Hello! I have a 10+ hour layover in Frankfurt and need some advice on what to do there. I've traveled quite a lot and feel comfortable venturing out on my own, but I've never visited Frankfurt or any of the surrounding areas. I'd love to see the Rhein, but I'm open to any other suggestions. I'm not much of a museum person, but would rather see historical sights. I think with 10 hours between flights, I could have at least 5 or 6 hours out in Frankfurt. Thank you for your help...
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9211 posts
Frankfurt has lots of historical sights:
* the Kaiserdom where the Holy Roman Emperors were elected beginning back in the 1200's and crowned from 1562 on. * the site of the first Jewish Ghetto in Europe, the Jewish Holocaust Memorial Wall, as well as other Holocaust Memorials to other persecuted groups, * Joerg Ratgeb Wall Paintings, done in the early 1500's. The largest religious wall painting North of the Alps. * Alte Nikolai, Leonards Kirche the Teutonic Order of Knights Church, Liebfrauen churches - all built in the 1200's-1300's * Alte Oper * Eschenheimer Turm * the Hauptbahnhof, 124 years old this year and magnificent. Some of the neighborhoods of Frankfurt are also very interesting. Bornheim, Sachsenhausen, Nordend, Westend and the best one of all, Hoechst. Vist the Justinus church, built in 850. Walk the walls or the moat, have a great meal overlooking the Main river. Frankfurt was a Free Imperial City for centuries as well as being the capital during the 1800's.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Jo is the expert. However, i will add. Start with the Old town area, quite a bit to see there including the Cathedral and you are just two blocks from the Rhine. there is a road alongside it. Also next to Old Town is a wonderful l-a-r-g-e pedestrian shopping precinct with a number of resataurants and cafes. Quite a bit to see in the immediate area
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9211 posts
Uh, Brian, Frankfurt is on the Main, not the Rhine. The Rhine is about 30 km away where Mainz and Wiesbaden are located.
Posted by
Redmond, WA
295 posts
Consider taking the regional train (20 minutes) direct from the airport (lower rail terminal) to Mainz. A great old city center around the Romanesque cathedral. And it's on the Rhine, if you want to see the big ships on their way to Basel.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15777 posts
Frankfurt is surprisingly interesting and charming. Surprisingly because it seems to get short shrift in all the travel recommendations. You could easily fill a day in Frankfurt without going into a museum - though the Goethe House is lovely.
Posted by
Kirn, Germany
331 posts
Having lived only 45 minutes drive from Frankfurt for the last 4 years I am ashamed to say that I first visited it last summer. I had imagined a concrete city indistinguishable from other modern financial centres, and had decided it was not a must see. How wrong I was. I loved it. There is so much to see and do, just choose a few things from Jo's list, and finish with a beer in the market place in the old town and watch the world go by. I can honestly say that Frankfurt was a big surprise for me.