Frankfurt – A Guide to Frankfurt

Frankfurt is the only skyscraper city in Germany with about 660000 inhabitants. The urban area alone has 5 million inhabitants. Frankfurt is the financial heart of Germany, indeed, it is the financial heart of Europe with the European Central Bank. Frankfurt’s stock market is one of the world’s largest stock exchange. Besides the financial side, Frankfurt hosts a lot of international fairs too.

 

Sights:

Main Tower: One of the main attraction is the 200 meter high Main Tower (admission: adult 5€). There is a cocktail bar and restaurant on the 53rd floor. Book well ahead if you want to gain a seat in there. On that platform you will see the Commerzbank Tower which is Europe’s tallest office block with 258 meter and the Messeturm with its 256 meter.

 

Frankfurter Dom: This is one of Frankfurt’s few surviving structures after the bombing in 1944, which was built in the 15th century and completed in the 19th century.

 

Römer: This is Frankfurt’s old town hall which is made up of three 15th century houses. It used to be a side of celebrations during the Holy Roman Empire but nowadays it’s only used as the town hall.

 

Börse: This is the stock exchange which was built in 1843. You can get a free tour in English or in German. But book at least 24 hours in advance to get a tour and bring your ID. Outside the Börse Building are the two animals “Bulle und Bär” (bull and bear) which represents the good (Bulle) and the bad times (Bear) at the stock market.

 

Goethe-Haus: If you are a fan of Goethe, the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is a must see (admission: 5€; Hirschgraben 23-25)

Alte Oper: The old opera was burnt out in 1944 and reconstructed. It is very modern inside.

 

Hotels:

The prices for a hotel room depends on the season. Low season is on weekends and school holidays. High season is during the week and especially during fairs. Prices can triple during the book fair.

If you are on a budget, we recommend the Frankfurt Hostel next to the Central Station. This is a lively hostel with free spaghetti on Saturday. A dorm will cost around 20€. (http://www.frankfurt-hostel.com, Kaiserstrasse 74)

Another affordable hotel with river view is the IBIS Hotel Centrum. A double or single room will cost 79€ during the week and 59€ on weekends. (http://www.accorhotels.com/de/hotel-1445-ibis-frankfurt-centrum/index.shtml, Speicherstrasse 4)

A Top End Hotel is the Concorde Hotel. A double or single room will cost around 120€ per night during the week. On weekend however it will drop to about 85€. (http://www.hotelconcorde.de/, Karlstr. 9)

 

Restaurants:

A traditional German restaurant with affordable prices is the Pielok Restaurant (Jordanstrasse 3). It is still run by the same family since 1945. Mains will cost around12€.

The Paris Bar Cafe im Literaturhaus (Schöne Aussicht 2) is the right place for excellent meat and fish dishes. A main will cost around 18€.

Clubs:

The biggest clubs in Frankfurt are King Kamehameha (Hanaer Landstrasse 192), the Cocoon Club (Carl-Benz-Strasse 21) and the U60311 (Rossmarkt)

Shopping

The main shopping mile in Frankfurt is die Zeil. Goethestrasse and the western streets of Goetheplatz are very good for shopping too. The latest big shopping center which opened in 2009 is MyZeil. It has 6 levels and is an impressive glass construction.

 

Insider Tips:

And here are some insider tips, which you wouldn’t necessarily find in a Frankfurt Guide 🙂

If you want an affordable and yummy snack, head to the Maggi Kochstudio (Neue Kräme 27). Maggi is a traditional German brand since 1910 which is widely used in a German kitchen. Another nice bonus are the delicious recipes which you can get in there for free.

For a nice coffee with a great view for free, head to the Dachcafé-Zeilgalerie (Zeill 112) which is situated at the top of the shopping center Zeil.

 
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