Tips and tours for explorers and travellers
Frankfurt am Main City Guide
Ciceru's Frankfurt route crosses the Eiserner Steg footbridge between the rebuilt Römer old town and the Museumsufer, where the Städel and Liebieghaus sit among thirty-nine museums, then threads past the Alte Oper and the flagship stores on Goethestraße.
- Country
- Germany
- Language
- German
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Plug
- type C/F
- Time zone
- Europe/Berlin
- Emergency
- 112 and 110
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Dialling code
- +49
The stops
Things to do in Frankfurt am Main
Our Frankfurt routes concentrate on two stretches: the reconstructed Altstadt around the Römer and the Eiserner Steg, and the Museumsufer riverbank from the Städel to the Liebieghaus.
Goethestrasse, Louis Vuitton
Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof
Jewish Museum
Westhafen Tower
Liebieghaus
Städel
Eiserner Steg
Römer (townhall)
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2 self-guided tours in Frankfurt am Main
Weather & crowds
Best time to visit
May and June balance warmth against rain: July and August bring the year's heaviest downpours, up to 63.5mm. Hotels are not driven by weather here: Ambiente in February, Automechanika in September and the Buchmesse in October (7-11 Oct 2026) fill rooms regardless of season.
Winter
Dec–Feb0–6°C/ 33–42°F
Few visitorsOccasional rain
- Museums without queues
- Highs of 5-7°C, dark by 16:30
Don't miss
Ambiente and Christmasworld trade fairs (Feb)
Spring
Mar–May6–16°C/ 42–61°F
Getting busierOccasional rain
- Wäldchestag folk festival
- Light+Building fair books up hotels
Don't miss
Wäldchestag, Tuesday after Pentecost
Summer
Jun–Aug14–25°C/ 57–77°F
BusyWet
- Museumsuferfest, 28-30 Aug
- Wettest months: up to 63.5mm in July
Don't miss
Museumsuferfest (28-30 August 2026)
Trade fair autumn
Sep–Oct9–18°C/ 48–64°F
Peak seasonOccasional rain
- Frankfurter Buchmesse
- Automechanika and Buchmesse fill hotels
Don't miss
Frankfurter Buchmesse (7-11 October 2026)
Late autumn
Nov3–9°C/ 38–48°F
Getting busierOccasional rain
- Christmas market opens
- Cold and grey, highs of 8.9°C
Don't miss
Frankfurter Weihnachtsmarkt opens (to 22 Dec)
Transport
How to get to & around Frankfurt am Main
FRA Airport
| S8/S9 to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof | 11-15 min | €6.90 |
|---|---|---|
| Official fixed-price taxi to centre | 20-30 min | €49.99 |
| ICE/regional trains, Fernbahnhof | 10-12 min | €6.90 |
Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN)
| Flibco shuttle bus to Hauptbahnhof | 2h 10min | €18.99 |
|---|
U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram
Best defaultA single Frankfurt-zone ticket is €2.90 for metro, tram, bus and S-Bahn in the city. The airport sits in its own zone, needing the €6.90 Preisstufe 4 fare instead. A Tageskarte is €9.20.
Walking
Flat and compactThe rebuilt Altstadt, the Zeil shopping street and the Museumsufer riverbank sit within fifteen minutes of each other on flat ground either side of the Eiserner Steg footbridge.
Taxi
Fixed fares nowSince December 2024 taxis can agree a Festpreis of €2.40 to €4.00 per kilometre before the trip starts. Useful late at night or for the fixed airport run.
Nextbike
App-based, no docksCity bikes at €1.00 per 30 minutes, capped at €9.00 for 24 hours, booked and paid through the app with a card. No German bank account or residency needed.
Ebbelwei-Express
Weekends onlyA nostalgic tram loop through Sachsenhausen and the zoo, running Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only. It is a sightseeing ride, not a way to actually get around.
Buy a single RMV ticket or the Tageskarte and walk the centre: Frankfurt's core sits flat between the Main and the Zeil, with the S-Bahn covering the airport run in under fifteen minutes.
Budget
How much does it cost to visit Frankfurt am Main?
