Things to Do in Frankfurt
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Frankfurt, Germany, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Frankfurt. Big skyline for a German city, someone's showing off, properly the only German city that looks like it's trying to be Manhattan, and it's got the financial institutions to back that up. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Frankfurt: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the walk. Six main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
Frankfurt's Skyline & the ECB
Frankfurt is home to the headquarters of the European Central Bank, explains the skyscrapers, Frankfurt's the only German city that looks like it's trying to be Manhattan, a properly striking cluster of high-rises that sets it apart from every other major German city's more modest skyline. The Main Tower offers a public observation deck, one of the few skyscrapers in the city open to visitors for exactly this purpose, one of the best views over the financial district and the wider city.
It's a good, quick stop, worth combining with a walk through the surrounding business district to appreciate the scale of the towers up close.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am–9pm, shorter in winter
Address Neue Mainzer Strasse 52-58, Frankfurt
Goethe House
A famous German writer, author of Faust, was born in Frankfurt in 1749, his childhood home is now a museum, well preserved, period furnishings and manuscripts giving a proper sense of the household Goethe grew up in before becoming one of the most significant figures in German literature.
It's a compact, focused museum, worth an hour, particularly for anyone with an interest in German literary history, the family library and Goethe's own early writing desk are among the highlights.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am–6pm, shorter Sundays
Address Grosser Hirschgraben 23-25, Frankfurt
Frankfurt Airport's Significance
Frankfurt Airport is one of the busiest in the world, and the biggest hub for Lufthansa, more connections through here than anywhere else in the country, properly handy if you're planning to go further than Europe, worth knowing this shapes the city's international character considerably, a genuine global crossroads rather than a purely domestic German city.
This isn't a specific attraction to visit, more useful context for understanding why Frankfurt, despite its modest size compared to Berlin or Munich, punches so far above its weight internationally and has such a diverse, cosmopolitan population as a result.
Romerberg & the Old Town
Frankfurt's old town square, Romerberg, with its distinctive half-timbered buildings and the Romer (the city's historic town hall), was rebuilt after severe wartime destruction to recreate its medieval and Renaissance appearance, a properly pleasant, photogenic square that gives Frankfurt an older character to balance out the modern financial district skyscrapers nearby.
The Frankfurt Cathedral (Kaiserdom), where Holy Roman Emperors were once crowned, sits nearby and is worth combining with a Romerberg visit for a proper sense of the city's older, pre-financial-hub history.
Address Romerberg, Frankfurt
Museumsufer (Museum Embankment)
A stretch of the Main riverbank holding over a dozen museums, art, applied arts, film, architecture, and more, one of the densest museum concentrations anywhere in Germany, worth allowing at least half a day to pick two or three that genuinely interest you rather than trying to rush through all of them.
The Stadel Museum, with its strong collection of European art spanning several centuries, is generally considered the standout if you only have time for one.
Hours Most museums Tue–Sun, closed Mondays
Address Schaumainkai, Frankfurt
Apfelwein & Sachsenhausen
Frankfurt has its own distinctive drinking tradition, Apfelwein (apple wine), a tart, cloudy cider noticeably different from the sweeter apple ciders found elsewhere, and Sachsenhausen, the district across the river from the old town, is where the traditional Apfelwein taverns concentrate, a properly lively, local scene worth experiencing.
It's traditionally served in a distinctive grey stoneware jug (Bembel), worth ordering it properly rather than settling for a regular glass, part of engaging with the tradition as intended.
Best time Evening, particularly weekends
Address Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt
Best time to visit Frankfurt
May through September gives the most comfortable weather for the amount of walking this list involves, mild without winter's real cold.
Frankfurt hosts several major international trade fairs throughout the year, worth checking the calendar before booking accommodation, hotel prices can spike considerably during major events like the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Getting around Frankfurt
Frankfurt's U-Bahn and S-Bahn network covers the city well, properly efficient given the city's role as a major transport hub. Central Frankfurt, including Romerberg and the Museumsufer, is walkable once you're there.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Frankfurt worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly for its distinctive skyline among German cities, the Museumsufer's concentration of museums, and Goethe House for literary history, a genuinely different character from Germany's more famous tourist cities.
- How many days do you need in Frankfurt?
- Two days covers Romerberg, the skyline, and a couple of Museumsufer museums comfortably.
- Is Frankfurt expensive?
- Moderate, generally comparable to other major German cities, though hotel prices spike considerably during major trade fair periods.
- What is Frankfurt famous for?
- Being home to the European Central Bank and having Germany's most prominent skyscraper skyline, the birthplace of writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and its major international airport, Lufthansa's primary hub.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
