Amazing list of 50+ best day trips from Frankfurt (1/3)

About this list

This post is the first part of a three-post series on the in my opinion 50+ best day trips from Frankfurt.

In this part, I will present my 24 personal best day trips from Frankfurt that can be reached within 1 hour by car.

The focus of the second part will be my 24 personal best day trips from Frankfurt that can be reached within 1-2 hours by car.

Finally, in the third part, I will focus on the best day trips from Frankfurt that can be reached within 2-3 hours by car.

If you are planning to go on trips using public transport, make sure to also check out my post on public transport around Frankfurt.

The best day trips from Frankfurt you can reach within one hour

The time estimations for distance by car are based on google maps estimations. Depending on where you start in Frankfurt, the real time needed can differ slightly.

The time estimations for distance by train are estimations from Deutsche Bahn. They only include the time from Frankfurt central station to the central station of the destination. Keep in mind that sometimes the train station will be located at the edge of the city and you might still have to walk some distance to get to the main attractions.

I also tried to indicate whether it is easy to reach a destination with public transport. However, some places which are easy to reach with public transport have some sights that are far away from the city center where other sights are. I pointed out these places in the description texts.

Königstein im Taunus

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Königstein im Taunus is a small town in the mountains. In the old town area there are many half-timbered houses with small shops inside. It also has a nice spa garden you can stroll through. The highlight of this town is the castle ruins with one remaining tower from which you have a great view over the area.

Königstein is also a great place for starting a hike through the Taunus.

Kronberg im Taunus

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Kronberg is among the areas with the most millionaires per m² in Germany. And it really shows. There is a large, well maintained park for strolling. In the center of the park, there is a five star hotel that looks like a luxurious palace.

Another highlight of Kronberg is the Altstadt with its half-timbered houses and of course Kronberg castle. Kronberg castle sits on a hill overlooking the Altstadt and the Schlosspark and offers a great view of the town.

Seligenstadt

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Seligenstadt is yet another city in Hesse with half-timbered houses. However, the highlight of Seligenstadt is definitly the “Wasserburg”, a castle surrounded by a large moat. The castle was built as a pleasure palace for the abbots of Seligenstadt.

Aside from the “Wasserburg”, there is also a basilica and a former monastery near the “Wasserburg” that is worth visiting.

Saalburg roman fort

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The Saalburg is a roman fort located in the Taunus north of Bad Homburg. The roman fort was restaurated between 1897 and 1907. It now is an accurate representation of the forts the Romans built along the “Limes”, the border of the roman empire.

Inside the fort is a museum depicting the life and history of romans who lived there.

Aschaffenburg

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Aschaffenburg can absolutely not be missed on my best day trips from Frankfurt list.

The most famous site in Aschaffenburg is probably Johannisburg palace, a sandstone palace overlooking the Main river. Inside the palace is a museum with artpieces and other artifacts showing the history of the area and its people.

Another popular sight is the Schönbusch palace, an early classical style pavilion located in an English garden. From here, there is an open view on the Johannisburg that is in a distance of 2.5 km. This spot is commonly referred to as Point-de-Vue. Schloss Schönbusch is not very well connected to public transport, the bus from Schloss Johannisburg takes 25 minutes, walking takes 50 minutes.

There is also the Pompejanum, a full scale replica of a roman villa from Pompeji, a city palais called “Schönborner Hof”, the baroque style palais Salm and many more historical buildings.

Darmstadt

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The top sight in the city itself is “Waldspirale”, a unique residential building designed by famous Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The name of the building could be translated to “forest spiral”. The building itself consists of many spirals with a green roof and streams of water coming out of the building.

Another popular sight outside the city is Frankenstein castle, which partially rose to fame because of Mary Shelly’s classic novel “Frankenstein’s Monster”. If you wish to visit Frankenstein castle, I strongly adivse you to take a car as the public transport connection to the castle is not good.

Open air museum Hessenpark

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“Freilichtmuseum Hessenpark” is an open air museum in Taunus. The museum contains historical half-timbered houses, traditional craftsmanship, museums and even animals for the kids to feed. There are also theatrical performances showing how people used to live in the past.

