Latest News

How is life in Frankfurt?

September 4th 2019

By Quora

Frankfurt "means business." It's where you find the banks of the world, the European Central Bank, and where the big fairs and conferences go. 

Because it's business, it's well "organized." You party, drink, and eat, in Bockenheim or Bornheim or Sachsenhausen. You shop downtown, you conduct business in the newly emerging "Europaviertel," and you hike the Taunus mountain region that's within a tram ride from the city.

Unlike many large German cities, Frankfurt doesn't have quarters per se. Yes, Bornheim, Bockenheim, Westend, Nordend, Sachsenhausen, etc. are their own little worlds, but they're not as closed and self-sufficient as in Berlin. Berliners live, work, shop, date, work out, and drink in "their" quarter. Frankfurters don't. That's aided by Frankfurt's size: we're just not as big a city as Munich or Berlin. You can walk almost everywhere, I cherish my evening walk from my house to dinner and from dinner to drinks, getting in my 10,000 steps there, and just running into friends all the time. It's a small town, after all.

Frankfurt always changes. Cranes are as common a sight as construction crews and opening ceremonies. The city rebuilds itself all the time, like a massive technology hive that heals and improves without a seconds' rest.

To the right, across the river, is Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt's biggest quarter and home to bars, clubs, and pubs. The ECB is in the back, Westend and downtown are to the left.

To the right is the financial quarter. The "Römer" old town hall is right ahead, front right is the Paulskirche, the place Germany's assembled statehood was decided and our first constitution was written and ratified. To the very back in the left is the "Bürostadt," literally "Office Town" where hundreds of international businesses have their main offices, grey in grey, suits and a quick smoke between meetings, no one lives there, tens of thousands work their nine to fives there.

The Taunus National Forest, home to Grimm's tales. North of Frankfurt, ten minutes by tram, are the "Hessian Hamptons," multi million dollar homes and shopping areas that look down upon Porsche or Versace for being "cheap." Behind them begins the national forest, hills and woodlands. But you don't have to go that far to be in nature. This is in walking distance from the Bockenheim and Ginnheim city quarters:

Frankfurt is small, happy, and business oriented. It's a place you're more likely to hear English, French, Spanish, Pashto, or Turkish, than German while walking down the street. It's where you are always within a short bike ride from everything, even imposing trails. It does work-life balance well, and it isn't infested by hipsters driving up rent and beer prices, yet. It's also the place you'd go if you wanted to make money.

Living here is fun. It also means to be central to everywhere in Europe, to be four to six hours and $40 away from Paris, Amsterdam, or Vienna.