8 Things to Do in Frankfurt, Where Culture and Charm Abound
Enjoy All That Frankfurt Has to Offer
As a major transportation hub, and an industrial and financial metropolis, many people travel through Frankfurt on business. However, this history-laden town is every traveler’s dream.
With a few trusty international travel tips tucked up your sleeves you’ll be set to fully enjoy everything Frankfurt has to offer. And, boy, does it have a lot.
At 2,000 years old, Frankfurt is the perfect blend of the modern and the classic, with shops and plenty of bars for a younger crowd looking to enjoy the simpler things in life as well as a plethora of museums and historic sites for anyone who appreciates the finer things.
You aren’t going to want to miss these things to do in Frankfurt, though you may be just as content simply sitting and admiring your surroundings.
Take the Elevator to the Top of the Main Tower
One of the best places to start your visit is at the Main Tower. The Main Tower is Frankfurt’s only high-rise open to the public. By taking the elevator to the top, you’ll enjoy sweeping views of the cityscape from the 650-foot-high platform and get a great perspective of the city’s layout.
Take a Stroll Through Romerberg
While Frankfurt is a very modern city, it’s also a place of contrasts, with avant-garde skyscrapers set alongside magnificent, well-maintained historic buildings. You’ll find some of the best in the old center, known as Romerberg, the city’s historic heart.
Many of the structures date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, like the Rententurm or Customs Tower. The 15th-century fortified tower built in late Gothic style is connected to a 12th-century castle known as Saalhof.
Frankfurt’s city hall, the Romer, is over 600 years old, though it’s still used by the city government on a regular basis. Here you can view artifacts that date from the medieval era to modern times.
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Sip Some of the Oldest and Best Apple Cider in the Sachsenhausen District
Frankfurt’s signature drink is known as “Apfelwein,” or “Ebbelwo,” as the locals say. This light alcoholic apple cider is produced in the regions around Frankfurt, and you can find some of the best and oldest apple cider taverns in the cobblestone streets of the Sachsenhausen district.
The apple wine tavern known as Apfelweinwirtschaft is as distinctive a Frankfurt institution as the Bierkeller is of Munich.
One of the favorite apple taverns here is Zur Buchscheer, beloved for its homemade apple wine and its closeness to the Stadtwald, with a lovely partially covered garden and apple press on site.
Explore the Museums
There are over 50 museums that can be explored in Frankfurt, which means, unless you plan to spend an extended period of time here, it would be impossible to visit them all. By walking along the river Main, which runs through the city center, you’ll find some of the best. This area is referred to as Museumsufer, “Museum embankment.”
The Sennckenberg Museum of Natural History is a must-experience as the largest natural history museum in the country. It features thousands of exhibits, including everything from Egyptian mummies to its most popular exhibit, the array of large dinosaur skeletons, one of the largest collections of its kind in all of Europe.
Other highlights include the Germany Film Museum and the Stadel Museum, which holds one of Germany’s most important collections focused on the old masters – it’s frequently been compared to the Louvre in Paris and offers an incredible overview of seven centuries of European art history, dating from the 14th century.
It includes works by Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Botticelli and many others.
Visit the Goethe House
Frankfurt is the birthplace of the country’s greatest writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His family home, Goethe House, is one of the most popular Frankfurt attractions and is the place he was born on August 28, 1749.
He resided here until 1765, and the home showcases how he and his wealthy family would have lived. You’ll find lots of rooms to explore, including Goethe’s writing room where he penned many of his earlier works and played as a child with his puppet theater.
If you want to find out more about the period he lived in, the Goethe Museum is right next door and features masterpieces from the Romantic and Late Baroque periods.
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Catch a Performance
Frankfurt’s opera house, Oper Frankfurt, is home to Germany’s premier symphonies and operas, and a must for visitors that want to enjoy a bit of high culture while traveling Frankfurt.
Shop Til You Drop
Frankfurt is one of the country’s top places for shopping enthusiasts, particularly at The Zeil, the city’s premier pedestrian promenade. Here you’ll find independent specialty shops as well as large department stores on this tree-lined, vehicle-free street, selling plenty of designer label fashions, footwear, jewelry, electronics and just about anything else your heart desires.
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Experience the Nightlife
Frankfurt has a buzzing nightlife. Whether you want to kick back with a drink in a laid-back speakeasy kind of joint, catch a live show or dance the night away, you’re sure to find your perfect venue.
If you like jazz, you’re in luck, as many bars throughout the city offer live jazz music, such as Kleine Bockenheimer Strasse, also known as Jazzgasse or Jazz Alley.
