Frankfurt is continental Europe’s largest financial center, but that doesn’t mean only businessmen will enjoy the cosmopolitan city known as Mainhattan, a portmanteau for the Main River and Manhattan, referencing the German city’s spectacular skyline. Frankfurt is home to 14 of the country’s 15 skyscrapers.
In this bustling urban city, tourists and locals alike can get their fill of shopping. Frankfurt is a shopaholic’s paradise, as areas are designated by style and budget. There’s an area for fast fashion brands, another for luxury labels, while another area caters to the antique and independent market. City-lovers can also go to clubs, which Frankfurt has many of.
One notable thing about Frankfurt is that it loves to party. At different times of the year, there are museum celebrations where all 30 museums stay open late for performances, and club celebrations where partygoers can visit 20 clubs for only €12.
Frankfurt is definitely a city that never sleeps. Here are 10 activities you can do when you’re there:
10. Go to the zoo. Zoo Frankfurt is home to 4,500 animals from more than 450 species from different climatic regions in the world. Some highlights are the Ape House, Nocturnal Animals House, the Bird Hall, and the Grzimek House, filled with animals from the Madagascar.
9. See the concrete jungle. If you want to see a different kind of jungle, simply walk around the city. Frankfurt is a center for commerce, culture, tourism, and education, so expect to see skyscrapers wherever you look. The tallest building in Germany and the second-tallest building in the European Union is the Commerzbank Tower, which stands 985 feet.
8. Be a local. The Hauptwache could very well be the heart of the city, because of its location and its reputation as one of the Frankfurt’s busiest pedestrian areas. It is a hodgepodge of buildings, from structures dating back to 1730 to newer ones like an underground mall. The Hauptwache branches out to other shopping and commercial areas.
7. Go back in time. Frankfurt maintains its German roots through some of its older buildings, like the Römerberg, a public square home to the Römer, a complex of nine houses forming the city hall built in 1405; the Frankfurt Cathedral; the Saalhof, a complex which dates back to the 12th century; and the opera house Alte Oper, nicknamed Germany’s Most Beautiful Ruin after the damage it sustained in World War II.
6. Get a little bit of R&R. Frankfurt is known as a green city, with 50% of the city protected as green areas. There is a large forest and many parks, but if you want to rest from shopping, we suggest you visit the Frankfurter Grüngürtel, Mainuferpark, and the Nizza Park for a little R&R amidst brilliant greenery. The Palmengarten is the country’s largest botanical garden.
Go to the next page to see what else you can do in Frankfurt!
