on Franfurt. IMHO the city itself is good for 2 or at most 3 days and the imediate vicinity for perhaps 3 or 4 more more.
After that you are searching farther and farther afield to find things that you will really love to do.
IMHO the only places I think I would do 3 weeks are London and Paris - other than that 1.5 to 2 weeks is enough for almost anywhere.
And - the exahange should definitely include use of a car - which you will need to conveniently visit a lot of other places.
BUT, not centered on Franfurt. IMHO the city itself is good for 2 or at most 3 days and the imediate vicinity for perhaps 3 or 4 more more.
After that you are searching farther and farther afield to find things that you will really love to do.
IMHO the only places I think I would do 3 weeks are London and Paris - other than that 1.5 to 2 weeks is enough for almost anywhere.
And - the exahange should definitely include use of a car - which you will need to conveniently visit a lot of other places.
Sep 16th, 2013, 10:58 AM
#25
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I used to work in Frankfurt.. and traveled a bit to Mainz and Weisbaden... But, if you need to always be on the road, why don't you pick a home exchange in a location where you actually could do something without traveling? There are tons of cities in Europe where I could spend 3 weeks without traveling about.
Otherwise, just travel in Germany and forego the exchange.
I have tried (and failed) to love Germany. To each his own.
Otherwise, just travel in Germany and forego the exchange.
I have tried (and failed) to love Germany. To each his own.
Sep 16th, 2013, 12:17 PM
#26
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Well, I have lived in Frankfurt for over 26 years and don't find it boring at all. There is always something going on that I find interesting, whether it is a fest, a new museum exhibit, or simply exploring a neighborhood that I haven't been to yet. Maybe I am just not easily bored?
Those of you who visited Frankfurt many years ago, have missed the transformation that has taken place here, especially in the last 10 years. This is a lively city with a very diverse, international population.
As to the city being flattened. This is guidebook propaganda. The same guidebooks that say the Alte Oper was demolished. I have the photos, it wasn't. The small inner core of the city which was mainly old, half-timbered buildings did burn down, but the rest of the city kept its architecture.
Come walk around the bahnhhof, the neighborhoods of Bornheim, Sachsenhausen, Westend, Nordend, or Bockeneheim, all within walking distance of the city center and you will see beautiful residential streets lined with turn of the century buildings. Go a bit farther and you get neighborhoods of half-timbered houses, like in Hoechst or Bergen Enkenheim, or Fechenheim. We have our share of intact medieval churches, all built between 850-1400. Justinus church, Deutsche Orden, St. Leonhards, the Kaiserdom, or the Alte Nikolai.
I can spend days just going through the many museums, visiting the daily outdoor farmers markets or the Klein Markt Halle, strolling through dozens of parks or the Palmengarten. The city is over 50% green, which is a huge plus.
I can't think of a better hub than Frankfurt, with so many towns and cities to visit, with-in just an hour or so by train.
The entire Rhine, medieval towns like Büdingen, Idstein, Eppstein, Marburg, Gelnhausen, Seligenstadt, and the ones already mentioned. Larger cities, like Mainz, Wiesbaden, Heidelberg, Worms, Bad Homburg, Bad Soden, Kronberg, Darmstadt, Steinau, Bad Nauheim, all offer lots of sightseeing possibilities.
Those that are interested in Jewish history will find plenty to occupy their time here, as the city was the center of Jewish culture during much of the middle ages up until 1933.
So, yes, I think you can easily find much to see and do here and in the surrounding regions, and I hope you write a trip report about your visit.
Those of you who visited Frankfurt many years ago, have missed the transformation that has taken place here, especially in the last 10 years. This is a lively city with a very diverse, international population.
As to the city being flattened. This is guidebook propaganda. The same guidebooks that say the Alte Oper was demolished. I have the photos, it wasn't. The small inner core of the city which was mainly old, half-timbered buildings did burn down, but the rest of the city kept its architecture.
Come walk around the bahnhhof, the neighborhoods of Bornheim, Sachsenhausen, Westend, Nordend, or Bockeneheim, all within walking distance of the city center and you will see beautiful residential streets lined with turn of the century buildings. Go a bit farther and you get neighborhoods of half-timbered houses, like in Hoechst or Bergen Enkenheim, or Fechenheim. We have our share of intact medieval churches, all built between 850-1400. Justinus church, Deutsche Orden, St. Leonhards, the Kaiserdom, or the Alte Nikolai.
I can spend days just going through the many museums, visiting the daily outdoor farmers markets or the Klein Markt Halle, strolling through dozens of parks or the Palmengarten. The city is over 50% green, which is a huge plus.
