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Where to Stay in Frankfurt

By Santorini Dave

Our Favorite Frankfurt Hotels

• 5-Star Hotel: Sofitel Opera
• Boutique Hotel: Roomers
• Cheap Hotel: Motel One Frankfurt-Römer
• Family Hotel: Hilton City Centre
• Best Pool: Westin Grand
• Near Train Station: Scandic Museumsufer
• Near Airport: Hilton Airport

Best place to stay at Frankfurt Airport.

The Hilton Airport in Frankfurt.

The Best Area to Stay in Frankfurt

The capital of the state of Hesse, Frankfurt is better known as Germany’s financial capital and home to its busiest airport, Messe Frankfurt (the world’s largest trade fair organizer), and a forest of skyscrapers – an unusual sight for a German city. It tends to get a lot fewer leisure visitors than its peers like Munich, despite boasting an array of world-class attractions that include numerous major art and cultural museums, the childhood home of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and a skillfully rebuilt Old Town. It’s also developed into something of a foodie city in recent years. In the summer, the Main River that cuts through the heart of the city becomes the focus of all sorts of activities, with boat trips and parks, bars, and restaurants along its banks.

When it comes to looking for accommodation in Frankfurt, the choice is vast and potentially overwhelming. Most tourists will ideally want to stay close to the Innenstadt and Altstadt at the heart of city, while those attending a trade fair usually aim for the hotels close to Messe Frankfurt in Westend. Yet the range of hotels is fairly limited in the city center, and often expensive – you’ll find much cheaper accommodation in edgy Bahnhofsviertel, between the center and the main train station. Given the convenience of Frankfurt’s transport system, it’s easy to stay out of the center and zip back and forth by train. This makes even more sense when you consider that Frankfurt’s generally modern city center lacks the character of more historical cities like Heidelberg – you won’t be giving up much by staying outside.

The city center is surrounded by four main districts: Nordend is a relaxed, family-oriented neighborhood, while sprawling Westend is home not just to the modern business district around Messe Frankfurt, but more genteel streets featuring some of Frankfurt’s most beautiful (and pricey) 19th and early 20th century mansions. On the east side, equally sprawling Ostend features a cluster of the city’s newest and most attractive hotels in the revitalized harbor area, but also the hip shopping and cafes of Bornheim. South of the river, Sachsenhausen is home to the“Museum Embankment” (Museumsufer), some of the city’s best nightlife, and a sprinkling of generally good value hotels.

While it’s relatively easy to explore central districts on foot, to reach the outer neighborhoods you’ll have to use the city’s excellent public transport system. Frankfurt’s RMV network is integrated with the rest of the Rhine–Main region and is cheap and easy to use, with lots of online resources, maps at stations, and announcements in English. Within the city, buses, trams and the U-Bahn (subway) are the way to go. It’s not a good idea to rent (or use) a car while here – the roads can be congested (and complicated to navigate), and parking is expensive.

Frankfurt Travel Tips

  • Frankfurt Airport is only about 7.5 miles (12km) southwest of the city center. As the largest airport in Germany, it’s well connected to cities all over the world. Frequent S-Bahn or Regional bahn trains zip to Frankfurt’s Hauptbahnhof (main station) in just 7–15 minutes.
  • You’ll find a lot more English speakers in cosmopolitan Frankfurt than in small-town Germany, but not everyone working in shops and restaurants will understand you. Try to learn a few words and numbers in German before you go.
  • The Frankfurt Card offers free travel on all public transport in the city, while also offering reduced-price admission to many museums and city tours (€11.50/day; €17/two days). It can be a good deal, but only if you intend to visit many museums and to use the transport system three times or more per day.
  • If you really intend to visit a lot of Frankfurt’s museums, it’s more worthwhile to buy the Museumsufer Ticket. It gives unlimited access to 39 museums over two days for €21 (realistically you’ll be able to visit a maximum 14 or 15 without going crazy, or more likely 10, which is still good value).
  • Bike rental is available through bikeshare outfits like Call a Bike and Next Bike. Frankfurt is not a bad place to ride bikes (there are plenty of dedicated lanes and trails), but with public transport so efficient and cheap, and the city center easily walkable, it’s generally not worth renting a bike just to get around – unless you really enjoy riding them and intend to explore the riverside trails or outer suburbs more extensively.
  • Free wi-fi is available at Frankfurt Airport and at cafes and museums throughout the city.

