Frankfurt is Germany’s financial capital, its skyline of skyscrapers unusual for a European city, and its airport and central station make it the country’s busiest transport hub. It’s easy to pass through – but its reconstructed old town and riverside museum district reward a longer stop.
Why visit Frankfurt
The Römerberg, Frankfurt’s historic market square, was rebuilt after wartime destruction to recreate its half-timbered medieval facades, and remains the picture-postcard heart of the city. Just south, the Museumsufer lines the Main river with more than a dozen museums, while Goethe’s birthplace and family home offer a window into 18th-century Frankfurt. The skyline itself, nicknamed “Mainhattan,” is best appreciated from across the river or from an observation deck in one of its bank towers.
Getting to Frankfurt by train
Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest railway stations in Europe and a central hub for Germany’s high-speed network, with direct trains to Cologne, Munich, Berlin, Paris, and beyond.
Top things to do in Frankfurt
- Explore the reconstructed half-timbered houses of the Römerberg
- Walk the Museumsufer along the Main river and pick a museum or two
- Visit the Goethe House, birthplace of Germany’s most celebrated writer
- Take in the skyline from the Maintower observation deck
- Browse the Kleinmarkthalle for local food and produce