Self-guided Frankfurt, Germany
On this page are the following sections:
Entertainment & Eats
Headline Concerts
Shopping
Trade Fairs
Festivals
Entertainment & Eats
Especially entertaining is Frankfurt’s customary beverage: apple wine, or Apfelwein, but in local dialect: Ebbelwei, Ebbelwoi or Äppelwoi. Now matter the pronunciation, it tastes similar to alcoholic cider but bitter, i.e. not sweet. That said, a Frankfurter told me over dinner that apple wine tastes better by the third glass. With this in mind, and a loss of count, I began seeing purple elephants before Cinderella’s buggy turned into a pumpkin. Interested? There are umpteen taverns (perfectly lined up for a wine crawl) on the Main’s south bank in Alt-Sachsenhausen. To start, head to the pedestrian lanes Große and Kleine Rittergasse located behind the youth hostel (Haus der Jugend). If you’d like a meal to go with your Apfelwein, try the traditional-style Lorsbacher Thal (daily 16:00-24:00) at Große Rittergasse 49. Note: Holders of a valid Frankfurt Card look to your card info booklet for coupons from participating taverns and restaurants for a free glass of apple wine. For a totally unique experience, hop aboard the old-fashioned Ebbelwei-Expreß tram (weekends only, regular departures 13:30-18:00, adult 5€ including drink) and sip apple wine (or a non-alcoholic apple juice) while gliding through the city streets and across the river into the apple-wine district of Sachsenhausen (see TI for more info and to get brochure with tram schedule).
One of Frankfurt’s more esteemed apple wine tavern-restaurants is Adolf Wagner’s in central Sachsenhausen, since 1931 (daily 11:00-24:00, www.apfelwein-wagner.com, tel. 069/612-565, reservations only taken if 6 or more persons). Spend an evening at this long-established German brasserie absorbing the authentic wood-décored atmosphere at a shared table with merry patrons indulging in wine and schnitzel and spare ribs and homemade BBQ sauce. Eat with your hands and drink apple wine by the jug (called a “bembel”). No beer sold. Daily food specials (8-9.50€); .3l glass of apple wine 1.80€; small groups and carnivores consider the Frankfurter meat platter (min 4 people, 13.20€/person). Menu in English available. CC: VC, MC. Note that service can be slow; Wagner’s is not the place for time-crunched diners. Smokers sit outside. To get there, Wagner’s is located at Schweizer Strasse 71; ride either the U1, U2 or U3 to Schweizer Platz then few-min walk, or better ride tram 16 to Schwanthaler Strasse then short walk.
When dining in traditional Frankfurt establishments you’ll likely happen upon two culinary specialties: Handkäse mit Musik and Grüne Soße. Handkäse mit Musik, or “hand-cheese with music,” has little to do with music but a lot to do with a certain pungent bulb. You see, Handkäse (eaten as an appetizer, or starter course) is a handmade low-fat cheese from curdled milk served with vinegar and oil, salt and pepper, and topped with diced onions (the pungent bulb, a flatus-producing food). Thus you can order your Handkäse in some establishments with or without music. The traditional way to eat Handkäse is to slice off a portion with a knife then push the contents onto a piece of bread. Using a fork in this case would put you in direct violation of Frankfurt’s culinary custom. Another gastronomic darling of Europe’s finance capital is Grüne Soße, or “green sauce,” which combines sour cream, eggs, and seven herbs (freshly cut from the neighboring suburb of Oberrad), served with boiled potatoes and beef.
Another favorite among locals is the traditional-style restaurant-café Römer Pils Brunnen (daily 11:00-23:00), featuring Hessian cuisine and large-portioned meals, like the Jägerschnitzel (Hunter’s cutlet smothered in mushrooms, 11€); Frankfurter Rippchen (pork chop with sauerkraut and potatoes, 9.20€); meat lovers should feast on the Frankfurter platter (two different kinds of sausages, grilled and stewed pork chops, sauerkraut and fried potatoes, 24€ for two persons or 14€ for one); goulash soup (5.50€); hot apple strudel (4.50€). Menu in English available. Sit in- or outside. CC: VC, MC, AE. To get there, RPB is located at Töngesgasse 19, a pork knuckle chuck from the main shopping street Zeil and the Old Town square Römerberg.
