Climate friendly travel
Comfortably to Frankfurt by train and without traffic jams.
Everyone knows the striking skyline, and yet the banking district is only one of Frankfurt's many faces. In the bustling city, there are many cozy corners and secluded spots - in the historic old town, for example, or on the banks of the Main. Discover the different facets of the Hessian metropolis on a weekend trip.
Did you arrive by train? From the main train station, you can start exploring Frankfurt's old town right away. You can get there with streetcar line 11 or subway lines 4 and 5; get off at Römer (streetcar) or Dom/Römer (subway). In 20 minutes you can also walk from the main station to the old town around the Römerberg. A very relaxing way to get a first overview of the Frankfurt is also a Velotaxi tour. The drivers with their e-bikes will take you through the city in an environmentally friendly way for speed sightseeing. A money-saving tip: With the Frankfurt Card you can use local public transport free of charge and get a discount on the entrance fee to many museums and other institutions. And because sightseeing burns calories, you can get a refill in the form of Bethmännchen or Frankfurter Kranz at the ConditCouture confectionery on Römerberg.
Really hungry? Then let your first evening in Frankfurt end in style and comfort in the new old town. There are restaurants, bars and cafés in the half-timbered houses, where you can enjoy traditional Frankfurt cuisine or taste a Rheingau Riesling. It's only a few minutes' walk to the trendy restaurants in the city center or in the Bahnhofsviertel.
A quick glance at the sky: The weather looks good? Then get on your bike and go on a nice city tour. Whether for a day or a weekend, Frankfurt is a wonderful place to discover by bike. Ideal for this are the rental bikes from Call a Bike, which you can rent via app at many stations in the city. Culture lovers should always get off their bikes at the Museumsufer: On both banks of the Main, there are 15 great museums in the immediate vicinity: Bible House or Archaeological Museum, Architecture Museum or Film Museum - you're spoiled for choice! An absolute highlight is the Städel Museum, whose collection provides an almost complete overview of 700 years of European art history under one roof - from Lucas Cranach to Monet and Picasso to Gerhard Richter and Isa Genzken.
City walks through Frankfurt's new Old Town start at the Tourist Information at the Römer. During this one-hour walk between the imperial cathedral St. Bartholomew and the Römer you will discover the special Frankfurt mixture of medieval reconstructions (most of the old town was destroyed in World War II) and modern new buildings. The Römer is the patrician house that has housed Frankfurt's city hall since 1405. Also on the program is the famous Paulskirche, where the first German National Assembly was held in 1848. There is also a free permanent exhibition on the history of the National Assembly and the reconstruction of the Paulskirche. If, on the other hand, a classic city tour seems too old-fashioned, you can also embark on a virtual journey through time in old Frankfurt: In the newly opened TimeRide, you can experience the history of the Main metropolis up close with virtual reality. And if you're traveling with children, have caught a rainy day or simply fancy something special, then head off to the Frankfurt Historical Museum. The oldest municipal museum in the Main metropolis also houses the Junge Museum Frankfurt - and in its interactive exhibitions, (rainy) time flies by.
Plan plenty of time for a shopping trip through the city center. The Zeil, Frankfurt's main shopping street, is lined with stores of international labels and large department stores. Goethestraße and Neue Rothofstraße, on the other hand, are lined with the exclusive aura of top international designers. If, on the other hand, you prefer something individual and creative, you'll find cool boutiques with their own fashion and design labels and the showrooms of young designers in Berger Strasse, Schweizer Strasse and the Brückenviertel.
For in-between hunger pangs, gourmets should head to the Kleinmarkthalle, a covered weekly market with plenty of delicious snack options, from oyster bars to antipasti Italian restaurants.
In the evening, it's time for a trip to the other bank of the Main - and to the culinary classics of the region. You absolutely must try the Grüne Soße (the Frankfurter calls it "Grie Soß"), which is served with hard-boiled eggs and boiled potatoes. Or the legendary Handkäs' mit Musik (a lean cheese in an onion marinade). These specialties taste best in the traditional apple wine taverns in Sachsenhausen. There you can just sit down after dinner, have another glass of apple wine and let the day end in a relaxed way in the bustling city. A modern alternative is the three-story restaurant Oosten on the banks of the Main. There you can dine on chic industrial architecture - and enjoy a fantastic view of the skyline and sunset from the roof terrace.
After a packed Saturday, it's time for some relaxing activities, such as a boat trip on the Main River. From the Eiserner Steg you can sail downstream as well as upstream and get to know the city from a completely different perspective. If you're heading upstream, why not get off at the Gerbermühle and have your photo taken on the Ego Monument in the Mainufer plant, which was created by "Titanic" cartoonist Hans Traxler?
In the afternoon, two of Frankfurt's favorite places are on the agenda: the Palmengarten and the Goethe House. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt in 1749; in the reconstructed birthplace of the universal genius, you will be transported back to the poet prince's lifetime in the rooms furnished in the style of the time.
The extensive Palm Garden is a green oasis in the middle of the city; in its greenhouses you can travel through all the climate zones of the earth. And on the large pond you can take a spin on a pedal boat. A trip to Frankfurt's local mountain, the Lohrberg, is always worthwhile: here lies the only remaining vineyard in Frankfurt's urban area. Enjoy the Riesling that is pressed here and the beautiful view of the city from the MainÄppelhaus orchard center.
If you are less interested in language and more in nature, we recommend a visit to the Senckenberg Museum, the natural history museum in the immediate vicinity of the Palmengarten. The permanent exhibition at the Senckenberg Museum tells of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, of dinosaurs, underwater worlds, exotic plants and mammals from all over the world. The development of Homo sapiens, modern man, can also be traced here.
And because natural events, the formation and extinction of species are also crucial for our future, visions of our world of tomorrow are also sketched here.
In the evening you can continue to relax; after dinner you can treat yourself to an ice-cold, sour apple wine on the banks of the Main. Popular addresses for a nightcap are the Maincafé or the Bootshaus Frau Rauscher. Further up the Main, you can also enjoy a drink at the Main Cocktail Bar - and end the Frankfurt weekend with a last view of the skyline.
By the way, you can find tips on how to travel comfortably and inexpensively on long-distance and local trains with Deutsche Bahn here.
Cover photo: Pulsating city life and cozy hustle and bustle - in Frankfurt am Main they are side by side ©#visitfrankfurt, David Vasicek
