This old imperial city on the River Main - hence its full name, Frankfurt am Main - is, by virtue of its central situation, the most important commercial and economic center on mainland Europe. The city's skyline, dominated by the great cluster of high-rise buildings in the banking quarter, has a distinct North American flavor, earning Frankfurt the nicknames "Mainhattan" and "Chicagoon the Main." Considered a global city - it frequently ranks in the top ten best cities in which to live and do business - Frankfurt has also long been an important center for cultural and tourism activities, its huge trade fair complex, Messe Frankfurt, hosting important events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair (the world's most important publishing event), along with many fine museums, galleries, and gardens.
1 The Römerberg - Frankfurt's Old Town Center
In the heart of Frankfurt's Old Town (Altstadt), the Römerberg is an irregularly shaped square with the Justice Fountain (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen) at its center. Not only is it Frankfurt's most picturesque public square, it's the city's busiest pedestrian zone, home to numerous tourist attractions from its many Kulturschirn, a form of open-fronted shop once common throughout the old town, to the Römer, a complex of 11 lovely old buildings from the 15th to 18th centuries that include the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) with its Imperial Hall (Kaisersaal), once the scene of splendid banquets. Other notable buildings include the New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) from 1908, the 14th-century Gothic Church of St. Leonhard, and St. Nicholas Church, notable for its carillon. Also of interest are the Historical Museum (Historisches Museum), founded in 1878 with its collections related to Frankfurt's rich cultural history from medieval to modern times, and the six traditional-style buildings of the Ostzeile.
Address: Römerberg 27, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Accomodation: Where to Stay in Frankfurt - TripAdvisor.com
2 Goethe House and Museum
Frankfurt has the distinction of being the birthplace of Germany's greatest writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His family home, Goethe House, is where Goethe was born on August 28, 1749, and where he lived until 1765 and shows how the well-to-do family (and their staff) would have lived. There are many rooms to explore, from the sumptuous décor of the Dining Room on the main floor to Goethe's writing room on the top floor where he penned many of his early works, and where he played as a child with his puppet theater. Next-door is the Goethe Museum, a 14-room gallery showcasing artworks from the writer's time, including masterpieces of the Late Baroque and Romantic periods. (Family guided tours of both properties are available.) Other Frankfurt attractions that stand testament to the writer's fame are the Goethe Tower, a 43-meter-tall wooden structure offering superb views of the city, and Goethestrasse, a high-end shopping area with many fine boutiques, art galleries, and cafés.
Address: Grosser Hirschgraben 23-25, D-60311 Frankfurt am Main
Official site: www.goethehaus-frankfurt.de/welcome/view?set_language=en
3 Senckenberg Natural History Museum
In Frankfurt's Senckenberg Gardens, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum (Naturmuseum Senckenberg) is one of the most modern museums of natural history in Europe, and the second largest of its kind in Germany. Along with its numerous displays relating to our planet's biodiversity and the evolution of organisms, the museum houses Europe's biggest exhibition of large dinosaurs, making it particularly popular with families (a number of life-size replica dinosaurs greet guests in the museum's forecourt). It's also home to the world's largest collection of stuffed birds, along with an extensive exhibit outlining the development of mankind. English language tours are available, and audio guides can be rented (€3).
Address: Senckenberanlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main
4 Art City: The Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art
The Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art (MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt) is widely regarded as one of Europe's most important galleries of contemporary art. Opened in 1991 in a stunning post-modern building in the heart of the city, the museum's vast collection includes some 5,000 fine examples from more than 450 leading artists spanning the 1960s to the present, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Francis Bacon. The museum also operates MMK Zollamt, a satellite exhibition space featuring works by younger (as yet) unknown artists. Other art-related attractions of note are the Städel Art Museum with its excellent collection of paintings from the 14th century, including works by Rembrandt and Goya; theFrankfurt Museum of Applied Art (Museum für angewandte Kunst) with its more than 30,000 items of European and Asian applied art, including furniture, tapestries, glass, ceramics and books; and Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt with its exhibits of both modern and contemporary art.