Formerly a bread factory (until 1962), the Brotfabrik in northwest Frankfurt attracts a mature crowd to its multicultural music and dance scene. Every week you can count on live concerts performed by diverse acts from around the world, Chile to Jamaica. Check the TI for the latest happenings or go to: www.brotfabrik.info. But note that Wednesday evenings are exclusively reserved for DJ Lobo and his legendary Salsa dance party (beginning at 21:45, 6€ admission), Brotfabrik’s original headliner since the mid-80s. Check your shyness at the door, the rhythm inside is flirtatious and sensual. To get there, ride the U6 direction Praunheim Heerstrasse and get off at Fischstein, then walk a few min along the street Am Fischstein to Bachmannstrasse to Brotfabrik (right).
Consider an evening at the cinema; English-language movies are regularly screened at the CineStar Metropolis.
Consider an evening at the theater. Having more than 300 seats in its centrally located urban facility, the English Theatre Frankfurt is Europe’s largest English-speaking drama hall (www.english-theatre.org, performances Tue-Sat 19:30 & Sun 18:00, box office Mon 12:00-18:00, Tue-Fri 11:00-18:30, Sat 15:00-18:30, Sun 15:00-17:00, tel. 069/2423-1620, tickets 22-47€, most major CCs accepted, students and seniors ask for a discount). My last visit to the English Theater I saw the Victorian thriller “Gaslight” by Patrick Hamilton and absolutely loved it! When you arrive another production will be on stage but you are all but assured a unique and entertaining evening in Frankfurt awaits you. Head downstairs for the theater, toilets, and James the Bar (Tue-Sat 18:00-24:00, Sun 17:00-23:00), the perfect place to chill pre or post performance while mingling with likeminded theatergoers and perhaps the actors themselves. Note: There are no performances on Monday. Interestingly, the first Monday of every month is reserved for the International Stammtisch, an ex-pat club who get together at 18:30 in James the Bar to “Meet and Mingle in Mainhatten,” i.e. to catch up with old friends, make new friends, and discuss what’s new around town (like bars, restaurants, shows, art exhibitions), and best of all you’re invited (but first go to the theater website and click the group’s link for the latest details). To get there, the English Theatre is situated at the corner of Kaiserstrasse and Gallusanlage, a 10-min walk from the main train station, or ride the U-Bahn to Willy-Brandt-Platz (one stop on U4/U5 from Hbf) and exit Europäische Zentralbank. At top of escalator, jog straight to the forward traffic light, cross the boulevard (Gallusanlage) and go right. After the next intersection (Kaiserstrasse) the theater is on the left.
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Headline Concerts, Frankfurt 2011
(Note: Prices, dates, concerts may have changed or been added; double check latest details with TI.)
David Hasselhoff: February 11, 20:00 at the Ballsporthalle. Price, 37-67€.
Roger Hodgson (co-founder of Supertramp): March 8, 20:00 at the Alte Oper. Price, 43-80€. (Get reacquainted with classic Supertramp songs like "Take the Long Way Home," "The Logical Song," "Breakfast in America," "It's Raining Again," and "Dreamer."
James Blunt: March 24, 20:00 at the Festhalle. Price, 44-51€.
Chris de Burgh: March 30, 20:00 at Festhalle. Price, 27-79€.
Woody Allen & his New Orleans Jazz Band: March 31, 20:00 at the Jahrhunderthalle. Price, 64-108€.
Rush: May 29, 18:30 at the Festhalle. Price, 58€/75€.
Herbert Grönemeyer: June 11, 19:00 at Commerzbank-Arena. Price, 54-66€. (FYI: If you find yourself in Frankfurt mid-June with an open mind and schedule, this singer-songwriter is worthwhile to see. No other artist in German music history has more gold and platinum records than Grönemeyer, over 13.5 million sold.)