The Best Places to Stay in Frankfurt

Best place to stay in downtown Frankfurt.

The subway station entrance opposite the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof Hotel.

Best Places in Frankfurt for…

  • Best Place to Stay for First Timers/Sightseeing:
    • Overall: Altstadt and Innenstadt are at the heart of the city; staying here you’ll be within walking distance of some excellent restaurants, the central Römerberg and Hauptwache squares, the main Zeil shopping district, major museums and attractions such as Goethe House and the Kaiserdom, and the Main riverfront promenade, with boat trips and pedestrian bridges for easy access to the “Museum Embankment” over in Sachsenhausen. Frankfurt Hauptwache station is the best-connected S-Bahn station. On the downside, accommodation choices here can be limited, especially at the budget end.
    • For younger or budget travelers, Bahnhofsviertel or Sachsenhausen make the most sense. Both areas feature plenty of dining and drinking, from budget cafeterias to traditional German apfelwein taverns (in Sachsenhausen) and hip bars and clubs. Bahnhofsviertel has the additional advantage of being within walking distance of Frankfurt’s main train station. Both areas are not far (stiff but easy walks) from the Altstadt and Innenstadt attractions.
  • Best Neighborhoods for Nightlife: Sachsenhausen and Bahnhofsviertel
    Sachenhausen is the traditional nightlife hub in Frankfurt, which also makes it very touristy. It’s worth checking out the scene nonetheless, especially known for Frankfurt’s celebrated (and much touted) apfelwein, literally “apple wine” but more like the hard cider drunk in the USA and UK. Traditional bars can be found in and around the compact district known as Alt-Sachsenhausen, near the river. Solid choices include Apfelweinwirtschaft Dauth-Schneider, Ebbelwoi Unser, 19th-century Gaststätte Atschel, and Apfelwein Dax. More conventional cocktail and beer bars include the classy Harry’s New York Bar in the Lindner Hotel, hip Old Fashioned Bar, Legend Music Bar, and Drinksmith Neighbourhood Bar.

    You’ll find a more cutting-edge scene frequented by locals in edgy but fashionable Bahnhofsviertel. Plank is a good place to start, but there are many other possibilities: Hunky Dory and Kinly Bar for cocktails, St Tropez Bar for live sports and music, and the obligatory Irish pub, O’Reilly’s, which is actually pretty good. Pik Dame is the slightly overrated doyene of the club scene (single males and groups of men are unlikely to get past the bouncers).

    • LGBTQ nightlife clusters in the streets of northeast Innenstadt – for the latest, pick up a free copy of Gab magazine.

    • Jazz fans should check out Jazzkeller, also in Innenstadt.

  • Best Neighborhood for Food and Restaurants: Innenstadt
    Contrary to its reputation in Germany, Frankfurt has developed a diverse and innovative dining scene in the last few years. Things are very spread out – there’s no real foodie neighborhood – but as a visitor you’ll get plenty of choice in Innenstadt, the city center (though not really in the Old Town). The epicenter of eating here is known as Fressgass (“Scoff Alley”), essentially Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse and Kalbächer Gasse, between Rathenauplatz and Opernplatz. It’s packed with cafés, bars, bakeries, and restaurants, with plenty of less expensive options (these are cafes and bakeries – the restaurants tend to be on the pricey side). We like Heidi und Paul, MONZA Caffè & Bar (GrosseBockenheimer Str 43) and Bidlabu for a splurge.

