What to do on a winter's day in Frankfurt

Winters can be cold in Frankfurt and, although bright and crisp outside, it's only a matter of time before you hanker for somewhere indoors to keep yourself warm. Here are some ideas for the winter months.

Frankfurt cinemas screening films in English

Some cinemas in Frankfurt screen films in the original language, e.g. a British film in english or a French film in french, with German subtitles. Here are some recommendations for watching films in English.

Metropolis, close to the Eschenheimer Tor. Check their webpage for the up to date programme and look for films with the UK/USA flag and "screening in English" written next to it.

E-Kinos,  at Hauptwache (near the Sparkasse). Original language screenings are usually on a Sunday or Monday. Scroll down the program and look for the screening times. If there is an "Original Version" screening then it will be shown at the bottom of the time list .

Mal Seh'n Kino, in Nordend on Adlerflychtstraße. Check the program; for English language films look directly under the title of the film for"englische OmU" or "amerikanische OmU" .

Harmonie cinema, in Sachsenhausen screens films in the original language on Mondays and, occasionally, on additional days. That means French films are screened in French, American films in English etc. Look out for UK/USA films and the words "Engl. OmU" which means "English with (German) subtitles."

Orfeos on Hamburgerallee occasionally screens films in the original language. An added bonus is the lovely restaurant which serves very good pre-screening dinners. To see which films are in English, check the programme for "engl. mit dt. Ut" meaning "English with German subtitles." 

The English Theatre in Frankfurt

The English Theatre hosts some excellent productions. The theatre bar offers snacks and drinks and pre-ordering for interval drinks too. For post-theatre dining, Fundus on Willy-Brandt Platz stays open until midnight. This January and February 2017 the theatre is showing Spamalot. Check this link for dates, times and tickets. 

Inside the Kaisersaal with it's 52 portraits of the Holy Roman Emperors

Frankfurt museums

Frankfurt's museums have regular visiting exhibits so there is always something new to see. This link offers more in-depth information on the entrance fees, a link to the official museums page and regular museum opening times (e.g. many museums are shut on a Monday). A few of the of the visiting exhibits are listed on my "Monthly events in Frankfurt" page, 

City centre cultural excursions

Paulskirche on Paulsplatz is otherwise known as the "Cradle of German Democracy" it was in this building that the first Parliament was hosted in 1848. Today the church is open and free to the public and hosts a permanent exhibit. At the ground floor level text is offered in English, as well as German, and a mural by Johannes Grützke depicts, "The Path of the Representatives to St. Paul's Church." Upstairs hang the flags of the 16 states of Germany.

Attend an organ recital at the Kaiserdom (cathedral). The organ was installed in 1957 and is a spectacular instrument. Details of up and coming recitals are listed on the WALK-FRANKFURT, "Monthly events in Frankfurt" page.

Visit the Kaisersaal - The Imperial Hall displays 52 portraits of the Holy Roman Emperors from Charlemagne (Karl der Große) to Franz II. The entrance can been found on the southside of the Römer building, on Limpurgergasse. Enter through the iron gates and in the courtyard there is a machine where you pay your 2€ entrance fee. Walk up the spiral steps to enter the building. Once inside go up the next set of stairs into the Imperial Hall.  Open between 10:00 - 13:00 and 14:00 - 17:00. Occasionally the Kaisersaal is closed due to private events.

Visit the Cloister (free entry) within the Institute for the History of Frankfurt, and hire an audio guide (2€) detailing the medieval frescos of Jörg Ratgeb. The institute also hosts free exhibits about Frankfurt upstairs. At present the exhibit details the development and maintenance of the Frankfurt Greenbelt.

Jörg Ratgeb frescos at the Carmelite Cloister, Institute for the History of Frankfurt

Go to the Zoo - even during the winter the Zoo is open everyday and has indoor houses as well as outdoor enclosures. Check the webpage for opening and closing times. Right now the Zoo is collecting old mobile phones to raise money for the mountain gorillas in the Congo - have a quick clear out and take your old mobile phone along!

