The fifth largest city in Germany, Frankfurt is a financial powerhouse both in Germany and abroad, home to the Central European Bank, making it one of Europe’s most important economic centers. An ultra - modern city with both historical and new architectural scenescapes, Frankfurt also plays host to numerous trade fairs, educational and cultural institutions and botanical gardens, and is more than well equipped to offer quite a few lively shopping and nightlife experiences to the visitor.
The infrastructure of the region is excellent and the available transportation both to and around the city makes Frankfurt visitor-friendly. Frankfurt Airport is one of the busiest in Europe and is also quite near to the Autobahn interchange which contains two of the most travelled expressway routes in Europe: Bundesautobahn 3 which heads west easterly, and Bundesautobahn 5, which runs north to south. There are also three (high-speed) railway stations to ease travel in and around the city. The German National Railway Company runs over 300 trains to both local and other European places on a daily basis.
Frankfurt is culturally-rich and houses many museums and institutions directly dedicated to this cause. The main district of Museumsufer is where most of the museums are to be found, and these particular historical houses offer a diverse range of displays. If the visitor wants to see quite a few museums, they would be advised to purchase the Museumsufer Card which gains entrance to 33 museums in total. One of the top attractions is the Stadel Museum, for example, which offers a variety of both modern and old art. Others include the Icon Museum, the Museum of Communication, Goethe House and the Naturmuseum Senckenberg. There are also two main botanical gardens in Frankfurt which may be of interest to some visitors – the Palmengarten, one of the biggest and most beautiful in Germany, and the Goethe University Botanical Gardens.
Romerberg is the old centre of Frankfurt and is known for its delightfully quaint 14th and 15th century architecture, which is in direct contrast to the modern skyscrapers that can be seen looming above. Hauptwache on the other hand, is a shopaholic's dream, with every brand name and modern designer store that counts.
One of the main trade fair centers in the world, Frankfurt has a dedicated area of almost 600,000 square meters of indoor halls and exhibition space alongside almost another 100,000 square meters of outdoor area. Many of the world’s major fairs are held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair each year, for example the Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt Motor Show (the biggest and most extensive in the world) and a variety of musical, educational and cultural fairs to name but a few.
The skyline of Frankfurt is formed from the numerous skyscrapers in this ultra-modern city, making it one of only a few cities in the EU that have such views (along with Madrid, London, Warsaw and some areas of Paris) and this is acknowledged by the Germans who call Frankfurt am Main as ‘Mainhatton’.
A modern city with enough contrasts to make it highly interesting, Frankfurt is now rightfully recognized as one of Europe’s top cities.
Main attractions: Museumsufer district, Stadel Museum, Icon Museum, Museum of Communication, Goethe House, Frankfurt Trade Fair, Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt Motor Show, Hauptwache, Romerberg, Palmengarten, Goethe University Botanical Gardens
Currency: Euro
Budget for one week: €1,000 - €1,500
Taxes and gratuity: Tipping is recommended
Official language: German
Area: 95.87 sq mi
Population: 679,664
Electricity:
- Voltage: 220-240 Volts (U.S./Canada are 110-120 Volts)
- Primary Socket Type: Europlug, Schuko
- Multi-voltage appliances (laptops, etc.): Plug adapter
- 110-120V electronics: Plug adapter + step-down transformer
- Hair dryers, curling irons, etc.: Plug adapter + voltage converter
Images courtesy: Fafner, Thomas Wolf, _basquiat_