Shakira: June 11, 20:00 at the Festhalle. Price, 76€.
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band: July 16, 20:00 at the Jahrhunderthalle. Price, 50-74€.
Rihanna: October 26, 20:00 at the Festhalle. Price, 66-75€.
Tori Amos: October 26, 20:00 at the Alte Oper. Price, 57-80€.
George Michael: November 19, 20:00 at the Festhalle. Price, 61-106€.
Shopping
Frankfurt’s main shopping street, simply called “Zeil,” is an open-air pedestrian thoroughfare that stretches some 600 meters between the lively subway stations Konstablerwache and Hauptwache. Marked by manicured maples and wall-to-wall stores promoting retail therapy, Zeil is to shoppers what a ballpark is to sports fans. Thus it’s fitting that this pedestrian drag is replete with mobile vendors selling hot dogs cooked on the portable grill anchored to their back (bratwurst, bun and condiments 1.50€). Note that stores typically close at 20:00, and the hot-dog guys split when their buns get cold. To get there, Zeil is reachable via the U-/S-Bahn Hauptwache and Konstablerwache, or within a 10-min stroll of the market square Römerberg. Suggestion: If you’re arriving via U-/S-Bahn, begin at Konstablerwache and end your Zeil experience at Hauptwache on the roof (7th floor) of the department store Galeria Kaufhof to cash in on its flavorsome cafeteria and dynamite urban views.
Goethestrasse & Freßgass: In the heart of the banking district, a short walk from the abovementioned Zeil, moneyed shoppers can count on Goethestrasse for jewelry stores and big-name fashion like Gucci, Armani, Versace, Hermès, Chanel, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. Even if your money belt isn’t stuffed with euros, window shopping is free. Don’t miss neighboring Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse, locally known as Freßgass, or ‘pig-out lane,’ because of its nourishing trade of deli’s, bistros and sidewalk cafés. To get there from Zeil (Hauptwache end), mosey Biebergasse straight into Kalbächer Gasse which becomes Freßgass.
Every Saturday (9:00-14:00) year round you can pick through a worthwhile flea market in Frankfurt, which rotates its location every other weekend; it will either be set up along Museumsufer (between the pedestrian bridges Eiserner Steg and Holbeinsteg) or on Lindleystrasse at Osthafen (ride tram 11 direction Schießhüttenstr. and get off at Schwedlerstr.; walk Schwedlerstrasse right to Lindleystrasse then go right to the market. At the far end of the market, Ostplatz, walk up to the main road, cross over and go left a short distance to pick up the tram direction Zuckschwerdtstr. back to downtown). Note: The second-hand clothing piled high on the cluster of tables typically sells for 1€ per garment.
The Euro info center & bookshop (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:30, Sat 10:00-14:00) is a rich discovery on the ground floor of the European Central Bank building at Kaiserstrasse 29. What better place to pick up euro keepsakes than the home of the continental currency. For free, pick up the euro poster and fold-out brochure featuring all the euro-zone coins and notes. Currency collectors will find a cache of euro collectibles here, from a brick of shredded notes totaling 500,000€ (for about 10€ ea.) to decorative euro coffee mugs to uncirculated euro coins from Vatican City featuring Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI (from 99-1,000€). Complementing your visit, the petite snack bar at the back of the shop sells sandwiches, cold pasta, fruit salad, coffee, tea, cappuccino, Italian espresso. Suggestion: Cross the street to Kaiserstrasse 30 and step into the Commerzbank (Mon/Wed 9:00-16:00, Tue/Thur 9:00-18:00, Fri 9:00-14:00). Dating from 1905, the bank’s interior is one of the most striking you’ll ever see.