Bad Nauheim

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Bad Nauheim is a spa town famous for the “Sprudelhof”, a spa complex with an art nouveau feel. It is also a popular spot for hikers with many scenic spots surrounding the city. The most popular among them is probably Johannisberg, a small mountain from which you can overlook the town and surrounding area.

Ronneburg

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Ronneburg is a municipality named after the local castle. It comprises several villages, some of which boast nice half-timbered houses.

Nonetheless, the main attraction if of course the “Ronneburg”. The castle contains a museum and organises numerous events like middle age fairs or tournaments.

Mainz

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Mainz is the capital of the state Rhineland-Palatine and a place that can be found on anyone’s best day trips from Frankfurt list.

It is famous for it’s picturesque old town. The most prominent building in the old town is roughly 1000-year old the St. Martin cathedral.

Another popular site is St. Stephan’s church which is famous for it’s blue windows designed by Marc Chagall.

Aside from the old town, there is also a lot of remains of roman settlements you can see in Mainz. So given the amount of things to see here, Mainz is definitely worth a visit.

A seasonal highlight is the “Mainzer Weinmarkt”, a wine festival that takes place in the city forest overlooking the Main river. Aside from a variety of local wine, the festival offers tasty treats and a craftsmanship market.

Wiesbaden

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Of course, Wiesbaden is another place that cannot be missed on any best day trips from Frankfurt list. It is located just across the Rhein from Mainz. Wiesbaden is the state capital of Hesse. It is famous for the Kurhaus, a neo-classical building which contains ballrooms, the state theatre – and a casino!

The palace square located in the city center of Wiesbaden is another important sight in the city. It is surrounded by the former ducal palace, the new town hall and the market church.

Another highlight is the “Nerobergbahn”, a furnicular railway which takes you on a hill called Neroberg. There you can visit the russian-orthodox St. Elizabeth’ church and enjoy panoramic views of the city.

The final highlight of Wiesbaden is Biebrich palace, a baroque palace at the Rhein with splendid palace gardens. Schloss Biebrich is not well connected with public transport. I recommend to take the car if you want to go there.

Büdingen

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Büdingen is known for it’s lovely old town. Your can find half-timbered houses which are several hundred years old there. A special highlight of Büdingen is the well preserved city walls.

There is also a palace, which to this day is inhabited by the family of the duke of Ysenburg und Büdingen. The outer courtyard is open to the public, the inside can be visited as part of a guided tour. If you want to visit the castle, you should book a tour in advance.

Gelnhausen

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Gelnhausen is yet another town with a historic center. It is often referred to as “Barbarossastadt” as it was founded by Emperor Frederick I, better known as Barbarossa.

Aside from the town, Barbarossa also built a palace here, the Imperial Palace. The palace is open to the public and contains a museum.

Heppenheim

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Heppenheim is at the centre of a wine growing region. It is well known especially in India, as it has been the set for numerous bollywood movies.

The most popular sight in Heppenheim is the market square, which is surrounded by well maintained half-timbered houses. The most prominent among the surrounding buildings is the town hall, which was rebuilt in 1705/6.

As most places on this list, Heppenheim also has its own castle, the Starkenburg. It is located on a hill with magnificent views of the surrounding area and today serves as a youth hostel. From the center of the old town, it is a 30-minute walk to the castle.

Steinau an der Strasse

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Steinau an der Strasse is on this list mostly because of the local theme park. The target group of the parks is kids. It has many child-friendly rides and a petting zoo. The theme park is not well connected with public transport.

Aside from the park, Steinau an der Strasse has a modest old town with some half-timbered houses and an early renaissance palace. The exterior of the castle is open to the public and the inside contains a museum. The castle is a 30-minute walk from the train station.

Heidelberg

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Heidelberg, included in many “Europe in a week” tours, is world famous. Naturally, it is also included on my best day trips from Frankfurt list.

It is renown for the Altstadt with many well maintained half-timbered houses and Heidelberg university buildings. The highlight however is the castle, from which you have a magnificent view across the old town and the Neckar river. On the river, there are several cruise ships that you can book rides in.

