Trip to Frankfurt!
 

Hello everybody! I’m planning a trip to Frankfurt for mid December!!! Actually I’m going to my cousin wedding and want to profit to visit a bit! :) Can you help me with some tips about the city: budget accommodation, restaurants, places of interests!

Thanks a lot!! ;)

Frankfurt is what it is -- a center for finance and commerce, not culture or history. Most of the city was bombed to pieces during The War, so even the "medieval" cathedral has a lot of reconstruction (although it is worth a visit). The museums on Museum Row are quite good; I recommend checking out their Museum Pass.

A day trip to Mainz via commuter rail would also be a good way to spend a day.

I would normally recommend spending a day on a boat trip along the Rhine or the Main River, but December is not the best time to be outside in Germany.

How long will you be there? Where is the wedding? In Frankfurt?

The best advice I could offer for Frankfurt is get out of there! I love Germany but Frankfurt is what PaulRabe said. Well then of course there are lots of sex shops if you make the mistake of turning down the street next to Iran Air near the HBF.
That said, if you have any interest in new Architecture, than Frankfurt has some glorious buildings. That are best observed by buying a post card. They do have an interesting art museum, pretty river promenade, an interesting suspension bridge across the river and the much ballyhooed Palm Garden. But for an interesting look at the flora in the area Bad Homberg has a wonderful park not to mention the Tanaus Thermelbad.
One of the best things about Frankfurt are the trains that take you easily and quickly away from that city.

I was in Frankfurt last Dec and loved the sprawling Christmas Market in the Romerplatz (sp?) - the large square in the old town. Have a piping hot glass of Spice (Glugh??) Wine, a traditional staple at such markets.

I'll chime in here with my standard recommendation for a visit to Wiesbaden, a short S-bahn ride away from the Frankfurt Hbf.

Wiesbaden is home to a wonderful traditional "therme", in which one can easily spend a relaxing couple of hours in the hot waters and saunas soaking away a December chill. However, it is 'traditional' in that one is not allowed to wear swimming/bathing attire in the baths -- at worst, a minor and momentary embarassment for some shy folks.

Wiesbaden also has a charming Fussgaengerzone (pedestrian zone) with interesting shops and decent restaurants. Great place to escape the big-city bustle.

Fritzrl

Thank you all for your messages!! I was so exited about this trip that I completely forgot that I would not stay in Frankfurt (I’m only landing there) but in a village named Stelzenberg near Kaiserslautern! ;) It seems to be a very beautiful place, full of forests and beautiful landscapes! I want to move around there, and to visit Strasbourg also! What do you recommend me: car rental or train?

Thanks!

>Kaiserslautern
That's a totally differnt ball park. :-) A car would be very helpful.

For train information go to:
www.bahn.de
for a car try www.autoeurope.com
It's very easy to get out of Frankfurt from the airport.

Frankfurt is relatively close to Stuttgart and Heidelberg (both about 40minutes by train) and trains run frequently. I would definitely suggest one of these places for a day trip, while you're in Frankfurt. Depending on your preferences, Heidelberg has castles--the Heidelberger Schloss is beautiful--and the Schlossgarten (garden)are both worth seeing. Although I haven't actually been to Stuttgart, I've heard that it is a nice city to visit and it has the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz museums if, if you're into cars.
I just returned from Frankfurt and I actually enjoyed the city very much! Yes, it is modern but it has sections--such as Aldstat that are pleasant and have buildings with beautiful arcitecture. The Dom and the alte oper are great attractions also!
Have fun!!

I would not be so quick to say that you need a car in Kaiserslautern. As are many areas of Germany, the area around Kaiserslautern is rich with opportunities for public transportation for much less than the cost of renting a car.

A bus map of the city of Kaiserslautern is at http://www.vrn.de/karten_plaene/Lini...erslautern.pdf. A single trip by bus and/or regional trains within this network costs only €1,30. This area is the same as the dark blue area around Kaiserslautern shown on the VRN (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar) tarif map, http://www.vrn.de/karten_plaene/wabe..._Wabenplan.pdf. A single trip within the dark and light blue zones is €2,70. A 24 hour ticket valid for unlimited travel by one person within the dark blue area and any other two light blue zones costs €5,00.

The Ticket 24, as the pass is called, is valid for one person for 24 hours from the time you cancel (entwerten) it. If purchased on a Saturday, it is good until 3 AM the next weekday, in other words, it is valid all weekend. There are several Tickets 24, depending on how large an area you travel in. The least expensive is €5 for up to 3 zones. You can travel anywhere in the entire VRN for €7,20 (single trip) or €12 (Ticket 24). If you want to travel to Heidelberg for a day, a Ticket 24 is only €12. Fuel alone, for a round trip by a small car, according to Via Michelin, is €18,50; that doesn't even include the cost of the day of car rental.

The VRN is one of the largest transit districts in Germany (see track plan at http://www.vrn.de/images/karten_plae...netz_gross.pdf), extending from west of Landstuhl to Würzburg, including Mannheim and Heidelberg, so you can go a long ways with an all zones Ticket 24. For a complete list of available 24 hour passes, go to the VRN home page at www.vrn.de and click on "Tarif", then "Tagesangebote". From the home page you can also get timetable information in English by clicking on the British flag.

For travel outside the VRN, particularly to the north and south, there is the Rheinland-Pfalz Ticket, which gives you unlimited travel on regional trains and most buses within the states (Länder) of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland all day (from 9 AM weekdays, all day weekends, until 3 AM the next day) for only €23. That is for one to five people traveling together. With a RLP Ticket you can go as far west as Trier and Bonn, as far east as Mannheim, as far south as Saarbrücken and Karlsruhe, and as far north as Mainz and Wiesbaden (but not quite to Frankfurt). With it you could visit the middle Rhein area (St. Goar, Bacharach) and the Mosel. A map of the entire area of validity for the RLP Ticket can be found at http://www.der-takt.de/fileadmin/Bil...rp_ticket.html.

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if I can be of any more assistance.

Thank you all for your messages!! You all helped me a lot to figure out about the transportation possibilities!! :)Within Germany, I think that HEIDELBERG, SAARBRUECKEN (especially for my relatives who live here in Saarbrucken :) ) and TRIER will be the principal destinations!I would like also to visit, especially for the proximity and the beautiful Christmas markets I’ve heard about), Luxemburg and Strasbourg. Do you think that these two last destinations are OK by train? It would be better to rent a car? I’ve check the prices for car rental and the prices are quite highs…

>Do you think that these two last destinations are OK by train? It would be better to rent a car? I’ve check the prices for car rental and the prices are quite highs…

Yu can simply go to www.bahn.de and check the travel time from Kaiserslautern to Strasbourg and/or Luxemburg.

I’ve checked on bahn.de and a trip to Strasbourg, from 17 to 18 of December, exceeds 100 euros… :(

Have you been checking on renting a car at the Frankfurt airport?
Try searching for a rental car away from the airport- it will probably be cheaper.
I would find a town outside of Frankfurt. Wiesbaden?

I was assuming from your statements that you are alone, but for Kaiserslautern to Strasbourg Dec 17, return Dec 18, I find fares of around €50 (many as low as €24,40) for one.

How many of you are there?

Using Schönes-Wochenende and Rheinland-Pfalz Tickets, TWO people would cost less than €100.

Sorry, that was €24,40 EACH WAY, not RT, but RT can still be less than €50.

Hy!We are two me and my boyfrend! I really dont't know what to do :( Rent a car or relax and try to find out there...with the trains and so!

Try these "insanely cheap" offers ;-)
www.sixti.de
www.interrent.de