Even though official statistics show an impressive amount of tourists every year, Frankfurt am Main
is not commonly on top of people's bucket lists when it comes to visiting Germany.
Frankfurt operates Germany's busiest airport - almost doubling the traffic of the country's
second busiest airport in Munich and being also the fourth busiest airport
in Europe - so what I'm trying to say is that if you've traveled to Europe from overseas,
there's a high chance that you've already "technically" visited the city.
But have you ever really seen it?
Frankfurt is known as a busy modern city, a hub for commerce and banking,
famous for its business district full of modern skyscrapers that
houses the European Central bank and global businesses like IBM, P&G, Amazon and S.A.P.
...and I can hear you're losing your interest already. That's NOT why we're here today.
Today I'll show you how to have a blast in Frankfurt - on purpose!
Because Frankfurt has so much to offer. It has adorable old-timey buildings,
it has its cool and hip side, it has diversity of culture and cuisine,
it has modern shiny skyscrapers - but also an astonishing amount of
nature - and a surprisingly pleasant fruity drink that is intertwined with its history.
So let’s start with a vaguely numbered list of reasons why you should *not*
consider Frankfurt just a stopover destination!
[Music]
Germany prides itself on beer, but in Frankfurt another beverage is king.
Apfelwein - apple wine - also known as “Ebbelwei”,
“Schoppe” or “Stöffche” has been Frankfurt’s most popular beverage for over 250 years.
You'll mostly enjoy it in apple wine taverns surrounded by jovial older
Germans and of course, other curious tourists.
Despite its name, Apfelwein is closer to cider than wine,
except Apfelwein is still, not sparkling.
Its alcohol content is usually between 5 and 7 %.
It is served in a typical jug with blue decorations called “bembel” and drank
from traditional ribbed glass called “geripptes”.
I've heard that the ribbing on the glass is actually not just for decoration but it was
supposed to help you grip the glass in the times before cutlery when people ate with their hands.
A perfect meal to go with your Apfelwein is
Frankfurter Schnitzel served with traditional green sauce.
A dish so important to the city that it even has its own monument on the outskirts!
And vegetarians don't have to worry - because
green sauce with eggs and potatoes is arguably an even more traditional dish.
And even vegans will find their way as some local establishments started
adapting their menus to offer vegan versions of this traditional dish.
Frankfurt celebrates its love for Apfelwein with an annual Apple Wine Festival.
So if you happen to be in summer, don't miss it!
And for those of you coming any other time there's
an apple wine express line operating on the weekend.
Picturesque, medieval, historic…and built in the 2010s?
The New Old Town in Frankfurt is the result of a unique urban development
project called the Dom-Römer Projekt, which sought to rebuild Frankfurt’s Altstadt - or
the old town - from the ground up. For reasons we probably don't need
to get into here, this area was completely destroyed as between 1939 and 1945 thousands
of tons of explosives were dropped on the city by the Allied Forces.
We don’t have time to dive deep into history today, but basically until the Second World War,
Frankfurt’s old town was one of the best-preserved in Central Europe.
That unfortunately ended with the end of the War and then multiple things happened including…
...the finding of the remains of an original Roman settlement...
...the construction of the Dom-Römer subway station...
...the construction of the brutalist Technical City Hall in 1972...
...the long and drawn out public debates over the future of the district...
...the demolition of the brutalist technical City Hall in 2011...
...and then, finally, the laying of a foundation stone for the new Old Town in 2012, beginning the
total rebuilding of this quarter. That finished in 2018.
So if you weren’t aware that Frankfurt has a beautiful old town district, that could very well
be because, well, until very recently it hadn’t. The Dom-Römer Quarter, situated between the
Dom - Cathedral and Römer - the old city hall building, was rebuilt with some complete
reconstructions and some newly designed buildings incorporating historical style.
Today, the Dom-Römer quarter perfectly balances the dynamic but somewhat cold
appearance of modern Frankfurt. Giving the city back its heart that it was sorely missing.
If however you're on the hunt for some "actual" medieval buildings,
Frankfurt still has you covered.
About 30 minutes West from here is the area of Höchst.
Unlike the center, Höchst was luckily pretty much spared the World War 2 destruction.
A popular day-trip destination, Höchst can offer a true essence of a historical town,
with winding alleyways and timber-frame buildings.
And just like the center of Frankfurt transformed itself in recent years,
so did the city’s notorious Bahnhofsviertel - known better as the city’s Red light district.
A popular spot for drug users in the 80s and 90s, the area around Frankfurt’s train station gained
a reputation as dangerous and rough. And while drugs are still present in the area, various aid
programs and initiatives have managed to lower the death toll and danger to users significantly
Nowadays, many cool bars and restaurants can be found at the Bahnhofsviertel.
The district, now referred to as trendy instead of dangerous,
is home to probably the most diverse community of people in all of Frankfurt.
A wide variety of cultures and social classes meet here to create somewhat of an unique atmosphere.
Visiting the bahnhofsviertel is definitely an experience - experience of contrasts,
just like the rest of Frankfurt.
Vibrant bars and trendy restaurants just a stone's throw away from drug injection rooms.
The red lights of bordellos flickering in the distance as you sit down for a fancy cocktail.
A setting to experience for yourself to truly understand. If you do, please remember to show
respect and dignity to all human beings who find themselves in and around this district.
And Frankfurt has more cool neighborhoods to offer - for example the lively area of
Upper Berger Strasse with its colorful eateries and bars.
All that can make Frankfurt sound very urban, like it’s mostly buildings,
old and new along a river with some small parks in between. However, a quick glance
from above will reveal that Frankfurt is way more than that - Frankfurt is green.
[Music] The perfect
area for relax and leisure, the Frankfurt City Forest covers an entire city district.
Vast swathes of woodland emerge when you view the city from above - whether that’s from the center,
like from the Cathedral’s bell tower or from the Forest itself, like from the lovely Goethe
viewing tower. The Frankfurt City forest is the largest inner-city forest in Germany and
a perfect place for a stroll through nature and a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.
And when you emerge from the woods, relaxed and ready to learn,
Frankfurt has got just the thing for you - more knowledge than you could possibly ask for.
Frankfurt is home to a number of museums - 38
of which are grouped together to form the "Museumsufer" or Museum Riverbank.
That means that you can buy one ticket and visit all 38 of them.
History, Art, Architecture, Film, Football, Leather, Romance - these are only a few of
the topics explored by the ever-expanding list of museums on the MuseumsUfer list.
Picking two or three favorites to see during your stay is really easy and the combined ticket really
makes it worth it. Want to learn more about the city’s history AND see some dinosaurs like I did?
Easy, done. So whether it is genuine interest
or just the weather forcing you to do some museum-exploration, Frankfurt’s got your back.
So...is Frankfurt on your bucket list now?
We hope this video helped to convince you to not waste an airplane stopover and consider spending
a day or two in this city of contrasts. A great place to start your exploration
of Germany or other nearby countries, add Frankfurt to your JayWay itinerary.
Because what better way to see this part of Europe than on a trip which
is custom made to suit your specific needs and preferences by a team of local experts?
Start planning your perfect european vacation today by
going to our website or clicking the link below.
So that's it for me today, I hope you enjoyed it!
Don't forget to like and subscribe and I hope to see you next time! Bye!