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8 of the best things to do in Frankfurt this summer

May 29th 2018

By Tanveer Mann,MetroUK

architecture interior perspective facade interior design art design symmetry tourist attraction shopping center frankfurt urban areaWhen you think of Germany, you immediately think of Berlin. It’s the capital and it’s steeped in history so it’s an obvious choice for a city break. 

But drive a few hours west and you’ll stumble across Germany’s true hidden gem, Frankfurt au Main, which will make you wonder why you hadn’t visited sooner.

Take a walk tour through the city

The best way to see Frankfurt is by going on a walking tour, as you get a great overview of both the financial hub and the old town.

As you walk through the city’s cobbled streets, you’ll quickly see how multicultural Frankfurt is – like London, there are more than 180 nationalities living here.

You’ll also notice that a lot of the buildings you see are new – that’s because many of the old buildings were destroyed during WW2.

The areas that did survive are preciously conserved, such as in the historical market square in the quaint Romerberg area.

Experience Frankfurt cuisine

You can’t visit Frankfurt without trying some really good, authentic German food. And fortunately, there’s plenty of it going around.

Margarete restaurant, named after the architect Margarete Schutte-Lihotzky, the first woman to study architecture at the Viennese School of Applied Arts, is a great little spot to spend the afternoon.

Order a Bratwurst (German sausage) with some apple wine and a side of Grune Sobe, a Frankfurt speciality made of oil, vinegar and seven fresh herbs, and you’ll be good to go.

Or you can stop by Frankfurt’s Kleinmarkthalle and try an elderflower cluster.

Covered in sweet batter and then deep fried, these are perfect to have sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

There are also hundreds of other great restaurants in the city, so you’ll never be short of options if you’re missing other cuisines.

Picnic in the beautiful grounds of Palmengarten

Relax in the gardens of Frankfurt’s renowned botanical garden, Palmengarten, located in the Westend-Sud district.

Spanning 54 acres, the garden is often host to dozens of concerts in the summer, as well as being a scenic wedding destination. It’s also the perfect place to enjoy a picnic and wile the day away in the sun.

Thanks to Jumeirah Frankfurt, which offers a picnic service to guests, I enjoyed the most luxurious picnic, complete with a selection of sandwiches, nuts, pastries, antipasti and champagne, while I was there. But if you don’t fancy bringing your own food, there’s also a two-star Michelin restaurant in the grounds called Lafleur. Entry to the garden is just €7 for the whole day, so definitely worth it.

Stop by the MyZeil shopping centre

The MyZeil shopping centre, designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, is a piece of architecture in its own right. It’s home to Germany’s largest escalator, measuring a staggering 46 metres (just don’t look down as it’s seriously steep).

And it’s spread over more than 77,000 square metres, with numerous shops and restaurants, fitness centre and leisure spaces. It’s also conveniently located on the main shopping road, the Zeil.

Visit the Old Town

One second you’re standing in the financial hub a la Canary Wharf, and the next you’re steeped in the Altstadt, the historic old town destroyed during the second world war. Here you can tour German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s house, the Romerberg plaza and St. Bartholomaus Cathedral.

The area is currently being reconstructed to look exactly how it did pre-war, under the Dom-Romer project, so exciting changes are happening.

Hop on the Ebbelwei Express tram

If you don’t fancy walking, hop on this charmingly old-fashioned tram, which circles the city every weekend, taking in sights such as the Frankfurt zoo and banking district.

Ebbelwoi is the local cider and you take the tour with Ebbelwoi in hand, while eating pretzels and listening to some interesting German pub music.

The tram runs every 30minutes on Saturdays and Sundays from 1.30pm, and tickets cost €8.

Visit Frankfurt’s very own love lock bridge

Taking inspiration from its French neighbours, Frankfurt has its own – unofficial – bridge dedicated to lovers – the Eiserner Steg.

The bridge is the only walking bridge spanning across the Main River and is a great spot to get a good view of the whole city. The good thing about the bridge is that not many people are aware of the romantic association with it, which means there’s plenty of space still left for you to grab a padlock and seal your love forever.

Go museum-crazy walking down Museumsufer

For all you museum lovers, Frankfurt is the place to visit as it’s got dozens of museums and exhibition spaces across the city. There’s the historical art museum Stadel, the modern art museum Museum fur Moderne Kunst (MMK), the communication museum Museum fur Kommunikation (MFK), design museum Museum Angewandte Kunst (MAK) and history museum Historisches Museum.

If you want to be at the heart of the city, stay at the luxurious Jumeirah Frankfurt. It’s your little bit of Middle Eastern glamour fused with European culture.

The 25-floor tower offers beautiful views of the city, with floor to ceiling windows for you to wake up to every morning.

Each room is super high-tech, with information tablets, coffee machines, a Bose SoundDock and 42-inch LCD television.

The hotel itself is connected to the shopping centre MyZeil and is within walking distance to the popular Zeil shopping street, the prestigious Goethestrasse luxury shopping street, the city’s financial district and the underground station.

Rooms at Jumeirah Frankfurt start from €180 per night for a deluxe room and €260 for a skyline deluxe room. While you’re there, the Talise Spa is a must-visit.

I’d recommend the Skyline honey treatment, which is a full-body exfoliation with massage using honey from the bees kept by the hotel on its roof.

Honey is a big thing at Jumeirah, to the point where the hotel houses four bee hives of its own on the 28th floor.

The beekeeper visits the property on average once a week in spring and summer to collect honey from the honeycomb.

Guests can then taste the honey directly from the honeycomb each day at breakfast, or even buy a jar of skyline honey to take home as a souvenir.