Frankfurt is more than its airport
My Frankfurt travel guide. The Book Fair in October, the Museumsuferfest, the apple-wine taverns of Sachsenhausen, and getting in from FRA.
- Updated
- May 12, 2026
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Frankfurt am Main, usually shortened to Frankfurt, is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 778,589 inhabitants as of 2025 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the foreland of the Taunus on its namesake Main, the city forms a continuous conurbation with Offenbach am Main; its urban area has a population of over 2.7 million. Frankfurt is the heart of the larger Rhine-Main metropolitan region, which has a population of more than 5.8 million and is Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after the Rhine-Ruhr region. Home to the European Central Bank, the city serves as one of the four institutional seats of the European Union. Frankfurt is classified by the GaWC as an Alpha-rated world city.
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My Frankfurt travel guide. The Book Fair in October, the Museumsuferfest, the apple-wine taverns of Sachsenhausen, and getting in from FRA.
Frankfurt is the German finance capital most travelers fly into and immediately leave, and that is half right: it is not Berlin or Munich. But it has a better apple-wine-and-traditional-food scene than its reputation, and the Rhine and Moselle valleys connect directly by rail.
Frankfurt Frankfurt Airport (FRA) sits about 12 km southwest of the center. The S-Bahn S8 / S9 connects directly to the Hauptbahnhof in 12 minutes, which makes it one of the most efficient airport arrivals in Europe.
| Mode | Time | Cost | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-Bahn S8 or S9 | 12 to 15 min | €5.85 single, €11.05 day pass | The default. Direct from FRA Regionalbahnhof to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof every 15 minutes |
| ICE / IC train to Hauptbahnhof | 10 min | €5.85 to €15 depending on operator | Faster but the schedule is sparse. Useful only if your train continues onward to Cologne, Mannheim, or another city |
| Uber / FreeNow / taxi | 20 to 35 min | €35 to €55 | Late arrival, heavy luggage, or a group splitting the fare |
| Bus 61 to Südbahnhof | 30 min | €5.85 single | For hotels near Sachsenhausen. Less common but cheaper than a taxi to that side |
Frankfurt is S-Bahn first for the airport and regional spread, then U-Bahn and tram for the city. The Airport SkyLine is internal airport circulation, not the way into town.
Frankfurt is a trade-fair city. A few weeks are expensive and difficult, while most of the year is straightforward.
| Event | When | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt Book Fair | Mid-October | The expensive week. Hotels fill across the S-Bahn network |
| Major Messe fairs | January to March | Light + Building, ISH, Ambiente, and Christmasworld can double or triple rates |
| Christmas Market | Late November to December 22 | Römerberg and the Old Town get busy, but Frankfurt has enough hotels to cope |
| Museumsuferfest | Late August | Free riverbank museum and food weekend along the Main |
| Apfelweinfestival | Mid-August | Apple-wine tents and tastings on the Roßmarkt |
| Frankfurt Marathon | Late October | Road closures and some hotel tightening |
Most Frankfurt trips are layover trips, so the question is usually airport-adjacent vs central. The two I've used both sit outside the center, which is fine when the next leg is an early flight or an onward train.
| Property | Why | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt House Frankfurt Eschborn | Competent business-side stay | Breakfast is basic and the premium rooms are not big, but no real complaints. Eschborn is a 15-minute S-Bahn ride out, fine for a one-night work stop |
| Moxy Frankfurt Airport | Airport sleep before an early flight | Fits the bill for an airport stay, though it's not super close on foot to the terminals. Shuttle or short rideshare to make the gate |
Frankfurt food has its own side: Handkäse mit Musik (sour-milk cheese with vinegar-and-onion), Grüne Soße (the seven-herb green sauce), Frankfurter sausage (the original), and the apple-wine taverns (Apfelweinwirtschaften) of Sachsenhausen across the river. The picks below cover the casual everyday side. The apple-wine sit-down is a different category and takes a full Sachsenhausen evening.
| Spot | Rating |
|---|---|
| BonVivant Restaurant | Pinned |
| DaVinc Cucina e Vino | Pinned |
| Foods MyZeil Döner Styles | Pinned |
| Gref-Völsings Rindswurst | Pinned |
| Kaffeestube Gutleut | Pinned |
| Kebab Han | Pinned |