Due to airline changes to my itinerary of my return from Egypt, I find myself with 24 hours to spend in Frankfurt in the middle of January. I would love any advice on how should I best spend this time. Is it worth getting a hotel in town, or should I just stay at the airport?
24 hours is plenty of time to go into town. You will also be able to find potentially cheaper accomodation. The DB trains connect the airport to lots of points in Germany, so you could consider spending the night in a place like Hiedleberg.
A german travel expert like Lee may have more suggestions.
Taking the subway into Frankfurt is quick and easy. 3.60 € and 11 minutes is all it takes. Plenty of reasonable hotels right near the train station. Check www.hrs.com for some good ideas. I would never stay near the airport.
As to what to do in Frankfurt? Oh, there is a lot to see here. Start at the Römer, which is the famous town square. From here you have easy access to many sights: St. Bartholomews (the Dom) where the Holy Roman Emperors were elected and crowned, the Roman bath ruins, Alt Nikolai (a lovely Gothic church built in 1290) St. Leonhards (1213)- site of the only "hanging vault" that I have been able to find, the Holocaust Memorial Wall with over 11,000 names on it, surrounding the medieval Jewish cemetary dating back to 1272, the Klein Markt Halle - a wonderful produce hall where you can also sample to your hearts content or grab a bite to eat. Walking further, you can visit one of the 14 museums or art galleries (especially the Städel) located along the banks of the Main River, visit the Alte Oper - one of the most beautiful opera houses in Europe, ride up to the observation deck on the 54th floor of the Main Tower for some great photos, go across the river to Sachsenhausen which is a left over part of the "alt stadt" with its narrow, cobblestone streets and little half-timbered buildings and applewine pubs. Another alternative is dinner in one of the 700 year old guardhouses that used to sit outside the city walls - Friedberger Warte or Sachsenhause Warte.
PM me if you need more info. Hopefully, Andreas will also add some of his favorites to this list.