Trade Fairs
The German word for convention (or trade fair) is Messe, and Frankfurt has umpteen throughout the year. For more info, go to www.messefrankfurt.com. The two most notable are the Book Fair (Buchmesse) and Motor Show (IAA). To get there, the Messe (or convention) center is a 15-min walk northwest of the main train station, or ride the S-Bahn to Messe.
Book Fair, (Oct 12-16, 2011, www.frankfurt-bookfair.com). At the world’s largest gathering of publishing professionals (e.g. agents, booksellers, film producers) and authors, this year’s Guest of Honor will be the country of Iceland. In 2010, a total of 279,000 of us visited the five-day event—that’s an average of 56,000 per day. Wow!
Motor Show, (mid-Sept, bi-annually, rotates with Hannover). The IAA (Internationale Automobil Ausstellung) is the largest motor show on Earth and takes place in Frankfurt every two years. Hannover hosts the show on even numbered years exhibiting commercial vehicles while Frankfurt exhibits passenger vehicles in the odd years. Upcoming show dates: Frankfurt Sept 15-25, 2011; Hannover Sept 20-27, 2012.
Festivals, 2011
Dippemess in springtime, April 15—May 8, (Mon-Sat 14:00-23:00, Fri/Sat till 24:00, Sun 12:00-23:00, on each Thursday families only pay half price on rides). Dippemess is Frankfurt’s traditional folk festival, dating from the Middle Ages. Then, it was known as the Maamess, a local craft market. The marketplace grew over the decades, attracting regional potters who came to sell their wares, chiefly bowls and pots. In Frankfurt dialect, these ceramic products were called Dippe, from which the market eventually took its name. Through the centuries, Dippemess became much more than a marketplace; today it is Frankfurt’s largest fair and Germany’s most popular Easter event, drawing some 2.5 million visitors during the three-week festival. Because of its massive size, Dippemess was moved in the 1950s from downtown, 5 km northeast, to the Frankfurt Fairgrounds, or Festplatz, where the latest roller coasters and carnival rides dare to thrill. To get there, ride the subway U7 from central Frankfurt direction Enkheim (or tram 12 direction Hugo-Junkers-Str.) to Eissporthalle/Festplatz. Note that fireworks will kick-off the festival on Friday April 15 as well as conclude it on Sunday May 8; either date beginning around 21:30.
Mainfest, August 5-8 (Fri-Mon). Dating from 1340, the Mainfest originally celebrated fishermen and boatmen giving thanks to their river and its harvest. As in medieval times, the festival is still observed on Römerberg and the adjacent riverbank, where carnival rides and games and live music charm visitors. The opening ceremony kicks off Friday at 19:00 by the fountain on the market square, Römerberg. On Sunday from 16:00 begins the traditional fisherman’s jousting, and don’t miss the firework display Monday evening around 21:45.
Museumsuferfest, August 26-28 (Fri-Sun). On the last weekend in August either bank of the Main River will be awash with art and culture and bonhomie visitors absorbing the carnival-like atmosphere during the increasingly popular Museum Embankment Festival. Watch out for the closing fireworks show synchronized with music, Sunday around 22:00.
Dippemess in autumn, September 9-19. Back by popular demand, this historic folk festival is a continuation of the Dippemess in springtime: more rides, market stalls, food stands, live music, and fireworks (to open and close the festival, Friday Sept 9 and Monday Sept 19; either date beginning around 21:45). To get there and hours are the same as Dippemess in springtime.
Christmas Market, Nov 24—Dec 22, (Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-21:00). For more than 600 years, Frankfurt’s Christmas market has been held on Römerberg. And just like ages ago, the gigantic fir tree brilliantly ornamented in front of Town Hall and the pleasant aroma of hot-spiced wine, roasted chestnuts, candied apples and gingerbread still attract visitors by the cart full. You’ve heard all about him, now here’s your chance to see St. Nicholas when he visits Römerberg on Dec 6 at 17:30. Throughout the month-long festival, Advent concerts are scheduled Fri-Sun around 17:10, and a brass band Wed and Sat at 18:00.
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(This page was last updated June 2011.)
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