Hi. I am spending about 5 more weeks in Homburg Saar and am trying to plan some day trips and maybe some overnight and weekend getaways.

My parents are coming in this weekend and we were thinking Paris for the weekend and then Heidleburg and Strasburg during the week as day trips. Next weekend I was thinking about Rothenburg, Nuremburg and Maybe Wurzburg and Bamburg (with an overnight in Rothenburg).

What do you think? Am I missing anything else nearby that we should check out?

I also have 2 more weekends after my parents leave and I would love to see Vienna and Prague. Is there any reasonable way to do that from here?

Have you seen Trier and/or Luxemburg already?

Weekend trip to Paris should be easy to manage with the ICE from Saarbrücken and a travel time of less than 2 hrs.

Depending on your interests, Brussels or other Belgian destinations could be additional options.

Vienna and Prague are quite a drive from where you are. I would check if there are flights from Saarbrücken airport.

If you want to add an overnight trip to Berlin (which is not on your list, I know), you might also find good prices for the flights from Zweibrücken airport, which should be almost next door to where you live now.

Thanks for the response. We did see Luxemburg this past weekend but we didn't make it to Trier.

I did check the Saarbrücken airport and didn't find much for places I wanted to go but I will have to investigate further. I will also check further into Zweibrücken airport flights.

You should see Trier and, if you are in the region, the Mosel valley.

Speyer is nice, with a great cathedral.

You may see the Black Forest, especially if everything is covered with snow. Freiburg is quaint, also Badenweiler. If if you are in the area, you can visit Basel. On the way back, you can tour Alsace: Eguisheim, Colmar, Riquewihr, Haut Koenigsbourg, Strasbourg...

I hate to say it, but I am agreeing with Traveler1969. There is so much to see near Homburg. Exploit that area thoroughly before you consider going further. Consider Paris, the Alsace, Black Forest, Heidelberg, Mosel and Middle Rhein, Trier and Luxembourg. All those places should give you plenty to see without having to spend lots of money traveling. If you really want to see Prague, Vienna, Nürnberg, etc, save your travel money for now and come back again.

I highly recommend Bad Wimpfen which is just about an hour from Heidelberg on the Neckar River. It's a lovely little town. In fact, there are several places around there that are worth a visit.

http://www.tompgalvin.com/places/de/...ad_wimpfen.htm

http://hubpages.com/hub/Exploring_So...ys_Bad_Wimpfen

http://www.tompgalvin.com/places/de/...ckar_river.htm

Have you investigated flights on Ryan Air from Frankfurt-Hahn? They do not go to Vienna or Prague, but there are lots of other great destinations. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Homburg.

But, I agree with the others and suggest you stay in your immediate area and avoid the holiday crowds at the airport.

Some additional suggestions:
Mettlach - home of Villeroy and Boch and the Mettlach Abbey
Idar-Oberstein - the church in the rock
Worms and Speyer - the cathedrals
Bad Dürkheim and the German Wine Road
Soufflenheim, France and surrounding area for local pottery
Metz, France - Chagall windows, the citadel, city walls
Bitche, France - if you are a history buff
Aachen and Mastricht
Happy travels