    Elsewhere in the neighborhood you’ll find Frankfurt’s remaining historic cafes: Café Liebfrauenberg (Liebfrauenberg 24), Café Hauptwache, Café Mozart, and our favorite, Wacker’s Kaffee. Elegant, high-end places include French-inspired Heimat and excellent vegan specialist Seven Swans.

    • For traditional German food and apfelwein taverns (and generally cheaper places to eat), go to Sachsenhausen (for a list of suggestions, see the Nightlife section above).

    • The biggest cluster of Frankfurt’s Michelin-starred restaurants is actually located in posh parts of the Westend: Restaurant Lafleur in the Palmgarten, Restaurant Gustav, Villa Merton, and Erno’s Bistro.

    • If you want to sample Frankfurt’s own regional and highly distinctive traditional dishes, look out for “Handkäs mit Musik”, a pungent, yellow cheese marinated in oil and vinegar and usually served with apfelwein; and “Frankfurter GrüneSosse” or “Green Sauce”, a creamy sauce colored with green herbs and served with boiled meat and potatoes. Finish off with butter-cream Frankfurt Crown Cake.

  • Best Neighborhoods for Shopping: Innenstadt, Sachsenhausen, and Bornheim/Ostend
    Frankfurt’s premier retail promenade is the “Zeil”, cutting through the heart of Innenstadt – you’ll find all the major fashion brands here, with the more expensive boutiques on nearby Goethestrasse. In fact, much of the northern half of the neighborhood is given over to shopping, with major malls such as Shopping Center MyZeil and the GALERIA Frankfurt Zeil department store.

    For more quirky and independent stores and boutiques you should check out the Brückenviertel (“Bridge Quarter”) in Sachsenhausen, especially along Brückenstrasse. Highlights include local designer Jutta Heeg’s Ichwareindirndl boutique for women’s fashions, Töpferei Maurer for homemade pottery and ceramics, Maripo for local Hesse-made souvenirs, and Nina Francoforte for designer footwear. For vinyl, visit Sick Wreckords or Number Two Records.

    Over in Bornheim, it’s fun to peruse the Bergerstrasse strip, where Hessen Shop and Kaufhaus Hessen are great places to pick up local souvenirs, Meder is good for toys and household gifts, and Zeitgeist x Vintage is the place for secondhand clothing.

  • Best Place for Local Vibe: Nordend
    To completely escape the tourists, spend some time exploring the Nordend, the district north of the city center. It’s a family-oriented community with a small-town atmosphere, featuring plenty of bars, sidewalk cafes, and parks. Stroll north up Oeder Weg, or Eckenheimer Landstrasse (the route of the subway/U-Bahn) to Glauburgstrasse to soak up the atmosphere. There are not many sights: the German National Library, the picturesque Holzhausen Palace in Adolph von Holzhausen Park, and the Chinese Garden at Bethmann Park. Favorite spots to try the local cider (apfelwein) and German food include Apfelweinwirtschaft Frank, while our favorite breakfast and coffee stop is Sylvie’s Café – the best of a long list around here. Other highlights are long-running ice cream shop Eis Christina, Orban & Streu bookstore, women’s fashions at Kleidoskop (Oeder Weg 56), and Weinstube im Nordend, a friendly wine bar, but there’s lots more to discover. Good hotels here include Hotel Villa Orange and Turm Hotel. The area is primarily served by U-Bahn Line 5, but things are very spread out.
  • Safety in Frankfurt
    Frankfurt is generally very safe by global and even German standards, though the usual precautions should be taken at night, especially around the main station (Hauptbahnhof) and along Taunusstrasse in Bahnhofsviertel, which does still have a few (legal) strip clubs/brothels, official heroin “injection rooms” and a long-standing homeless population. Otherwise, the neighborhoods listed here should be fine; Bahnhofsviertel can seem sketchier than it actually is – most of the neighborhood has been gentrified for a while now.

