Frankfurt, Germany
Updated April 2026 · Places to Visit in Europe
Frankfurt will disarm you. You arrive expecting Germany's financial capital — all cold efficiency, glass towers, briefcases — and the first thing you encounter is a medieval half-timbered house wedged between two skyscrapers on a cobblestone square, its wooden beams painted ochre and black, its window boxes overflowing with geraniums. You cross a bridge over the Main River and the city opens itself to you: the skyline — the famous Mainhattan — rises on the opposite bank like a fever dream of Manhattan transplanted to central Europe, all steel and glass and geometric precision. But look the other way, downriver, and you can see the cathedral spire from 1239, the old town unfolding in a tangle of crooked lanes, and the whole absurd, beautiful contrast that makes Frankfurt unlike any other German city.
The city draws nearly four million visitors a year, though many of them are passing through — changing planes at Frankfurt Airport, catching a train from the Hauptbahnhof, attending the world's largest Book Fair in October. That transit feel is part of the city's character, and Frankfurters have a complex relationship with it. But those who stay — who linger beyond the conference centre and the trade fair halls — discover a city of genuine depth: one of Europe's great art museums, a neighbourhood of apple-wine taverns where the city's working-class soul still lives, a botanical garden that is one of the finest on the continent, and a skyline that, seen from the river at dusk with the light catching the glass and the water turning gold beneath it, is genuinely one of the most striking urban vistas in Europe.
This guide will help you find the Frankfurt that lives behind the spreadsheets — the one that reveals itself in the smell of Grüne Soße at a Sachsenhausen tavern, in the silence of the Städel at eleven in the morning, in the view from the cathedral tower on a clear autumn day when the Taunus hills are sharp and close and the whole city lies at your feet.
Best Places to Stay
Frankfurt is a compact city, and where you stay shapes how you experience it. The central districts — Innenstadt, Sachsenhausen, the Altstadt — are all within walking distance of each other, and the city's excellent public transport makes even the outer neighbourhoods accessible in minutes. The main thing to understand is that Frankfurt's hotel scene is heavily shaped by its role as a business destination: midweek rates can be punishing, while weekend prices — particularly Friday and Saturday nights — often drop significantly. If your visit is discretionary, time it for the weekend.
Innenstadt and Altstadt — The Historic Heart
The Innenstadt (inner city) is Frankfurt's commercial and cultural core — the Zeil shopping street, the major museums, and the sprawling pedestrian zone that connects the train station to the river. Staying here puts you in the middle of everything, with the best transport connections in the city. The Altstadt — the reconstructed old town around the Römerberg — is smaller and more atmospheric, and several of Frankfurt's most characterful hotels are here, tucked into the half-timbered houses that were painstakingly rebuilt after the city's devastation in the Second World War. The trade-off is noise: the Innenstadt is busy at all hours, and the Altstadt's narrow streets, while quieter in themselves, can fill with tourists during the day.
Sachsenhausen — The Local Favourite
Across the river south of the Altstadt, Sachsenhausen is the neighbourhood that visitors fall in love with and locals have always known about. Its Apfelwein taverns line the cobblestone streets of the old district where Frankfurt's apple-wine culture survived untouched by the twentieth century's upheavals. It has a more local, residential feel than the Innenstadt — quieter at night, better for morning walks along the river — and an increasing number of well-designed boutique hotels have opened here in recent years, taking advantage of the neighbourhood's character. Sachsenhausen is a short walk across one of the Main bridges from the Altstadt, or a single U-Bahn stop on the green line.
Westend and the Financial District — The Skyscrapers
The Westend and the banking district to its north is where Germany's financial capital gets serious: the Deutsche Bank twin towers, the European Central Bank. Accommodation here tends toward business-oriented hotels, but the neighbourhood has a quiet, tree-lined residential quality that is appealing, and the museums of the Museumsufer (museum embankment) are close by. For the full Mainhattan experience — waking up with a view of the skyline reflected in the Main River — this is the place.
