Cheap Flights to Frankfurt with PLAY from EUR 150*

Visit Frankfurt, a city that’s big on business – and on casual

Buzzing with people dressed for a meeting in the Bankenviertel (financial district), Frankfurt might seem all work and no play at first glance. But leave its skyscraper-studded streets and you’ll be rewarded with a wealth of history, culture and natural beauty. Stroll along the promenade with a cup of cinnamony Ebbelwei, savor 700 years of art history under one roof in the Städel Museum, meander through cloud forests in the Palmengarten or watch the fisherman’s joust during Mainfest – just a few Frankfurt experiences you can bank on for a memorable stay, whether it’s for business, pleasure or the best of both worlds: bleisure.

From free city to “Mainhattan”: a very, very brief history of Frankfurt

The fifth largest city in Germany, Frankfurt am Main is home to the country’s busiest international airport and is a four-hour train ride from major European capitals, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels and Paris. In no small part due to its central location, Frankfurt rose to fame as a key trade hub as early as in the Middle Ages, graduating from being a free imperial city to becoming the permanent coronation site for rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. The 1944 bombing of Frankfurt’s medieval Altstadt (Old Town) destroyed a pivotal piece of its heritage but ultimately led to its rebirth as the modern financial powerhouse we know today.

A city of two towers: historic Frankfurt attractions you don’t want to miss

Nothing offers a better view of the city’s checkered history than the 15th-century Eschenheimer Turm as it stands against the backdrop of gleaming high-rises in downtown Frankfurt. The 47-meter structure was built as part of a massive defensive wall system around the city, which was later demolished. French ambassador Count d’Hédouville ordered the tower to be spared, giving modern Frankfurt one of its most famous landmarks. Continue your medieval time travel around Römerberg, the city’s historic main square, studded with timber-framed houses meticulously reconstructed to their pre-WWII glory. Then follow in the footsteps of German emperors to the place of their crowning, the Römer, now Frankfurt’s city hall. Do stop by the Gothic-style Frankfurt Cathedral as well as Paulskirche, which served as the seat for the first German national assembly in 1848. Next, head to the Main Tower in the Bankenviertel, the district that earned Frankfurt not one but two nicknames: Bankfurt and Mainhattan. Take the elevator to the 54th floor and the stairs to the upper observation deck for a breathtaking view of the cityscape. The 200-meter-high skyscraper is the only one open to the public of the 450 high-rise buildings that house the city’s sprawling banking scene, including the European Central Bank.

Culture lovers, unite! Museumsufer, Main Festival, mangroves and more

Art aficionados should definitely pack their best walking shoes. Dotted along both banks of the river Main, 39 museums and art galleries make up the city’s main “artery”, Museumsufer (Museum Embankment). Highlights include the Museum Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts) with a 60,000-piece collection of European design and fashion artifacts, the Jewish Museum, documenting 800 years of Jewish culture, fine arts and family history, and the birthplace of German literary giant Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. If you only have time for one, make it the Städel Museum. Enjoy a tour of European art history from the early 14th century to the present day, as told by Dürer, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Monet, Picasso and more. If you prefer culture with a side of festival fun (and apple wine), schedule your trip for one of the many annual events Frankfurt has to offer, such as Römerberg’s Jazz zum Dritten (Jazz on the Third), Mainfest, the city’s longest-running folk fair, or the Frankfurt Christmas Market for holiday cheers, local delicacies and souvenirs galore. Take a breather from your cultural escapades under lush mango, banana, cacao and sea coconut trees in the Westend-Süd neighborhood. Established in 1869 to house the Duke of Nassau’s exotic plant collection, the Palmengarten (Palm Gardens) has grown into a green haven for locals and tourists alike. In addition to 14 glasshouses and 13,000 plant species laid out on over 20 hectares of mangroves, mountain rainforests, monsoon woodlands and more, the botanical garden also plays host to open-air concerts and festivals from summer to fall.

Three foodie things to do in Frankfurt (besides Frankfurt sausage)

First things first: do try the sausage. All the sausages, in fact, from the lightly smoked Frankfurter to the Bratwurst variety, as a sit-down meal or on the go. Have some Handkäse, a Hessian cheese specialty made from sour milk, either plain or Handkäse mit Musik, meaning marinated with onions in oil and vinegar and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Ask for Grüne Soße, a mint-hued blend of yogurt, sour cream and seven fresh herbs, with your pork Schnitzel for a food combination you never knew you needed. Pair all or any of this with a glass of fine Ebbelwei (apple wine, also called Schoppe or Stöffche) in any of the cider taverns in Sachsenhausen for the full, local-approved experience.

Frankfurt–Hahn vs Frankfurt International Airport: airports in Frankfurt, explained

Those who visit Frankfurt am Main arrive at one of two airports. The main hub of German flag carrier Lufthansa, Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) is as big as it gets. The airport has four runways and two passenger terminals to accommodate some 65 million passengers annually, which makes it the fifth busiest airport in Europe. It’s located 12 kilometers southwest of central Frankfurt and can be easily reached by S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 (operated by RVM). Situated in the municipality of Hahn, Frankfurt–Hahn Airport (HHN) lies 10 kilometers from Kirchberg, 20 kilometers from Simmern and Traben-Trarbach, and 120 kilometers from Frankfurt and Luxembourg. It’s a hub for low-cost and cargo flights, welcoming almost 1.5 million passengers per year. Shuttles leave from stop no. 14 in front of terminal B to reach Frankfurt in a little over 2 hours.