Y’all, flying to the Frankfurt airport is like the most fantastic thing ever. We landed in Frankfurt, deplaned onto the tarmac, took about a 5 minute bus ride to the terminal, waited MAYBE 5 minutes to go through the most friendly customs interaction I’ve ever had, and my bag was already on the carousel when I walked out. I walked out of the airport to the curb, and immediately into a taxi. And y’all, the taxi was the nicest Mercedes, with the meter showing up digitally on the rearview mirror. It was the classiest taxi (and one the of the cheapest) I’ve ever taken.
I stayed at the Westin Grand, which is perfectly located to walk to everything in the city. When I told my taxi driver I was going to the Westin, he quickly asked if I meant the Westin Grand or the “West End.” Apparently it’s pretty common that Westin guests end up in the West End neighborhood instead of at their hotel!
I spent a few hours walking around my first night, and then continued on the next day, but honestly, everything I did can be done in one day, so following is my suggestion of how to see it all with minimum time.
Turn right out of the hotel, and walk straight until you hit the river. From there, walk down to the path along the river. You’ll pass the more famous of the two pedestrian bridges, the older Eiserner Steg and the newer Holbeinsteg. I walked all the way to the Holbeinsteg and then across, then all the way back to the Eiserner Steg.
Along the walk, you’ll pass most of the museums in the city. The whole area is called the Museumsufer and it’s absolutely beautiful. I walked along the path and veered off at the Metzlerpark, which was a really cute park next to one of the more modern museums.
Once you get back to the Eiserner Steg, cross the river, then cross the street and you’ll be in the older, central part of town called Romer – the main square of the city. This is a great place for photos and for a quick bite and some people watching. Across the way you can see the government building, and if you hang around enough to hear the bells toll, its totally worth it.
I stopped at a place called Zum Standesamtchen for my first meal. I’d heard a bunch about this “green sauce” that Frankfurt was famous for, so I ordered a small plate of it with boiled potatoes and hard boiled eggs. The green sauce is kind of herby and it went great with the apful wein, which is basically cider, but with wine. In hindsight, I wish I had ordered the green sauce entree with the meat in it, but what I got was still delicious.
Afterwards I walked down a few blocks to the financial area of the city to see the famed Euro sign. Frankfurt is a huge banking town, and you’ll notice that most people walking around are in suits. A photo in front of the Euro is a must. I did it during the day, but I’ve heard it’s even more incredible when it’s lit up at night. During May it doesn’t actually start to get dark until around 9:30/10, so by the time it was lit up I was well in bed.
After the Euro sign I walked to Main Tower, which is the tallest tower in Frankfurt, and it has an incredible observation deck on the 55th floor that is open to the public for the 7 euro. Unlike most, there is no gate or glass blocking your view. This is an absolute MUST for your trip. It was incredible to see everything from a birds eye view.
Afterwards I decided to head to the Palmengarten. I had asked my waiter in Romer what I should see, and he said “go to the Pamengarten and then just go back to your hotel and have drinks.” Amusingly, most people view Frankfurt as the “Atlanta of Europe” – a big airport and a lot of business, but not much else.He also said that I needed to take a taxi there – that’s a lie. It’s about a 30 minute walk from Romer, and it’s well worth it.
Remember when my taxi driver thought I was going to the West End instead of the Westin? Well this walk finally takes you through the beautiful neighborhood. During the walk I basically decided that I want to live in Germany forever.
I arrived at the Palmengarten and paid my 7 Euro fee. The whole place is an oasis in the middle of the city. You can easily spend an hour walking around, and at every single turn they have benches to sit and reflect at. I totally took advantage and sat at a bench to write out part of this post and it was the most relaxing thing I’d done all day. Make sure to take advantage of the different indoor areas – they aren’t clearly marked, and most of them look like they aren’t open, but they are and they have some incredible exhibits that were mostly empty when I went.
After touring the garden, I made my way back towards the city center. A definite spot to see is the Eschenheimer Turm, which is one of the oldest structures in the entire city. Constructed in the mid 1400’s, this used to be a guard post for the city wall, but now they’ve turned it into a restaurant. It’s pretty much the oldest piece of Frankfurt still standing so it’s definitely worth the photo (even if it’s hard to get one without skyscrapers and cars in it).
On the way back, walk into the Hauptwache, which was built in 1729 and once housed a prison. Today, it’s a cafe, with incredible food and incredible people watching. I spent about 2 hours here just sitting, eating, drinking, and enjoying the views.
Afterwards I headed to the Zeil, which is a long pedestrian street of every store you could think of. Along the Zeil is a large department store called the Galleria that has a rooftop lounge. I went around 7 pm so it was pretty packed with folks having a drink after work. It’s a cafeteria style restaurant with a bar, so you have to order everything inside and bring it out. Since there weren’t many open tables, and a lot of people were hovering, I opted to head back towards my hotel. If you’re with a group that can hover with you, or are able to find an open table, it’s a great spot.
If you walk back down the Zeil to the street the hotel is on (Konrad-Adenauer-Straße), and then turn right back down towards the river, you’ll find Langosch on Main right at the corner before you hit the river. It isn’t German food, but it’s incredible. I had the falafel burger and it was HUGE and so delicious. They have a super extensive menu for dinner, and I’ve also heard that they have one of the best brunches in the city! Try to grab a seat by the window so you can do some people watching.
Afterwards I walked the few blocks back to the hotel and posted up at the GrandSeven bar. They have INCREDIBLE live music every evening which I’m listening to as I finish up this post. Overall it’s been an incredible day and a half in Frankfurt. Next up, Munich!