The 6 Best Neighborhoods in Frankfurt for Tourists

1. Altstadt

Frankfurt’s Old Town or Altstadt forms part of the larger Innenstadt city center, and though there’s only a handful of decent hotels here, it’s definitely where you’ll want to spend time. Most of it was destroyed in World War II – what you see today is a blend of rare survivors but mostly reconstructions of the medieval original. As a result, it can feel a bit fake in parts, downright ugly in others, and is also very touristy, but it’s a neighborhood that has improved a lot in recent years and there’s plenty to see.

The focal point of the Old Town is Römerberg, the old central square, surrounded by meticulously reconstructed medieval half-timbered buildings and the Römer, the handsome town hall dating back to the 14th century. The Kaisersaal inside the Römer is where the banquets were held after the selection of a new Holy Roman Emperor (in 1562 Frankfurt succeeded Aachen as the city in which emperors were crowned). The Römerberg is also where Frankfurt’s huge Christmas Market takes place. On the south side is the pretty Alte Nikolaikirche (St Nicholas Church), and behind this the entertaining Historisches Museum Frankfurt, the city history museum. The Mainkai is the river promenade near here, where you can pick up boat trips or walk across the Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge) to the museums over in Sachsenhausen. North of the Römerberg stands the circular Neoclassical Paulskirche (St Paul’s Church), where the first democratically elected German national assembly met in 1848.

To the east of the Römerberg lies “Neue Altstadt” (the “New Old Town”), the latest section of the neighborhood to be given a historical makeover. Here you’ll find the Frankfurter Kunstverein and the Schirn Kunsthalle modern art galleries, as well as the Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus, the city’s principal Catholic church, dedicated to St Bartholomew. Climb the cathedral tower for a spectacular view over the city. North of here, the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst houses the city’s best collection of contemporary art, while the Kleinmarkthalle is Frankfurt’s central indoor market. A short stroll east along Battonnstrasse leads to the enlightening Museum Judengasse, which preserves the foundations of the medieval Jewish ghetto. Ask for the key here to the nearby Old Jewish Cemetery, a poignant and beautifully maintained site.

West of the Römerberg stands St Leonhardskirche, a rare medieval church that survived World War II and therefore feels a lot more authentic than the others in the Old Town. Nearby is the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum, which is heavy going but is located within the beautiful Carmelite Church and Monastery. Finally, on the boundary between the Altstadt and the modern city center (Innenstadt) is Goethe-Haus, the birthplace and childhood home of Germany’s greatest writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The museum complex includes the relatively new Deutsche Romantik-Museum, which provides an excellent and interactive introduction to the European Romantic Movement of the late 18th century.

• Though the Old Town has become a major tourist destination, there’s as yet few hotels here; Motel One Frankfurt-Römer is a very good option but you’ll get more choice elsewhere, with better transport connections.

• The Kaffeehaus Goldene Waage (House of the Golden Scales) is unashamedly touristy but a must-see nonetheless. It’s one of the Old Town’s most flamboyant medieval buildings (though was rebuilt like almost everything else after World War II), and now serves as an upscale café. Otherwise, dining and drinking choices in the Old Town are limited.

• Die Primus-Linie runs sightseeing cruises on the River Main, plus longer excursions into the Rhine Valley.

2. Innenstadt (and Bankenviertel)

The Innenstadt is the city center surrounding the Old Town, encompassing Frankfurt’s primary commercial and shopping districts, as well as the financial center or “Bankenviertel” on its western side. On a map it’s easy to locate – it’s the crescent wedge lying between the Main and the Wallanlagen, a ribbon of park land that follows the line of the old walls. With its Hauptwachestation at the heart of the transit system, it’s a good place to stay, though there’s not a huge amount of choice and the hotels tend to be very pricey – Frankfurt’s top luxury hotels are located here.

