Considering a trip to Germany next year. We thought we might stay in Frankfort or a nearby town where there is good public transportation. We enjoy going to outdoor markets, and particularly like flea and/or antique markets. Any suggestions?
I should mention that we have been to Germany once before. Stayed on the Rhine and visited Mainz, Koblenz, Rudesheim, Bacharach, etc. We are older now, so ease of public transportation is a priority. We can get a non-stop to Frankfort from our home and really don't want to change planes or schlep luggage on/off trains. Are there any places with charm that are a decent taxi-ride from the airport, and would be connected to the city by bus or tram?

oops. I meant FrankfUrt.

Wiesbaden is not a small town but a charming small city near Frankfurt. Very easy to get to with public transpo.
How long do you plan to stay and what are you going to do while there?
Are you looking for a good base?

Yes, we are looking for a base, hopefully in a neighborhood with small shops, pubs, etc. We will stay about a week, overall. Like to wander streets looking for junk and antique shops (not high end), go to markets, and maybe a museum or two. Probably would take a couple of day trips to historic or scenic places. No nightlife for us; ideally, would like a hotel with BBC or other English TV channels.

Have a closer look at my dear old Marburg: http://www.marburg.de/en/24679

Situated North of Frankfurt, 1 hour by train, connections every hour.

I give another vote for Marburg. It's an old university town with a very nice old city on a hill topped by a scenic castle (and adjacent park). There's lots of cafes/pubs as well as a nice park. There isn't a huge market, but a few small farmer's markets on Wed and Sat in a couple of locations. There is a "Drei-tage Marburg" fest July 6-8 which is very nice.

Not to highjack the thread, but quokka, out of curiosity and if you don't mind me asking, what's your connection to Marburg? I lived there for 2 years (Jan 2002-Mar 2004) while working at the Uni and loved it.

Enjoy your trip,
Paul

Half an hour by IC east of Frankfurt is Aschaffenburg. We lived there for two years. It has about 50k inhabitants. The very pleasant Aschaffenberger Hof hotel is a one minute walk from the train station. We would use a taxi to get to the airport. I forget what it cost but those were the DM days before the euro anyway. I guess that the A'Hof could give you an estimate. This hotel has an enclosed parking area if you decide to rent a car.

The city is not especially remarkable. It's just a normal Bavarian town. You can walk everywhere. There is a large Schloss overlooking the Main River. There is also an auto museum on the southern edge of the city.

W&uuml;rzburg is about 40 minutes further east through the Spessart, a hilly forest. We went to a flea market, <i>flohmarkt</i>, over there. Flea markets are rather spontaneous and were only held on Sundays when we lived there in the early 90s. You will probably need a car. Drive around and look for signs. There were plenty of throw-outs from the east at the markets we saw in Aschaffenburg and W&uuml;zburg. I bought my East German army helmet at one of them.

Cheers Paul,
here's another who enjoyed Marburg university. I did my studies and doctoral thesis there, and all in all the time I spent there sums up to 13 years.
Kathrin