After the WVV Marathon Würzburg: Frankfurt

The Route: Würzburg → Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof → Frankfurt Airport Logistics: Direct ICE trains from Würzburg Hauptbahnhof, around 1 hour 7 to 1 hour 14 minutes to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, running roughly hourly through the day. Marathon Month: May Duration: 2 nights

Würzburg Hbf ──(1h07-1h14 direct ICE)──> Frankfurt Hbf ──(11 mins S-Bahn/regional)──> Frankfurt Airport (FRA)

Flying out of Frankfurt Airport the same evening the WVV Marathon Würzburg finishes is not a plan worth defending, and a direct ICE service of a little over an hour from Würzburg Hauptbahnhof makes it easy to avoid. May in Frankfurt puts the Main riverbanks in full use, long evenings and outdoor terraces along both sides of the river, without the trade-fair crowding that fills the city's hotels at other times of year. Direct ICE trains run roughly hourly through the day; booking a specific departure a few weeks ahead secures the cheaper Sparpreis fares on Deutsche Bahn's own site, though walk-up tickets remain available at the price of a higher fare on the day.

Night One: The Museumsufer and the Main

Frankfurt's Museumsufer, the southern bank of the Main opposite the old town, is a flat, paved riverside walk stretching well over a kilometre, with benches at frequent intervals and no steps or significant gradient anywhere along it, making it as close to an ideal post-marathon recovery route as any city on this list offers. The path runs past a run of museums housed in converted 19th-century villas, of which the Städel Museum, with its collection running from Old Masters through to the early 20th century, suits a slow, unhurried visit at a fraction of the walking a typical old-town circuit would demand. Entry runs around €16 (£14) for adults, with the museum's basement level, added in a 2011 extension, holding much of the contemporary collection.

Across the river, the reconstructed old town around the Römerberg, rebuilt after wartime destruction, gives a compact half-timbered centre that can be seen in full from the Main bridges without necessarily walking its narrow lanes at length.

Where to stay: Hotel Villa Kennedy, on the Sachsenhausen side close to the Museumsufer walk, suits anyone who wants the riverside path outside the front door. 25hours Hotel The Trip, near the old town and the main shopping streets, offers a more central base for the second day's errands and dinner options.

Where to eat: Apfelwein Wagner, a traditional Sachsenhausen cider house, serves Frankfurt's own Apfelwein alongside straightforward regional plates, handkäse and green sauce among them, in a local rather than tourist-facing setting. Kleinmarkthalle, the covered market hall near the old town, is the better choice for a lighter, self-directed meal built from whatever stalls look good on the day.

Night Two: A Second Recovery Day

A second full day allows for either a repeat, slower pass along the Museumsufer or a short excursion by S-Bahn to Höchst, a preserved half-timbered old town within Frankfurt's own city limits, considerably quieter than the central Römerberg and reachable in around 20 minutes without needing to plan a full day trip. Höchst's own old town centres on a moated castle and a short run of cobbled streets, small enough to see in an hour without committing to a longer excursion, and its riverside promenade along the Main offers the same flat walking the Museumsufer does, with a fraction of the visitor numbers. Either option keeps the second day restful rather than another full sightseeing itinerary, which suits the timing two days out from a marathon better than pushing for a longer excursion.

For anyone who wants a single indoor option in reserve against wet May weather, the Palmengarten, Frankfurt's botanical garden, is reachable by U-Bahn from the centre in around 15 minutes and includes glasshouses that stay dry regardless of the forecast outside; its paths are flat gravel and paved sections throughout, with frequent benches, and the whole visit can be scaled from a short loop past the glasshouses to a longer circuit of the outdoor grounds depending on how the legs are feeling by the second day.

Getting to Frankfurt Airport (FRA)

Frankfurt Airport's own long-distance and regional station sits directly beneath the terminal complex, reachable from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof by S-Bahn or regional train in around 11 minutes, with services running every few minutes through the day. Long-distance ICE trains from other German cities also call directly at the airport station, so onward or connecting travel does not require a transfer into central Frankfurt at all. No advance booking is required for the short hop from the Hauptbahnhof; a standard local ticket covers it.