Frankfurt am Main is the largest city in the German state of Hesse, home to around 780,000 people on the River Main. It is known abroad for its banks, its skyline and the European Central Bank, but also has a rebuilt old town, a long row of museums along the river and a homely tradition of apple-wine taverns.
For centuries the city was where Holy Roman emperors were elected and crowned, and in 1848 it hosted Germany's first freely elected parliament. Today many visitors arrive for trade fairs or connecting flights at one of Europe's major airports, while others use Frankfurt as a base for the Rhine valley, Heidelberg and the Taunus hills. Furnished apartments in residential districts such as Sachsenhausen, Nordend and Bornheim suit business trips, families and longer stays. During large trade fairs accommodation fills quickly, so it pays to plan ahead, and Frankfurt requires a permit for holiday letting of homes.
The Altstadt and Innenstadt, between the cathedral, the Römerberg and the Zeil shopping street, put the main sights and the riverbank within a few minutes' walk, which suits short city breaks. Across the Main, Sachsenhausen is the largest district; its northern part has the museum embankment, leafy streets and, in Alt-Sachsenhausen, the cobbled lanes and cider taverns that draw visitors in the evening.
Nordend and Bornheim, north-east of the centre, are dense neighbourhoods of 19th-century apartment buildings. Bornheim's Berger Strasse is lined with cafés, bars and traditional apple-wine houses, and both areas suit couples and families who want a local feel close to the U-Bahn. The Westend, with its Wilhelminian buildings, villas and the Palmengarten, is calm and upmarket, and close to the university and the trade fair grounds. The Bahnhofsviertel next to the main station is practical for rail travellers and known for its international food streets, but it is also the city's main red-light and nightlife quarter, which not everyone will want on the doorstep.
The Römer, a group of nine houses that has served as the city hall for centuries, faces the Römerberg square. Behind it, the Gothic cathedral of St. Bartholomew was where emperors were elected from 1356 and crowned from 1562 to 1792. The old town between them burned in 1944; between 2012 and 2018 the Dom-Römer Quarter was rebuilt with 15 reconstructions of lost historic houses. Nearby, St. Paul's Church, seat of the 1848 parliament, is a national monument, and the Goethe House is where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born on 28 August 1749.
The Eiserner Steg footbridge links the Römerberg with Sachsenhausen, where the Museumsufer lines the south bank of the Main with museums such as the Städel art museum, the German Film Museum and the Museum of World Cultures. North of the river, the skyline that earned the nickname Mainhattan includes the 200-metre Main Tower with a public viewing platform, and the Palmengarten botanical garden covers 22 hectares in the Westend.
Frankfurt was first mentioned in a document in 794 and became a free imperial city in 1372. Its location on the Main made it a trading centre, and its trade fair was first mentioned in 1150. As the place of imperial elections and coronations, it ranked among the most important cities of the Holy Roman Empire, and it remained an independent city state for most of the following centuries until Prussia annexed it in 1866. In 1848 and 1849 the Frankfurt Parliament met in St. Paul's Church to draft a constitution for a united Germany.
After heavy wartime destruction, Frankfurt rebuilt itself as a financial city; the European Central Bank was founded here in 1998. The local table is simpler than the skyline suggests: apple wine, called Ebbelwoi or Äppler and served from grey stoneware jugs known as Bembel, green sauce made with seven herbs, and handkäse cheese. The Christmas market, documented since 1393, spreads across the Römerberg and neighbouring squares in December.
Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Germany's busiest by passenger numbers, lies about 12 kilometres south-west of the city centre. S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 run from the regional station under Terminal 1 to the Hauptbahnhof and on to the city centre in a short ride, and a separate long-distance station, opened in 1999, connects the airport with high-speed trains to Cologne, Munich, Berlin and many other cities. Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, opened in 1888, is one of the country's busiest rail hubs.
Inside the city, the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and buses form one network, and most central districts are within a short ride of each other. The centre, the riverbanks and Sachsenhausen are pleasant on foot, and the flat paths along the Main are popular with cyclists. A car is not needed for a city stay: parking in the centre is limited, and regional trains reach Wiesbaden, Mainz, Heidelberg and the Rhine towns.
West of the city, the Rhine Gorge, the stretch of the Middle Rhine between Rüdesheim and Koblenz listed by UNESCO in 2002, is lined with castles, vineyards and riverside villages. Rüdesheim, at its southern end in the Rheingau wine region, is known for its old lanes and for the Niederwald monument above the vineyards, completed in 1883. On the way, Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse, and Mainz, the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, face each other across the Rhine.
To the south, Heidelberg, home to Germany's oldest university, founded in 1386, combines a castle ruin above the Neckar with a Baroque old town. North of Frankfurt, the wooded Taunus hills offer walking trails and the Saalburg, a reconstructed Roman fort on the Limes, part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site. Most of these places lie within about 80 kilometres of the city and make comfortable day trips by train or car.
Frankfurt has a temperate oceanic climate with warm summers and cool winters that often bring rain showers and grey skies. The Rhine-Main area is one of the milder parts of Germany, which is why vineyards thrive in the nearby Rheingau.
May to September is the best time for riverside walks, beer and apple-wine gardens and trips to the Rhine valley. At the end of August, the Museumsuferfest fills both banks of the Main with stages, food stalls and open museums. Autumn brings the grape harvest in the surrounding wine regions, and the Christmas market adds warmth to the short days of December. Keep in mind that big trade fairs, such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, can make accommodation scarce for a few days, so check the fair calendar before choosing your dates.
The Altstadt and Innenstadt are best for sightseeing on foot. Sachsenhausen offers the museum embankment and cider taverns, Nordend and Bornheim have a relaxed residential feel with cafés, and the Westend is calm and close to the trade fair. The Bahnhofsviertel is convenient for trains but lively at night.
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is about 12 kilometres south-west of the centre. S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 connect the airport with the Hauptbahnhof and the city centre in a short ride, and long-distance trains stop at the airport's own station. Taxis are also available.
Two days cover the old town, the cathedral, the Goethe House, a museum on the Museumsufer and an evening in Sachsenhausen. With four or five days you can add day trips to the Rhine Gorge, Heidelberg or the Taunus hills.
May to September brings the warmest weather for the riverbank, outdoor taverns and Rhine trips, and the Museumsuferfest takes place at the end of August. December is popular for the Christmas market. Check the trade fair calendar, because major fairs fill the city's accommodation.
No. S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and buses cover the city, the centre is walkable, and regional trains reach Wiesbaden, Mainz, Heidelberg and the Rhine towns. Parking in the centre is limited, so a car is only worth having for touring villages in the Taunus or the Rheingau.
Yes. Children enjoy the Palmengarten, the zoo, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum and the riverbanks of the Main. Families often choose apartments in Sachsenhausen, Nordend or Bornheim, where streets are residential and public transport reaches the centre quickly.
Yes. Under Frankfurt's Ferienwohnungssatzung, any letting of a home as a holiday flat needs a permit from the city's building authority, even home sharing. A permit for short letting of up to eight weeks a year can be granted if the host keeps living there. Check the current rules with the Bauaufsicht Frankfurt.
Frankfurt is known for its skyline and banking, the European Central Bank, its airport and trade fairs, Goethe's birthplace, the rebuilt Römerberg and cathedral where emperors were crowned, the museums along the Main, and apple wine served in Sachsenhausen's taverns.
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