Cafes

If you're in town then check out some of these cafes, listed in another blog post, in which to rest your weary legs and warm up with a coffee, tea or better still a hot chocolate.
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Frankfurt café culture

When you arrive in a new town it's hard to avoid the large chain coffee houses and mediocre cafés, so here's a guide to some of the places the locals like. There's nothing fancy about these places, it's more about, "when in Frankfurt, do what the Frankfurters do"

Wacker's (Kornmarkt 9), closed on Sundays! This is top of the list for good coffee served in a way the Germans like it, strong! Wacker's has been roasting coffee since 1914. The shop is basic, with a small seating area indoors and a few tables and chairs outside. At busy periods, when all the seating is taken, locals spill over onto the other side of the street with their coffee cups and sit on the wall to enjoy a few minutes peace and quiet. Wacker's also sell a variety of cakes and individually wrapped chocolates to accompany your coffee.

Wacker's Coffee Shop - it's like stepping back into the 1950's

Bitter & Zart is also in the old town (Braubachstrasse 14) and offers the air of a 1920's tea and coffee salon. It's famed for it's hot chocolate which is thick, rich and unsweetened (I always laden mine with sugar and order it with whipped cream!) Bitter & Zart offers lunch time snacks as well as home-made cakes, of which one is usually gluten-free. Next door is their chocolate emporium which is also worth a browse.

Bitter & Zart, serving hot chocolate thick enough to stand a teaspoon in.

Naschmarkt am Dom (Domstraße 4) is very close to the cathedral entrance. It's small but offers a good variety of hot and cold drinks and the cakes are baked on the premises. Gluten-free options are also available. 

Metropol Cafe am Dom (Weckmarkt 13) is on the south side of the cathedral.  This laid back, Bohemian cafe, serves great breakfasts and gigantic pieces of home-made cake. It has a lovely garden which is a sun-trap and a great place to hang out in, with a glass of wine, during the in the summer months.  

Tee-haus Ronnefeldt (My Zeil shopping mall, ground floor towards the back entrance) This is the place to go to if you love tea. Ronnefeldt has a long tradition in Frankfurt and has an incredibly large selection of teas to drink on the premises or to buy and take home with you.  

Ronnefeldt Tee-Haus which can be found in the My Zeil Shopping mall

Manufactum brot&butter (Bockenheimer Anlage 49-50) closed on Sundays! This store, come cafe, is located close to the Old Opera House. The cafe is proud of it's artisan foods, freshly baked bread and even offers a glass of unpasteurised milk for those not enjoying a coffee, tea or glass of wine. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and once you've finished snacking you have the chance to visit the Manufactum shop next door which is full of interesting artefacts to browse.

Frankfurt day trip - Stadtwald Frankfurt

Frankfurt has almost 48 square kilometres of forest to the south of the city which is accessible by public transport, bike and car. The forest has well maintained paths for cycling and walking, ponds, meadows and places to eat. A key feature is the Stadtwaldhaus, an informal education centre that, although only offering information in German, can be enjoyed because of it's visual exhibits and animal enclosures.

Getting to the Stadtwald and Stadtwaldhaus

From the city take the number 17 tram in a southerly direction and alight at "Oberschweinstiege". You'll find yourself in the middle of the woods. Head to the front of the tram and there is path that runs across the tram tracks. (The route is marked in blue on the map below) Turn right onto the path and head straight for about 800 metres, crossing a road on the way. Eventually you will see the Stadtwaldhaus on the right. Opening times at the weekend are usually 12:00 - 16:00 on Saturdays and 10:00 - 16:00 on Sundays, but check the website to be sure. At the Stadtwaldhaus you will find recuperating birds of prey who, following injury, are temporarily in an enclosure, a deer field, a pen with wild boars, chickens and even a resident cat. Take the "Rundweg" to enjoy the best views of the deer. 

Black Kite

Chickens at the Stadtwaldhause

Deer at the Stadtwaldhaus

Herr Meier, the resident cat

The deer path in the Stadtwaldhaus

Walks in the Stadtwald

After you've exhausted the Stadtwaldhaus follow the path back towards the tram stop, cross over the tramlines and head straight along the path for a further 200 metres. Through the trees on the right, is the Restaurant Oberschweinstiege. It's a nice place offering lunch, coffee and cakes and evening meals. The choice is extensive and the food good. If you are still in the mood for exploring the woods after refreshment, there is a lovely walk around the lake "Luderbach" which is next door to the restaurant.

