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Germany : Frankfurt - December 2007

Country Code: Dial for Germany

December sees Frankfurt at its best – no other German city has so many museums, the city’s operas and galleries have benefited from the largesse of the banks, and winter’s cultural calendar is packed. Guy Dittrich shows us round a city that only seems to shut down at night

Getting around

Frankfurt Airport is 12km outside the city centre.

Train: The easiest way to get into the city centre is on regional S-Bahn lines S8 and S9. The journey takes about 11 to 13 minutes, and a single ticket costs around €4.
Taxi: A trip to the centre of Frankfurt costs about €20 and takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the traffic.
Tourist information: The main office is at Hauptbahnhof (tel. , frankfurttourismus. de).

RÖMERBERG

During December the historic heart of the city is dominated by a huge Christmas tree.

Sleep soundly – Admire the Gothic features of the Kaiserdom (Dom Platz) beside the post-modernist triangle of the Museum of Modern Art (Domstrasse).

Shop til you drop – For the best in chocolate, go straight to Bitter & Zart (4 Domstrasse).

FRESSGASS

This is the local name for the city’s pedestrianised shopping zone.

Sleep soundly – For deluxe accommodation, look no further than Villa Kennedy (70 Kennedyallee, 7120, www.roccofortehotels.com, rooms from €260). Otherwise, try Hotel Cult (56 Offenbacher Landstrasse, tel. , hotelcult.de, rooms from €59)

Culture vultures – Head to the Goethe-Haus (23-25 Grosser Hirschgraben), birthplace of the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Frankfurt’s most famous son.

Dance the night away – At Kleinlaut & Brown (34 Stiftstrasse) the DJ spins tunes under the fish tanks.

Shop til you drop – Goethestrasse is packed with luxury brands. Abaci (14 Junghofstrasse) specialises in tailored menswear. Ria Leslau (53 Hochstrasse) has a good selection of delicate jewellery.

MUSEUMSUFER

A stroll along Schaumainkai takes you past no fewer than nine museums.

Culture vultures – You’re spoilt for choice here. The Städel Art Museum (63 Schaumainkai) and Museum of Applied Art (17 Schaumainkai) sit alongside specialist museums such as the German Museum of Architecture (43 Schaumainkai) and the German Film Museum (41 Schaumainkai) » Must eat Between two wings of the Städel Art Museum you’ll find the Mediterranean restaurant Holbein’s (1 Holbeinstrasse, tel. ). Apfelweinwirtschaft Adolf Wagner (71 Schweizerstrasse, 2565) does good local food.

Must drink – Keepers Lounge (78 Schweizerstrasse) is a popular local haunt. Biancalani (7-9 Walthervon-Cronberg Platz) is slightly more sophisticated.

BAHNHOFSVIERTEL

A few minutes’ walk away from the train station you’ll discover the contemporary architecture of the Westhafen development.

Sleep soundly – Design hotel The Pure (86 Niddastrasse, tel. , the-pure.de, rooms from €160) is well-named, with its comforting, all-white interiors.

Culture vultures – The viewing platform at Helaba Tower (52-58 Neue Mainzer Strasse) enjoys the best views of the city.

Must eat – Frankfurter Botschaft (6-8 Westhafenplatz, tel. ) has a lovely, riverside location. Nizza Am Main (17 Untermainkai, tel. ) specialises in accomplished Mediterranean cuisine.

Compiled by Guy Dittrich