Sightseeing attractions along the route

Frankfurt Zoo - Museum of Modern Art - Cathedral - Römer - Paulskirche - Willy-Brandt-Platz - Hauptbahnhof - Festhalle/Messe - Friedensbrücke - Museumsufer - Alt Sachsenhausen - Portikus  

 

Frankfurt Zoo

opened in 1858 and relocated to the Pfingstweide (its present location) in 1874, is one of Europe’s most visited zoos. Over 5,000 animals from almost 600 different species bring the zoo’s animal houses and outdoor enclosures to life. Special attractions include the exotarium, home to some exotic species; the new jungle environment for big cats and the nocturnal animal house, where day is artificially turned into night, to enable visitors to observe the activities of normally nocturnal animals during our daytime.
Station: Zoo

The Museum of Modern Art

The "slice of cake" (the nickname given by local people to this distinctive, triangular building), with its unconventional interior stages a constantly changing programme of contemporary art exhibitions.
Station: Börneplatz

The Cathedral,

built on the cathedral hill, has been a residential district since the Bronze Age. The former collegiate and parish church has been called cathedral since the Middle Ages. As of 1356 the Cathedral was the place where German kings were elected and where the German emperors were crowned from 1562 to 1792.
Station: Börneplatz

Römer,

formerly Frankfurt’s town hall and now home to the municipal council, is a group of eleven town houses on the western side of the Römerberg. Work to convert three gothic, staggered gable houses, the “Zum Römer“, “Alt-Limpurg“ and “Löwenstein” into the town hall, commenced in 1405. Römer is now the showpiece and symbol of Frankfurt. In a wider sense “Römer” means municipal authorities. The first imperial staircase dating from 1405 now functions as the entrance staircase to the wedding suite.
Station: Römer/Paulskirche

Paulskirche

is a circular building in the classical style and shaped like an ellipse. Meetings of the German Vorparlament and the German National Assembly were held here in 1848/49. A fire destroyed the interior of the building in 1944 but the church was reopened on 18 May 1948 following restoration work. Nowadays the Paulskirche, which is seen as a symbol of freedom and democracy, is no longer used as a church. Leaving the Paulskirche and Römer building complex behind us, we pass the Bethmannhof and the former site of the Federal Audit Office.
Station: Römer/Paulskirche

Willy-Brandt-Platz (formerly Theaterplatz)

left – Municipal Theatres – a new building complex was constructed between 1951 and 1963 to house the opera house (1,400 seats), the playhouse (710 seats) and the studio theatre (200 seats) under one roof. Directly opposite lies the European Central Bank (Euro Tower)
Station: Willy-Brandt-Platz

The Hauptbahnhof (main station),

with its beautiful sandstone facade, opulent architectural sculptures and diamond-shaped departure hall was opened in 1888 and is now the second largest railway station in Germany after Leipzig. Around 300,000 rail passengers and 50,000 visitors pass through the station on a daily basis, with approximately 1,500 trains arriving and departing every working day.
Station: Hauptbahnhof

Festhalle/Messe

Fairs have defined the commercial and cultural life of Frankfurt since the 12th century. The IAA and Book Fair, along with many other events, justify the leading international role played by Frankfurt as a trade fair venue. The dome-shaped Festhalle built in 1909 and the Congress Center now form an integral part of the Frankfurt Fair & Exhibition Center. The architecture of the 265 metre high Messeturm is a postmodernist imitation of the US skyscrapers of the 1920s.
Station: Festhalle/Messe

Friedensbrücke

rebuilt between 1950 and 1951, the 300 metre long bridge rests on four columns in the river. In 1945, the Friedensbrücke was the only bridge across the Main in Frankfurt not completely destroyed by the bombing. The US army entered the city on 26 March 1945 via this bridge. On the southern side of the bridge stands a bronze statue by Meunier (1893) called "the dock worker". To your right, what was once the Westhafen (western port) is currently undergoing a transformation with the construction of an attractive, modern residential development.
Station: Baseler Platz

Museumsufer 

A view of the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie art galleries. The Städel building was built in the historicism style in the four year period between 1874–78 and has been completely open to the public again since its renovation in 2000. It is one of the most beautiful and most richly endowed art galleries in Europe. The Städel building also forms an integral part of the district of Frankfurt known as the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment).
Station: Stresemannallee

Alt Sachsenhausen 

Turn to left into the famous Klappergass and we come to “Alt-Sachsenhausen”. The life-size stone statue known as “Frau Rauscher” welcomes visitors to a glass of cider. The naturally cloudy tipple from the Possmann family cider presses is available from all good food stores or through the retail drinks trade. Cider bars: Sachsenhausen’s traditional cider bars serve the Frankfurt cider now famous around the world. The cider is a slightly acidic but extremely pleasant wine made from local apples. The enjoyable beverage is drunk from a slip-resistant, ridged glass, known as a “Geripptes” and is poured from a traditional pottery jug known as a “Bembel”. The cider is best enjoyed with an authentic “Handkäs mit Musik” (local cheese speciality) or a hearty meal of “pork rib and sauerkraut”.
Station: Frankensteiner Platz

Portikus

the white portals of the municipal library which was totally destroyed in 1944 stand at the foot of the steps leading to the Ignatz Bubis bridge. The building dates back to the period between 1820 and 1825 and is now used for art exhibitions.
Station: Allerheiligentor