A plan for Frankfurt am Main

Frankfurt is a city of contrasts. Wealthy bankers, students and hippie drop-outs coexist in a city that has some of the highest, most avant-garde skyscrapers of Europe, next to well-maintained old buildings. The downtown area, especially Römer Square and the museums on the River Main, draws millions of tourists every year. On the other hand, many off-the-beaten-track neighbourhoods, such as Bockenheim, Bornheim, Nordend and Sachsenhausen, with their intact, beautiful 19th-century streets and parks, are often overlooked by visitors.

It's the heart of the Rhine-Main region, spanning from Mainz and Wiesbaden in the west to Hanau in the east and Gießen in the north to Darmstadt in the south and has some 5.9 million inhabitants (2023) in the whole surrounding metropolitan area.

Frankfurt is the place where Germany's major autobahns and railways intersect. About 480,000 people commute to the city each day, not counting some 756,000 people who live here (2024). With a huge airport, the third-largest in Europe, it is the gateway to Germany and for many people also the first point of arrival in Europe. Further, it is a prime hub for interconnections within Europe and for intercontinental flights.

In the years following 1968, especially in the late 1970s and up to the early 1980s, Frankfurt was a centre of the left-wing Sponti-Szene, which frequently clashed with police and local authorities over politics and urban design issues (specifically whether or not old buildings should be torn down). Several members of these radical groups went on to have quite respectable careers in politics, among them Daniel Cohn-Bendit (long-time leading MEP for the Greens) and Joschka Fischer (Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor 1998-2005), though their erstwhile radical and violent antics did hurt them in their later political careers.

While most of the buildings in the inner town were destroyed during the second world war, many of them in Römerberg have been meticulously restored. The imposing town hall and the cathedral St Bartholomeus where emperors of the Holy Roman empire were crowned in the 17th and 18th centuries are among them. Walk on top of a tower or get to the Main for good views of the skyline.

Historical attractions

Sachsenhausen in Frankfurt/Süd is the part of the city south of the Main river. The old town is famous for its old cider bars and traditional half-timbered houses, many of which survived World War II (unlike much of the city centre). The Catholic Church of the Teutonic Order dates to the Middle Ages.

Skyline

Frankfurt has some of the tallest buildings in Germany (the Commerzbank Tower is the country's tallest office building). Its skyline is unique for the country, as the high rises are concentrated in a relatively small downtown area, giving Frankfurt the looks of a metropolis. One of the reasons for this are the lax zoning laws compared to the rest of Germany. Elsewhere, building such high rise buildings is almost - if not outright - impossible. The skyline is the reason why Frankfurt is sometimes called by the nickname Mainhattan.

Culture

The Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, ☏ +49 69-907399-100. Modern ballet in Frankfurt playing at the Bockenheimer Depot.

Fairs

Frankfurt's trade fairs are known to have taken place as early as in 1160. The Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's largest exhibition centres, hosting a continuous stream of exhibitions small, large and gargantuan — the Motor Show draws almost a million visitors. Most fairs are open to the public for at least part of the time, and can be a fascinating if somewhat overwhelming experience if you're interested in the theme. The Messe has its own S-Bahn train station, Messe S3 S4 S5 S6 , two stops away from the Central Railway Station (from platform 104, underground), and there's also the Festhalle/Messe U4 subway stop. Advance tickets for fairs often allow free use of all RMV public transport. Trains to the trade fairs are announced in English.

Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurt Buchmesse): . The largest event of the world's publishing industry, held yearly in mid-October. The Frankfurt Book Fair has a long history, first being held in 1485, shortly after Gutenberg's printing press in nearby Mainz made books much more easily available than before. The last two days (Sa Su) are open to the general public, with book sales allowed on Sunday only. The public days of the Book Fair have also drawn a vast contingent of manga/anime fans, many of whom dress up as their favourite characters! Photography is allowed, but only after asking permission. Day ticket €12. (date needs fixing)

Sports

Football: Die Adler (The Eagles) play at Waldstadion in Frankfurt/Süd in Bundesliga, the top tier.

Rugby Union: SC 1880 Frankfurt play the 15-a-side game in 1. Bundesliga, German rugby's top tier. They play at Sportanlage an der Feldgerichtstrasse 3 km north of city centre.

There are of course restaurants all over Frankfurt. One notable area for dining may be what is locally known as the Fressgass (a literal translation would be "munching alley"). The correct name of this street is Große Bockenheimer Straße. As the nickname implies, the Fressgass features many cafés, restaurants, and deli food stores. It is a popular area to dine after going shopping. Take the subway to station Hauptwache U1 U2 U3 U6 U7 U8 or Alte Oper U6 U7 . In late May to early June (exact dates vary each year), the Fressgass Fest takes place with food stands, cheap beer and live music. The area also has a few notable historic buildings, such as the beautiful rococo style house at Große Bockenheimer Straße 31 built in 1760 and the two 18th century half-timbered houses at Kleine Bockenheimer Strasse 10 and 12.

If you are looking for an in-depth paper-based restaurant guide, a popular publication is Frankfurt Geht Aus (Frankfurt is going out), a magazine style dining guide of the city. It can be bought for €4.80 at many kiosks and book stores, or at the Tourism Information at the central station.

