Introduction: Frankfurt, Germany
FRANKFURT am Main
Population: 675,001. Country-Area code: +49-(0)69.
Elevation: 98 m (321 ft). Sister city: Toronto, Canada; License plate: F.
Frankfurt on the Main (pronounced ‘mine’) River was settled by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. but didn’t receive its first official mention until 794 by Charlemagne, king of the Franks. The king and his people discovered a fordable (Furt) section of the Main, crossed it and set up camp. Hence the name Frankfurt. Today, the awareness of “am Main” in its title is noteworthy because Germany has a second, albeit significantly smaller, Frankfurt (an der Oder), positioned 80 km east of Berlin on the river Oder that borders Poland. Thus, when necessary to differentiate the two cities, e.g. a travel itinerary or postal address, you will see Frankfurt am Main written in one of these four ways: Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt (Main), Frankfurt a. M., or merely FFM.
Now that you understand the German meaning of FFM, let’s get back to our history lesson. During the reign of Charlemagne (founder of the Holy Roman Empire and its first emperor, 800-814) numerous imperial councils were held here, and the decree of 1356, known as the Golden Bull, established Frankfurt as the seat of imperial elections. Thus the riverside community thrived as a free imperial city, or a state within a state, allowing merchants generous trading liberties.
Centuries later, Frankfurt saw the birth of two literary phenomenons, Goethe in 1749 and Anne Frank in 1929—both are buried elsewhere. Much of Frankfurt’s old-age flair vanished during World War II when Allied bombers delivered their explosive cargo over the city, paving the way for a sleek skyline. Today, Frankfurt is a global marketplace and the financial center of Europe, acquiring such nicknames as “Mainhattan” and “Bankfurt.” It is home to the European Central Bank (ECB), the €uro, and one of the world’s richest and oldest stock exchanges, die Börse (established 1585).
For many travelers Frankfurt will be their introduction to Germany since the city’s airport is the second busiest on the continent (behind Paris’ Charles de Gaulle). Thus Frankfurt airport, listed on the next page to kick-start this destination chapter, has an excellent rail system offering regular connections to regional and long-distance destinations.
Note: The updated 2011 guide is no longer available for download (The updated 2012 guide will soon be released in February)
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Suggested Itinerary: Despite having a lackluster reputation among tourists, Frankfurt was recently ranked the 7th most livable city in the world (according to the “Mercer 2010 Quality of Living” survey) and has enough attractions to keep any resolute traveler busy for a few days. For example, you can set off on my do-it-yourself orientation tour of the Old Town, as well as on my Anne Frank Reflective Walk, discover John F. Kennedy’s presence at St. Paul’s Church, reel in skyscraping views from Galeria Kaufhof, or spy the mechanics of a multibillion dollar monetary institution at die Börse (for details regarding the latter list of things to do, see Free Frankfurt). Crown your day with dinner and a drink at Adolf Wagner’s long-established restaurant and tavern.
Chapter Orientation: Frankfurt airport; city map (see below); consulates; Free Frankfurt; DIY orientation tour of the Old Town; Römerberg; St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral; Kaisersaal, or Emperor’s Hall; St. Paul’s Church; Goethe birth house and museum; Museums; self-guided Anne Frank Reflective Walk; Entertainment; Headline Concerts; Shopping; Trade Fairs; Festivals; Good Sleeps.
Don't miss it!: Set off on my do-it-yourself orientation tour of the Old Town, Charlemagne to Skyscrapers. (Note: I walk you past all of the following listings on my DIY Old Town tour.) Marvel skyscraper views of Central Europe’s tallest buildings (see Galeria Kaufhof); gape St. Paul’s Church and St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral; sightsee Frankfurt’s market square (Römerberg); capture urban vistas from midway across the Main River on the Eiserner Steg.
Tourist Information, (www.frankfurt-tourismus.de, tel. 069/2123-8800). Frankfurt has two TIs: Hauptbahnhof (located at the main entrance of central station, on right before exiting, Mon-Fri 8:00-21:00, Sat/Sun 9:00-18:00); and Römer on the market square in the Old Town (when facing the step-gabled flag-waving town-hall building, TI is to the right on the corner, Mon-Fri 9:30-17:30, Sat/Sun 10:00-16:00). Either TI offers the “Frankfurt Welcome” map with overview of attractions for 50¢ or the more comprehensive “Frankfurt City Map” (recommended for Drivers) with street index but without subway network for 1€. (Note: Often reception at your digs will have a free city map.) Hotel bookings available for a 3€ fee, or free through TI website. City bus tours depart daily from either TI (see TI for details), with Frankfurt Card 20-25% discount on adult fare.
Emergency Tel. Numbers, valid Germany-wide; Police (Polizei) = 110; Fire dept. (Feuerwehr) or general emergency = 112; Ambulance = 19222.
