Ever heard of Bad Homburg? Koblenz? Aschaffenburg? Aschaffenburg? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?
If you've never heard of Aschaffenburg, then you're among the 99.99% of the not-so-silent majority outside of Germany. Why would you have ever heard of it? Aschaffenburg has no more than 70,000 people living there. Aschaffenburg - and this is something most Germans may not know - is actually in the state of Bavaria, although people associate it with the metropolitan region of Frankfurt, since the town is a mere 25 miles from Frankfurt, as in the city.
Why, then, would you bother with Aschaffenburg? This goes under 'day tours within the Frankfurt Region'. The best trip you can take if you're 'stranded' in Frankfurt for the weekend, is a boat tour up the Rhein, as I mentioned a few months ago (See Rhein). Now, in case Frankfurt's 'Mainhattan', as in American, character is not sufficient for your European fix and you need that German small town, then Aschaffenburg might just be the place for you. A 15-20 minute train ride will take you there. That's right. As with most places in Germany, no rental car needed.
Once you get to Aschaffenburg, all you need is a pair of shoes. From the Hauptbahnhof, or the main train station, head southwest, even through city center, if you must. A mile and a half from the main station is the Schloss Johannisburg, the landmark of Aschaffenburg with the famous square interior court. In the 21st century, this nice little palace has been visited by a million people or more. In the 17th century, this was merely the second or third residence of the bishop of Mainz.
Even so, the Johannisburg does not compare to the nearby promenades along the Main River. Once you reach the river, look at the distance between the bridges, navigable largely by vehicles. Between the bridges you'll find grass, water, and the occasional festival with some good food and drink.
My personal favorite in Aschaffenburg - and listen closely, beer fans - is the Schlappeseppel brewery a few hundred yards from the Johannisburg Castle. Schlappeseppel might just be my favorite beer (or pils, to be more precise) in the world. As an aside, their food is pretty good, too.
Still have an hour or two to spare? Head east to the Park Schöntal to see more park and green, along with the obligatory European church ruins. The last time I was there, the ruins were closed off, I'm guessing due to construction, although that takes nothing away from the park itself.
That's just scratching the surface. There's your day tour in the Frankfurt area...Aschaffenburg. Remember the name.
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