Frankfurt Activities by Neighbourhood
Frankfurt is easiest to plan one district at a time. Each of the four areas below holds a handful of things worth doing within walking distance of each other, so a day rarely needs more than one tram ride. Prices are in euros, and the airport and the Hauptbahnhof are covered at the end.
Museumsufer: art on the south bank
The museum embankment runs along Schaumainkai, a tree-lined road on the Sachsenhausen side of the Main. Its anchor is the Städel Museum at Schaumainkai 63, founded in 1815 and covering about 700 years of European painting. Look for Van Eyck’s Lucca Madonna, Botticelli’s Portrait of a Young Woman, Rembrandt’s The Blinding of Samson and Vermeer’s The Geographer. Adult admission is about €17 to €19, a Tuesday ticket from 15:00 costs €10, and the museum is closed on Mondays. It opens until 21:00 on Thursdays. Ticket types change, so check staedelmuseum.de before you go.
Other institutions on the same stretch include the German Film Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts and the German Architecture Museum. Cross the Eiserner Steg on foot to arrive, because the 1869 footbridge is free and gives the standard skyline photograph.
Alt-Sachsenhausen: cider taverns
A few streets south of the embankment, around Große Rittergasse and Klappergasse, the Apfelwein taverns are the local habit. The cider is dry, tart and about 5.5% alcohol. It arrives in a grey-and-blue stoneware Bembel and is poured into a faceted glass called a Gerippte. Order it pur, or sauergespritzt with sparkling water if you want it milder.
Named places include Daheim im Lorsbacher Thal, which has served since 1803, along with Zur Sonne, Atschel and Wagner. Handkäs mit Musik, a sour-milk cheese with onions, runs €6 to €8. Frankfurter Schnitzel with green sauce is €16 to €22. Many taverns prefer cash, so carry €20 to €40.
Innenstadt: market hall and skyline
The Kleinmarkthalle at Hasengasse 5 to 7 sits between the Zeil shopping street and the old town. Its stalls open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 08:00 to 16:00, and the hall is closed on Sundays. The warm Fleischwurst from Metzgerei Schreiber, about €3.50, is the usual lunch.
For the view, the Main Tower at Neue Mainzer Straße 52 sells a €9 adult ticket and a €6 reduced one, and €4 when visibility is limited by weather. Hours are longer in summer than in winter, and the last ascent is 45 minutes before closing, so check maintower.de on the day.
Westend: palms and dinosaurs
The Palmengarten at Siesmayerstraße 61 covers 22 hectares, with the 1869 Palmenhaus and the Tropicarium’s glasshouses. Entry is €9 for adults and €5 reduced, and under-18s go free (palmengarten.de ). The Senckenberg Natural History Museum at Senckenberganlage 25 is a short walk away. Adults pay €12 and ages 6 to 17 pay €6, and the dinosaur hall is the draw (museumfrankfurt.senckenberg.de ).
Moving between districts
An RMV city single is €3.80 and a day ticket is €7.75. The Frankfurt Card costs €13 for one day or €21 for two, includes the airport, and brings partner discounts, including 20% off at the Main Tower. A city ticket is not valid to the airport, where a single is €6.90 (rmv.de ). Around the Hauptbahnhof and on crowded trams, keep bags closed in front of you, as pickpockets work those places.
For a plan that goes beyond the city, see day trips from Frankfurt or the 3-day itinerary .
Staying in Sachsenhausen puts the cider taverns and Museumsufer on your doorstep, and you can compare Frankfurt hotels by area.