Hi 4sammy234,

I think it's a very good idea to stay in the same city as your departure airport, so I'm happy to see that you are now planning to do that!

My comments are for Baden-Baden, where last June I spent 5 nights on my self-made historical tour of Germany; my stop in B-B was in order to soak up the atmosphere and historical aspects of Germany in the 19th Century. I really loved the town; I loved its slow pace and its enduring aura of luxury.

One note, though. There is a bit of inconvenience when you arrive by train because the town is some distance away from the train station. You have to take a bus (almost everyone will be doing it; just follow the other passengers as they get off the train and walk through the station to the bus stop) for the 15-20 minute ride into town. Also, because of road repair in the town, the route of the bus was different, and I missed the stop nearest my hotel. I ended up having to walk about 20 minutes, and I was not a happy camper when I arrived... So, once you have made reservations, ask your hosts what bus stop to use.

The things I enjoyed most were the Marktplatz up on a hill overlooking the town, the nearby ruins of the Roman baths, and the walk down the Lichtentaler Allee next to the River Oos, all the way to the Monastery in the town of Lichtental. For one day, I followed the city walking tour laid out by Rick Steves. I also loved just roaming through the pedestrian shopping streets of the town; I admit I spent a few hours doing that daily (but I live in a small German town with virtually no shops outside of tourist stuff or jeans/t-shirts). I'll also say that I had, perhaps, the very best cappuccino in my life in a little hole in the wall coffee shop on the street that leads up to the Marktplatz. I hope you can find it -- it's a bit of a hippie/hipster place.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Thanks S! I'll make sure I research exactly how to get to the hotel before we get there. I'm really looking forward to the trip now that we have streamlined it. Any restaurant recommendations that you recall ?

Just a general question - have Lyft and Uber become as popular in Germany as they have here in the US?

Um.. well, no. I live south of Munich, and Uber is outlawed here. You can call/summon them by app, but either a regular taxi or a private limo service will show up. Taxi drivers are well licensed here, and you can be very confident using them.

There is also a very popular taxi app called mytaxi that will give you some of the same features -- calling and writing down your pick up and arrival addresses, tracking the taxi as it comes to you, price set, etc. So you may want to download and try it out.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any memorable meals. One time I gave up and went to a tourist trap type restaurant because I liked the location and people watching there, and I actually loved the meal of pork in cherries. It was a revelation to me, but it's apparently a well known combination.

Have fun!

s

Loved that walk thru parklike setting in Baden-Baden to that monastery - if into nice walks that's one to do. Can also walk to train station though about 3 km I think.

Looking up the monastery now - that's up our alley for sure.

Thoughts on the casino tour? I lean towards no, but are we missing anything very interesting if we skip that?

I thought the casino tour was awesome - only in late mornings before it opens to gamblers - very ornate and guide has stories of royals and rich and famous who made this a favorite watering hole in Victorian times - anyway I thought it really neat. But if doing day trips it would put a crink in that since you'd want to leave early. But a whole day in Baden-Baden with the monastery would be neat and a relief from museums and churches like in proper large cities.

Thanks everyone so much for your insights. We have just about figured it out. Can I trouble you again to review our itinerary and provide any suggestions / feedback? Unless noted, train / tour tickets are not purchased - please advise if we should book these in advance.

Some of the things we wanted to do or that were discussed above have been pared down or out in the interest of time. As I mentioned, we are staying at the Roomers in Baden Baden for 3 nights... because it's free and a seemingly decent base for this unexpected "popup" trip!

Fri 19th AM:
9 AM arrive to FRA. Train to Heidelberg; store luggage in lockers. Visit the castle (guided tour advised or no?); old bridge, Philosophers Walk. Train to Baden Baden, staying at Roomers Baden Baden (Marriott property).

Sat 20th: 10AMish train to Strasbourg. Lunch, meander a bit then 2-6PM "Strasbourg and Surroundings" bike tour. This tour visits the highlights of Strasbourg, then heads out of town and over the border to Kehl, Germany. This tour is reserved but not prepaid and is cancellable. Reviews look good though.

Sun 21st: Explore Black Forest region. We had not planned on a car for this short trip, but after researching a bit more, reserved a car for just one day (Sun AM - Mon AM) so that we can spend the day seeing some of the "harder to get to" sights in the Black Forest area .Can anyone provide a suggested itinerary for our day? We are most interested in hiking, castles (is Lichtenstein doable and worth the drive?), scenery (Mummelsee, waterfalls).

Mon 22nd: Explore Baden Baden. Merkur Funicular, hiking in the area, walk to monastery, possibly casino tour in the AM.
8PM - I have a train ticket for my return to FRA (for next morning flight home) and hubby departs for his work commitments .

Liechtenstein is way way way too far from anywhere you will be.

I was referring to Lichtenstein Castle in Baden Wurttemburg (Honau) , 1.5 hours away, not LiEchtenstein which is on the border of Austria and Switzerland and is about 4 hours away. I did see some confusion on this on some other boards. But with your vast knowledge of Germany, if you don't know about it, I am going to cross it off the list.

No I do not have any vast knowledge of that area or of such castles - so don't cross it off - others will know - sorry about confusion.