Frankfurt Attractions

Römerberg is the central square in Frankfurt's historic Old Town. It is bordered by a number of picturesque historic houses. At its center stands the city's most famous fountain, the gerechtigkeitsbrunnen.

Dubbed 'the Fifth Avenue of Germany', the Zeil is Frankfurt's main shopping street. Several malls border the street including the modern Zeilgalerie and futuristic looking MyZeil.

Frankfurt's cathedral was the site where emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned between 1356 and 1792. The interior is decorated with beautiful 15th century retables.

The Römer, Frankfurt's city hall was originally built between the 15th and the 18th century and last expanded in the early 20th century. The complex is one of the city's most important landmarks.

Alte Oper opened in October 1880 as the Opernhouse, Frankfurt's Opera House. Heavily damaged during WWII, it was reconstructed as a concert hall and renamed Alte Oper (Old Opera).

At 259m Commerzbank Tower was the tallest building in Europe when it opened in 1997. The building is considered the first 'ecological' skyscraper due to its sky gardens and energy-saving technologies.

The Goethehaus is Goethe's house of birth. Its interior is reconstructed with 18th century furniture. Adjacent to the Goethehaus is a museum with objects relating to the famous writer.

The first ever freely elected German parliament had its seat here, in the Paulskirche. The parliament was shortlived however and the church was again used for religious services until it was destroyed in WWII.

The baroque Hauptwache, now a cafe, was built in the 18th century as a police. It is located at the heart of Frankfurt's inner city, near the city's main shopping streets.

The Palmengarten is a park with a large collection of tropical and subtropical plants, housed in several glass structures like the Palm House, a greenhouse originally built in 1869.

The Eschenheimer Turm is one of the few remaining towers of the medieval fortifications that encircled the city. The gothic tower was completed in 1428 by Madern Gerthener, architect of Frankfurt's cathedral.

Now a suburb of Frankfurt, Höchst is a charming little town with a long history, evidenced by its 9th century church and 14th century castle. The old town has plenty of picturesque half-timbered houses.

The Bethmann Park is a small but pleasant walled park. Originally a private garden, it was opened to the public in 1952. The park's biggest attraction is a beautiful Chinese garden, created in 1990.

The collection of Frankfurt's most renowned museum started with a bequest from a local merchant, Johann Friedrich Städel. Today it has an extensive collection of paintings from the 14th to the 20th century.

Grüneburgpark is one of the largest parks in Frankfurt's inner city. It was created in the 19th century as the garden of the Grüne Burg palace. At a corner of the park is a Korean Garden, which opened in 2006.

Frankfurt's Historisches Museum traces the history of the city from its early beginnings up to the 20th century. The museum is housed in a historic complex known as the Saalhof.

The Senckenberg Museum of Natural History is one of the largest natural history museums in Europe with more than 5.000 exhibits ranging from dinosaurs and fossils to today's life forms.

Frankfurt's famous trade fairs go back to the 13th century when international trade markets were held at the historic Römerberg square. Today the Messe is one of the world's largest trade fairs.

The Börse is home to the trading floor of Germany's largest stock exchange. In front of the building are statues of a bull and a bear, symbols of the falling and rising stock markets.

When the construction of the IG Farben Building was completed in 1931, it was the largest office building in Europe. Today it is the central building of the Goethe University's Westend Campus.

This charming church was built in a Romanesque style in the early 13th century and later expanded in the Gothic style. Inside are a number of beautiful altarpieces from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Museumsufer or Museum Embankment consists of a cluster of museums on the south bank of the river Main. Most museums are housed in large villas, built in the 19th century by wealthy families.

Frankfurt's botanical garden's origins go back to the 18th century, when physicist Senckenberg created a medicinal garden near the city center. Today's garden was created in the 1930s near the Grüneburgpark.