Main Train Station, www.bahn.de. 
Frankfurt’s Hauptbahnhof (Hbf), Germany’s busiest, is located 20 min by foot from the Old Town (take Münchener Strasse straight through Willy-Brandt-Platz to Münzgasse to the market square Römerberg), or quicker ride either the U4 or U5 (subway) two stops to Dom/Römer (exit station Römerberg), but the most scenic is from out front of the Hauptbahnhof ride tram 11 (direction Schießhüttenstr.) four stops to Römer. Within the main train station you’ll find the subway (both U- and S-Bahn) downstairs; to the airport take either the regularly scheduled S8 or S9 (direction Wiesbaden, 15-min trip). For train info and itinerary printouts see DB Service desk opposite track 12. Toilets are in front track 9 (descend steps to WC-Center, .70¢). The post office (Mon-Fri 7:00-19:00, Sat 9:00-16:00) is next to McDonald’s, opposite tracks 22-23. Food: In front of McDonald’s (opp tracks 22-23) is the tasty yet pocket-friendly Asia-Gourmet eatery. Opposite track 4 you’ll find a food court rich with appetizing selections, even fast Burger King. Opposite track 19, down the escalators, is a pharmacy (Apotheke, Mon-Fri 6:30-21:00, Sat 8:00-21:00, Sun 9:00-20:00) and also the mini mart “hub” selling convenience-store-priced foodstuff (Mon-Fri 6:00-22:00, Sat 7:00-22:00, Sun 8:00-22:00; for regular-priced chow see Tengelmann grocery store below). Lockers (2-4€/24hr) are adjacent to track 24 as well as most exits. Tourist information is located at the *station’s front entrance (on right before exiting), Mon-Fri 8:00-21:00, Sat/Sun 9:00-18:00. (*Note: Opposite tracks 12-13 is the station’s front entrance.) Exit front of station and go right for local buses and left for taxis. At the station’s main entrance, down the escalators (then go right), is the shopette “Ihr Platz” selling toiletries and soap and the like (Mon-Sat 7:00-22:00, Sun 8:00-22:00). The bountiful yet smallish Rewe grocery store (Mon-Sat 7:00-22:00) is a short walk outside the station (exit straight out the front, cross the street and tram tracks then go left. Continue past Taunusstrasse then make the next right into Karlstrasse to Rewe at No. 4). An Internet shop is located straight out the front of the station directly across the street on Kaiserstrasse (first shop on right, 2€/hr, has Skype, Mon-Sat 9:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-23:00). For info regarding the Touring bus to the Romantic Road, see next entry. For an idea of train times from Frankfurt to other cities/destinations, see “Trains, inter-city” under Airport.
Romantic Road Bus: For tickets and info regarding the Touring bus to the Romantic Road visit their office (Mannheimer Strasse 15) next to the main train station. To get there, exit station Ausgang Süd and go right. Ahead is the Touring bus stop (turquoise sign) and across the street is their office (Mon-Fri 7:00-19:30, Sat 7:30-14:00, Sun 7:30-13:00, tel. 069/7191-26261 or -26268, www.romantic-road-coach.de).
Subway/Bus/Tram, (www.rmv.de). Frankfurt has four types of public transportation: bus; tram; S-Bahn (suburban rail, denoted by a green S); and U-Bahn (subway, denoted by a blue U). The following list of tickets cover all four transit-types within central Frankfurt: Kurzstrecke K2 (short trip) 1.50€, valid up to a distance of 2 km, or say three stops on the U-Bahn. Einzelfahrt (one-way, one-direction, press button Einzelfahrt Frankfurt) 2.40€, with airport 3.90€. Tageskarte (day ticket, press button Tageskarte Frankfurt) 6.20€, with airport 9.50€, valid till 02:00. Gruppentageskarte (group day ticket, valid for up to 5 people till 02:00) 9.50€, with airport 14.70€. Note: Tickets are not sold on the U- or S-Bahn trains. All ticket types can be bought at automats marked Fahrkarten; push button (flag symbol) for English. If you require a one-way bus ticket, buy it directly from driver. Holders of a valid Frankfurt Card are already covered for all travel within the city network. Holders of a Eurail consecutive-day or dated Flexi/Select pass ride free on the S-Bahn (but not the U-Bahn). An embarrassing on-the-spot fine of 50€ will be enforced if caught riding Schwarz, i.e. without a valid ticket.
