An old town that opened in 2018
Between the cathedral and the Römer stands a quarter of half-timbered houses that looks five hundred years old. It opened on 9 May 2018. The Neue Altstadt has 35 buildings — 15 reconstructions of houses lost in the war and 20 new ones built to fit among them. I walk through it and try to guess which is which; I am wrong about half the time.
Underneath it all is the car park. The Dom-Römer garage sits right at the foot of the cathedral.
1.95 metres, and a garage that shuts at midnight
That garage has two catches. Its roof is 1.95 m, lower than the others in the centre, and it is open only 06:00 to midnight. Arrive late for dinner in a tall van and you will not get in; stay out too late and you will not get out.
The second trap is the Christmas market. It fills the Römerberg, Paulsplatz and the Mainkai, and the organisers state it plainly: there is no parking for the event. From late November I leave the car at a P+R and take the U-Bahn.
Apple wine south of the river
Frankfurt drinks Apfelwein, cider, poured from a grey stoneware jug called a Bembel. Apfelwein Wagner in Sachsenhausen has served it since 1931, open every day 11:00–24:00, and has the Bembel on its sign. I sit at a long table with strangers, which is how it is meant to be done.
The motorway ring is the edge of the sticker zone
The Umweltzone is the city inside the motorway ring — the A5 to the west, the A3 to the south, the A661 to the east and north. The motorways themselves are outside. Every car inside needs the green Feinstaubplakette, foreign plates and electric cars included, and the fine is €100 plus fees.
For the book fair or any show at the Messe, the fair's own advice is the Rebstock car park at Am Römerhof, exit Frankfurt-West, with a free shuttle to the halls. It lies outside the Umweltzone.
Ten coronations, 328 steps, and a museum from 1815
Kaiserdom — open daily 09:00–20:00. Between 1562 and 1792 ten emperors were crowned at its altar. The tower is just under 95 metres, 328 steps.
Städel Museum — €19, and €10 on Tuesday from 15:00 to 18:00. Founded as a civic foundation in 1815. Closed Monday.
Goethe-Haus — where Goethe was born on 28 August 1749; €12 with the Romantik-Museum next door.
Main Tower — the viewing platform for the skyline, €9.
Seven herbs, and none above 30 percent
Grüne Soße is Frankfurt's green sauce, protected by the EU since 9 March 2016: seven herbs — borage, chervil, cress, parsley, burnet, sorrel and chives — and no herb may exceed 30 percent of the mix. At Apfelwein Wagner an extra portion is €6, and Handkäs mit Musik — sour-milk cheese with onions — is €5.10.
For lunch I go to the Kleinmarkthalle, more than 60 traders under one roof. Monday to Friday 08:00–18:00, Saturday 08:00–16:00, closed on Sunday.
Books, a marathon, and 28 metres of tree
The Frankfurter Buchmesse runs 7–11 October 2026, open to the public from Friday 9 October; the guest of honour is Czechia. The marathon is on 25 October 2026, with 25,000 runners and streets closed across the city. The Christmas market runs 23 November – 22 December 2026, first recorded in 1393, with a tree 28 metres tall.
What's on
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 7–11 October 2026 | Frankfurter Buchmesse — public from 9 October; park at Rebstock with the free shuttle |
| 25 October 2026 | Frankfurt Marathon — 25,000 runners and road closures across the city |
| 23 November – 22 December 2026 | Christmas market on the Römerberg, Paulsplatz and Mainkai — no event parking |