Frankfurt Travel Guide

Introduction

Frankfurt, formally Frankfurt-am-Main, is Germany's only city with a real skyline. It's a city of glass and steel, a city of skyscrapers, a city largely rebuilt in the latter part of the 20th century. It was leveled by the allies during World War II, reduced to rubble, but has risen anew to become Germany's premier banking, media, and transportation center, with one of the busiest airports in the world, and home to one of the largest stock exchanges in Europe and some of the biggest international trade fairs. Which is not to say that the city doesn't have anything of historical value, for it does – a restored old town and other historic relics besides – but its history is clearly dwarfed by its modern offerings. There are nearly 40 museums here, and more than 100 galleries, 30-plus theaters, scores of designer boutiques, fine restaurants, bars, nightclubs, discos and live music venues, and a well-entrenched red-light district that is among the most famous in Europe. Oh, and for bean counters marveling at the city's skyline, there are 19 buildings in Frankfurt that top 165 feet and can fairly be categorized as skyscrapers, including the Commerzbank building which, at 848 feet (254 m), is the tallest in Europe. Frankfurt, by the way, is also the birthplace of techno music.

Location

Frankfurt is situated on the River Main, in the state of Hesse, in the western part of Germany. It is located east of Wiesbaden and Mainz, approximately 26 miles from either.

• How to Get There

• Sightseeing

• Neighborhoods

• How to Get Around

• Where to Stay

• Where to Eat

• Where to Party

• Essential Information

• Nearby Destinations

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Main Neighborhoods

• Innenstadt (Inner/Central District) -

Bankenviertel (Financial District) - Frankfurt's principal banking center, crammed with skyscrapers, particularly along Neuen Mainzer Straße, Großen Gallusstraße, Junghofstraße and other offshoot streets. The 300-meter Commerzbank Tower, Frankfurt's tallest building, is located here.

Zeil - The city's most famous street and central point for shopping, with the pedestrian zone between Hauptwache and Konstablerwache at the heart of it. Shops, boutiques, department stores, they're all here, many of them in the anchor shopping arcade My Zeil..

Bahnhofsviertel - Frankfurt's red-light district, directly across from the main railway station, centered on Moselstraße and Elbestraße and filled with brothels, curbside hookers, sex shops and table-dance clubs.

Altstadt - The old town of Frankfurt.

• Westend -

• Nordend -

• Ostend -

• Sachsenhausen - The "applewine quarter" of the city, home to several of the city's traditional cider houses, along with some of Germany's best-known museums and the largest flea market in Germany. Two of Frankfurt's best Apfelwein houses, Zum gemalten Haus and Wagner, are located here on Schweizer Straße. The pocket between Konstablerwache and Alter Gasse is the domain of city's gay and lesbian crowd.

• Bornheim - Located adjacent to the Sachsenhausen district, this is where the younger crowd hangs out. The main street here, Berger Straße, has several traditional cider houses, as well as a string of lively bars, clubs and restaurants.

How to Get Around

Where to Party

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Know Before You Go

• Best Time to Visit: June-September

• Cost Per Day: €70-€300 (US$90-US$400)

• Currency: Euro EUR (€1 ~ US$1.30)

• Electrical Outlets: 230V - 50Hz | Schuko Socket or Europlug with 2 round pins

• Phone Code: +49

• Population: 680,000

• Offcial Website:

Nearby Destinations

• Aachen

• Bonn

• Cologne

• Düsseldorf

• Wiesbaden

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