Traditional Hessian dishes

Typical specialities from the Hessian region are:

Handkäs mit Musik – A cheese from curdled milk.

Frankfurter Grüne Sauce (also known as Grie Soß) – A thick sauce made from eggs and 7-9 fresh herbs. Typically served with potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, or occasionally with a Schnitzel in a dish known as a Frankfurter Schnitzel.

Frankfurter sausages (Frankfurter Würstchen) are well-known internationally, but it is here that you can try the original kind, consisting of pork.

Frankfurter Rindswurst – another kind of sausage, quite different from Frankfurter Würstchen, that is very popular in this region. These consist of beef only, and were created in part to appeal to Frankfurt's large Jewish community. The ones from Metzgerei Gref-Völsings (at Hanauer Landstrasse 132) are the most well-known.

Sachsenhäuser Schneegestöber (also known as "Frankfurter Schneegestöber") – A dish consisting of Camembert cheese, cream cheese, onions and bell pepper powder. Available only in select restaurants.

Frankfurter Rippchen – Cured pork, slowly heated in sauerkraut or meat broth.

Frankfurt is a young city where socialising and parties are always high on the agenda. Sachsenhausen, Bockenheim, Bornheim, Nordend and the city centre are the main areas of action.

Due to Frankfurt's large financial industry and business travellers, parts of its nightlife cater to a more upscale audience. At some such venues, sneakers may not be acceptable. However, there are also plenty of bars and clubs for other kinds of audiences, including for students, hipsters, fans of R&B and Hip Hop, or of alternative rock music.

For a quick beverage on the go, there are also small shops all over the town called Trinkhalle, which are usually open well into the night. Most of the times one orders and buys directly from the street. Drinking alcohol on the street is legal in Germany.

Near the central train station there is a rather seedy red light district – heavily patrolled by police/Ordnungsamt – with large brothels, porn cinemas and bars. Strip clubs like the Golden Gate Frankfurt are popular for bachelor/bachelorette parties at the weekend and similar joints are in walking distance. Check pricing upfront to avoid problems with bouncers afterwards.

Bars

While mostly associated with Sachsenhausen, you will find good bars all over the city.

Cafes

There are few cafés on Großer Hirschgraben. Café Karin and Walden are very popular with the locals. During the summer, you can enjoy one of the open air rooftop bars.

Clubs

There are many clubs in Frankfurt that cater to business people and organise corporate events. The German favour for electronic music results in a wide variation of clubs that offer this music. Alternative music is a niche market that cater the roots of the migrants in Frankfurt.

By public transport

Frankfurt has a good, co-ordinated public transport system of Underground (U-Bahn), tram (Straßenbahn) and bus. Public transit nerds will be quick to point out, that the "U-Bahn" is actually a bit of a misnomer, given the fact that it has moved traffic sections in the outskirts, more in line with systems called "Stadtbahn" in other German cities. The RMV site has basic information and timetable information available in English and other languages. The U-Bahn (metro) stations are signed with a white capital "U" on a blue background . For connections to the suburbs or airport, use the S-Bahn, signed with a white "S" on green background . Almost all S-Bahn lines and two U-Bahn lines ( U6 , U7 ) come together in the city-tunnel in central Frankfurt (7 Hauptwache U1 U2 U3 U6 U7 U8 and 8 Konstablerwache U4 U5 U6 U7 ), besides line S7 , which ends at Central Station. If you want to go to the old city take the U-Bahn to 9 Dom/Römer U4 U5 or tram line 11 or 12.

The S-Bahn, run by Deutsche Bahn, connects the downtown areas to outer-lying suburbs as well as other cities in the region, such as Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Darmstadt. Beware that the S-Bahn is notorious for its delays. If you need to get somewhere on time, allow for some buffer time. In the morning rush-hour, delays of 5–15 minutes are common. If you are catching a plane or have another similar time-critical appointment, allow an extra 30 minutes to be on the safe side. Other services (subway, tram and bus) are usually more punctual.

Tickets

You can get single trip, all-day and weekly tickets. You can get tickets for one person or a group of up to five people travelling together.

Frankfurt has one of Germany's highest crime rates, though, in part, only for statistical reasons: smuggling and similar offences at the airport as well as anything concerning credit card fraud anywhere in Germany is registered in Frankfurt, since the main credit card clearing company is based in the city. Furthermore if you count crime per person, you don't include a good chunk of people working but not living in Frankfurt.

Physical crime is in general concentrated in the red-light district around the central train station, which is also the hangout of many drug dealers/junkies, although even there you are usually safe during the day and moderate evening hours. Frankfurt is safe and it is highly unlikely that you will face armed robbery or other violent crimes. Use your common sense and avoid drunken or aggressive people at night. In general, firearms are an uncommon sight in Germany and the police have a very no-nonsense approach to people wielding guns or even knives. If shots are fired, the police are never far away, as this very rarely happens.

If you have a problem or are being harassed, ask the police for help. The German police and the Frankfurt Ordnungsamt (City Enforcement Officers) are clean, competent and willing to help. Germany is very bureaucratic but structured; as long as you behave respectfully toward the police, you should have no problem. Don't consider buying and smuggling drugs, these are major offences with dire consequences. Lately, bogus police officers have been an issue. All real officers have a green card with photograph and number, and no officer will check cash. Ring 110 if you get in any trouble.