The Rhineland is truly the heart of Germany. This large and loosely defined area offers travelers a tremendously wide variety of destinations, with such diverse experiences as a village in the Black Forest, the greatest Roman ruins north of the Alps, glittering cities and quiet university towns, elegant spas, river cruises, and wine tasting — all within easy daytrip range of its center.

The hub of the Rhineland is Frankfurt — for many tourists the starting point of their Teutonic adventures. This is where most overseas flights to Germany terminate, and a place from which rail lines and highways reach out in all directions. Before embarking on any trips, however, you may want to devote a day to exploring the city itself.

While all of the excursions outlined in this section can be made from Frankfurt, for some you may prefer alternative bases such as Mainz, Wiesbaden, Koblenz, Cologne, Darmstadt, or Heidelberg. These options are mentioned in the text whenever they are practical. Mainz and Wiesbaden are especially useful when all of the hotels in Frankfurt are booked solid, as sometimes happens.

Four daytrips to destinations in Bavaria have been added as they are just as easily reached from Frankfurt as from Munich.
DAYTRIPS IN GERMANY’S RHINELAND is the perfect companion book to DAYTRIPS BAVARIA.