Frankfurt/Main (Germany) > Reviews > It's not that bad - really

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Lots of things to do and see
Disadvantages:	it has got its rough spots

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

So, this is my first ever opinion on ciao.uk - I hope you'll forgive me any mistakes, my English is just a tad rusty...

Seeing as I live in Frankfurt and was born close by, I thinks it's only fair that I write something nice about it ;-).

*Arrival*

When you arrive at Frankfurt, you'll most probably hit the Main Train Station at one point or another. And --- this, I admit, is not the best place to detect the city's charme.

Around the train station (Hauptbahnhof) is the red-light-district, so watch out for pick-pockets and don't get put out by any drug-addicts you might see. They are there, but mostly harmless.

The station itsself is in an abysmal state at the moment, the renovation planned could not be financed by Deutsche Bahn AG and the nets you see up on the ceiling are not there to keep the pidgeons out - they are there to protect unsuspecting travellers from falling bits of the roof - no joke.

*City*

But onwards to nicer parts of the town.

Frankfurt, which has a population of about 700,000, was very much destroyed during the war and many of the older houses in the city center are no longer there. Around the Town Hall, called Römer, the visitor can get an impression of what Frankfurt must have been like, here the old houses were rebuilt.

The main shopping-street is called Zeil (S-Bahn and U-Bahn station Hauptwache and Konstablerwache). All the German main-street stores have shops here. There also used to be a Marks & Spencers, which unfortunately they colsed up again *sniffle*.

If you want to go shopping for clothes, this is the place to do it, apart from the large German High-Street stores, there are also some local ones.

Designer stores are found in the "Fressgass" towards the Alte Oper.

*Entertainment*

If you fancy watching a movie and fear your German is not quite up to it, the cinema at Eschenheimer Turm (5 Mins walk from Hauptwache) always shows movies in the original language (mostly English - without subtitles).

Also, Frankfurt sports a CineMaxx cinema featuring 3D movies. It is located on the top of the Zeilgallerie, next to Hauptwache.

Apart from that, there is the Englisch Speaking Theatre located next to Goethe's house in Kleiner Hirschgraben, also close to Hauptwache.

Frankfut sports many museums and galleries, along the Main River you can find the Jewish Museum and the Film Museum, The Museum of Childhood and many others.

The "touristy" bits are found in Sachsenhausen on the other side of the River Main. You can walk there from Hauptwache, and on your way across the "Iron Bridge" don't forget to turn back to get a really nice view of "Mainhattan's" skyline.

Frankfurt also has quite a big zoo with a newborn camel-baby, as well as a very big and historic botanic-garden, the Palmengarten.

If you are looking for more information on where to go and what to see look here: www.stadt-frankfurt.de, the site is also available in English.

*Night-Life*

Alt Sachsenhausen is the place to go if you are looking for something to drink. Our local speciality here is "Apfelwein", or "Äppelwoi" in the local dialect.

It's basically cider but far less sweet and far less chemical. However, if you fancy a Kilkenny's or a Guinness, there are about 3 Irish Pubs in Alt Sachsenhausen.

So, where do "Frankfurters" go when they go out?

Well, there is the Berger Strasse north of Konstabler Wache, a nice street with lots of cafés, restaurants and bars. There is also the Leipziger Strasse near University - my favourite Thai, Bhan Thai, is on this street.

In the city itself you can go westwards of Hauptwache to Fressgass (or Kleine Bockenheimer Strasse, as its real name is), there are some Steakhouses as well as some very good Italians on this street, but the prices are a little higher than average.

*Summary*

Frankfurt may not be the most optically striking German city there is, but it has its hidden charmes, like the flee-market along the Main on Saturday mornings.

Public Transport is well designed and most parts of this town are easily accessible by U- oder S-Bahn, Bus or Taxi.

Basically, there are so many things to see and so many places to go (the Rheingau, Wiesbaden, Bad Homburg), and LOTS of nice Germans to meet, that I am sure you will like this place just as much as I do. It grows on you, believe me.

So, that leaves me to wish you all a good journey and a good stay in this interesting and lively city.

Gute Reise und viel Spass
Heksen

C Heksen 2003

(Parts of this opinion were also posted by me on Dooyoo - this here is a newer version)