Hesse · Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt
Frankfurt is Germany's financial capital, known for its skyline of skyscrapers alongside a reconstructed medieval old town. Its Hauptbahnhof and airport station together form the busiest rail interchange in the country.
Highlights
Römerberg
The reconstructed medieval square at the heart of the old town.
Museumsufer
A riverside row of museums along the Main, including the Städel art museum.
Main Tower
One of the few skyscraper observation decks open to the public in Germany.
Palmengarten
A large botanical garden with tropical greenhouses.
Apple wine taverns
Traditional Ebbelwoi taverns in the Sachsenhausen district.
Getting there by train
Main station: Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
| From | Journey time | Typical trains |
|---|---|---|
| Cologne | about 1.25 h | ICE |
| Munich | about 3.25 h | ICE |
| Stuttgart | about 1.25 h | ICE |
| Berlin | about 4 h | ICE |
Source: DB timetable data (typical journey times). Checked on 1 June 2024.
Local transport
The RMV network of U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses covers Frankfurt and its region. The Deutschlandticket covers local buses, trams, U-Bahn and S-Bahn in and around the city, though not long-distance ICE/IC trains.
Day trips
- Heidelberg (about 1 h) — A romantic university town on the Neckar with a hilltop castle ruin.
- Rüdesheim / Rhine Gorge (about 1 h) — Vineyard villages along the Rhine, reachable by regional train.
Neighbourhoods
Bankenviertel
The high-rise banking district, unusual in Germany, right by the Hauptbahnhof.
Römerberg & Altstadt
The reconstructed medieval square and the new Old Town buildings beside it.
Sachsenhausen
Apple wine taverns south of the Main, alongside the Museumsufer museums.
Bahnhofsviertel
A gritty but lively quarter of restaurants immediately outside the station.
Food and drink
Apfelwein (Ebbelwoi) is served from a ribbed Bembel jug in Sachsenhausen taverns, usually with Handkäse mit Musik or Grüne Soße, the local herb sauce.
Practical notes
- Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof is a full long-distance ICE station — you can often skip the city centre entirely.
- Frankfurt Hbf is a terminus, so most trains reverse and departure platforms change; check the board late.
- The Museumsufer river bank holds a dozen museums within a short walk of each other.
Frankfurt bookshelf
German-language editions worth reading before or during a stop in Frankfurt, grouped by shelf. Each link searches Amazon for that edition so you land on the copy currently in print — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure.
Romane & Literatur
- Find on Amazon →Faust: Der Tragödie erster TeilJohann Wolfgang von Goethe
The work of Frankfurt's most famous son; his birthplace is a museum in the old town.
Geschichte
- Find on Amazon →Deutschland: Erinnerungen einer NationNeil MacGregor
Object-led national history, good reading between long ICE legs.
- Find on Amazon →Frankfurt am Main: Die Geschichte der StadtWolfgang Klötzer
How a fair and banking city grew around the Main crossing.
Reiseführer
- Find on Amazon →Baedeker Reiseführer FrankfurtBaedeker
German guide to the city as a rail hub and stopover.