travelingal

I will also be spending three nights in Frankfurt this year, but the consensus seems to be that three hours, never mind three days is more than enough to spend in Frankfurt...<BR><BR>Surely there must be SOMETHING to see here!!!<BR>Does anyone know of any cool daytrips from the city other than Heidelburg? I've heard good things about the city, but that is of course from websites that are attempting to lure you to their city...<BR><BR>My flight back home is out of Frankfurt,so I am obligated to spend at least a day or two here unless I can find somewhere in close vicinity to stay - <BR><BR>Any suggestions would be more than welcome, especially if they keep me from spending three days in a lacklustre city! <BR>

Tom

Consider this:<BR><BR>1. Day trip from Frankfurt to Cologne. See the Rhine castles, visit the cathedral in Cologne. Travel by train or on KD boat.<BR><BR>2. Take the train from Frankfurt to Kobelnz and down to Trier (oldest city in Germnay and has Roman ruins).<BR><BR>3. Heidleburg or Mainz.<BR><BR>Skip Frankfurt!

tomdickandharry

in my opinion, yes, frankfurt is the axxhole of the world and I don't think you will find many others who disagree.<BR><BR>great title!

toppergirl

ttt

Russ

I'd go to Mainz. Smaller, prettier, more people-friendly, and almost as close to the airport as Frankfurt itself. Also makes a good base for heading to the Rhine Gorge and you can easily daytrip to Heidelberg as well if you want. Try to stay near the old-town section near the cathedral ("Dom") for pedestrian zones with cobblestones, fountains, old half-timbered buildings, and lots of good eating, strolling, and people watching. There's an Ibis hotel just south of this area, near the south end of the Augustinerstrasse, 1.5 blocks from the "S&uuml;d" (south) train station - from there it's just 23 minutes by S-bahn to the airport.

travelingal

Thank you so much for your suggestions, I hadn't even considered going to Mainz for one reason or another. It looks like a great city though. more character than Frankfurt.<BR>Thanks Again!

More

No--I think wherever you are is!! Or maybe just you are! I don't want to be as arrogant as you and condemn a whole city/town! Do you realize that millions of people live there and actually love it and call it home? Yet you would create a thread like this? It is clear to me who the arrogant ahole is !! Stay home and put up with your own ahole attitude!

Uncle Sam

More,<BR><BR>You've either never been to Frankfurt or you live there and are a member of the tourist board...but Dude, let's face it...it isn't a good place to go!

travelingal

MORE - it did get your attention though didn't it? I never said that that is what I thought of Frankfurt, I have afterall never had the chance to visit the city, but after reading numerous threads about how to better spend time in Germany than visiting Frankfurt I thought I would ask a question that may determine the outcome of my vacation. <BR><BR>I love the city that I live in and am glad to call it home, but I would hardly call it a tourist mecca - there is definately not much for people to see here, yet it is lovely and habitable to say the least. I am going on a trip to see monuments, museums, and have wonderful experiences, not go to a city so I can ascertain whether or not people like to live there.

More

Sam--I had never heard anything bad about Franfurt before. But I have not been there either. I can assure you, however, there are people that like it!! Many millions call it home and love it. Some people hate the US and yet we would still be pissed if they were so arrogant as to post "Is USA really the Axxhole of the World?" There is a way to ask a question without being an insulting axxhole.

Uncle Sam

More,<BR><BR>OK. I see your point. It is my undersatnding that Frankfurt is a great city for doing business. I've been there three times, and I have never been to the center city because I have been told that there is nothing of interest to a toruist like Mainz, Munich, Trier, Heidelburg etc.<BR><BR>Besides everyone knows the axxhole of the world is Newark!

Jo

Travelingal, there are some interesting sights in Frankfurt. The old town on the other side of the (Main) river from the centre of the city and the town hall square. Though it was 1988 since I was there, I also recall visiting Goethe's house, which was very interesting, though I think rebuilt. There were some museums and old churches as well. From Frankfurt we did a good day trip, Rudesheim and Rhine and also a half day trip to Heidelburg. You won't be short of things to do.

travelingal

JO - Thanks for your reply, I think you are the first person to have something purely good to say about Frankfurt. I definately shouldn't be short on things to do while I'm in the area!

More

Well with that title do you think you are you going to attract any people who like frankfurt, who live there and speak english or who may have reloacted from there to US and really know the city well ?

travelingal

MORE - I was hoping that when people read that title it would elicit some sort of reaction, either positive or negative...<BR><BR>I want to know why people think that Frankfurt ISN'T worth visiting.<BR><BR>I want to know why people think that Frankfurt IS worth visiting.<BR><BR>And then I would like to form my own opinion. With a title like this, I get two kinds of responses (three if I count yours...) People who vehemently believe that yes, Frankfurt is the axxhole of the world, and those who vehemently believe that Frankfurt is a wonderful place. <BR><BR>With two differing viewpoints I would like to think that I might be able to formulate a more accurate picture of Frankfurt than I possess at the moment.

