Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Not to be confused with Frankfurt an der Oder, Frankfurt am Main is the bustling urban centre of Europe. I’ve probably been to Frankfurt about a dozen times for railway transfers that took anywhere between two to six hours each time. Because the Frankfurt Hbf is located right in the heart of the city, I’d manage to squeeze in a sight or two each time I visited. Before long, I’d have visited most of the city’s main attractions.

The first time I really got to see the city for a whole day was when I had to get my mother from Frankfurt because all the airports in Berlin were on strike. Getting out of the train station you’d immediately notice the iconic skyscrapers of Frankfurt like the Main Tower, Commerzbank Tower, and DB Tower. The most iconic of those is the former seat of the European Central Bank with its Euro logo adorned with the starts of its member states.

Walk down along the Zeil to Biebergassee and you’ll find yourself surrounded by shops making the half-hour stroll to the old town seem pleasant. The Zeil will lead you straight to the Hauptwache in the hear of Frankfurt – one of Europe’s most famous town squares. It used to be a police station and is one of the few buildings to partially survive the bombings in central Frankfurt.

Head north to the charming buildings of Römerberg for a cup of coffee and a break before going down an alley to the clay-red Frankfurt Cathedral. Although it’s not as spectacular as the one in Cologne, it is still really tall. Walk out across the Main on the Eiserner Steg footbridge where couples put locks on the railing as a symbol of their love, the views range from the skyline of a modern metropolis to medieval church towers.

If you’re up for more German cities with modern marvels, Stuttgart should be on your list, too!