Frankfurt, Germany

Shoppers
Frankfurt is home to famous Christmas markets.

Culture Lovers
Opera, ballet, and world-class museums await the culture-driven traveler.

Transfers
Transfers between the airport and hotel are not included with your vacation package; a private car transfer is available for purchase. You can travel to central Frankfurt via the commuter train and selected suburban trains from Terminal 1 to Hauptbahnhof (the main train station in downtown Frankfurt).

Public Transportation
Buses, trams, S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines make up Frankfurt’s efficient, yet somewhat expensive, public transportation system.

Car
If you plan to travel outside Frankfurt, a rental car is recommended. The roads in the city center of Frankfurt can be frustrating due to all of the one-way streets. Outside the city, all roads lead to Frankfurt making travel out of the city just as easy. An experience unto itself is traveling on the German Autobahn.

Taxi
Taxis are abundant and an easy way to get around town.

Frankfurt’s most famous contribution to the world's diet is the Frankfurter Wurstchen — a thin smoked pork sausage — better known to Americans as the hot dog. But much the same as other cosmopolitan cities, many international cuisines are represented in this European financial hub. Some good restaurant choices might include:

• Mosebach
  Friendly and inviting with a wonderful garden open for dining in the summer, Mosebach offers reasonably priced, typical Frankfurt regional cuisine and an all-German wine list.
• 1a-Bavaria
  Featuring affordable, authentic Bavarian cuisine in a rustical, ethnic atmosphere. In the summer, the terrace has an excellent view overlooking the medieval Eschenheimer Turn.
• Borussia
  A favorite of the locals, Borussia serves sophisticated local cuisine and fantastic fish and seafood dishes. Try a three-course specialty dinner made with seasonal ingredients.
• Tigerpalast Restaurant
  An elegant gourmet restaurant honored with a star from the esteemed Michelin Guide. An unforgettable culinary experience.
• Weidemann
  Succulent, seasonal French-Mediterranean dishes are served in an elegant yet laissez-faire atmosphere with outdoor dining during the summer.
• COA
  Tasty, fresh, and healthy food fast. Plus, you'll love the prices. Overlooking the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, you'll enjoy creative contemporary Asian dishes.

Nightlife centers around the Alt Sachsenhausen pedestrian zone. The many foreign-owned bars have altered the village-like character, but a few traditional Äpfelwein (apple wine) taverns remain. Live music also blasts out of bars throughout Alt Sachsenhausen. The best of Frankfurt's live-music scene centers on its excellent jazz venues — Jazzkeller is the most famous. And for those of you who like to cut a rug, try out King Kamehameha Club and L.O.F.T.

Frankfurt’s main shopping district is the chic pedestrian street Zeil, also known as the "Golden Mile." City officials claim it's the country's busiest shopping street, and is famous for its variety of department and specialty stores. Nearby is Goethestrasse, lined with boutiques, art galleries, and antique shops.

A typical purchase in Frankfurt is Äpfelwein (apple wine). You can pick up a taste at any local grocery store, but a more lasting souvenir would be the Bembel, or pitcher, and glasses that are just as much a part of the Äpfelwein tradition. The blue-stoneware pitcher has a fat middle and the glasses are ribbed to give the holder a better grip.

Fastnacht
February – April. Fastnacht is a Lenten festival featuring parades.

International Music Trade Fair/International Jazz Festival
March. Impromptu concerts and well-known musicians hit the many performance centers around the city.

Dippemess
March. Carousels, potter displays, and regional food and wine.

Book Fair
September – October. The world’s largest book fair takes over Frankfurt.

Weihnachtsmarkt
November – December. The world-famous Frankfurt Christmas market gets everyone ready for the Christian holiday.

It's No Hot Dog
The size and shape may be approximately the same, but that's where the similarities end between the common hot dog and a German frankfurter. The Frankfurter Würstchen is made from top quality smoked meat and is a special treat in the town where it originated.

Go Goethe
See the house where Germany's most famous poet was born in 1749. The Goethehaus und Goethemuseum is furnished with many original pieces that belonged to the family of the German polymath who penned Faust, influenced Darwin's theory of evolution, and also worked in music, drama, and philosophy. The original house was lost during the Allied bombing raids of WWII, but has been painstakingly rebuilt and restored in every detail.

Christmas Markets
Frankfurt's Christmas Markets generally open before the first Advent and close two or three days before December 24, so join in the festivities of "Christkindchesmarkt" (meaning Christ Child Market) for all your holiday shopping. Purchase traditional gifts such as a Quetschenmannchen (prune man) for your sweetie, or delight your children with toys this holiday season.

Apple Wine
Any trip to Frankfurt is not complete without a taste of the local specialty. Frankfurt's Apfelwein, or apple wine, is deceptively potent so don't mistake it for harmless cider. It typically accompanies such dishes as Rippchen mit Kraut (smoked pork chop with sauerkraut). The largest concentration of Frankfurt Apfelwein establishments is in the old neighborhood of Sachenhausen, and places that make their own homemade recipe have a pine wreath hanging over the door.

Museum Riverbank
One of the greatest concentrations of museums in Germany and Europe, the Frankfurt museum riverbank is a unique cultural experience on both sides of the Main with exhibitions for art lovers with nine stunning museums on the southern bank alone. On the northern bank are the Jewish Museum and the Historical Museum with the Children's Museum.

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