Frankfurt is Germany’s financial capital, a city of 760,000 people that feels more international and fast-paced than Berlin or Munich. Its skyline of glass towers (nicknamed “Mainhattan”) is unique in Germany, but the city’s cultural depth is often overlooked: an extraordinary cluster of 16 museums along the Main River, a reconstructed medieval old town (the Neue Altstadt), Germany’s greatest poet’s birthplace (Goethe House), and a genuine local drinking culture centered on apple wine (Apfelwein) in the Sachsenhausen district. This guide covers the essential sights with practical visiting information.
Things to Do in Frankfurt: Museums, Apple Wine, and Skyline Views
Museumsufer (Museum Embankment): 16 Museums on the Main
The Museumsufer is a concentration of 16 museums lining both banks of the Main River between the Eiserner Steg and Friedensbrücke bridges, one of Europe’s densest museum clusters. The standout institutions: the Städel Museum (Schaumainkai 63) holds 700 years of European art from Dürer and Rembrandt to Richter and Baselitz (EUR 16, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm, extended to 9:00pm Thursday); the Deutsches Filmmuseum (Schaumainkai 41) is Germany’s cinema museum with original props including The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari sets (EUR 10, same hours); the Museum für Kommunikation (Schaumainkai 53) has interactive exhibits on media history (EUR 6, Tuesday to Friday 9:00am to 6:00pm, weekends 11:00am to 7:00pm). The Frankfurt Museumsufer Ticket (EUR 22, valid 2 consecutive days) covers entry to all 16 museums, or buy a Frankfurt Card (EUR 11.50 for 1 day, includes all public transport and 50% off museum entry). Most Museumsufer museums are closed Monday. The annual Museumsuferfest (late August) fills both riverbanks with free music stages, food stalls, and late-night museum openings. Check our events calendar for exact dates.
Römerberg and Neue Altstadt: Frankfurt’s Reconstructed Medieval Heart
The Römerberg is Frankfurt’s central square and historic heart, dominated by the Römer (city hall since 1405, recognizable by its stepped-gable facade and three peaked roofs). The square was destroyed in 1944 bombing and the half-timbered buildings on the east side were reconstructed in the 1980s. More recently, the Neue Altstadt (New Old Town) project completed in 2018 reconstructed 35 buildings on 7,000 square meters between the Römerberg and the cathedral, including 15 faithful replicas of pre-war buildings and 20 new designs. The area includes the Haus zur Goldenen Waage (a 1619 merchant’s house, free entry, open daily 10:00am to 6:00pm) and the Krönungsweg (Coronation Path) that Holy Roman Emperors walked from the Kaiserdom (Imperial Cathedral of St. Bartholomew) to the Römer after their election. The cathedral (Domplatz 1, free entry, open daily 9:00am to 12:00pm and 1:30pm to 8:00pm) has a 95-meter tower (328 steps, EUR 3, open April to October daily, closed in bad weather) with the best view over the reconstructed Altstadt. The Römerberg hosts the Christmas market from late November to December 22. For a quieter experience of the Neue Altstadt, visit before 10:00am or after 5:00pm when the tour groups thin out.
Goethe House and Goethe Museum
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany’s greatest writer, was born at Großer Hirschgraben 23 in 1749 and lived here until age 26. The house was destroyed in 1944 and meticulously reconstructed in 1951 using original furnishings that had been stored for safekeeping. The four-story house shows an upper-middle-class 18th-century Frankfurt home with the writing desk where Goethe worked on The Sorrows of Young Werther and early drafts of Faust. The adjacent Goethe Museum (added 1914) displays paintings from Goethe’s era and rotating exhibits. Open Monday to Saturday 10:00am to 6:00pm (until 9:00pm Thursday), Sunday 10:00am to 5:30pm. Tickets: EUR 10 (house and museum combined). The house is furnished to its 1750s appearance, not the 1951 reconstruction date. The audio guide is excellent and included in the ticket price. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. The neighborhood around Großer Hirschgraben is the Innenstadt’s quieter western edge with several good lunch spots.
Main Tower: Frankfurt’s Only Public Skyline View
The Main Tower at Neue Mainzer Strasse 52-58 is the only Frankfurt skyscraper with a public observation deck. The 200-meter building (completed 1999, 56 floors) has a viewing platform at the 54th floor (198 meters) reached by express elevator in 45 seconds. The view takes in Frankfurt’s full skyline, the Main River, the Taunus mountains to the north, and on clear days the Odenwald hills to the south. The platform is outdoors (partially glass-walled) and fully exposed to weather. Open daily: summer (April to October) Sunday to Thursday 10:00am to 9:00pm, Friday and Saturday 10:00am to 11:00pm; winter (November to March) Sunday to Thursday 10:00am to 7:00pm, Friday and Saturday 10:00am to 9:00pm. Tickets: EUR 9 (adults), EUR 6 (students). The last elevator goes up 30 minutes before closing. Sunset visits are the most popular; arrive 45 minutes before sunset to avoid the longest queue. The tower has a restaurant on the 53rd floor (Main Tower Restaurant & Lounge, mains EUR 25 to 45, reservations recommended at least 2 weeks ahead). The observation deck is closed during thunderstorms and high winds. Check the monthly weather data before booking a sunset visit.