More

Hey--if I was from there, or loved it, I would be offended and/or think you were a troll causing trouble. But who knows. Goo luck!

inge

Okay, I did grow up in Frankfurt, and while it's certainly not the prettiest town in Germany, it sure is nicer than a lot of US cities (not that this means much). Anyways, here it goes:<BR>The part of town across the river is Sachsenhausen, quite touristic but very nice (it's famous for its Apple Wine "pubs");<BR>good restaurants;<BR>the area around the university with lots of cafes and bars/pubs;<BR>lots of very interesting museums along the river Main;<BR>the old cathedral (the German emperors were crowned there; it's over 1000 years old)and the Roemer (old town hall) plus several historical rebuilt houses;<BR>Goethe Haus;<BR>great opera and ballet and music scene;<BR>Binding and Henninger breweries; not sur eif the Henninger Tower still has a restaurant on top;<BR>surrounding areas: the Taunus, Odenwald with lots of old towns and nice hiking; in fact, you can take the metro to the Taunus; also check out Bad Homburg (old spa) and old Roman ruins (Limes).<BR>Also, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Wurzburg, Rhein are easily accessible.<BR>I cetainly think that there is a quite a bit to keep you occupied in Frankfurt for three days.<BR>Finally, keep in mind that Frankfurt used to have a very famous old town (more impressive than Rothenburg). You can see a model in their historical museum...<BR>

tom

I think the reason why most people don't recommend Frankfurt is because the city has very few historical landmarks compared to other cities in Germany. The city has either new buildings or old buildings without any historical significance like good museums or cathedrals, etc. Goethe House is the only one I remember that has some historical value. What people are really saying is that there are so many better cities to spend your time nearby. Frankfurt city itself is clean and modern city. <BR>

Kate Burden

Unfortunately the problem shared by many of the large German cities is that their character and charm were bombed to bits by the allies during the war.<BR><BR>I lived in northern of Germany for three years and got used to rarely seeing pockets of original historical buildings. Everything has been carefully rebuilt, but it's not quite the same. Having said that, I love Germany tremendously and would happily live there again.<BR><BR>Kate, London.

Heather

Hello-<BR>I was on a four-day trip to Germany about three years ago for business and made arrangements to extend my stay so I would have two weekends there as well. In the course of ten days, I did pretty much the same things as others have suggested (taking the gorgeous train ride up the Rhine river to Mainz and Koblenz) and also took a day trip to Munich (it was during Oktoberfest, but I was only at the festival a few hours and spent the rest of the day exploring the city, I think train fare roundtrip was $60-$100). <BR><BR>I personally enjoyed Frankfurt, but I had the luxury of just hanging out like a local and visiting the quaint neighborhoods and sitting at the coffee shops, people watching. I really like the atmosphere, but it was also my first trip to Europe and was content on enjoying a completely different atmosphere and culture. And since I was there for work, I wasn't on a huge sightseeing quest. <BR><BR>The city is really easy to get around in. they have a great train system in the city to get you around...take the U-bahn which is the underground train or S-bahn which is the regional train. And it's a great walking city! I spent many days walking the neighborhoods, targetting different areas to spend the day. While in Frankfurt, check out the following neighborhoods: Merianplatz is a great street full of little shops and cafes. Perfect for relaxing and reading. A lot of students are in this area. I believe it is located in the Nordend district. Another artsy community is Sachsenhausen, where you can enjoy apple-wine at a number of taverns. I didn't visit the taverns, but I think the one night I went out clubbing, this was the area we went to (I went with our German client and have no idea where they drove to). During my daytime walking tour here, I did walk over to this community via the iron bridge and the view along the river was wonderful. I could spend all day looking at the architecture. <BR><BR>Frankfurt is known for having amazing art collections, so a museum would be a great bet if that's your thing! There is a "museum row" that is on the south-east side I believe. Check a destination guide for more info.<BR><BR>For excellent restaurants that include a variety of cuisine (I personally am not a fan of German food because I don't eat red meat), visit Stadmitte street. There are a ton of choices and this is a lively area at night.<BR><BR>The street nammed Zeil contains the main shopping attractions, including the high-end boutiques (e.g., Chanel, Versace) and lots of great places to buy fine chocolates (made for popular souvenir gifts upon return).<BR><BR>Check out the Alte Oper, the old opera house in Opernplatz. The architecture is gorgeous. <BR><BR>Be sure to have dinner and cider in the Apple-wine district in Grosse Rittergasse.<BR>If there on a Sunday, go to the Romerberg where the Romer (City Hall) is located. I thought it was quite funny to see the priest and congregation exiting the church after mass with the huge horse-drawn beer wagon waiting outside in the plaza...a humerous juxtaposition.<BR><BR>Go here for a walking tour (which includes many of the places I called out that I visited):<BR>http://www.frommers.com/destinations/frankfurt/0100010008.cfm<BR><BR>I hope you enjoy your trip as much as I did. Even if this isn't the big "tourist" city, it has a lot of charm and there is plenty to do. Have fun and be safe!