Perhaps the biggest attraction of this part of the city is Germany’s largest pedestrian shopping street, the Zeil. This starts at the central square, the Hauptwache, where there’s the Baroque Katharinenkirche (St Catherine’s Church), and the atmospheric Café Hauptwache, in the ornate former police station. To the south there’s a couple of smaller but attractive squares to check out, good places for cake and coffee: Friedrich-Stoltze-Platz and the nicer Liebfrauenberg, where Café Liebfrauenberg has been around since 1893. Running north from Hauptwache is Grosse Eschenheimer Strasse, home to the wonderfully reconstructed Palais Thurn und Taxis, now part of a shopping mall, and ending at the Eschenheimer Turm, a fairytale defensive tower that was once part of the city walls. Nearby Börsenplatz is home to the Börse Frankfurt (stock exchange) and the city’s famed bronze bull and bear statue.

The financial district (aka “Mainhattan”) begins further west, where skyscraper lined Neue Mainzer Strasse really does seem like a (tiny) piece of New York. Though the tallest building is Commerzbank Tower, only its lofty neighbor is accessible to visitors, the 200m-high Maintower – views from up here are the worth the inevitable wait in line. To the north lies the elegant Alte Oper, the old Opera House, while to the west Willy-Brandt-Platz contains a series of monuments, of which the giant illuminated Euro symbol is the most popular for selfies. At the southern end of the district is the contemporary opera house, the Oper Frankfurt and the main Jewish Museum, housed in the former Rothschild mansion. The museum charts not just the long and venerable Jewish presence in Frankfurt before the arrival of the Nazis, but also the history of the Rothschild family, once Europe’s preeminent bankers.

• Frankfurt’s LGBTQ neighborhood (aka “the Bermuda Triangle”) lies in the northeast corner of Innenstadt, on and around Alte Gasse.
•Though it’s not Frankfurt’s premier nightlife area, the Jazzkeller on Kleine Bockenheimer Strasse is a city institution and important hub for live jazz music.

3. Sachsenhausen

South of the river, Sachsenhausen is a large, sprawling neighborhood primarily known for two things: the Alt-Sachsenhausen district of fun but touristy bars, restaurants, and old-school apfelwein (hard cider) taverns; and the strip of museums along the riverbank known as the Museumsufer or “Museum Embankment”. There’s also decent indie shopping to be had around Brückenstrasse and Wallstrasse. Again, there’s not a lot of choice when it comes to hotels here, and it’s not especially convenient for public transport (Lokalbahnhof is the closet S-Bahn station; tram #14 is also useful). Sachsenhausen can be a good choice if you intend to party a lot, though. Libertine Lindenburg and Lindner Hotel are the best places to stay within walking distance, though the DJH Youth Hostel is ideal for those on a budget. Otherwise you can easily walk to Museumsufer from the Altstadt or Bahnhofsviertel via bridges across the Main.

Though all the museums along the river are excellent in their fields, most of them are quite specialized and will appeal mainly to aficionados (the level of English labeling varies, but there’s usually some). The highlight and must-see is the world-class art collection at the Städel Museum, recommended for anyone with even a slight interest in European art and paintings. Key worksinclude Max Beckmann’s Still Life with Saxophones, Picasso’s Portrait of Fernande Olivier, Rembrandt’s Blinding of Samson, and Tischbein’s Goethe in the Roman Campagna, probably the most famous portrait of the great German writer. Art lovers might also enjoy the Ikonen-Museum with its collection of Orthodox icons, the massive sculpture collection at the Liebieghaus, and the Museum Giersch at the western end of the Museumsufer, showcasing art from the Rhine–Main region. The Film Museum chronicles the history of movie-making and is popular with families, as is the Weltkulturen Museum, the city’s ethnological museum, with an especially good African section. Visit the Museumsufer website for the full rundown of museums.

• Every other Saturday, the Schaumainkai section of the riverside “Museum Embankment” hosts a flea market (“flohmärkt”) selling everything from toys to locally made arts and crafts, used bicycles, and antiques.