Across the Neckar, there is a popular scenic hike with great views over the Altstadt and the castle called “Philosophenweg”.

Marburg

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Marburg is an old university city. The most popular sights are the palace and Elisabethen church.

Marburg palace was originally designed as a castle in the 11th century before later being converted into a palace. It is therefore interesting from an architectoral perspective. It is located on a hill overlooking the city.

The Elisabethen church on the other hand is considered to be the oldest purely gothic church in Germany. Aside from the palace and the church, there are a lot of other buildings in the city.

Limburg

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Limburg is among the few German cities which managed to maintain their original medieval buildings. Hence, the entire old town area is under monumental protection.

The big highlights are the Limburg Cathedral and the palace. The Cathedral is located on a hill overlooking the city. The palace is also located on the same hill.

Another popular and historic spot is the old Lahn bridge, a bridge from 1315 that still stands to this day.

Wetzlar

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Wetzlar is another city at the Lahn with a historic old town. Like the old town of Limburg, the entire old town is under monumental protection.

The old town has many half-timbered houses and a historic bridge from 1288. Another popular spot for great photos is the mill-race, where you can capture historic buildings on the waterfront.

There are also still some parts of the original medieval city wall remaining in different parts of the old town. The only tower of the original city wall that remains is the Säuturm. It today contains a navy museum.

Michelstadt

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Michelstadt is located in southern Hesse near the border to Bavaria. It is renown for its old town, its castles and first and foremost its Christmas market.

The old town of Michelstadt contains many half-timbered houses, the most notable of which is the city hall from 1484. The famous Christmas market takes place throughout the Altstadt every year from the end of November to just before Christmas. If you want a special experience, you can take a steam engine train from Frankfurt to the Michelstadt Christmas market.

Michelstadt has two castles, the Michelstadt castle also referred to as Kellerei and Fürstenau palace. Michelstadt castle was restored in the 16th and 17th century and today contains the city museum. The Erbach-Fürstenau family lives in Fürstenau palace to this day, but the palace grounds are open to the public.

Felsenmeer Lautertal-Reichenbach

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The Felsenmeer looks like a river of stones rolling down a mountain. It consists of diorite which has been subject to spheroidal weathering. At the top of the “stream” there is a fresh water spring. The area is especially popular with hikers.

Miltenberg

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Miltenberg is located at a meander of the river Main. The city has a historic old town and a castle overlooking the city.

Highlights in the old town are the market square “Schnatterloch” and the hotel “Zum Riesen”. The castle now contains an art museum. It is famous because it was home to the “Teutonenstein”, a mysterious sandstone column of 5 metres height whose inscription has not been deciphered to date.

Schwetzingen

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The highlights of Schwetzingen are the palace and the palace gardens.

The palace itself is nice but not spectacular. However, the palace theater inside is gorgeous and seeing a play here is definitly a highlight. The theater is used for the Schwetzinger Festspiele from May to June.

When visiting the palace gardens, you should go in spring or summer to make sure the flowers here are in bloom. A special highlight here is the bloom of the cherry blossom. The official website of the palace reports on the status of the cherry blossoms to help you time your visit.

Wertheim & Wertheim village

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Wertheim am Main is located at the intersection of the Main and Tauber rivers.

Wertheim has a historic old town with half-timbered houses and a castle overlooking the town.

Nonetheless, most people don’t visit Wertheim for sightseeing, they come for shopping instead! And as the only shopping destination on my list of best day trips from Frankfurt, it can absolutely not be missed.

Wertheim is home to Wertheim village, a shopping outlet with more than 110 outlet shops. It is called village as the shops are designed to replicate a medieval town.

If you want to go to Wertheim village from Frankfurt and don’t have a car, there is normally a shuttle bus running from Frankfurt central station to Wertheim village a couple times a day. However, it is not for free.

The only way you can currently get to Wertheim Village by public transport is taking a train to Wertheim and a bus from there to the village.

Preview of Part 2 of best day trips from Frankfurt

In part two, I will introduce the best day trips from Frankfurt that can be reached in 1-2 hours by car. I will cover the Mosel area, the Rheingau, Rothenburg ob der Tauber and more.

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