Luxury:
The Villa Kennedy is perhaps the finest luxury address in Frankfurt — a fully restored 19th-century villa on the Sachsenhausen bank of the Main, with rooms and suites decorated in a contemporary neo-baroque style, a beautiful garden courtyard, an excellent spa, and the award-winning restaurant that is worth a visit even if you are not staying here. The service has a warmth that many luxury hotels in financial cities lack. Rates from around €280 per night in standard season. The Jumeirah Frankfurt on the Mainzer Landstrasse, directly opposite the Messeturm (trade fair tower), offers the largest rooms in the city — many with skyline views — an excellent bar and restaurant, and one of the best-connected locations for anyone attending events at the Messe. Rates from around €180 per night midweek, significantly less at weekends. For the full Art Deco luxury experience, the Hotel am Opernplatz in the financial district occupies a beautifully renovated 1920s building on the edge of the Opernplatz, with high ceilings, original period details, and a location in the heart of Frankfurt's most elegant square. Rates from around €160 per night.
Mid-range:
The Hotel am Dom near the cathedral and the Römerberg is one of the best-positioned mid-range options in the city — a well-run, warmly staffed hotel in the Altstadt with rooms that have been recently renovated, a good breakfast, and a location from which you can walk to almost everything worth seeing in Frankfurt in minutes. Rates from around €130 per night. In Sachsenhausen, the Hotel National on the Hanauer Landstrasse is a landmark Frankfurt hotel — established in 1892, it has been a base for visiting dignitaries and celebrities for over a century, with a grand lobby, solid German comfort, and a location in the heart of the Apfelwein district. Rates from around €100 per night. The Hotel Spenerhaus near the cathedral and the Museumsufer is a quietly excellent mid-range choice — a converted 18th-century merchant's house with large rooms, a beautiful breakfast room, and the kind of thoughtful, personal service that larger hotels cannot match. Rates from around €110 per night. For something more contemporary, the Scandic Frankfurt Museumsufer on the Sachsenhausen riverfront offers sleek Scandinavian design, excellent facilities, and views across the river to the skyline — one of the best-value options in its category. Rates from around €95 per night, significantly less on weekends.
Budget:
Frankfurt is not a cheap city, but its budget accommodation has improved considerably in recent years, and several hostels and budget hotels offer genuine character alongside value. The Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt near the Hauptbahnhof has been consistently rated among the best hostels in Germany — a converted commercial building with clean dorms, excellent social spaces, a popular bar, and a management team that goes out of its way to create community rather than just somewhere to sleep. Dorm beds from around €25 per night; private rooms available. The The Tent Frankfurt is an unusual and fun concept — a permanent tented camp near the Ostbahnhof offering beds in purpose-built tent structures, a communal kitchen, and a bar, all at prices that are astonishingly low for central Frankfurt. It is not for everyone (the facilities are communal and basic, and the experience is more festival than hotel), but for the budget traveller who wants a central base and doesn't mind roughing it slightly, it is a genuinely unique option. Beds from around €20 per night. The Hotel Main Station near the Hauptbahnhof offers clean, modern rooms at prices that rarely exceed €80 per night — no-frills German efficiency at its best, with a good breakfast included. For private rooms in a more hotel-like environment, the a&o Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof offers exactly what you would expect from the chain — reliable, cheap, centrally located — with the added bonus of a roof bar and excellent views from the upper floors.
Best Places to Eat
Frankfurt's food culture is one of the great underrated cuisines in Europe — not because it is sophisticated (though it can be), but because it is deeply, defiantly itself. The city's location at the crossroads of Germany has produced a cuisine shaped by trade routes and agricultural abundance: the Rhine produces extraordinary potatoes, cabbages, and apples; the city's Jewish community contributed dishes that are now fundamental to the local table; the surrounding countryside provides game, pork, and some of Germany's best apples. The key dishes — Frankfurter sausages, Grüne Soße (green sauce made from seven herbs), Handkäse (aged cheese served with caraway seeds and oil), Apfelwein (apple wine) — are not fancy, but they are honest, and when they are good, they are very good indeed.
Fine Dining:
Frankfurt's fine dining scene is concentrated around two districts: the Sachsenhausen riverfront and the Westend. The city has three Michelin-starred restaurants, but the most interesting eating is often in the unstarred restaurants — good chefs choosing interesting locations, serving excellent food at prices that seem reasonable by London or Paris standards.
