A happy meeting of past and present Frankfurt

Frankfurt, the gateway of Germany. Then you come out of the airport and head downtown, the first thing that greets you is a forest of buildings. Frankfurt doesn’t look abashed by its reputation as a city of business, finance, and trade fairs.  With its ultra-modern skyscrapers; its quaint houses, redolent of the Middle Ages; its peaceful scenes on the banks of the River Main; its museums large and small; and the enticing aroma of its apple cider, Frankfurt achieves a unique bar mony of nature, culture and industry.

Medieval buildings, museums, people taking a leisurely stroll by the river, and the scene of skyscrapers besides the River Main --- these are some of the unmissable sights of Frankfurt.

Frankfurt is a place where many people come not to see the city itself but to do business or to begin a tour of the region. Some say that there is not much to see in Frankfurt and no reason to stay there long. Dull-looking skyscrapers and Medieval houses tenaciously holding their ground – at first sight, that’s all there is, and you can understand why people say that. But although the city may seem rather rustic at first, it has a hidden charm that you can only discover after you have strolled along the rivers banks, looked around the museums and tasted the famous Apfelwein.

Germans are known for being fond of beer, but one thing you must try in Frankfurt is the hard apple cider called Apfelwein. In the old days, they say a woman used to walk around the neighborhood selling Apfelwein from a jar that she carried on her head. And it thus day, the liquor is served in ceramic bottles reminiscent of this woman’s jar. The sour apple cider seems to break down the usual reserves of the Germans and make them talk easily to strangers. Enjoy a glass of Apfelwein with the local specialty snack, the long thin sausage called a Frankfurter, along with potatoes and smoked pork, and you may suddenly feel as if you have been transformed into a Saxon of the olden days --- and find your voice unconsciously growing louder.

A Great Jumping-off Point

Mention Frankfurt, and most people think of a city of business, and expos; a hub of Germany. As it has Germany’s largest international airport, it is the city many pass though when arriving in Germany. But that’s not all. If you feel like it, you can also take a train from Frankfurt to any part of Germany and to many other European countries as well. That’s why the many hotels clustered near its Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) are always packed with travelers.

Although Frankfurt is a fairly large city, most of its attractions are located near the Hauptbahnhof. The place to start is undoubtedly Romer Square. Whether you want to go shopping in the busy city center, explore the Medieval city to the sound of cathedral bells, or follow the moist breeze to the river banks, Romer Square makes a great jumping-off point. Facing the Romer Square are three Medieval-style buildings, of which the middle one is the Romer, used as City Hall since 1405. In the past, this was where the coronations of the Kaisers were celebrated with great feast. The name originates from Haus zum Romer, or “house of the Romans,” and from the portraits of German and Holy Roman Emperors that hang inside, we can well imagine how prosperous that empire must have been.

Meet Germany’s Past and Present

In Frankfurt, you should not miss the legacy of the great writer Goethe. Indeed, even if you wanted to miss it, you couldn’t. Besides his birthplace, the Goethehaus, there are the statues of Goethe and his friend Schiller, the street Goethesstrasse, the museums, and the cafes with signs bearing Goethe’s name --- all giving the feeling that Goethe is the spiritual mainstay of the city. Goethe’s birthplace is so neat and attractive that it is hard to believe it was built 250 years ago. In this house, Goethe was born and wrote “Faust” and “The Sorrow of Young Werther”, and here you can see the desk, the bed, and  the writing materials that he used.

There are actually two cities named Frankfurt in Germany. Today, when people say “Frankfurt,” usually mean this city on the banks of the River Main, whose official name is Frankfurt-am-Main or “Frankfurt on the Main.” As the name implies, the River Main is the heart of Frankfurt. On the banks of the Main, you can see some of the ways in which German people like to relax; sunbathing under the hot midday sun on the grassy banks that stretch along both sides of the river, taking a stroll with their families, or walking along the river bank to enjoy the peaceful mood of sunset after finishing the day’s work.

Standing on one of the several bridges that cross the river, you can join in the peaceful riverside scene, or enjoy the strange harmony of skyscrapers standing alongside the old buildings of this historic city. One of the special attractions of Frankfurt is the natural harmony between the simple look of a Medieval city and the modern image of a hub of commerce and finance that attracts visitors from around the world all year around.

A City of Culture and Refinement

The museums that line up across the river add a special touch to a city that might otherwise seem a little humdrum. This street brings together museums of diverse themes, including the Museum of Handicraffts, Museum of Architecture, German Film Museum, and Stadel Art Museum. Here, where you can experience many genres of art in depth, the day goes by very quickly. The Film Museum, in particular, is not just a museum for looking, but an interactive museum that goes a step further in providing exhibits that let you understand the principles of film more easily or even play the lead in a scene from a famous film.