Address: Domstraße 10, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Official site: www.mmk-frankfurt.de/en/home/
5 The Old Opera House
In the heart of Frankfurt's Opera Square (Opernplatz), the Old Opera House (Alte Oper) was constructed in 1880 in the style of the Italian High Renaissance. Although destroyed during WWII (it reopened in 1981), it remains one of the city's most important concert venues. The city's new opera house, Opern-und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt, is also located in the square and in addition to acting as the home of the Frankfurt Opera company, it also houses Theatre Frankfurt in its state of the art theater.
Address: Opernplatz, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
6 St. Bartholomew's Cathedral
Roman Catholic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral (Frankfurter Dom, or Dom St. Bartholomäus), was built of red sandstone in Gothic style between the 13th and 15th centuries, and at 95 meters, still manages to stand out in this city of skyscrapers. One of only a handful of churches in Germany to be designated as an Imperial Cathedral, it was here from 1562 to 1792 that the coronation of Emperors took place in the Election Chapel. Beneath the tower is the magnificent Crucifixion by Hans Backoffen, sculpted in 1509, while in the Marienkapelle is the Maria-Schlaf-Altar from 1434. Other highlights include the grave-slab of King Günter von Schwarzburg who died in Frankfurt in 1349, as well as numerous carved side altars dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The cathedral's most important relic is the skullcap of St. Bartholomew, kept in the Late Romanesque Bartholomew's Choir.
Address: Domplatz 1, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
7 Zoo Frankfurt
Home to more than 4,500 animals representing at least 450 different species, Zoo Frankfurt covers 32 acres near the city's old Friedberger Tor. Founded in 1858, it's Germany's second oldest zoo and is noted for its many excellent animal houses, including the unique Grzimek House with its displays of Madagascar's diverse fauna. Also of interest is the Exotarium with its many animals from different climatic regions, including marine life, reptiles, and crocodiles. The Borgori Forest is also a must see, and has a superb Ape House in an authentic jungle setting. Other highlights include the Nocturnal Animals House and the Bird Hall. A variety of fun events and programs are offered, including family festivals, exhibits, and themed tours.
Address: Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt am Main
8 St. Paul's Church
To the south of Frankfurt's Hauptwache, in Paulsplatz, stands St. Paul's Church (Paulskirche). Built between 1790-1833 and restored in 1948, its plain Neoclassical façade on a centralized plan is famous as the place where the first German National Assembly met in 1849. No longer used as a church, St. Paul's has become one of Frankfurt's most important venues, and regularly hosts events such as the annual peace Prize of the German Book Trade during the Frankfurt Book Fair. It's also famous for having been the location of a speech given by President John F Kennedy in 1963.
Address: Paulsplatz 11, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
9 The Palm Garden
On the Bockenheimer Landstrasse is the beautiful 54-acre Palm Garden (Palmengarten), the largest botanic garden in Germany. An instant hit with the public upon its opening in 1871, it attracted some of the top performers from around the world, including Buffalo Bill who visited with his Wild West show in 1890. Highlights of a visit include outdoor botanical exhibits laid out according to their geographical location, along with a number of greenhouses containing subtropical and tropical plant species. The gardens also offer recreational facilities such as boating, a children's playground, and picnic spots. From Palmergarten, the Europaturm - a telecommunications tower also known as the Tower of Europe - is just a short walk away, and worth visiting for its viewing platform and restaurant. Other Frankfurt parks of interest are the 72-acre Grüneburgpark Botanic Garden, and the even larger Nidda Valley People's Park(Volkspark Niddatal) covering some 415 acres on the outskirts of the city.
Address: Siesmayerstraße 61, 60323 Frankfurt am Main
Official site: www.palmengarten.de/#/en_GB/index/index
10 The Hauptwache
In the middle of the city and undoubtedly one of Frankfurt's busiest pedestrian areas, the Hauptwache - literally translated, the Main Guard - is famous for its mix of fine old historic buildings and newer modern structures. The most notable building here is the old BaroqueGuard House after which the square is named. Built in 1730, it once housed the city's militia, a prison, and later, a police station, and now serves as a café. The square itself is one of Frankfurt's main shopping areas, complete with a large underground mall. It's also the point from which the city's main shopping and commercial streets radiate: the pedestrian-friendly Zeilheads east, and Kaiserstrasse, with many places of entertainment in its side streets, runs southwest by way of the Rossmarkt and Kaiserplatz to the city's main train station, the Hauptbahnhof, built in 1888 and one of the largest stations in Europe.