For a more extensive walk you have two options (click here for a map with all the details):

1. Pink Route 2km (on the map below) - Leave Restaurant Oberschweinstiege via the same path you arrived on, and head back towards the tram stop. Head north (turn right) along the path that follows the tram lines. After 500 metres, or so, the path moves away from the tram lines you will find yourself at a junction. Go under the bridge and follow the road, the Ziegenhüttenweg. This leads you past a number of small garden plots, known in Germany as Schrebegarten. Part away along this small road is a very relaxed cafe called the Frankfurt Art Bar. Stop at the Art Bar for a drink or carry on a little further to the junction of Ziegenhüttenweg and Gablonzer Strasse and turn left. Here, near the corner, is a traditional apple wine tavern, Zum buchscheer, serving hearty portions of traditional Frankfurt food and bembels of apple wine. A little further on from Zum Buchscheer is the tram stop "Louisa" (tram numbers 14 & 17) and the S-bahn, S3 & S4, from here you can catch the tram or S-bahn for your return journey home.
2. Red route 4km (on the map below) - Leave Restaurant Oberschweinstiege via the same path you arrived on, and continue east (away from the tram stop). After 4 kilometres, or so, you will reach the Goetheturm (Goethe tower). As you walk along the route note the beautiful, tall, beech trees and lush fauna specific to this area of the forest. At the Goethe tower is a childrens play area and a cafe, Schmidt-Peccolo. Between April and the end of October the Goethe tower, standing at 43 metres high, is open for climbing up and it offers great views of the surrounding area.  After all the walking you'll probably want to head home. Walk along Sachsenhaüser Landwehrweg to the bus stop "Sachsenhäuser Warte", where bus routes 30, 36, 954, 960, 961, 962 und 963 depart regularly. Alternatively walk down Wendelsweg to the Seehof park to catch the buses 47 or 48, to Südbahnhof.

Map of stadtwaldhaus, tram stops and walks through the stadtwald frankfurt - Full details also linked here

Where to stay in Frankfurt for maximum access to the sights

This is not a hotel guide, it's a location guide; which location to choose in Frankfurt to maximise being out and about and seeing all the highlights. Frankfurt is a small city with a great local transport system. However, if you want to step out of your hotel and walk into the old town, where do you stay?

There are three key areas that tourists find themselves in. First, the Bahnhofsviertal by the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) which is close to the Messe for the trade fairs and highlighted in red on the map below. Second, the Innenstadt and old town which is the heart of the city and highlighted in blue on the map. Lastly, Old Sachsenhausen famed for its apple wine taverns and lively nightlife, and known as the Brückenviertal highlighted in purple on the map. 

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Map of Frankfurt City Centre

The Innenstadt, old town and heart of Frankfurt

This is the place to stay if you want to step out of your hotel and explore the heart of the city (highlighted in blue on the map). The area is geographically identified by a green park that circles the city centre and the park is the path of the old medieval city walls. Any hotel in this area is central. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the heart of the city and all are accessible without the need for transportation. Walking to the river bank will take a maximum of 10 minutes and from there you have access to the south side of Frankfurt, Sachsenhausen, with its museums and apple wine taverns. At the end of the night, if you're too tired to walk, a taxi is going to cost less than 10€ to get you back to your hotel. From the airport, getting into central Frankfurt is easy using the S-bahn. The S8 and S9 trains from the airport will bring you to three stops in the city centre - Tanusanlage, Hauptwache and Konstablerwache. My one caveat for this area is the eastern end of the Zeil where the Zeil meets Breite Gasse. This very small, contained area is seedy and run down, so worth avoiding.

