Frankfurt's dazzling skyline

Berlin or Munich might be the more immediate choices when considering a weekend break in Germany, but with Frankfurt the location of one of the world’s busiest airports it’s likely you’ll be landing there sooner or later. Whether it’s a stopover or your final destination, here’s our guide on what to see on a flying visit to Frankfurt.

Get a Quick Overview

As continental Europe’s financial capital, a proliferation of banks have established their headquarters in Frankfurt, each one vying for dominance with a signature building more imposing and impressive than its neighbours. The result is a cityscape that’s punctured by soaring skyscrapers and a skyline considered to be one of the most impressive in Europe. It’s a panorama that can be appreciated from anywhere but is best experienced from Maintower. Frankfurt’s fourth tallest building – for now – it remains the only skyscraper to include a publically accessible viewing platform. Located on the building’s 55^th floor, the observatory is one of the city’s top (pun intended, I’m sorry) attractions but if the thought of a clamour of crowds at such a great height makes you vertiginous you may prefer to enjoy the view at leisure two floors below, in the tower’s gourmet restaurant.

Take a Crash Course in Culture

With Frankfurt a city of bankers, it makes sense that the city has invested heavily in culture and the arts – we can fully appreciate that all those brilliant, scheming minds would place a high value on continued intellectual stimulation after the close of trading.

As well as mainland Europe’s largest English-language theatre, quite simply called The English Theatre, Frankfurt is home to an exceptional opera house and an impressive array of museums. For those on a short visit, the latter is most deftly experienced by visiting the city’s Museum Embankment. A succession of 13 separate museums that bolster the banks of the river Main, among its highlights are the German Film Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts, which holds a diverse range of beautifully and intriguingly designed arts and crafts.

Careful not to overindulge in Sachsenhausen's taverns. Those cobbles can be treacherous if tipsy.

Make a Toast

Dublin has Guinness, Prague boasts Absinthe and for Frankfurt it’s… apple wine. It doesn’t carry quite the same cachet of immediate international recognition, admittedly, but a visit to the city isn’t complete without sampling its honorary tipple.

Drunk throughout Frankfurt for at least 250 years, Apfelwein is today most associated with the district of Sachsenhausen, where local taverns serve the aromatic, locally made concoction long into the night.

The website of the city of Frankfurt itself, no less, casts vague reference to some obscure medical report indicating that the beverage could “stimulate vascular expansion, increase blood circulation around the brain and retard the ageing process” so there are possible health benefits to imbibing it too. Although it sounds a spurious claim to us. More encouraging is a local law said to state that apple wine should be the cheapest alcoholic beverage sold in any licensed premises – we’ll drink to that!

Keep Your Bank in Business

Now aware of Frankfurt’s reliance on the banking sector and the bruising that unfortunate industry has recently had to endure you’ll no doubt be eager to do your duty as a responsible tourist and support local workers’ livelihoods. A good place, then, to ensure you amass extra credit-card fees is the city’s Goethestrasse. Named after Frankfurt’s most famous son, the quintessential German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the street is home to the city’s most expensive boutiques. Gucci, Chanel and Cartier are just some of the brands that have standalone stores here but should their goods remain outside your budget – despite your altruistic intentions – then Leipzigerstrasse might be a better bet. Located in the student district of Bockheim, it’s home to a cluster of independent boutiques, cosy cafes and relaxed bars and a reliable stop for quirky souvenirs and one-off designs.

Things at Cocoon will get hectic later but we thought the flower a nice pretence of respectability.

Get the Red Eye

Body clock in limbo after a long-distance flight? Frankfurt may not have as hedonistic a reputation as party capital Berlin but lenient licensing laws mean night owls and insomniacs can find entertainment well into the night.

Most famous of all Frankfurt’s party venues is DJ Sven Väth’s superclub Cocoon. Beautifully designed and almost ethereal in appearance, it’s regularly named one of the world’s best club thanks to its world-class line-ups; exceptional sound system and parties that are progressive, immersive and inclusive. The club itself is only open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays but Cocoon’s onsite restaurant remains open throughout the week and late into the night.