Going to frankfurt any tips?

[air-cool-me]

A friend working in Iraq (civilian) is finally heading home..

His company is setting him up in a hotel in frankfurt for a few days, I am flying over there to meet him.

Anything that is must-do? We will be there the 4th-7th.

thanks in advance,
Nick

[krichard]

Hop on the first train to Munich!!! j/k I've been to Frankfurt once for a week on business, but really didn't do any touristy type things. Just worked and then went to some really good dinners and then out to the clubs. If you go out at night be cautious of the hookers in the clubs, unless you're into that kind of thing If you like classic heavy bavarian style food, sausage/meat/potatoes yummy!!, ask for a "biersch(sp?)" style resturant. Drink plenty of wheat beer and let me know when you are heading to Munich. I've spent lots of time there and can give better advice for things to do.

[widgeon13]

Get out of FF, rent a good car, go south to Austria, see the mountains, drink beer and eat at as many gaustehaus as possible, come back north through Baden Baden, go to the casino's and have fun. Get on plane and come home!

[charleskieffner]

ditto on der choo choo zum munchen. frankfurt has a mega airport(have fun getting lost) and the BIGGEST CHOO CHOO BAHNHOFF AUF DER WELD(in the world) have fun getting lost there also.

historically frankfurt was bombed into the stone age during wwII, lots of evidence everywhere. munich was also bombed into the stone age. 1972 olympic area built entirely on RUBBLE of munchen buildings.

number einz thang to do im munchen.................HOFBRAUHAUS und GLOCKENSPIEL auf der marionplatz. the museums are too cool across the city.

blonde frauleins everywhere. OOOOMMMM PAH PAH! get some lederhosen and a goofy hat w/feather and a liter of bier and you will LOOK LIKE A LOCAL!

since yer close hit SALZBURG ALSO!

[krichard]

This is all I can really remember about the many trips to Germany.....

[Rick Lee]

Frankfurt doesn't have too much to see, but the surrounding areas have some nice areas. Get a car and drive to Heidelberg or go to the Porsche factory. Don't drink that tourist HB beer. And don't even think of going to the Hofbrauhaus if you go to Munich. Go to the REAL German beer places like Augustinerbraeu - the fourth beer down in those photos. They have a super restaurant in Munich, Marienplatz, IIRC and it's famous for their rude waiters. That's some of the best beer in Germany and I don't think you can get it anywhere outside of Munich.

Let us know if you're getting a car and what you want to see and then I can make some recommendations - all of which are outside of FF.

[Rot 911]

I lived in Heidelberg for 4 years. Like the others said, Frankfurt is not all that scenic, just a big city. If you want scenery you will need to head anywhere south. What is it you want to do while you are there?

[Rick Lee]

Some other beers you want to check out in that area are Fuerstenberg, which is most common around Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, might be available in FF, and Budvar (the original Budweiser, called Czechvar in the U.S.). You can get Budvar everywhere in Germany and on tap it's just to die for.

If you're into wine, then make the 1.5-2 hr. drive to Trier or maybe shead to Saarbruecken and then head up along the Moselle to Trier, the oldest city in Germany. I lived there for a year in college. It's breathtakingly gorgeous. BTW, is Leland Pate still in Bitburg? Maybe you can go WWII plane relic hunting with him.

[Dottore]

I'm also not a huge fan of Frankfurt, but if you only have a couple of days there's certainly more than enough to do.

The old quarter is very charming. Great bars and restaurants and nightlife etc. Order some "handkaese mit musik" which is a local speciality. Some very nice old bars overlooking the river.

Then, on the northwest fringe of Frankfurt is Kronberg, which is one of the prettiest old towns in Germany. You can get there with public transport from the city center in only 30 minutes or so and its great place to spend a day walking around, enjoying the small bars and beer gardens etc etc. The "Schlosshotel Kronberg" is magnificent medieval castle that has been turned into a luxury hotel, and even if you don't stay there, you should have a drink or a meal there. Spectacular.

It depends how much time you have—but if you only have a short time I wouldn't spend this on trains to and from Munich. Unless of course you like trains.

[Shadetree930]

Been to Germany too many times to count.

If it were me, I would rent a car as soon as you could. leave the city and follow the Rhine river south. Stop at the little beer gardens, have a beer and Schweinshaxe (German Ham Hock), repeat until your time runs out.

[Tim Polzin]

Walk the trails along the Main, visit Altstadt in Centrum, see the Romer ruins. In the big restored Cathedral in Altstadt, they have a bunch of photos taken just after the war, devastating, but interesting. That's about all I can think of.

Tim

[widgeon13]

Good place for lunch and a few beers. Henninger Turm

[air-cool-me]

Wow! thanks for the reply's guys.. I didn't choose Frankfurt... thats where my partner in crime's company is flying him to...

So basically.. I can START in Frankfurt(on the 4th) and and go anywhere as long as I end up at an airport that is serviced by Delta or Northwest(on the 7th)...

Step1.... leave Frankfurt.
2 ... consume beer with names i cannot hope to pronounce.
3.. borrow lederhosen from charles and chase the frauleins
4.. ?

My friend wants to rent motorcycles and ride up to the "Ring" and mountain bike around it in the morning and ride it in the afternoon. Personal i think hes been in the desert for a bit too long. Checked on ring taxis... there booked for months.

I have some real planning to do this trip... i am not in opposition to riding trains at night to a new location...

thanks in advance

[Rick Lee]

I'd leave out #3. You'll look worse than Clark Griswold in a beret in Paris.

I don't think there's a lot to see around the Ring other than the Ring itself. Cologne and Koblenz are nice if you're already there, but south and east of Frankfurt are where it's at. It's too late to book a tour of the Porsche factory, but you could still visit the museum, go visit Ruf on the way to Munich (gorgeous drive on back roads there) and be in Munich by late afternoon. Munich can keep you busy for a while. BMW, beer, museums, churches, etc. Driving from there to Gmuend is around three hrs. and is some of the best scenery you can imagine. Salzburg and Berchtesgaden are a lot closer and still gorgeous drives. I imagine renting a bike in Germany ain't gonna be cheap. A BMW 1200GS runs about $180 a day around here and everything here is a bargain compared to Germany.

[air-cool-me]

just looked it up.. 180$ for a V-twin like a versys or cb600.