Frankfurt Bahnhofsviertal, Hauptbahnhof and Messe

The main railway station is 1km to the west of the city centre and it has the biggest concentration of hotels. Unfortunately it's also the red light district and struggles with a drug problem. The area is outlined in red on the map. The concentration of hotels is a legacy from when the railway station was first built and, at that time, the area was one of the nicest in the city. Post war, Frankfurt made a name for itself hosting World class trade fairs and the trade fair exhibition centre is about 500 metres north of the railway station. These days it is still the place where most tourists book a hotel room, but the reality is you will need to use local transportation to explore the nicer parts of Frankfurt unless you are a keen walker. The area around the station is slowly improving with a few trendy bars and some good Thai and Chinese eateries, not to mention the excellent Turkish restaurants on Münchener Strasse. The hostels in this area, which cater for backpackers, are well maintained, safe and security conscious. If you are booking a hotel close to the railway station then my recommendation is to book one south of Kaiserstrasse. The drugs and red light area tend to be north of this street. The added advantage of being south of the station is that you are close to the river bank, which offers a lovely walk into the old town.
Hotels very close to the Messe (trade fair centre) are also away from the problem areas near the main station. However, this area is geared towards the business traveller and doesn't have much to offer except chain restaurants and a sterile environment.

Old Sachsenhausen, the Brückenviertal

There is very little provision of hotels south of the river in Sachsenhausen (the area with a purple outline on the map.) The international youth hostel is here and very well located for enjoying the night life and offering a quick walk across the bridge into Frankfurt city centre. Being residential, Sachsenhausen is the sort of place to stay if you prefer quieter areas, with plenty of local bars and restaurants but without the city noise. A short walk over the Eisener Steg will bring you to the heart of the old town, or use the local transport system to get around.   
 

Frankfurt day trips - Lohrberg by bus or bike

Lohrberg is 7km north east from Frankfurt city centre and is accessible by bus, car or bike (travel details are at the end of this post). It offers one of the best views of the Frankfurt skyline but that's not it's only attraction, Lohrberg is also renown for it's vineyard and orchard. With two cafes offering local food and refreshment lots of Frankfurters head up to Lohrberg to enjoy a relaxing day and be at one with nature. It's free to wander around the orchard which is maintained and cultivated in harmony with the local wildlife. While you wander around you are certain to stumble across chickens, bee-hives and small garden plots offering information about how different habitats benefit different animal species.

View of Frankfurt skyline from Lohrberg (Photo copyright © by Anne Noble)

Having enjoyed the orchard, take time to relax with other visitors (many arriving on their bikes) at MainÄppelHaus, a small cafe selling apple juice produced from the orchard's apples. This Sunday, 18th September 2016, the MainÄppelHaus is hosting an Äpplerfest offering fun for all ages. If you have more of an appetite, head over to the Lohrberg-Schänke for a plate of traditional Frankfurt food and take in the skyline view while you eat.

Orchard at the MainÄppelHaus, Lohrberg (Photo copyright © by Anne Noble)

After Lohrberg head into Bad Vilbel, a town renown for it's mineral water. It's local Hassia brand appears on many a restaurant table across Germany. The Kurpark has lots of interesting features to explore and has a map to download listing the key sites to visit. In addition there is the Milano ice-cream parlour, to be found at Niddapl. 1, 61118 Bad Vilbel

Only a couple of kilometres further on from Bad Vilbel is Dottenfelderhof, a small organic farm open from Monday to Saturday. At the farm you can visit cows, pigs and chickens and afterwards relax for coffee and home-made cake at their cafe. On-site is a small shop, full of organic produce and, depending on the time of year, you might be lucky to "pick-your-own" flowers from one of the nearby meadows.

Piglets at the Dottenfelderhof, near Frankfurt (Photo copyright © by Anne Noble)

Getting there

Cyclists from Frankfurt can enjoy a lovely cycle heading out to Lohrberg and Bad Vibel by following the Nidda river from Frankfurt in an easterly direction. The river meanders through gentle country side and a special highlight on the way is the Tower Cafe at the old Bonames airfield.

By public transport, take bus 30 to the bus stop Heiligenstock, or bus 43 to the bus stop Budge-Heim and a short walk will bring you to Lohrberg. Both journeys are included in the Frankfurt travel zone. Be aware however, that Bad Vilbel is out the travel zone and a supplement will need to be paid. 

There is a car park at Lohrberg with plenty of spaces on Friedrich-Heyer Weg.