4. Westend (Messe Frankfurt)

Frankfurt’s sprawling Westend contains the vast Messe Frankfurt fair grounds and an extension of the city’s business district, symbolized by the soaring Messeturm, a landmark skyscraper. There’s plenty of hotels around here, convenient for trade fairs and well-connected by public transit, though somewhat lacking in character – it’s not an attractive part of the city.

In contrast, the leafier streets east of the Messe grounds and Senckenberganlage are some of the prettiest in Frankfurt, their late 19th century villas much in demand with the city’s elites. There are far fewer hotels over here, but they tend to be quieter, romantic and a lot more appealing. In terms of sights, there are several attractions that will pique the interest of most children. The Naturmuseum Senckenberg is a natural history museum with an intriguing selection of dinosaur bones and ancient fossils, while the EXPERIMINTA Science Center is an interactive science museum, with some labeling in English (most exhibits tailored to the 6–12 age group). The Palmengarten is wonderful Victorian-style botanical garden, which along with the neighboring Botanischer Garten Frankfurt and Grüneburg Park form the largest green space in the city. To the east is the campus of Goethe University (Goethe-Universität) – it’s worth stopping by the cafe in the landmark IG Farben Haus to see the huge former chemical company headquarters that was once the largest office building in Europe, and later a US Army and CIA base (aka “The Pentagon of Europe”).

• Messe and Frankfurt West stations are well served by S-Bahn trains, with Festhalle/Messea useful subway (U-Bahn) station. The more residential areas of the Westend are mostly served by bus and tram, though the Westend/Palmengarten U-Bahn is useful.

• The largest synagogue in Frankfurt is the beautiful Westend Synagogue in Freiherr-vom-Stein-Strasse (built in 1910 and barely surviving World War II). Guided tours can be arranged in advance.

5. Bahnhofsviertel (Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof)

The somewhat edgy and always lively Bahnhofsviertel neighborhood is a grid of narrow streets that lies between Frankfurt’s main train station(Hauptbahnhof), and the city center (Innenstadt).Though the whole area was once the city’s premier red-light district and retains a somewhat mixed reputation, this is where many visitors end up staying – the neighborhood is crammed with hotels, most of them budget. Though many of these are lower quality, there are some great bargains to be had – we list the best hotels below (and there are a couple of excellent hostels also). In addition to price, the main draw is location: stay here and you’ll be able to walk with your luggage from the train station to your hotel. Bahnhofsviertel is also the up-and-coming nightlife hub of Frankfurt, especially lively on Kaiserstrasse – this can make things noisy at night depending on where your hotel is, but it’s convenient if you want to sample the city’s hip bars and clubs. Finally, don’t be put off by the area’s reputation; while there are still some drug users and homeless people around (and officially sanctioned brothels along Taunusstrasse), it’s not dangerous if you use common sense. (There wouldn’t be so many hotels here if it was that bad.) Most of the neighborhood has been gentrified – just avoid Taunusstrasse if in doubt.

• Bahnhofsviertel doesn’t have any “sights” as such – its main attraction for visitors is nightlife, location, and a decent selection of cheap international restaurants, from Malaysian to Turkish. The English Theatre on its eastern edge is a major performing arts venue, with productions in English.

6. Ostend/Bornheim

The Ostend (“east end”) of Frankfurt covers a vast swathe of the city, east of the Innenstadt. The southern section includes popular Zoo Frankfurt, the specialist Deutsches Architekturmuseum which focusses on architectural exhibitions, and the European Central Bank (off limits to visitors). Also at the southern end of the district, the regenerated docklands along Hanauer Landstrasse, is a mix of restaurants and warehouses converted into bars and live venues – this also where most of the area’s hotels are located. Staying here can feel a little divorced from the city center, but transport links are not bad (trams run up and down Hanauer Landstrasse), and the hotels tend to be new and very good value.