Villa Rothschild in Königstein (a short drive from the city, in the Taunus hills) is one of the most celebrated fine dining experiences in the Frankfurt area — a grand 19th-century villa with extraordinary gardens, a wine cellar that is among Germany's finest, and a menu that combines French technique with German ingredients in a way that has earned international recognition. The experience — arriving at the estate in the evening, the candles in the garden, the view across the valley — is one of the most romantic in the region. Tasting menus from around €120 per person. Back in the city, Restaurant Gauss in the Ostend neighbourhood is the most exciting fine dining address in Frankfurt right now — chef Maximilian Gaul trained in some of Europe's best kitchens and opened his own restaurant with a philosophy rooted in the produce of the Rhine-Main region, served in a beautiful converted industrial space with an open kitchen. The cooking is precise, seasonal, and genuinely thrilling. Tasting menus from around €95 per person. Erno's Bistro near the banking district is the city's premier fine dining establishment — a local institution since 1962, run with extraordinary consistency by the Iso family, serving classical Austrian and German cuisine with the kind of attention to detail that makes every element of every dish exactly as it should be. Tasting menus from around €85 per person. The wine list is exceptional.
Traditional:
The soul of Frankfurt eating lies in the Sachsenhausen Apfelwein taverns — the Ebbelwoi-Viertel (apple-wine quarter) where the city's oldest culinary traditions survive in their purest form. These are not restaurants in the conventional sense. They are institutions — rambling, wood-panelled rooms with long communal tables, checked tablecloths, and a pace that discourages haste. The Apfelwein Wagner on the Dreieichstrasse is perhaps the most beloved — a family-run establishment where the apple wine flows from traditional ceramic jugs (called Bembel), the schnitzel is enormous and perfectly breaded, and the Grüne Soße is made with the seven fresh herbs that the dish demands: sorrel, chervil, cress, parsley, burnet, chives, and salad burnet. No shortcuts. No substitutions.
Zum Gemalten Haus on the Schweizer Strasse is the other essential Sachsenhausen experience — a tavern so covered in murals and paintings that it feels like stepping inside a folk art museum, where the Frankfurter Würstchen (the genuine article, not the hot dog it inspired) arrives with mustard and bread, and the Handkäse mit Musik — literally "hand cheese with music," the "music" being a euphemism for the effects of the raw onion marinade — is an acquired taste that rewards the acquiring. Fichtekränzi, one of the oldest Apfelwein taverns in the district, serves a more old-fashioned version of the same menu in a smaller, more intimate setting. The key rule in all of these places: never ask for a glass. Apple wine is served by the Bembel. Pace yourself accordingly.
For something beyond the Sachsenhausen circuit, Kleinmarkthalle — the city's covered food market — is an essential stop. The ground floor is a cathedral of produce, meat, and cheese; the upper gallery has several excellent small restaurants and stands where you can eat exceptionally well for very little money. Schreiber on the ground floor is the best cheese shop in Frankfurt, and Schmidt's on the upper level does a legendary sausage.
Top Attractions
Römerberg and the Altstadt
The Römerberg is Frankfurt's medieval heart — a triangular square lined with colourfully reconstructed half-timbered houses, dominated by the Römer (city hall) with its distinctive gabled facade. The square was the centre of Frankfurt's public life for centuries: coronation celebrations for the Holy Roman Emperors were held here, markets were held weekly, and the surrounding streets were the commercial artery of the city. The entire Altstadt was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944, and what you see today is largely the result of a remarkable reconstruction project completed in 2018 — the Neue Altstadt (New Old Town), which rebuilt the historical street plan and many of the original buildings using original plans and, where possible, salvaged materials. The result is controversial in the way that all reconstructions are, but standing in the Römerberg on a winter evening, with the half-timbered facades lit by lantern light and the Christmas market stalls filling the square, the effect is powerful and genuinely moving.
Städel Museum
The Städel — formally the Städel Museum of Art — is one of Germany's finest art museums, and a strong candidate for the most underrated major art collection in Europe. Its holdings span seven centuries: from medieval altarpieces through Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Botticelli, to Picasso, Beckmann, and Bacon. The collection is displayed with intelligence and care, and the museum's architecture — a 2012 underground extension that brings natural light into the galleries through a dramatic lawn-level glass facade — is one of the best museum buildings of the twenty-first century. Allow at least three hours. The café is excellent.
Goethe House
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe — Germany's greatest writer — was born in Frankfurt in 1749, and the house on the Großer Hirschgraben where he spent his early years has been meticulously restored to its eighteenth-century appearance. It is a handsome patrician residence: four storeys of furnished rooms, a kitchen with original copper pots, a music room with a harpsichord, and the study where the young Goethe began the work that would transform German literature. The adjacent museum provides context on Goethe's life and the Frankfurt he knew. For anyone with an interest in German culture, it is an essential stop.
