Can anyone give me advice re Frankfurt/Bad Nauheim

[Goldenboysmum]

Hi

I really want to go to Frankfurt and Bad Nauheim next year.

Now I've never travelled abroad on my own and usually get lost everywhere I go here, so obviously I'm a bit apprehensive about being in a foreign country on my own 😅

Anyway, I've searched flights so that's OK I think, and I've chosen a hotel.

I'd like to stay at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, it has rooms with a balcony and as I don't plan on being out much at night, I'd love a balcony. There's a train station, Franfurt South, not far from the hotel. So is there anyone who knows Franfurt reasonably well and can tell me if I can go from the airport to this station and also can I go from there to Bad Nauheim. I've googled and googled and I think I'm tying myself up in knots!
Also the hotel has decent reviews on booking.com, not so good on Trip Adviser but obviously people don't always think to leave good reviews but are quick to complain. Any advice on the hotel? is it easy enough to get to other places in Frankfurt from there for a bit sightseeing.

I plan on having a couple of day trips to Bad Nauheim and 3 or 4 days in Frankfurt. Any recommendations on what to see/do/give it a miss. I'll do a wee boat trip.

Also am I totally mad to go somewhere, when I don't speak a word of German! Would it be considered rude if I used a translation app on my phone?

Thanks for any advice!

You will find plenty of people in Frankfurt who speak English, my New York and Asian colleagues never had issues.

But I really don't know why you want to go to Frankfurt? It's really not a that interesting city and 3-4 days is a lot for a fairly small town. There are several museums along the Main river and the Opera is quite good I heard from colleagues there.

Also, Bad Nauheim, any particular reason you want to go? It's a very small town.

Sachsenhausen, where the hotel is, is a nice area. But the hotel looks very much like your average corporate one, sorry. I would email them directly and ask if the balcony is really accessible.

Frankfurt Süd - you can take the S-Bahn from the airport but you will have to change at the Main Station.

I would choose Frankfurt as a base and take day trips to Wiesbaden, Heidelberg for example. You can easy go by train. Just be careful with what ticket to buy.

@reluctantbrit thanks for taking the time to reply.

Thats really good to know regarding the train, I was hoping that there would be one direct, but it's not a problem. All the balconies are accessible, I've checked that and the reviews, as thats the one thing I'd really like. I don't do beaches/pool otherwise I would probably have went somewhere like spain/Portugal.

I'm not too fussed about having loads to do, I just really want to relax and get away from here for a few days.

I've had a really really shit couple of years, death of my son, dad, and partner leaving me (although him leaving wasnt a bad thing to be honest 😊), so im quite happy to wander around, but I would like to have at least a couple of things to do before I go 😅.

As for Bad Nauheim, I'm an Elvis fan and he was stationed there during his army days, that's the main reason I chose Germany.

And thanks for the ideas for other places, I'll have a look at them.

You don't say when you are travelling OP but the Christmas Market in Frankfurt is quite nice. Mainz is also another nice town for a day trip. Stopping off in cafes for cake is another highlight 😁

I used to live outside Frankfurt but it was a good while ago so don't have any up to date information but just to ease your mind on speaking English.... Frankfurt has a lot of international banks and there are US army bases nearby so there are lots of English speaking people around. Most younger Germans have perfect English and are only delighted to practice it on you 😊 I lived there 6 months no problem without knowing the language.