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If you’re close enough to go to Frankfurt, change that to Wiesbaden. It’s more of a visiting town that Frankfurt IMO. I was stationed at Lindsey Air Station there in the early 70s. They even have a nice casino by the park down town (or did).

It’s a nice town. They wouldn’t have picked it (Lindsey) to be the HQ USAFE if it wasn’t. LAS was an old German calvary outpost; at the time I was there the barracks still had the rifle racks built into the hall walls, and the stables had been converted over to maintenance sheds for the mobile comm group stationed there, too.

Plus very nice buildings for the USAFE mucky muck headquarters. I have a sister-in-law that still lives in Wiesbaden.

Here’s another vote with Gaffer’s on going to Wiesbaden. I, too, was stationed there with the US Army for 3 years. Check out the spa and casino. Also, downtown is fairly upscale for shopping. Plenty of dining possibilities. A personal favorite was a Czech restaurant that served the original Budweiser beer. I can’t remember the name but everything is online today so I’m sure you can find it if you look.

When did HQ USAFE relocate from Ramstein AB which is close to Kaiserslautern (or K-Town as we loved to call it)? I spent three years (1976-1979) working there as a civilian (USAFE/LG and USAFE/IN) and loved it. And because of the location was able to see a bunch of Europe without having to drive very far.

If you’re close enough to go to Frankfurt, change that to Wiesbaden.

Mainz

Mainz and Wiesbaden are almost like one big city. It's literally a ten minute drive from one town center to the other. If you want, you can do both in one day. Mainz with its narrow streets in the historical city center has more of a medieval vibe to it, whereas Wiesbaden - as pepsionice said - is a spa town with imperial architecture.

Both more or less form the gate to the Rhine valley, Germany's major wine growing region. Just follow the River a few miles and there are many very picturesque little towns like Eltville, which is also just a 15-minute drive away (Remember the monestary from "The name of the Rose"? You can visit the real Eberbach monestary there). Germany is known for beer, but the Rhineland has a wine tradition, too. During harvest season, you should try some Federweisser (must) with Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie / onion quiche).

Depending on what kind of activities / sightseeing you like, you can always pick and choose frome what Mainz/Wiesbaden and the surrounding towns have to offer and spend a really nice day.