Frankfurt Cathedral (Kaiserdom)
The Frankfurt Cathedral — formally the Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew — is where the Holy Roman Emperors were crowned for centuries. It is not a cathedral in the strict sense (it was never a bishop's seat), but its imperial role gave it a status that transcended ecclesiastical categories. The current Gothic structure dates largely from the fifteenth century, with a tower that offers one of the best views in the city — a steep climb of 324 steps, but the panorama of the skyline, the river, and the Taunus hills beyond is worth every one. The cathedral's interior is austere and dignified, with some fine medieval carvings and a cloister that is surprisingly peaceful given the bustle of the surrounding city.
Palmengarten
The Palmengarten — Frankfurt's botanical garden — is one of the city's great pleasures. Opened in 1871 on the edge of the Westend, it occupies a sprawling site that includes tropical greenhouses (the great Palm House, with its iron and glass architecture, is magnificent), rose gardens, a rhododendron garden, and a lake with rowing boats. In summer, the garden hosts concerts and open-air theatre. In winter, the greenhouses are warm and fragrant and full of life. It is the kind of place that makes you forget, for an hour or two, that you are in one of Europe's most intense financial centres.
The Zeil and the City Centre
The Zeil is Frankfurt's main shopping street — a pedestrianised boulevard that runs through the heart of the Innenstadt, lined with department stores, international chains, and the architecturally striking MyZeil shopping centre with its swirling, organic glass facade by Massimiliano Fuksas. The Zeil is not pretty, but it is alive, and it gives you a sense of Frankfurt as a working city rather than merely a tourist destination. The Kleinmarkthalle, just off the Zeil, is the culinary highlight of the area.
Sachsenhausen Apfelwein District
The Ebbelwoi-Viertel deserves a separate mention as an attraction in its own right. The narrow streets south of the Main — particularly the Dreieichstrasse, Schweizer Strasse, and Textorstrasse — are lined with traditional Apfelwein taverns, many of which have been operating for over a century. The atmosphere in the evenings is warm, convivial, and deeply Frankfurter: long wooden tables, ceramic jugs of apple wine, and the kind of unpretentious gemütlichkeit that makes you understand why this city has kept its soul despite everything.
Museumsufer
The Museumsufer — the museum embankment along the south bank of the Main — is one of the great cultural ensembles of Europe. Within a two-kilometre stretch, you will find the Städel, the German Film Museum, the German Architecture Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts, the Liebieghaus sculpture collection, and the Museum of World Cultures. The riverside setting — with its promenade, its weeping willows, and the skyline rising on the opposite bank — makes the experience of museum-hopping here unusually pleasant.
Best Time to Visit
Frankfurt's climate is continental: cold winters, warm summers, and genuine spring and autumn seasons that reward the traveller. Summer — June through August — brings temperatures of 20–30°C and long, light evenings that are perfect for riverside walks and Apfelwein garden sessions. This is also the busiest period for business travel, so midweek hotel rates are at their peak. Spring and autumn are the sweet spots — particularly May and September, when the weather is mild, the river paths are pleasant, and the city feels more manageable. The Frankfurt Book Fair in October transforms the city into the global capital of publishing for a week — a fascinating time to visit if you have any interest in literature, but accommodation becomes scarce and expensive. Winter is cold (often below freezing) but atmospheric — the Römerberg Christmas market is one of Germany's finest, and the city's indoor attractions (the Städel, the Palmengarten greenhouses, the Apfelwein taverns) are at their best when the weather is at its worst.
Getting There
By Air: Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is one of the busiest in Europe and the primary hub for Lufthansa. It connects to virtually every major city in the world. The airport is just 12 kilometres from the city centre, and the S-Bahn (lines S8 and S9) reaches Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof in about 15 minutes. A taxi takes roughly 20–30 minutes depending on traffic.
By Rail: Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is one of Europe's most important rail hubs. High-speed ICE trains connect to Berlin (4h), Munich (3h 30m), Cologne (1h), Paris (3h 50m via TGV/ICE), Amsterdam (4h), and Brussels (3h). The station is in the city centre, and the walk from platform to riverside takes about fifteen minutes.
By Road: The A3, A5, and A66 motorways converge on Frankfurt, making it one of the best-connected cities in Germany by car. Parking in the centre is expensive and limited — use park-and-ride facilities at the edges of the city and take public transport in.