To the north lies Bornheim, best known for Bergstrasse, a long street lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants – it’s a great place to seek out more independent stores and boutiques, and there are a lot fewer tourists here. There’s also a bi-weekly farmers’ market (Wed and Sat, at the junction of Berger Str and Arnsburger Str). Thanks to the U-Bahn it’s easy to reach, but there are no hotels here really – apartment rentals are the way to go. You’ll also find some of Frankfurt’s best traditional pubs like Apfelwein Solzer, around since 1893, the classy Bornheimer Ratskeller, and Schmärrnchehotel and restaurant, with roots that go back to 1863.

• The docklands area of Ostend is served by Frankfurt Ostbahnhof, a major train station and U-Bahn (subway) station, but not the S-Bahn. Most hotels are a short walk from here. For the northern Bornheim section, Bornheim Mitte U-Bahn station is the best for Bergerstrasse (Schmärrncheis closer to Seckbacher Landstrassestation).

Other Frankfurt Neighborhoods

We’ve covered our favorite neighborhoods to visit and stay in more detail above, but with more time the following districts are also worth checking out. Note also that assuming it’s near a train station, it’s always worthwhile considering a hotel beyond the city limits for accommodations that are quieter or cheaper. In addition to the below, you can also reach major tourist destinations such as Bad Homburg, Darmstadt, and Mainz and Wiesbaden on the Rhine quickly and conveniently using the cheap S-bahn transit system from Frankfurt.

  • Höchst: Originally an independent city, Höchst is now part of west Frankfurt, with an attractive old town of narrow lanes, cobblestone streets, and beautiful half-timbered architecture seemingly out of Brothers Grimm tales (known as “fachwerk”). Highlights include the old castle, the Altes Schloss, the Porcelain Museum, and Saint Justin’s Church. It’s just 9 minutes from Frankfurt main station by train, and the Lindner Congress Hotel is pretty good for a stay.
  • Industrial Offenbach (just 11 minutes from Frankfurt city center via S-bahn trains) is often overlooked by tourists (and was also heavily bombed in World War II), but there a few things to see, and its promenade along the River Main is especially beautiful. Highlights include the Klingspor Museum of typography and calligraphy and the huge German Leather Museum. Good hotels here include Delta, Leonardo, Holiday Inn Express, Green Residence Boutique, and Sheraton.
  • Hanau (26 minutes from Frankfurt city center) was where Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm grew up in the late 18th century, and their famous fairy stories are celebrated at the annual Brothers Grimm Festival held here every summer. Much of town center was rebuilt after World War II but retains some charm, while on the edge of Hanau lies Schloss Philippsruhe, a magnificent Baroque palace. Hanau is best on a half-day trip, but the Hirsch Hotel and Riesen Junior are reasonable places for an overnight.
  • Of all the outer suburbs worth considering, especially if there’s a big trade show on, we like Eschborn. The modern hotels here tend to be good value considering the quality – not budget, but better than you get in the city at a similar price point. Eschborn Südstation is just 15 minutes ride from the Frankfurt main station on frequent S-Bahn trains. Excellent hotels here include Leonardo, Moxy, the niu Belt, and Hyatt House.
  • There’s not much point in staying near Frankfurt Airport in the southwestern part of the city unless you have an early flight (it’s an easy S-Bahn or train ride but the best hotels here are not much cheaper than the city center). If you do need to stay here, the best hotels are the expensive but convenient MY CLOUD Transit Hotel (inside the terminal – international flights only) and Sheraton, plus the Hilton Frankfurt Airport and Hilton Garden Inn. Nearby is b’mine Frankfurt Airport, Hyatt Place, and Hampton.

About Santorini Dave

Santorini Dave I'm Santorini Dave. I started this site in 2011 with a short article on tips for visiting Santorini with kids. We're now a small team of writers and researchers dedicated to providing the best travel content on the internet. We focus on Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, and Greece, offering recommendations for top hotels, neighborhoods, and family-friendly hotels worldwide. I can be contacted at dave@santorinidave.com.