If you think Germans have a reputation for being clam and rather reserved towards strangers, you’d better leave that stereo type far behind when you cross the river to Sachsenhausen. Sachsenhausen was once the home of the Saxons, a people well known for being bright and cheerful, and today it is famous for the hard apple cider called Apfelwei. It’s perhaps a little early for drinking. But here, any empty space fills up in a flash with people who come to enjoy a happy time with liquor and other people. In Sachsenhausen, with the aid of the convivial cider, you can soon get into conversation with whoever is next to you. Here you come to feel the power of liquor, good food, and warm companionship. Apfelwein, the specialty of Sachsenhausen, is made by pressing apples and lightly fermenting the juice, producing an alcohol content of about five percent. When you first taste it, you may reflexively wince from the sour taste, but once you get used to it, it has a peculiar charm that will make you automatically call for “Another glass!”

In a merry mood, and just tipsy enough to feel good, we go out to enjoy the view of the river by night. Some people say that the joy of Frankfurt begins on the Main and ends on the Main.  Unlike the bustling early morning or the leisurely afternoon, at night the bright lights of the tall buildings across the water light up the scene as if clinging to the departing day. The houses of the old town show their outlines only dimly in the darkness, as if the yielding space for a while to the skyscrapers. Night on the River Main is a time for the tall buildings. And when day comes once more, the Medieval houses and modern skyscrapers lean on each other in the unique cityscape of Frankfurt.

Someways to Enhance your Trip to Frankfurt

Enjoy the Museums With a Frankfurt Card

Most German cities offer a “Welcome Card” for visitors. With this ticket, you can enjoy unlimited travel on public transport for fixed period, and get a discount of 20-50 perfect on admission to museums and other tourist attractions. If you would like to explore the city at leisure, make good use of a Welcome Card. It cost eight euros for one day or 12 euros for two, and can be bought from the Tourist Information Center at the Central Station, City Hall and Airport.

Take a Ride on the Sachsenhausen Apple Cider Tram

One of Frankfurt’s famous attractions is the Ebbelwei-Express, on which you ride a traditional tram and drink apple cider while seeing the sights of the city. On this tram you can see the old city center of Frankfurt and the Sachsenhausen area.  It runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The trams are painted red, symbolizing apples, and decorated with colorful pictures, and they always have cheerful music playing. The passengers all hold apple ciders and sing songs while looking out the streets. They wave merrily through the windows, and if you happen to see the tram while you are in the street, it’s nice to wave back. Fares are five euros for adults and 2.5 euros for children, including a complimentary bottle of cider and a biscuit.

Enjoy the River Main’s Leisurely Scenes

Perhaps it’s because, except in summer, the sun sets early here, but in Europe on a sunny day you’ll often see people enjoying the sun in comfortable clothing wherever there is a place to rest. The grassy banks of the River Main are just the kind of place. Why not take a sandwich and a cool drink, like the locals who come out for picnics, and lie on the river bank watching the people go by or simply enjoy the leisurely scenes across the river. You can also rent a bicycle for a ride in the river breeze if you want a deeper experience along the Main’s banks, where nothing pressing seems to be happening.

See the Sights via Germany’s New Mod of Transport, the “Velocity”

In German cities, most of the things to see tend to be close together, and unless you have to cross the river, they can easily be visited on foot. But in Frankfurt’s Romer Square, where the number of visitors has increased dramatically with the World Cup, It’s also fun to see the sights at leisure by a new means of transport, the three person bicycle or “Velocity.” Much admired as an environmentally friendly forum of transport, the Velocity takes passengers where they want to go and receives fares according to the distance like an ordinary taxi. As an electrically powered bicycle, the Velocity can’t compare with a taxi for speed, but it’s a good way to get where you’re going while looking around the streets on the way. Unfortunately, the destinations are limited to Frankfurt Central Station and a few tourist attractions. The fare is 2.5 euros per kilometer.

Hunt for Treasures in the Flea Market

On the Zeil, known as a heaven for pedestrians, you can find all kinds of large department stores and brand name shops,  but if you have the good fortune to be in Frankfurt on a Saturday, you can also enjoy a different kind of treasure hunt in one of the flea markets that operate on the banks of the River Main and around the city. Of Frankfurt’s many flea markets, large and small, the most interesting is the one that opens on the river banks on Saturdays only. Reputed to be the everything from miscellaneous articles to second-hand cars, and here you’ll get a glimpse of German frugality and hard work.

Take a Shoirt Trip to a Neighboring City

As a hub of Germany’s transportation network, Frankfurt offers train services to every part of the country. If you start early in the morning, you can take a day trip to one of the cities that can be reached within an hour or two. The upscale spa town of Wiesbaden is just 40 minutes away by ordinary train. In Rotenburg, you can walk through charming Medieval streets. For a day of luxury including hot springs and shopping, try Badenbaden. Or if you’d like to feel the quiet charm of a university city, choose Heidelberg. All these places can be reached within one hour by ordinary or express train. But before you leave, don’t forget to check the times for return trains.