I can't think of a better hub than Frankfurt, with so many towns and cities to visit, with-in just an hour or so by train.
The entire Rhine, medieval towns like Büdingen, Idstein, Eppstein, Marburg, Gelnhausen, Seligenstadt, and the ones already mentioned. Larger cities, like Mainz, Wiesbaden, Heidelberg, Worms, Bad Homburg, Bad Soden, Kronberg, Darmstadt, Steinau, Bad Nauheim, all offer lots of sightseeing possibilities.
Those that are interested in Jewish history will find plenty to occupy their time here, as the city was the center of Jewish culture during much of the middle ages up until 1933.
So, yes, I think you can easily find much to see and do here and in the surrounding regions, and I hope you write a trip report about your visit.
Sep 16th, 2013, 02:07 PM
#28
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Quokka and Mainhattengirl are quite right - there is a lot to see and do in the area (if you google it, an important name is the Rhein-Main area). You don't necessarily need a car as there is a good train service. Please look up the thread started by texasbookworm on the area. Her husband had work in Hoechst, which is a suburb of Frankfurt, and she stayed for a couple of weeks. She did extensive research and had a mix or car and train. I lived in Wiesbaden for a few years and we return almost every year for a couple of days so I know the area well.
Mainz and Wiesbaden are stand-out cities but you might go as far as Würzburg or Heidelberg to the south, or Limburg, Marburg, Alsfeld or Kassel to the north. Kassel was destroyed badly in the war but still has the important documenta exhibition (which is every few years), and Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and the Schlosspark. To the west, travel up to Cologne by train and see the Rhine by boat or train. Include the Rheingau as part of your visit and see Kloster Eberbach, where the Name of the Rose was filmed in part. Go wine tasting, or see some performances in the Rheingau Musik Festival, which is spread out at different locations between Rüdesheim and Darmstadt. To the east, you could probably get up to Eisenach or Erfurt for a day, but that would be a long one.
If you are staying in the area for a while you will have the chance to live like a local and maybe visit some of the surrounding produce and flea markets, which you might not do if you were more like a tourist.
Lavandula
Mainz and Wiesbaden are stand-out cities but you might go as far as Würzburg or Heidelberg to the south, or Limburg, Marburg, Alsfeld or Kassel to the north. Kassel was destroyed badly in the war but still has the important documenta exhibition (which is every few years), and Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and the Schlosspark. To the west, travel up to Cologne by train and see the Rhine by boat or train. Include the Rheingau as part of your visit and see Kloster Eberbach, where the Name of the Rose was filmed in part. Go wine tasting, or see some performances in the Rheingau Musik Festival, which is spread out at different locations between Rüdesheim and Darmstadt. To the east, you could probably get up to Eisenach or Erfurt for a day, but that would be a long one.
If you are staying in the area for a while you will have the chance to live like a local and maybe visit some of the surrounding produce and flea markets, which you might not do if you were more like a tourist.
Lavandula
Sep 16th, 2013, 02:26 PM
#30
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Mainhattengirl, Please don't try to sell people on Germany 
I love it too and would hate to see it become too crowded
Seriously though, even the cities that were "flattened" have come back to be interesting places.
I really don't like the cities that were rebuilt. It's like piecing together an old plate, may as well just let go and get something better.
I love it too and would hate to see it become too crowdedSeriously though, even the cities that were "flattened" have come back to be interesting places.
I really don't like the cities that were rebuilt. It's like piecing together an old plate, may as well just let go and get something better.
Sep 17th, 2013, 08:15 AM
#31
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Turns out I am not going to Frankfurt. Some home exchangers are dishonest. They email a ton of people, accept someone and then "jump" to a better offer. At least they cancelled before we all bought tickets. They claim to have gotten a "better" offer from NY. Mind you, they solicited me and then screwed me. I did not contact them initially. You should not solicit a deal from someone unless you are 100% serious that you want his home. Then, having accepted, you should not turn around and "jump" for a better offer.
I had someone in Brittany, France, cancel a deal last year in January. At that point it was tougher to get a deal because most experienced people had deals. I ended up not having a lot of options. The excuses Brittany gave were unbelievable on its face. Then they looked at my listing for this year. Obviously, I would not consider them again.
I have a couple of other irons in the fire. The Krakow exchangers now are not writing back. I have given them 48 hours before giving up on them. When they don't respond, it usually means second thoughts.
Frankfurt did not tell me of the change of plans until I wrote to them asking for firm dates. I have had a lot of problems getting people to commit to firm dates this year. I have no doubt that they knew they were not coming to my house for several days at least before finally telling me. Europeans have an obsession with NYC that rivals Americans' obsession with Paris. They probably got somewhere where it will turn out to take 2 hours to get to NYC by train and will end up doing it once. There are very few homes in Manhattan because many condos & coops bar guests if you are not in the house with them.
