eng3

I'll be heading to germany in early august. I'll be arriving in FRA in the afternoon, probably jet lagged. A full day the next day and then ICE down to Munich the following morning. Then two full days and then flying out.

I plan to get a SIM card for my phone as soon as I arrive so I can get data to help me get around in town. Any tips on where to buy?

Also, I've noticed that eventhough U stations show up on google maps, I can't get it to route on U routes. It will select much longer S routes which are alot longer. Is there an alternate app I can use for navigating around town?

Any tips on must-see attractions? I hear there is more to see in Munich than FRA.

rstlsgirl

Definitely go into the aldstadt ("old city") in Frankfurt. It's small, but beautiful. The rest of downtown Frankfurt is so ugly it will take your breath away, but if you have some time you could get out of FRA and go out into the Rhone Valley.

Enjoy your trip!

pbiflyer

In the App Store, type in bahn. Several apps available including one for Munich.

Mainz is an easy train ride from FRA and is interesting.

The Deutsches museum in Munich is very cool. Have to stroll thru the market. Oldest brewery in the world is a short train ride away.

eng3

Thanks
I should mention that I have an android phone.
I have found several apps for the train. but you have to enter the station name. I would prefer something closer to google maps where you can enter an address or POI and then it tells you which stations

Since I'm taking ICE down to Munich, I think I will stay at one of the Holiday Inns near the train station, either the Hauptbahnhof one or the Messe one.

LondonElite

That's a bit harsh I think, but there aren't a huge amount of touristy things to do around Frankfurt.

The Rhone valley would be quite a trek from Frankfurt - a few hundred kilometers southwest. I think you mean the Rhine valley (Rhein in German). The city is on the Main river, which flows into the Rhine, and there are some beautiful vineyards around there.

LondonElite

I suggest the Sofitel Bayerpost near the train station. Probably the best hotel in the area.

pbiflyer

That is why I recommended Mainz. Heidelberg would also be a close, good choice. Small enough to cover everything in a day.

If you search this forum, there are some great ideas for Munich.

Also, what I did was use a combination of google maps and Bahn.de to do some scouting. Figured out where I would want to go on google, then plug in the stations on bahn.de.

offerendum

Have to disagree, best hotel in the area is The Charles. Stayed at Bayerpost a year ago for a conferenc and our suite was terrible. In 2009 it was much better but still not the Level of Charles or even MO.

eng3

Thanks. I had picked the Holiday Inn because my points are with them, but I haven't booked anything and will be looking at my options.

Yes, I had heard that there is alot more to see in Munich than Frankfurt, that's why I decided to spend more time in Munich.

Mandira

Regarding the SIM-card, most of the major telcos have stores which you should be able to find at least in the city centers (not sure about FRA airport though, but you can probably find that out online). You will probably be buying a prepaid plan where the monthly fee (starting at 10 €) for data use is deducted automatically as long as you have sufficient balance. Note that German data plans normally only include a few hundred MB of monthly use, but that's not a big deal if you're only staying a few days. To purchase a SIM-card, you need your passport + cash to top up the SIM-card enough for the fee for the first month. Doing this at the telco stores is quite an easy process - ready to go in about 15 min. You could also purchase the SIM-card in other places, like the super market, but you'll have to go though the registration process yourself in that case.

Regarding directions with public transport, the local public transport coordination associations (Verkehrsverbunde) usually have excellent tools for this.
For Frankfurt (incl. Mainz): http://www.rmv.de/en/
For Munich: www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/homepage/index.html
They both have apps for minimum Android and iPhone available. Hint: some information is available in the German language edition of the websites only.

LondonElite

Yes, OK, I probably agree with this. I forgot about the Charles because I've only stayed there a few times and, while each stay was good, it didn't really stand out for me. Generally I prefer to get away from the station and on to Maximilianstrasse. I think the MO is overpriced for what it offers, but it is the best in Munich. The renovated rooms at the Vier Jahreszeiten are very good as well.

offerendum

no objection

LondonElite

Actually, while we're off the topic, I think the Hotel an der Oper probably has the best PLV (value for money) in the area.

YuropFlyer

That's because I wrecked it in 2011

(the 2 floor one)

Seriously spoken, the Bayerpost is a really nice hotel, but not absolutely best value for money I think personally. In Munich, it really comes down on how much you like to spend.

LondonElite

The last time I stayed in the Bayerpost, there was a couple having very intimate relations in the end part of that underground pool grotto. For those that haven't been there, it's a bit like a windy snail, and when you get to the end, well, you think you're far away from everyone else...