Frankfurt 3-day itinerary

Start at Römerberg, the medieval heart of Frankfurt, rebuilt after WWII destroyed 95% of the old city. The Römer (city hall) with its iconic stepped gables has been Frankfurt's political centre since 1405. Walk through the DomRömer Quarter and its 35 meticulously reconstructed historic buildings. Visit the Kaiserdom (free), the Imperial Cathedral where Holy Roman Emperors were crowned. Climb the tower (€3, 328 steps) for old-town views.

Lunch at Kleinmarkthalle, Frankfurt's premier food hall with 60+ stalls selling everything from Handkäs mit Musik to Turkish börek, Italian pasta, and Vietnamese pho. A full meal costs €6–10. Then ride the elevator to Main Tower's observation deck (€9, 200m), Frankfurt's only publicly accessible skyscraper roof with 360° views of the skyline, River Main, and Taunus hills beyond.

Cross to Sachsenhausen for the quintessential Frankfurt evening. Walk the cobbled lanes around Schweizer Straße and Alt-Sachsenhausen. Pick an Apfelwein taverna: Adolf Wagner, Dauth-Schneider, or Zum Gemalten Haus (the oldest, with painted facades). Order a Bembel of Apfelwein (€2.50/glass), Grüne Soße (green herb sauce), and Frankfurter Rippchen (cured pork chops). Communal tables and loud conversation.

Visit the Städel Museum (€16, free under 12), one of Europe's finest art collections spanning 700 years. Cranach, Botticelli, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Monet, Kirchner, Bacon, and Richter all under one roof. The basement contemporary gallery in its underground light-dome space is architecturally stunning. Allow 2–3 hours minimum. Coffee at the museum's terrace café overlooking the River Main.

Stroll the Museumsufer, 13 museums along the south bank. If the Städel was your morning, consider the German Film Museum (€7) for cinema lovers or the Museum of Applied Art (€12) in Richard Meier's beautiful white building. Walk across the Eiserner Steg footbridge, the love-lock bridge with views of the skyline reflected in the Main. Lunch at Maxie Eisen in Bahnhofsviertel for pastrami sandwiches (€10–14).

Explore Bahnhofsviertel, Frankfurt's station quarter, once seedy, now the city's hottest neighbourhood for food and nightlife. Naiv has creative cocktails in a candlelit basement (€10–14). Stanley Diamond does excellent natural wines. For something edgier, Robert Johnson in Offenbach (20 min by S-Bahn) is one of Europe's best techno clubs. Or stay local at the bars along Münchener Straße.

Visit the Goethe-Haus (€10), the childhood home of Germany's greatest writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The restored 18th-century interiors and family library give insight into bourgeois Frankfurt life. Walk to the Zeil, Frankfurt's main shopping street with the futuristic MyZeil mall (designed by Massimiliano Fuksas with a canyon-shaped atrium). Coffee at any of the third-wave cafés around Berger Straße.

Take the U-Bahn to Palmengarten (€7), Frankfurt's stunning 22-hectare botanical garden with tropical greenhouses, rose gardens, and a beautiful lake. Then walk through Bockenheim, a student neighbourhood around Goethe University with independent bookshops, affordable restaurants, and a multicultural food scene. Lunch at a Bockenheim Imbiss for döner or currywurst (€4–6).

Final dinner at Haus Wertheym on Fahrtor, the only half-timbered house that survived the WWII bombing, serving traditional Frankfurt cuisine since 1479 (mains €14–22). Or keep it budget at Kleinmarkthalle for a last round of market food. End the night on the Eiserner Steg bridge at dusk. The Frankfurt skyline (nicknamed "Mainhattan") reflected in the river is one of Europe's great urban views.