Germany - Thoughts on a day-long ICE trip from Frankfurt?

I'm headed to Germany with buddies in a few weeks. We have a tight schedule but do have a full Tuesday that is wide open. We were thinking of taking an ICE from Frankfurt...somewhere. Would prefer somewhere scenic/historic.

We've been to Koln and surrounding, been to Paris, been to Berlin, been to most of the cities in the far north.

Unless I'm not seeing all the direct ICE routes, I'm thinking Basel or maybe Leipzig as a good destination? If we leave very early, we can get seven or eight good hours in the city before getting back to Frankfurt late that night.

Thoughts on either city, or other alternatives?

Thanks in advance!

I would consider Würzburg or Nürnberg (Nuremberg). Two of the most beautiful and historical German cities and not too far away from Frankfurt. Basel is not too exciting. Leipzig is a great city, however, the two I mentioned offer more of "history".

As much as I usually recommend Leipzig it is a 3 1/2 h ICE ride each way from FRA.

I'd think about the boat trip down to Cologne and take the train back.

After visiting Freiberg in late May 2011 I would suggest it as a off the tourist track suggestion. Not sure of your interests but we were absolutely amazed by the the mineral museum-Terra Mineralia Museum where there is a massive collection from around the world ( over 3,500 pieces donated by Erica Pohl-Stroher and said to be the world’s best) & the church that boasts an amazing silver pipe organ that also apparently brings many tourists. The town apparently has received massive injections of cash in the last 5 or so years to reinvigorate the ex east German facilities. There is also a Bergwerk Freiberg Mine Tour available-again depends on your interests.
Plenty of info available by using google.

RussellJ - I agree with you that Freiberg/Saxony is an absolute gem (not to be confused with Freiburg im Breisgau please) but definitely not within day trip distance from Frankfurt, unfortunately. That's at least five hours one way.

I would also vote for Würzburg or Nürnberg.

Thanks all! I went to Nurnberg last year and loved it. I lived in Germany for three years so I've seen a number of places and was hoping to discover something new. I guess part of the reason I wanted to go to Switzerland was simply because I've never been there. Been all around it, but for whatever reason I never had reason to visit.

After reading what everyone has written I think I am going to opt for Wurzburg. I've driven by dozens of times, and always find it pretty from the autobahn, but have never stopped. So it's settled.

Thanks all!

Go to Heidelberg. It's a short train ride. BTW, do you really need it to be an ICE train ride? It's not cheap by any means. But you can find some good advance purchase tickets (min 3 days advance). But also most German states have there own day passes for around 30 Euros that are usually good for up to 5 people travelling together. They're only good on regional trains though. But also remember that both Bavaria and Rhineland-Pfalz are very close in distance to FRA, so you're not just limited to Hessen.

How about Luxembourg ? Scenic ride and very scenic city. And yes, a lot of history too :)

Thanks all! I went to Nurnberg last year and loved it. I lived in Germany for three years so I've seen a number of places and was hoping to discover something new. I guess part of the reason I wanted to go to Switzerland was simply because I've never been there. Been all around it, but for whatever reason I never had reason to visit.

After reading what everyone has written I think I am going to opt for Wurzburg. I've driven by dozens of times, and always find it pretty from the autobahn, but have never stopped. So it's settled.

Thanks all!

Good choice. It is a baroque gem and not a typical tourist place:

http://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/bilder/rundgang/s-kaiser/spiegelkabinett.jpg

http://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/bilder/tourist/gartenfassade.jpg

and a great place for food and wine. Have a lunch at historic Juliusspital or Bürgerspital, enjoy the local wine (pretty much unique, not only to style of the bottle) and enjoy the short train ride.

Aschaffenburg is nice as well. Its about an hour or less by train and the ICE trains do go through there. You could stop here then head to Wurzburg for something later on in the day.

There is a very nice castle on the Main River, a area of town that you can walk down the cobble streets, a very nice park with a small castle surrounded by a moat, the Pompejanum which is a a replica of a Roman town house discovered in Pompeii commissioned by King Ludwig I, a basilica that was founded in 974, museums, etc.......


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aschaffenburg

http://www.aschaffenburg.de/en/index.php

I'm thinking Basel or maybe Leipzig as a good destination?
Basel is nice enough for a few hours, and can easily be combined with Freiburg for a day-trip from the FRA area.

Basel is nice enough for a few hours, and can easily be combined with Freiburg for a day-trip from the FRA area.

I spent a summer outside of Freiburg. Just a beautiful city!

Another vote for Freiburg. Great city for walking round & you can take a small cable car ride up a hill to a pretty restaurant & admire the views.

Have been there many times since I was a teenager & am looking forward to going back, preferably when the market is out in the Cathedral Square.

Nurnberg is fun. Went there a couple years ago on a day trip with the wife.

Heidelberg gets my vote.
About an hour from FRA airport station (ICE to Mannheim leaves every hour, one stop, change there to suburban S-bahn to HD for 17 min. ride -- not expensive) You can see all the sights in one day, eat drink and get back to FRA. Heidelberg is the largest German city that was not destroyed in WWII. Freiburg, Wuerzburg, Nuremberg etc. are all rebuilt, HD is an original city mostly from the 1700s and older. Enjoy!

>HD is an original city mostly from the 1700s and older.

There is about nothing that's older than the 1700s in the old town. Heidelberg was burned to ashes in the war of 1689. One single house survived the fire.

I agree with Würzburg as the choice. I did this exact thing last year, but I went to Cologne first to show my friend the cathedral, then we went to Würzburg from there. That made for a long day, so just W. would be appropriate. Having a meal on the ICE might be a good idea...we had lunch.

Strasbourg is not too far either - about 2 hrs by car, but not sure of the train schedule.

Fulda ist close to Frankfurt and a nice spot for a day.

Strasbourg is not too far either - about 2 hrs by car, but not sure of the train schedule.

train involves one change at Karlsruhe or Offenburg - quite easy and definitely worth a visit :)