Address: An der Hauptwache 15, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
11 The Museum District
Frankfurt's Museum District (Museumsufer), on the left bank of the River Main, is a first-rate collection of 12 separate museums, many of them of international standing. Highlights include the Museum of World Cultures (Museum der Weltkulturen), regarded as one of Europe's top ethnological museums. Founded in 1904, its collections include more than 65,000 artifacts from as far afield as Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Another important museum is theMuseum of Ancient Sculpture (Städtische Galerie Liebieghau) in the 19th-century Liebieghaus, home to a large collection of Asian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman sculptures, as well as pieces from the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Other museums of note are the German Architectural Museum (Deutsches Architekturmuseum), focusing on architectural design and boasting more than 200,000 plans, drawings, and models; the Film Museum (Deutsches Filminstitut) with exhibits relating to the Lumière brothers and the history of the cinema; and theMuseum of Applied Art (Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurtor), or MAK for short, with its displays of more than 30,000 objects representing European and Asian decorative art.
Address: Schaumainkai, 60596 Frankfurt am Main
12 The Eschenheimer Tower
The Eschenheimer Tower (Turm), built in the early 1400s, remains the finest relic from Frankfurt's old town walls. At 47-meters high, it still impresses with its dimensions and dominates the Eschenheimer Gate district. Today, the tower houses a café and meeting rooms used by local historical societies. Also of interest is the nearby Stock Exchange, built in 1879 and the largest such establishment in the country.
Address: Börsenplatz, 60313 Frankfurt am Main
Day Trips from Frankfurt
Not so Grimm: Historic Hanau
The historic old town of Hanau, in a fertile plain at the junction of the Kinzig with the Main just 20 kilometers east of Frankfurt's city center, is an easy and enjoyable day trip. In the town's Marktplatz stands the New Town Hall (Neustädtisches Rathaus), built in 1733 and notable for its charming carillon and its monument to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the famous Brothers Grimm, who were born in Hanau - a connection celebrated each year with its Brothers Grimm Festival. Another town highlight is the Goldsmiths' House (Goldschmiedehaus), home to an exhibition of Hanau jewelry and a reproduction of an old goldsmith's workshop. Also of note, and just four kilometers northwest of Hanau's old town, is Schloss Philippsruhe, a fine Baroque palace that now houses the Hanau Historical Museum with its collections of ceramics, silver, and paintings, as well as numerous artifacts relating to the Brothers Grimm, plus a fine sculpture garden.
Address: Altstädter Markt 6, 63450 Hanau
Schloss Büdingen
Some 50 kilometers northeast of Frankfurt, on the southern fringe of the Vogelsberg, is the quaint little town of Büdingen. This fun day trip includes pleasant strolls along stretches of the old town's 15th-century walls and their round towers, as well as through the Marktplatz. Here you'll see the Late Gothic Old Town Hall with its museum exhibits outlining the history and folk traditions of the region, its many old half-timbered buildings, and the 15th-century St. Mary's Church (Marienkirche). Also of interest in the nearby village of Grossendorf is the Remigius-Kirche, one of the oldest churches in Germany, and the formidable Schloss Büdingen, a 13th-century fortress boasting many handsome state apartments, a museum, and a Gothic chapel.
Address: Schlossplatz 1, D-63654, Büdingen
Darmstadt
About 35 kilometers from Frankfurt, Darmstadt lies at the end of the Upper Rhine plain amid the foothills of the Odenwald and is the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. A top attraction here is the Mathildenhöhe where Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig established an artists' colony in 1899. Here, you can admire the Art Nouveau houses and ateliers, browse temporary art exhibitions, or climb the 48-meter high Hochzeitsturm (Wedding Tower) for views over Darmstadt and the surrounding gardens. Adjoining are the gilded towers of the Russian Chapeland, a short distance away, the Ernst-Ludwig-Haus, home to the German Academy of Language and Literature as well as the Art Nouveau Museum. Other Darmstadt highlights include the excellent Schlossmuseum, which unveils the history of the House of Hesse and the town's legacy as a royal residence through portraits, period furniture, and handicrafts. For more Darmstadt history, visit the Hessian Landesmuseum with its artefacts, art galleries, and natural history exhibits.
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