Where should I fly into Germany and which cities are best to visit?

I'd like to visit Germany from the U.S., but am wondering what city is the best to fly into. I'd also like to visit surrounding countries, but wanted to know what is a good city in Germany to see first with history/culture/beauty, to use as a base for my travels? I'd also like to visit Bavaria, the Romance road, etc. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. The very best city to fly into would be Frankfurt. ANd from there you can easily travel around. You could be in France, Belgium, Luxemburg in about 2-3 hour car ride. And there is a european airline, that you can fly to anywhere in Europe for only 15 Euro. www.ryanair.com.
2. Frankfurt (No 3 in Europe) and Munich are the biggest airports in Germany. Most direct flights from the USA are going to one of those cities. Which airport will be better for you to arrive at depends on your travel plans: which other countries are you intending to visit? Munich will be a better base for going to Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, etc) and Italy, or for trips to the Alps. For most other destinations I'd pick Frankfurt. It's close to Heidelberg and the famous Rhine Valley (take a boat cruise, maybe down to Cologne!); Würzburg is not far away (start of the Romantic Road); Frankfurt offers the best train connections in Germany. France, Luxemburg, Belgium, and the Netherlands are not too far away, even Basel / Switzerland is less than 3 hours away by train.