Getting Around
Frankfurt's public transport system — U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams, and buses — is efficient, clean, and comprehensive. A single ticket for the central zone costs around €2.75, and day passes are good value. The city is compact enough that the central districts (Altstadt, Innenstadt, Sachsenhausen) are best explored on foot. The Hauptwache and Konstablerwache are the two main interchange points. Bicycles can be rented from the DB Call-a-Bike scheme, and the riverside paths make cycling a pleasure in good weather.
Sample Itinerary
Three Days in Frankfurt
Day 1 — Old City and River
Morning at the Römerberg and the reconstructed Altstadt. Visit the Goethe House. Lunch at the Kleinmarkthalle. Afternoon at the Städel Museum — allow at least three hours. Cross the Main on the Eiserner Steg (Iron Footbridge) at sunset for the iconic skyline view. Evening in Sachsenhausen: Apfelwein at Wagner or Zum Gemalten Haus, schnitzel, and the slow, civilised pace of the Ebbelwoi-Viertel.
Day 2 — Cathedral and Gardens
Morning at the Frankfurt Cathedral — climb the tower for the views. The Palmengarten for a long, slow afternoon among the greenhouses and gardens. Walk through the Westend to the Alte Oper (Old Opera House) — a beautifully reconstructed concert hall that hosts performances year-round. Evening: dinner at Restaurant Gauss or one of the Ostend's emerging restaurants.
Day 3 — Museumsufer and Beyond
Spend the morning on the Museumsufer — pick one or two museums beyond the Städel (the Film Museum and the Liebieghaus are excellent). Walk the riverside promenade to the Gerbermühle, a historic mill where Goethe once dined, now a beautiful riverside restaurant. Afternoon: either the Main Tower observation platform for the skyline view, or a day trip to Heidelberg (55 minutes by train — one of Germany's most beautiful towns). Final evening: a final Bembel of Apfelwein in Sachsenhausen.
Five Days — Add On
Day 4 — Heidelberg
Take the ICE to Heidelberg (55 minutes). Visit the castle ruins overlooking the Neckar valley, walk the Philosophers' Way for the views, and spend the afternoon in the old town — one of the few German cities that survived the war intact.
Day 5 — Rhine Valley
Take a boat from Rüdesheim through the Rhine Gorge — the Loreley rock, the castles perched on cliff tops, the vineyards terracing down to the river. It is one of the most beautiful river landscapes in Europe, and theKD boats make the journey accessible and comfortable. Return by train in the evening.
Practical Information
Currency: Euro (€). Credit cards widely accepted, though cash remains preferred in many traditional establishments.
Language: German. English widely spoken in business and tourist contexts.
Visas: Part of the Schengen Area. EU citizens travel freely; many non-EU nationals can visit for up to 90 days.
Safety: Frankfurt is generally safe. The area around the Hauptbahnhof can feel seedy at night — standard urban precautions apply.
Electricity: 230V, Type C and F plugs.
Emergency numbers: 112 (general emergency), 110 (police).
FAQ
Is Frankfurt worth visiting?
Yes — if you give it more than a layover. The contrast between the skyline and the Altstadt, the Städel, the Sachsenhausen Apfelwein culture, and the river setting make it a genuinely rewarding city break. It rewards those who slow down.
How many days do I need in Frankfurt?
Two days covers the essential sights. Three days allows for the Palmengarten, the Museumsufer, and a more relaxed pace. Five days gives you time for day trips to Heidelberg and the Rhine Valley.
Is Frankfurt expensive?
As a business city, midweek hotel rates can be high. Weekends are significantly cheaper. Eating and drinking — particularly in Sachsenhausen — are very reasonable by northern European standards. A Bembel of Apfelwein and a schnitzel will cost you less than a cocktail in London.
Can I do a day trip from the airport?
Yes. The S-Bahn takes 15 minutes to the Hauptbahnhof. You can see the Altstadt, have lunch at the Kleinmarkthalle, visit the Städel, and be back at the airport in six hours with time to spare. Frankfurt is one of the best layover cities in Europe.
What should I eat in Frankfurt?
Frankfurter Würstchen (the real ones — in their natural casings), Grüne Soße (green sauce with seven fresh herbs), Handkäse mit Musik (if you're adventurous), schnitzel, and Apfelwein from a Bembel. The Kleinmarkthalle is the best single stop for sampling everything.