Frankfurt subway map (click to open printable pdf file)
Drivers/Parking: For street parking pay at nearby automat and leave ticket on dashboard of your car. To park near the main train station or market square is commonly 1€/30 min, max 60 min, applicable (automats vary) Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00; on the city’s south bank (Museumsufer side) it’s mostly the same cost but less hours: Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, otherwise free. Parking garages are abundantly located throughout the city costing 2-3€/hr. These coordinates (GPS N50 06.305 E8 39.783) lead to an outdoor, secure parking lot on the south side of the main train station (Mannheimer Strasse and Karlsruher Strasse), 3€/hr, 25€/24hr. More central and cheaper (2€/hr, 27€/24hr), park in Frankfurt’s largest garage (1,000 spaces on 4 levels) at the new MyZeil shopping center (enter off Grosse Eschenheimer Strasse; follow procession of cars turning into garage). But your best bet is to avoid driving into the city entirely; look for the P+R (Park+Ride) signs posted on all autobahns approaching Frankfurt. 
P+Rs are (typically free) parking lots positioned adjacent to a subway line so visitors can conveniently park then ride public transportation downtown. Lastly, if you’re headed to the airport, as you approach Frankfurt on the autobahn, follow the airplane symbol directly to the terminals. Note: Frankfurt and its environs, totaling some 110 sq.km., everything within the autobahn ring consisting of the A5, A3, and A661, is a declared “Umweltzone,” or low-emission zone, which requires that all vehicles traveling within this sign-posted zone meet stringent EU exhaust standards to better control the air quality. Vehicles that have passed inspection are given a special yellow or green permit sticker to be visibly placed on the windshield; (the yellow category will be phased out in Frankfurt for 2012 when only green stickers will be issued; pictured). Without it, car owners will be fined 40€. (But note multiple cities within Germany, such as Berlin, Stuttgart, Munich and Cologne are policed as Umweltzone and that the one green sticker is valid for all.) That said, if you’re traveling with a rental car (which will account for the majority of you reading this entry), all newer rental cars are Umweltzone-friendly and you need not worry. But to be absolutely sure you’re covered in advance, upon booking your vehicle request that it come with the approved “green” low-emissions sticker (locally called a Feinstaubplakette).
Share Ride, locally Mitfahrzentrale, is a concept matching passengers with drivers, and vice versa. If you’re not traveling with a railpass, Mitfahrzentrale is the cheapest and most social option of getting from one city to another. There is a share ride office at Stuttgarter Strasse 13 (Baseler Platz), under a 10-min walk from the main train station (exit station Ausgang Süd and go right, then second left on Stuttgarter Strasse and it’s 1.5 blocks ahead on the right), tel. 069/236-127 or /19440, Mon-Fri 9:30-18:30, Sat 10:00-14:00, Sun 10:00-16:00. Just show up and tell the guy/gal behind the counter where you want to go. Approximate cost per passenger, for example, from Frankfurt to Munich 25€, Berlin 30€, Amsterdam 30€. Note: If you have a working knowledge of German, first refer to www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de for an opportunity to contact the driver directly, i.e. cutting out the middleman for an even cheaper “share ride.”
Boat Rides: From the heart of the Old Town hop aboard a sightseeing boat (at the lower end of Römerberg) and cruise the Main for a waterborne perspective of Frankfurt. See riverside kiosk for tickets and tour options. The most scenic option is the 50-minute cruise (7€) downstream direction Griesheim (departing April thru mid-Oct, daily, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, and more on weekends). Note: Frankfurt Card holders receive discount but ticket must be bought at either TI.
Internet: There are numerous call shops around town offering inexpensive Internet and telephone services connecting the globe. Some of these shops can be found opposite the main train station on Kaiserstrasse (for example first shop on right, 2€/hr, has Skype, Mon-Sat 9:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-23:00) as well as on the streets of Sachsenhausen behind the youth hostel.
Frankfurt Card: Valid for either one or two days, this welcome card entitles the holder free use of public transportation (including to/fro airport), plus 50% discount on several museums and up to 25% on regularly scheduled city tours. The Frankfurt Card (8.90€/1-day card valid until early a.m. the following morning, or 12.90€/2-day card valid until early a.m. the second morning; small groups up to five persons pay 18€ for 1-day card or 26€/2-day card) is available from either TI in town or at the airport (Hotels & Tours counter, terminal 1—arrivals hall B). Price includes the informative “Frankfurt Welcome” city map. Opinion: Card is worth it for the active tourist, especially with airport connection. And a superlative deal for small groups up to 5 persons!
Grocery Stores, downtown Frankfurt has few to mention. The most central is the Rewe supermarket (Mon-Sat 8:00-22:00, bottom floor) in the MyZeil shopping center (a couple of doors from the Galeria Kaufhof) on Frankfurt’s main shopping drag (Zeil). Not far from the latter Rewe, experience the real marketplace flavor of the historic Kleinmarkthalle (‘small market hall’) where vocal vendors have been selling today’s fresh fruits, vegetables, sausages, cheeses, spices, meats, fish, flowers, pasta and much more since 1879 (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 8:00-16:00, located between the Zeil shopping street and the market square Römerberg). Across from the main train station you’ll find a Rewe grocery store (at Karlstrasse 4, Mon-Sat 7:00-22:00). If it’s a Sunday then you’re left with the convenience-store-priced mini mart “hub” (Mon-Fri 6:00-22:00, Sat 7:00-22:00, Sun 8:00-22:00) beneath the main train station (descend escalators opp track 19).