Frankfurt is cheap to move around and drink like a local: a Tageskarte and a Gerippte of Apfelwein cost little. Hotels are the wildcard: rooms during Buchmesse or Ambiente week can cost double a quiet week, and the flat €2.00 per person, per night Tourismusbeitrag is added at checkout, not in the booking price.
| Cappuccino at a cafe | €2.80–€4.20 |
|---|---|
| Weekday lunch (Mittagstisch) | €12.00–€18.00 |
| Glass of Apfelwein, 0.3l Gerippte | €2.70–€3.00 |
| Single RMV ticket, Frankfurt zone | €2.90 |
| RMV Tageskarte, one adult | €9.20 |
| Deutschlandticket, one month | €63.00 |
| Taxi across the centre | €12.00–€20.00 |
| Taxi from the airport | €44.99–€49.99 |
| Tourismusbeitrag, per person per night | €2.00 |
Cash or card?
Cards and phones work almost everywhere, including RMV ticket machines and taxis. Keep some cash for the smaller Apfelweinwirtschaften in Alt-Sachsenhausen, where a handful of old-style taverns are still cash-preferred.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Frankfurt am Main
Altstadt and Innenstadt
First visit, walk everywhereThe rebuilt medieval Römerberg, the cathedral and the Zeil shopping street are all within a few minutes of each other. Hotels here are among the priciest and busiest during trade fairs.
Bahnhofsviertel
Cheap, central, transit hubEvery airport train and most budget hotels sit here. It also holds the open drug scene and a 24 hour police weapons ban zone since November 2023; keep to main streets after dark.
Alt-Sachsenhausen
Apfelwein taverns, nightlifeSouth of the Main, packed with Apfelweinwirtschaften and bars. A weekend weapons ban zone covers its core lanes Friday and Saturday nights, a sign of how busy it gets rather than a reason to avoid it.
Nordend
Local life, cafesA residential grid of Gründerzeit blocks north of the centre, with Berger Strasse's shops and the Palmengarten nearby. Fewer hotels here, so book early.
Westend
Quiet, close to the MesseEmbassy villas and the university sit a short walk from the Messe Frankfurt fairground, useful in trade fair weeks. It stays quiet after office hours, with little nightlife of its own.
The tours
Frankfurt am Main, one story at a time
€72 hours
Take a walk through Helenopolis, today known as Frankfurt am Main
Michaela Scheiner- Audio
- Quizzes
- Multiplayer
- Free eSIM
€72.5 hours
From old town to skyscrapers: A self-guided tour through Frankfurt am Main
Stefano Navarro- Audio
- Quizzes
- Multiplayer
- Free eSIM
Scratch to win
Give it a scratch
Something good might be under there. If you win, we'll show you how to use it.
One prize per traveller. Good for 2 years.
Word of mouth
What travellers say
4.4 on Google
Fabulous walking tour around the main areas of Dubrovnik old city.we were able to stop and listen as many times as we needed as there was also written information too
Karen Baker
A great way to discover the hidden gems in Sorrento. It provides history, cultural context and a flavour of the place. We would have missed so much had we wandered round without this valuable guide. Thank you for the research and information.
alison rye
This was a good tour. I used the Spanish tour to practice my Spanish and it was helpful because you could slow it down and listen to it multiple times. This tour is what it says it will be
Lily
Macht Spaß! Toll, im eigenen Tempo zu den verschiedenen Sehenswürdigkeiten zu schlendern.
Cécile Blumenbär
Cute and informative tour of several athenian landmarks
Ginny Glezou
Merci pour ce bel après-midi à Weimar en votre compagnie. Belle expérience, merci!
Helene Cazals
All very well written and illustrated. Perhaps some of the 'history' was a little 'contrived', i.e. the successes and achievements of the certainly key protagonists slightly embellished, and the selection of a distinctly pedestrian monument to Otto, the second last, pointless! More on the classic architectural, perhaps even planning and development of the old city, would have been very welcome. Otherwise, it was great and the quizzes interesting and fun.
Mel Cadman
I’ve made two tours of Barcelona and I liked them pretty much, quite fun!
Tugce Ucar
Ein kurzweilige und interessante Stadtrunde, die auch mit Kindern gut zum Erkunden einlädt.
