Frankfurt/Main Guide
Cosmopolitan and bustling, Frankfurt might be Germany's financial powerhouse, but it is fun-loving at heart. Soaring skyscrapers sit next to half-timbered houses. Frenetic shopping streets hide cosy apple-wine taverns. The city on the River Main is full of unexpected contrasts.
From the Römerberg square, near the towering Kaiserdom cathedral, the Eiserner Steg foot bridge takes you across the River Main to the museum-lined Museumsufer embankment. The glass-clad Main Tower rises in Frankfurt's business district, where a sea of suits envelops the pavements. Up the street, find the city's majestic opera house.
Find designerwear on upmarket Goethestrasse and fashion one-offs on offbeat Berger Strasse. Frankfurt's pedestrianised Zeil shopping mile is home to department stores and the Zeilgalerie mall with a roof terrace offering city views. The lively Kleinmarkthalle lures shoppers with freshly pickled German cabbage and an array of Turkish spices.
Head to the vast Grüneburgpark in the Westend-Nord district. For great views of Frankfurt's skyline, climb the wooden, 43-metre-high tower in the southern City Forest. In summer, take your towel to one of Frankfurt's lidos – the shady Freibad Brentano is a local favourite.
Take your pick from Frankfurt's wealth of museums and galleries: see Warhol and Beuys at the Museum of Modern Art, Rembrandt and Dürer at the Städel, or explore Frankfurt's past at the Historic Museum. The city's renowned opera is housed in the Städtische Bühnen arts complex on Willy-Brandt-Platz.
Frankfurt has it both ways, boasting a distinct local cuisine and an array of international eateries. Sip local apple wine in a rustic Alt-Sachsenhausen tavern and choose from Asian menus on banker-populated Schillerstrasse. Snack on a frankfurter sausage on food-minded Fressgass.
Board the Primus Line and lounge on the open deck while the boat takes you through Frankfurt along the River Main. This is one of the most relaxed ways to see the city.
