Frankfurt is one of the busiest business centers in the world. Most of the time it is overlooked as a tourist destination but it still has a lot to offer for any type of visitor and if you’re looking for less crowds this is a good city for that reason.
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Transportation
- RMV (Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund): We used this subway system to get around (plus a lot of walking of course) and it was fairly easy to understand. It wouldn’t hurt to have a German dictionary on hand though, as German can be harder to understand since most of the words are not very similar to English wording. A day pass was pretty cheap-only €6.80.
Accommodations
- Wyndham Grand Frankfurt: This 4 star hotel was perfect for us and the style fit in perfectly with the vibe of the city. It was a bit more pricey than we usually try and spend on our trips, but we knew we would be doing more relaxing so having a nicer room was great.
To-Do
- Römerberg: In World War II, Frankfurt was bombed and most of the old German architecture was destroyed. The city wanted to recreate a district to remember the old German architecture so they recreated Römerberg, a square with timber houses lining it. As a tourist, this is where you will spend most of your time, but keep in mind things are more expensive inside of this square and they typically only accept cash so make sure to have enough euros on hand.
Travel Tip: If you do need more cash, get it at a bank, not a free standing ATM and do not wait until you are in Römerberg. We unfortunately got our card skimmed off of one of the ATMs in Römerberg.
- Frankfurt Zoo: Tickets are not very expensive, at only €1o per person. There are so many different animals to see here and it was a great day of relaxation, just walking around the park and taking in the beautiful grounds.
- Alte Oper (Opera House): This is somewhere that we stopped by and was nice to just sit and people watch. We wish we would have been smart enough to plan ahead and book a show to the Opera so if you have a chance to do that, do it! For us, we just took in the beautiful sights of the area and sat on a nearby bench to people watch. It is pretty central to the city so you get to see a lot of the locals walking around.
- Rent pedal boats: When we were in Frankfurt, we saw people in these pedal boats riding along the Main River. This is something we wish we would have done since it looked like so much fun. We did some research after coming home from this trip and it looks like there is really no official place you can rent them from, just a boathouse near the Eiserner Steg (a large bridge that crosses over the river). This would of course be only if you are visiting in the summer time. What we ended up doing was just walking along the river, enjoying the breeze (it was quite hot when we went) and soaking up the sunshine.
Food
- Schwarzer Stern: Located right next to the church in Römerberg, this restaurant is a bit pricey but the excellent food and service was well worth it. We ended up going here for lunch one day and dinner. We had the Frankfurt plate, which consisted of 2 different kinds of sausage, pork, sauerkraut, and traditional German potatoes. We also had a baked potato with shrimp and some kind of delicious sauce.
- Dauth-Schneider: This restaurant serves traditional German food and like a lot of restaurants around the area, they make their own apple wine (Apfelwein). Located in Sachsenhausen-Nord, it is not even a mile away from Römerberg so it is an easy walk. We got the “Sachsenhäuser”, which is a sausages platter that includes Beef sausage, Frankfurter sausage, pork sausage with sauerkraut and bread. To drink, we got the apple wine and it was delicious. Apple wine is also only made in Frankfurt so make sure to try some!
- Eiscafe la casa del gelato: We were in the mood to try some gelato in Germany so we headed to this little café. The person serving up the gelato was very friendly to us, even with our terrible German and the gelato was delicious! Just be aware that they only accept cash here. It is located just a short walk from Römerberg.
- La Perla: We ate at this restaurant for breakfast, located just outside Römerberg. The food was good but the terrible service overshadowed that. We are used to the slower pace of dining in Europe, but this waitress did not care one bit about us. She disappeared for over an hour and we could not pay our bill until she came back as she was the only one working. We do NOT recommend that you eat here, please find another place.
We spent 3 days in Frankfurt, which is more than enough time to explore the city. So get out there and make that trip to Frankfurt, Germany!