Alt-Sachsenhausen: Apple Wine Taverns and Cobblestone Streets
Sachsenhausen, on the Main’s south bank, is Frankfurt’s traditional apple wine (Apfelwein or “Ebbelwoi”) district. The old core around the Affentorplatz and Klappergasse packs dozens of traditional wood-paneled taverns (Apfelweinwirtschaften) serving the tart, sourish apple wine in distinctive blue-grey ceramic jugs (Bembel) and rib-sticking Hessian food: Handkäse mit Musik (sour milk cheese with onions in vinegar and oil), Frankfurter Grüne Soße (green sauce made from seven herbs with potatoes and hard-boiled eggs), and Rippchen mit Kraut (cured pork cutlets with sauerkraut). The most famous taverns: Adolf Wagner (Schweizer Strasse 71, since 1931, large beer-garden-style courtyard), Zum Gemalten Haus (Schweizer Strasse 67, since 1886, walls covered in oil paintings and hunting trophies), and Dauth-Schneider (Neuer Wall 1, casual courtyard, popular with students). Apple wine costs roughly EUR 2.50 to 3.50 per 0.3-liter glass. The alcohol content is 5 to 7% and the acidity can surprise first-timers; order it “süß gespritzt” (sweet, mixed with lemonade) if you find the pure version too tart. Sachsenhausen is a 10-minute walk from the Museumsufer across the Eiserner Steg footbridge. For more district details, see our neighborhoods guide.
Palmengarten: Frankfurt’s Botanical Oasis
The Palmengarten at Siesmayerstrasse 61 covers 22 hectares with tropical greenhouses, rose gardens, a sub-Antarctic house, and Europe’s largest collection of camellias. Established in 1868 by the Frankfurt botanical society, it’s one of Germany’s two major botanical gardens alongside Berlin’s. The Tropicarium (14 glasshouses) simulates ecosystems from Amazon rainforest to Namib desert with temperatures of 10°C to 28°C (50°F to 82°F). The Palmenhaus (1869) is a spectacular iron-and-glass Victorian greenhouse filled with mature palms, tree ferns, and a koi pond. Open daily: February to October 9:00am to 6:00pm, November to January 9:00am to 4:00pm. Tickets: EUR 7 (adults), EUR 3 (children). The Palmenhaus is a genuinely warm refuge on cold winter days. The Papageno Musiktheater in the park’s southeast corner stages opera and musicals in summer (EUR 20 to 50). Reach by U-Bahn U6 or U7 to Bockenheimer Warte (5-minute walk), or bus 32 or 36 to Palmengarten stop. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
Kleinmarkthalle: Frankfurt’s Gourmet Indoor Market
The Kleinmarkthalle at Hasengasse 5-7 is Frankfurt’s covered gourmet market, operating since 1954 in a modern 1,500-square-meter hall. Over 60 stalls sell fresh produce, cheese, meat, fish, wine, spices, flowers, and prepared foods. It’s a cross-section of Frankfurt’s international community: Italian olive oil next to Turkish baklava next to Hessian smoked sausages. Stall highlights: Schreiber (stall 42-46, Hessian sausages and Frankfurter Würstchen), Schreibers Feinkost (prepared food and wine by the glass, stall 80), and Wein-Mergler (stall 75, regional wines from the Rheingau). Don’t miss the upstairs Marktstubb cafe for a glass of wine and a view over the market floor. Open Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm, Saturday 8:00am to 4:00pm (closed Sunday). It’s a 3-minute walk from the Römerberg and a 2-minute walk from the Hauptwache S-Bahn/U-Bahn station. Visit between 10:00am and 1:00pm for the fullest selection; by 3:00pm some prepared food stalls start packing up. Saturday mornings are the busiest with Frankfurters doing their weekly shop.
Frankfurt Planning Tips
The Frankfurt Card (EUR 11.50 for 1 day, EUR 17 for 2 days) covers unlimited travel on all RMV public transport (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram, bus) within the city zone plus 50% off entry to all Museumsufer museums, the Palmengarten, and the Main Tower. If you plan to visit 2 or more museums plus use public transport, it pays for itself. Most museums are closed Monday; plan your museum visiting for Tuesday through Sunday. The Main River promenade is a free attraction in itself: the 5 km pedestrian path from the western Friedensbrücke to the eastern Osthafen is the city’s social spine, hosting joggers, cyclists, and picnickers in warm months. For best time to visit Frankfurt and trade fair avoidance, see our seasonal guide. For transport logistics and safety, check our travel tips and FAQ.
