The architecture, the festivals, the humor – Deutschland ist sehr wunderbar! Days 8 & 9 – Frankfurt, Germany

The timing for this post could not be any better. Frankfurt finishes my last year 10-days Europe adventure and coincidentally (ta-da!) is the beginning of this year 6-weeks Europe road trip, which starts…tomorrow! Yes, I could not be more happy and excited than I am right now. I am going through my last year pictures and memories of Frankfurt and smiling at the thought that tomorrow I will wake up IN Frankfurt and will do it all over again. I am one lucky girl!

To be totally honest about it, Frankfurt is not “my” kind of city. It is a bit too dark, reserved and conservative for my liking. I prefer warm, cozy and charming little towns lost in the abundance of greenery, hills and valleys. I would not call Frankfurt beautiful either. It is versatile, for sure. Charismatic, without doubt. But not beautiful. Not picture perfect, or flawless. And with this teaspoon of salt I am off to lots and lots of tablespoons of sugar.

I began exploring the city with the Zeil – Frankfurt’s main pedestrian promenade and one of the most famous shopping streets in Germany. I did not go there to shop, rather to get the feel of the city, to people watch and to wander aimlessly and happily. I did all that and more. The Zeil offered entertainment and countless street performers at every square – musicians, dancers, singers, you name it. It was crowded with people, however, did not feel suffocating; on the contrary, I felt comfortable and welcomed.





The shopping mall itself, the Zeilgalerie, is a work of art.




From the Zeil I headed straight to Romerberg, Frankfurt’s historic heart and home to the Romer, the city hall for over 600 years and the most important landmark. The square is a beautiful island of half-timbered medieval buildings on one side and picturesque beer taverns on the other. When in Frankfurt, it’s a place not to miss, especially as it can serve as a center point for all other attractions conveniently gathered around it.




The Old St. Nicholas Church is right opposite the Romer. The famous Saal Lane (postmodern style buildings) is behind the church and if you follow that street you will reach the Bartholomew’s Cathedral in about 3 minutes. The Iron Bridge with hundreds of engraved locks is the landmark in itself and a spot with a great view over Main and the old city.






Get cultured and show some reverence to the genius of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe by visiting the House of Goethe, the birthplace of the writer. (6 min walk from the Romerberg)





Take a look at the city from the bird’s-eye view from the top of the Main Tower and the city’s only high-rise open to the public.


Then go across the river to the other part of Frankfurt and visit famous cider and apfelwein taverns , wander the streets, meet the locals and other travelers, stop at funky stores and well, explore what you like and how you like it.





As for me, I found the most amazing toy store, Teddy Paradies, right at the corner of the Romerberg. If I were a kid, I would never leave that place. Hand-made, gorgeous, meticulously crafted toys, each with its own personality…this is the kind of place where I imagine toys wake up at night and live their fairy tale lives until the sun rises and the humans return to ruling the world.






By the way, here I got my new friend and travel companion - Princess Agnes. (after a tragic loss of Snusmumrik I thought I will never recover, by Princess Agnes brought me back to life :)



I figured Frankfurt is an awesome place to shop for toys in general – windows with these doll houses kept amusing me all over the city.




Another peculiar observation – Mercedes Benz is ruling the area and all taxis, trucks, mini buses in Frankfurt are all exclusively Mercedes vehicles. Or, at least, I haven’t managed to spy any different.


I piece of advice – festivals, holidays, traditional folk fairs transform cities into fascinating, frivolous and fun places full of carefree people and gazillions of entertainment, in other words – a perfect time for a visit!

I happened to catch a day of Frankfurt Museum Embankment Festival and could not be more thrilled that I did. Artisan markets, campgrounds, street food, concerts and fireworks – it was a highlight of my trip and despite of enjoying it all solo, I was jumping with joy.








So here it is, my guide to Frankfurt and my impressions of the city. Have you ever visited it? What did you think? 

Happy Saturday, thanks for stopping by and check out my page for new posts (I am thinking about making them a journal style) of my upcoming Europe Road Trip 2015! (39 days, 9 countries, many Many cities and places)