People in NYC, Hawaii, and SF get a lot of offers. DC is always the "overflow" from NYC.
Since I am not worried about where I go so long as I do go, I will get something eventually. Stay tuned.
I had someone in Brittany, France, cancel a deal last year in January. At that point it was tougher to get a deal because most experienced people had deals. I ended up not having a lot of options. The excuses Brittany gave were unbelievable on its face. Then they looked at my listing for this year. Obviously, I would not consider them again.
I have a couple of other irons in the fire. The Krakow exchangers now are not writing back. I have given them 48 hours before giving up on them. When they don't respond, it usually means second thoughts.
Frankfurt did not tell me of the change of plans until I wrote to them asking for firm dates. I have had a lot of problems getting people to commit to firm dates this year. I have no doubt that they knew they were not coming to my house for several days at least before finally telling me. Europeans have an obsession with NYC that rivals Americans' obsession with Paris. They probably got somewhere where it will turn out to take 2 hours to get to NYC by train and will end up doing it once. There are very few homes in Manhattan because many condos & coops bar guests if you are not in the house with them.
People in NYC, Hawaii, and SF get a lot of offers. DC is always the "overflow" from NYC.
Since I am not worried about where I go so long as I do go, I will get something eventually. Stay tuned.
Sep 17th, 2013, 01:59 PM
#34
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I think you are right, LSky. It is always better to know these things well in advance when you can get other exchanges. Last year I had the rug pulled out from under me in January. It was not appreciated.
Sep 18th, 2013, 06:20 AM
#35
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Wow, thank you all for your input. Lauren_s_Kahn, I am sorry about your experience with Frankfurt almost-homeexchangers. I agree about Europeans and NYC, it is a very apt description to compare it to Americans and Paris. I am learning from your very generous and candid experience-sharing.
I will have to think about it. I am not very excited by the prospect of Frankfurt, so I should follow my gut. The idea of running around to see other things is not what I had in mind for a home exchange. Might as well pay for hotels and stay in places we really want to see.
Again, thank you all for sharing your thoughts and prior experiences.
I will have to think about it. I am not very excited by the prospect of Frankfurt, so I should follow my gut. The idea of running around to see other things is not what I had in mind for a home exchange. Might as well pay for hotels and stay in places we really want to see.
Again, thank you all for sharing your thoughts and prior experiences.
Sep 18th, 2013, 08:10 AM
#36
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>> I am not very excited by the prospect of Frankfurt,...... Might as well pay for hotels and stay in places we really want to see.<<
There is another option. We stay in Gites while in France - usually for 2 weeks at a time. We've stayed in 40 different gites so far - and have 3 new ones reserved for next year (plus an apartment in Nice). They are full houses - with multiple bedrooms, usually multiple bathrooms, full cooking facilities, washing machine/dishwasher, gardens/outside lounging area, and in warmer climate areas - a swimming pool. They usually rent for 500 to 1,000 Euros a week (except July & Aug), and a Sat to Sat booking is required. Most are in rural areas - but we make sure that we're within 20 mins of a medium-sized city so we can go to grocery stores, farmer's markets, restaurants, ATMs, etc.
Stu Dudley
There is another option. We stay in Gites while in France - usually for 2 weeks at a time. We've stayed in 40 different gites so far - and have 3 new ones reserved for next year (plus an apartment in Nice). They are full houses - with multiple bedrooms, usually multiple bathrooms, full cooking facilities, washing machine/dishwasher, gardens/outside lounging area, and in warmer climate areas - a swimming pool. They usually rent for 500 to 1,000 Euros a week (except July & Aug), and a Sat to Sat booking is required. Most are in rural areas - but we make sure that we're within 20 mins of a medium-sized city so we can go to grocery stores, farmer's markets, restaurants, ATMs, etc.
Stu Dudley
Sep 18th, 2013, 09:29 AM
#37
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The poster can easily get an exchange in a rural area somewhere in Europe. I have had them. They always mean a lot of driving which the poster does not seem to want to do.
This past year in Toulouse and Salamanca I drove 4400km in about 7 weeks. Of course, if I were in Paris, the need for the car would be only for side trips--or not at all.
With home exchange I tell people that you need to be happy with what you get and be glad of it. Looking around for your idea of a "perfect" deal generally means you get nothing. I have had interesting experiences on all of my home exchanges and seen things I would have never been able to afford with conventional accommodations (never mind the expense of a rental car). Anyplace in Europe can be interesting if you have not been there before.
