<p>Our family of five is going to Germany in June as a graduation present for D1. We’ll land in Frankfurt around 8 am local time (which will be 2 am for us) on Wed., June 2, and we are scheduled to show up on the afternoon or evening of the 3rd at the home of some cousins, an hour south.</p>
<p>We had committed to the Wednesday morning arrival before learning that our relatives weren’t going to be home until Thursday, and figured an extra day and a half in the area should allow us to un-lag a bit. But what else should we do to enjoy Wednesday and Thursday? We’ll have a rental car. Could we do a cruise on the Rhine? Visit nearby villages? We’d favor soaking up genuine local flavor over tourist-oriented things.</p>
<p>Any hotel recommendations? Expense is a consideration, since German hotels don’t allow > 4 to a room, so we’re paying for two hotel rooms every night we stay (unless we can find hotels which have suites or apartments that can handle 5). Thanks!</p>
<p>It’s been a long time but I remember flying into Frankfurt on business once and having to wait through a weekend for my company to start working. I kept getting befuddled by business hours. Restaurants only served for certain hours. Same for stores. Don’t know if it’s the same these days but if you are dealing with jet lag you might want to just think about the sort of basics you’ll be needing during that 24 hour period.</p>
<p>As I recall, a coworker drove me and my boss out to the Black Forest and we saw adorable German people walking in the brisk air, hands clasped behind their backs. Then we ate amazing cake and gorgeous coffee in a little inn that must have been a gazillion years old. </p>
<p>My main memory is that my luggage was lost and I purchased incredible underthings at some basement of a department store that are still in perfect condition . . . 25 years later.</p>
<p>Take a train or rent a car and go out into wine country. There are some great castles in the wine area as well. We really liked Burg Eltz but there are a ton.</p>
<p>SH, the Black Forest sounds both scenic and delicious, though I’ll probably pass on incredible underthings. SCM, how far and in which direction would one need to go from the city to be in the wine country?</p>
<p>Trip advisor is the best site for this kind of question. </p>
<p>We were in Frankfurt recently and had 24 hours before catching a plane home. It was at the end of an eventful trip so we had no appetite for museums and such but did enjoy hanging around a pedestrian shopping area called the Zeil, a pedestrian shopping street. It was a quick S-bahn ride from the main train station. Public transport is great and Frankfurt is easy to get around. </p>
<p>We have stayed several times in Germany at hotels that are part of the Ibis chain. They are very economical, clean and modern. In Frankfurt we stayed at the Ibis Friedensbrucke which is just a few blocks from the train station. If you stay there, there is a absolutely fantastic Persian restaurant two blocks away. (If I remember correctly, you take three right turns and it is on your right - but ask)</p>
<p>We had a long weekend in Germany last summer. We flew into Frankfurt. Ate at a three star restaurant in Saarbrucken (very expensive, but wow! what an experience), then went to a free outdoor rock concert and then spent a day driving along the Rhein. We stayed in a funny very, very bare bones chain hotel (Etape) in Saarbrucken that was quite inexpensive. (32 Euros currently) We drove the bit of the Rhein from Lorch up to St. Goar where we took the ferry across. The castle at Burg Rheinfels looked interesting, but our son was not interested in going in so we just did some hiking in the area. Before 2006 shopping hours in Germany were strictly regulated, but they’ve been liberalized since then - you shouldn’t have too much trouble.</p>
SCM, how far and in which direction would one need to go from the city to be in the wine country?</p>