Laundry: You’ll find the coin laundromat Wasch World at Moselstrasse 17, less than a 5-min walk from the main train station (walk Münchener Strasse to Moselstrasse then go right and it’s on the right, Mon-Sat 6:00-23:00, 4€/wash, 1€/dry 15 min, free wash powder).
Post Office: In the main train station you’ll find a P.O. next to McDonald’s, opposite tracks 22-23 (Mon-Fri 7:00-19:30, Sat 8:00-16:00). Another branch is located at Zeil 90 (main shopping street, inside Karstadt department store, Mon-Thur 10:00-20:00, Fri/Sat 10:00-21:00).
English Books, (Mon-Wed 9:30-20:00, Thur-Sat 9:30-21:00, located on the lane Biebergasse within view of the Galeria Kaufhof, between Goethestrasse and the U-/S-Bahn station Hauptwache). This multilevel “Hugendubel” bookstore stocks a wide range of English-language books (just inside “bookshop” entrance), in addition to a sizeable selection of contemporary literature in Spanish, French and Italian.
English Movies, (www.cinestar.de click Hessen then CineStar Metropolis; movies on Tue 6.50€, Mon/Wed 7.90€, Thur-Sun 8.90€, family and student discounts all week with some exceptions Sat). For a selection of English-language films, as well as the weekly (e.g. Monday) screening of a mystery movie (locally CineSneak OV 5€), swing by the CineStar Metropolis located at Eschenheimer Anlage 40, within a 5-min walk from the Galeria Kaufhof on Frankfurt’s main shopping drag (Zeil), or ride either the U1, U2 or U3 to Eschenheimer Tor then exit Oederweg to the cinema.
USA: (http://frankfurt.usconsulate.gov) Gießener Strasse 30, tel. 069/75350, (by subway ride the U5 direction Preungesheim and get off at Gießener Str). Passport section open Mon-Fri 7:30-11:30 (closed German and American holidays as well as the last Thursday of every month), tel. 069/7535-2100 (by phone only Mon-Fri 1400-16:00) or email: frankfurtpassports@state.gov. Note that an appointment is required for all services. No cell phones or other electronic devices will be allowed inside the building. After-hours emergencies call 069/75350 and ask to be connected to the consulate duty officer. FYI: The Frankfurt consulate is one of the largest diplomatic missions in the world and the largest of all U.S. consular posts, which employs some 900 staff (mix of U.S. and local) and services roughly 250,000 U.S. citizens in four German states (Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Saarland), including members of the Armed Forces and their families.
Australia: (www.dfat.gov.au/missions) Neue Mainzer Strasse 52 (Main Tower, 28th floor), tel. 069/905-580.
Canada and UK have no office in Frankfurt; refer to chapters Berlin or Munich.
Holidays in Frankfurt, 2011
1. January, Saturday – Neujahr (New Year)
22. April – Karfreitag (Good Friday)
25. April – Ostermontag (Easter Monday)
1. May, Sunday – Tag der Arbeit (Labor Day)
2. June, Thursday – Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day)
13. June – Pfingstmontag (Whit Monday)
23. June, Thursday – Fronleichnam (Corpus Christi)
3. October, Monday – Tag der Deutschen Einheit: Day of German (East-West) Unity
25. December, Sunday – Weihnachten (Christmas)
26. December, Monday – St. Stephen’s Day (Christmas Day No. 2)
Church Service, locally Gottesdienst. Note that hours may have changed; for the latest info and other religious denominations, check with staff at your digs or at the TI. Monsignor J. Stephen Alker (a.k.a. Father Steve) delivers Roman Catholic Mass in English every Saturday 19:30 and Sunday 9:30 at the Holy Cross Church (www.stleonhards.org) located at Kettelerallee 45 some 4km northeast of the Old Town (ride the subway U7 from central Frankfurt direction Enkheim to Eissporthalle/Festplatz; exit station Kettelerallee and continue straight some 300 meters to the church on the corner of Wittelsbacherallee). An Anglican-Episcopal service in English is held every Sunday 11:00 at the Church of Christ the King (www.christ-the-king.net, located at Sebastian-Rinz-Strasse 22; take either the U1, U2 or U3 to Miquel-/Adickesallee, 4th stop from Hauptwache, then within a 15-min walk. Exit Miquelallee, ramble west along the busy boulevard, continue straight through the Hansaallee intersection and after the sports field go left on Sebastian-Rinz-Strasse to Christ the King second on the right).
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(This page was last updated June 2011.)
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