Anja Köppen
Safety
Is Frankfurt am Main safe?
Violent crime against visitors is rare in Frankfurt. Risk is concentrated in one place: the Bahnhofsviertel around the main station, where the city runs an open drug scene alongside hotels, offices and the airport trains. Police have run repeated raids there since 2023 and the area is improving, but it rewards ordinary street sense after dark.
Bahnhofsviertel after dark
Drug dealing and use concentrate on side streets off the main station forecourt. A police weapons ban zone covering knives of any kind has applied here 24 hours a day since 1 November 2023, with fines up to €10,000.
Hauptbahnhof pickpocketing
Crowded platforms and the station concourse are the main pickpocketing spot in the city. Keep bags zipped and in front of you, especially around ticket machines and during rush hour.
Alt-Sachsenhausen weekends
A second, weekend-only weapons ban zone covers the core lanes of Alt-Sachsenhausen from Friday 8pm to Saturday 6am and Saturday 8pm to Sunday 6am, reflecting how busy the bar streets get, not a district to avoid.
Reporting a theft
File online through the Hessen police Onlinewache or in person at a Polizeirevier to get the report number insurance requires. Do this the same day; a claim without a police reference usually fails.
Medical help
Call 112 for a genuine emergency. For urgent but non-critical problems, the nationwide Patientenservice on 116 117 runs around the clock and directs you to an on-call doctor or the right clinic.
Good to know
Good to know
Free museum Satourdays
The Museumsufer runs both banks of the Main with thirty-nine museums. Most offer free admission on the last Saturday of the month, moved to the second-to-last Saturday in August because of the Museumsuferfest.
Kitchens close earlier than you expect
Mittagstisch lunch deals in the centre run roughly 11:30 to 14:00 on weekdays only. Dinner kitchens often stop taking orders by 22:00, earlier than further south in Europe.
Sunday closing is real
Almost all shops, including supermarkets, close on Sundays by law. Bakeries open for a few morning hours and station convenience stores stay open, but plan grocery shopping for Saturday.
Ebbelwoi has its own etiquette
Apfelwein is served in a Bembel jug into a Gerippte glass. Leaving the glass empty on the table signals you want a refill; a coaster on top means you are finished.
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Read moreQuestions
Frankfurt am Main FAQ
Yes. Mainova, the municipal supplier, meets the federal Drinking Water Regulation, and Frankfurt's water comes largely from protected regional springs. It is safe straight from the tap throughout the city, including hotel rooms.
The S8 or S9 S-Bahn from the airport's Regionalbahnhof to Hauptbahnhof takes 11 to 15 minutes. Airport journeys sit outside Frankfurt's cheaper city fare, so the ticket is Stadtpreisstufe 4 at €6.90 rather than the €2.90 city single. A fixed-price taxi runs about €45 to €50.
The Tourismusbeitrag is a flat €2.00 per person, per night for any non-resident paying to stay in the city, charged by the accommodation at checkout rather than folded into the booking price. Business travellers can apply for reimbursement with an employer's letter.
Rarely. It costs €63.00 a month and only pays for itself if you are staying close to a month and travelling well beyond Frankfurt's zone. For a city visit, a single €2.90 ticket or the €9.20 Tageskarte covers more trips for less outlay.
Yes, in the centre. The Altstadt, Zeil shopping street and Museumsufer riverbank are flat and within fifteen minutes of each other on foot. Sachsenhausen and Nordend are a further tram ride out.
Away from the Bahnhofsviertel's side streets, yes. That district around the main station holds the city's open drug scene and a round-the-clock police weapons ban zone since November 2023; Alt-Sachsenhausen's bar lanes get a weekend-only version of the same rule simply because of the crowds.
Frankfurt's hotel market runs on the Messe Frankfurt trade fair calendar, not the tourist season. Ambiente and Christmasworld in February, Automechanika in September and the Frankfurter Buchmesse from 7 to 11 October 2026 can double room rates regardless of the weather.
Almost everywhere, including RMV ticket machines, taxis and most Apfelwein taverns. A few traditional Apfelweinwirtschaften in Alt-Sachsenhausen still prefer cash, so carry some for those.