Frankfurt is a city I had attempted to visit twice before, a city that COVID restrictions kept me away from, a city that any Germans I spoke to told me to skip, a city known for bankers, and in recent times, a city centre crawling with drug addicts. It’s a city we decided to go to quite last minute with not much planned. It’s a city that despite all the naysayers, I really enjoyed visiting.
I’m not going to advise you to visit it above Köln, Munich or Berlin – but if you’ve ticked those off from Germany, why not visit Hesse’s largest city.
We stayed in Sachsenhausen, a district (or Stadtviertel, if you want to sound German) south of the river Main. It was filled with quirky bars, and eateries, and we can avoid the aforementioned drug addicts and worse, bankers, from the financial centre of the city (or, as they say in Germany, Innenstadt).
We dropped our bags off at the hotel, checked in, and went exploring our neighbourhood. We stayed in the Royal Hotel on Wallstraße – an affordable option in an incredible location.
Our first location, was to the promenade along the River Main, where we did as the Germans do (and grabbed a few drinks from a späti and relaxed by the water). Life just went by as we chilled, and the view of the skyline was great. It was an exceptional way to pass a few hours taking in the ambience.
Though eventually the sun got to us. So we sought out somewhere with shade, the beergarden (or Biergarten) at Lokalbahnhof. It was an extremely quirky location with decorative umbrellas adoring the side of the main bar. We ordered some plates of chips (or fries, for any American readers) to nibble on here. The service was exceptional, quick and friendly. I’d recommend stopping here should you find yourself in Frankfurt.
The rest of our first day was largely uneventful. We had stayed around Sachsenhausen, on a bit of a bar crawl mingling with locals. But it’s a fun area.
The next day, we ventured to nearby Offenbach for a football match. We had failed to get tickets to Eintracht Frankfurt, and I was curious about 4th division football in German (I’m not trying to be a football hipster, I promise).
Kickers Offenbach, though now languishing in the German Regionalliga, twice finished runners up of the German championship (1950 and 1959), and proceeded to win the DFB-Pokal (the German Cup) in 1970.
Their fans were passionate, and although they were playing against poor opposition (Astoria Walldorf, named similarly to the Waldorf Astoria hotel, as its’ founder came from Waldorf, and his descendants helped fund the football club when it was formed), the game finished a dull 1-1 draw.
We went to Zum Bieberer Berg afterwards, a Kickers’ fan bar, where fans told us that the attendance would have been better if they were up against more prestigious opposition, as many fans boycott Waldorf over SAP’s involvement in the team, similarly to the case with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.
For Offenbach being a city I was warned was dangerous, and Google AI tells you to skip, I found character, and friendly locals. A taste of real Germany, not just overpriced tourist traps.
We got back to Frankfurt and changed, and went to Zum Gemalten Haus to try some local dishes.
Green sauce is the big “delicacy to try” around Frankfurt, paired with Apfelwein (essentially cloudy cider, despite it translating as “apple wine”).
After lining our stomachs, we hit the mean streets of Sachsenhausen for a night out, where we bumped into a group from Scotland who noticed us at the game in Offenbach earlier that day, thus capping our descent into a mad Sachsenhausen pub crawl at the first or second pub we went to. We ended the night in real German fashion with a Döner kebab and then ventured off to dreamland.
The following day, following a deserved late awakening, we ventured over the River Main for the first time. We found a cafe, and FaceTimed home to see how our son was getting on with his grandparents, and then normal service was resumed with CityBeach.
CityBeach. What a phenomenal concept. What is it you may ask? It’s a beach. In the city. Is it on the river bank? Nope. By a lake? Nope. It’s on top of a multi-story car park.
After cosplaying that we were in Miami Vice for a bit, we left CityBeach to explore the famous old town centre, Römer.
With half timbered style architecture, Römer is very photogenic, nestled right next to the high rise financial district, here’s where you encounter the hoardes of tourists. And rather than go on a tourist rant (ironic, as this is a travel blog, I know), I will say, I don’t blame the tourists for coming here. As it’s really nice.
Tucked behind the Römer is Kaiserdom St. Bartholomaus, where I attempted to absolve myself of my sins.
I was surprised to learn this was a Roman Catholic Cathedral, as normally Catholicism is a lot more glitzy. Preaching “feed the poor” whilst on an altar filled with gold. I thought perhaps this Cathedral had Calvinist influence or stewardship over the years, but alas it’s plain inside because the RAF bombed it in World War 2.
It was the site of numerous elections to dictate who would be the next Holy Roman Emperor.
After exploring Römer, and grabbing dinner, we ventured back across Eiserner Stag, a bridge in Frankfurt bedazzled with locks. The responsible travel influencers always tell you “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but memories”.
In true tourist fashion, we also left a lock.
Thanks for being cooler and more fun than everyone says you are, Frankfurt (and Offenbach).