I generally take the first serious offer I get but none where the home exchanger tells me he is interested but wants me to stand around for him until he gets his deal in New York. People who live in Manhattan must get 5 offers a day. Most condos/coops bar guests unless you are in the apartment in NYC. I generally respond to those kinds of inquiries by telling the potential home exchanger to contact me after he has his deal in New York City. I never hear from any of those people again.
Successful home exchangers must be prepared to go anywhere--and be glad of it.
This past year in Toulouse and Salamanca I drove 4400km in about 7 weeks. Of course, if I were in Paris, the need for the car would be only for side trips--or not at all.
With home exchange I tell people that you need to be happy with what you get and be glad of it. Looking around for your idea of a "perfect" deal generally means you get nothing. I have had interesting experiences on all of my home exchanges and seen things I would have never been able to afford with conventional accommodations (never mind the expense of a rental car). Anyplace in Europe can be interesting if you have not been there before.
I generally take the first serious offer I get but none where the home exchanger tells me he is interested but wants me to stand around for him until he gets his deal in New York. People who live in Manhattan must get 5 offers a day. Most condos/coops bar guests unless you are in the apartment in NYC. I generally respond to those kinds of inquiries by telling the potential home exchanger to contact me after he has his deal in New York City. I never hear from any of those people again.
Successful home exchangers must be prepared to go anywhere--and be glad of it.
Sep 23rd, 2013, 11:40 AM
#38
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I will take your advice into consideration, Lauren. I am still not sure that we want to spend this much time in frankfurt, although I wholeheartedly agree that as home exchangers one has to keep an open mind.
Sep 23rd, 2013, 01:04 PM
#39
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I had an inquiry from the UK today. He was only exchanging his vacation home. I don't take those houses unless they are offered with the principal home. Vacation homes are usually not very well maintained with all the cast off stuff from the principal residence. I turned down the offer. I don't get people who try and palm off their vacation homes that way. They want someone's home near a major city and want to give them a vacation home? There may be an occasional one that is spectacular, but, having rented these homes in the US (as well as used them in Europe, no thanks.
Remember that a home exchange home is just a base for tourism. I am more concerned with having a serious home exchanger on the other end than where the house is located. As you can see my Frankfurt so called home exchangers "jumped" for what they perceived was a better offer. I sure hope they are in the far NYC suburbs or either farther out than that. I was raised in Connecticut and taking Amtrak to NYC after one day will feel like annoying commuting.
I will take the first serious offer I get for August and I don't care where it is so long is it is not a place I have been recently.
Remember that a home exchange home is just a base for tourism. I am more concerned with having a serious home exchanger on the other end than where the house is located. As you can see my Frankfurt so called home exchangers "jumped" for what they perceived was a better offer. I sure hope they are in the far NYC suburbs or either farther out than that. I was raised in Connecticut and taking Amtrak to NYC after one day will feel like annoying commuting.
I will take the first serious offer I get for August and I don't care where it is so long is it is not a place I have been recently.
Sep 26th, 2013, 03:20 PM
#40
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I was stationed for 6 years in Germany in a total of 4 places. I loved them all and would have done so with Frankfurt. (A good friend of mine spent a couple years there.) However, I do not think that any place would interest me for three weeks if I confined myself to the city limits. I would have to get out and make day trips to enjoy a single place for that long. If you have a bargain for a place to stay that is handy to public transportation, go for it.
One advantage to staying in one place is that you get to know the restaurants, cafes and gasthauses. For me it is nice to walk in some place and be recognized as a regular. It increases your chances to interactive with other people.
Frankfurt has the advantage of being a transportation hub. You can easily head off in any direction. We are considering Frankfurt next spring. Büdingen and Idstein (from Mainhatten Girl) are on the possible list for day visits. Limburg (Lahn), Marburg and Worms have long been in my eye. We have previously visited Mainz, Würzburg, Aschaffenburg, St. Goar and Bacharach in that area.
Good luck with your trip, whatever you decide.
Regards, Gary
One advantage to staying in one place is that you get to know the restaurants, cafes and gasthauses. For me it is nice to walk in some place and be recognized as a regular. It increases your chances to interactive with other people.
Frankfurt has the advantage of being a transportation hub. You can easily head off in any direction. We are considering Frankfurt next spring. Büdingen and Idstein (from Mainhatten Girl) are on the possible list for day visits. Limburg (Lahn), Marburg and Worms have long been in my eye. We have previously visited Mainz, Würzburg, Aschaffenburg, St. Goar and Bacharach in that area.
Good luck with your trip, whatever you decide.
Regards, Gary
