Frankfurt

Frankfurt has been dubbed ‘Mainhatten’ for its glass highrises, financial prowess, and proximity to the Main River. In Germany, Frankfurt means business. You may find yourself in Frankfurt making a change at its large airport, one of the busiest crossroads in all of Europe. If you choose to explore inner-city Frankfurt, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the ‘engine room’ of Europe’s economy, with a serving of unexpected charm on the side. Among the glass and steel buildings, the old worldly Römerberg square will give you a double-take. The square’s 15th-century half-timbered houses, old statues, and church spires contrast dramatically against the modern 21st-century skyscrapers beyond. Depending on where you look, it can be hard to know if you’ve stepped back or forward in time. If you visit at Christmas, the Römerberg is truly special, aglow with the light of the tallest Christmas tree in Germany. The square fills with stalls selling handicrafts, and the air is scented with hot apple wine, honey, and cinnamon. 

If you delve deeper into Frankfurt, you’ll be rewarded with its substantial museum district, the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment). This area features a cluster of twelve museums on either side of Main River. This includes the Städel, an unmissable museum for anyone with an interest in late Gothic or Renaissance art. Tischbein’s famous painting of renowned writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe resides at the Städel, treasured by Frankfurt, the city of the author’s birth. Goethe is just a small part of Frankfurt’s highly cultured history. The city prizes its literary heritage and is home to the annual Frankfurter Buchmesse, a book fair with a 500-year-old tradition. A short distance outside of Frankfurt downriver is the town of Mainz, where this literary feeling is only further heightened. Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz and went on to invent the printing press and publish the Gutenberg bible. The Gutenberg Museum commemorates his genius. Beyond Main, the Rhine Valley opens before you like a picture book. Spa towns like Wiesbaden give you a sense of the Germans as they are on holiday. Hardworking Frankfurters love to duck out of the city for a weekend break, and the towns North and South of the city are domestic tourism meccas.

All told, Frankfurt offers far more than a transport interchange. If you stop in this booming metropolis and have a chance to become better acquainted with it, you’ll have a great time.