Frankfurt walking tour & city guide

Römerberg and the new old town

The Römerberg is Frankfurt's historic main square, framed by the stepped gables of the Römer, the city hall for six centuries, and a row of half-timbered houses. Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned in the nearby Frankfurt Cathedral.

Most of the old town was destroyed in 1944. Between the square and the cathedral, the 'new old town', completed in 2018, rebuilt narrow lanes and half-timbered houses on the original medieval street plan.

The skyline and the river

The Main Tower has a public viewing platform 200 meters up, with views over the city's skyscrapers, including the headquarters of the European Central Bank. The Main River is lined with green promenades, and the iron Eiserner Steg footbridge connects the old town with Sachsenhausen.

On the south bank, the Museumsufer is a row of more than a dozen museums, including the Städel, one of Germany's great art collections. Sachsenhausen is also home to traditional apple wine taverns.

Visiting tips

Frankfurt has Germany's largest airport and excellent train connections, so it's a natural starting point for trips along the Rhine Valley, to Heidelberg or to the Romantic Road. Goethe, Germany's greatest writer, was born here, and his family home is a museum.