family travel guide
Frankfurt am Main, more commonly known as Frankfurt, is a large modern city in Germany that grew up on the site of a river crossing almost a thousand and a half years ago. Today it attracts not only tourists, but also financiers and businessmen, as the city is Germany's most important financial and economic centre.
Travellers with children usually choose Frankfurt as a transit point, but there are plenty of opportunities to organise an interesting family holiday — it makes sense to stay in the city for at least a few days. The Kidpassage overview has all the information you need: how to choose when to go, what to see on a family holiday in Frankfurt am Main, where to stay and what local cuisine to try.
Frankfurt am Main is the largest city in the German state of Hesse, the centre of the Rhine-Main metropolitan area and one of the largest cities in Germany. It is located in the south-west of the country, on the banks of the River Main. The distance from Frankfurt to Berlin is 558 km, from Düsseldorf — 229 km, from Munich — 392 km and from Cologne — 190 km.
The city's name translates as the “Franks' river crossing". The river where Frankfurt am Main is located was once a shallow, wading river. The Main is still not particularly deep, but the pleasure boats are deep enough. Frankfurt is first mentioned in the records of the Council of Frankfurt in 794. Since 885, German kings and emperors have been elected in the city, and since 1562 the coronation has been held in Frankfurt.
Holidaying in Frankfurt am Main is not the first thing tourists think of. There are no famous museums like in Berlin, no lakes and ski resorts like in Bavaria, not even a big river like in Cologne.
But it has everything that makes travelling in Germany so enjoyable: perfect roads, immaculate hotels, restaurants to suit every taste and total order. So how can you make the most of a holiday with your child? First of all, get to know the city. The carefully restored old town, the pleasant promenade, the parks and gardens — Frankfurt is a place you just want to walk around all day.
Second, take your time to wander through the museums. It doesn't matter if they're not on the top list — you won't have to queue or crowd. Meanwhile, there is plenty to see in these museums — for example, the skeleton of Australopithecus Lucy or the Alien costume from the Ridley Scott film.
Thirdly, Frankfurt has several special museums for children, each of which is worth a visit. Their exhibits can be serious or humorous, and children will be immediately put in the right frame of mind. Fourthly, a trip to Frankfurt am Main with children is simply a good, quality holiday.
Whether you choose a luxurious five-star hotel or a more modest three-star hotel, the service is first class.
Noisy and bustling, Frankfurt is not ideal for a holiday with a baby. However, if you come during the low season and choose a hotel away from the city centre, you can enjoy a bit of comfort and relaxation.
The low demand for hotels in Frankfurt is something of a myth. And not just because it is a major business and financial centre: travellers have their own reasons for staying in the city.
The season in Frankfurt lasts all year round, although there are a few events that attract the most tourists. First and foremost is the pre-Christmas period, when the city hosts fabulous fairs. Easter celebrations are also well attended. In August, there is the Museumsuferfest (Museum Embankment Festival) and in early September, the state of Hesse welcomes apple wine connoisseurs to Äppelwoi.
Holidays with children in Frankfurt are usually spent in the summer. If you are visiting in June, we recommend the Wäldchestag folk festival in the city forest. It's a big festival with attractions for children, concerts and refreshments.
It is best to plan a trip to Frankfurt am Main with an infant in the spring or autumn. The city is less crowded and the weather is sunny rather than rainy.
To find out when it's best to travel to Frankfurt am Main and what to wear, you need to know more about the city's climate.
Frankfurt am Main's mild climate is perfect for city walks: the stable weather, with no heat in summer and no frost in winter, is ideal for walking and cycling. An umbrella or mackintosh is a must, however, as it can rain in Frankfurt at any time of the year. It rains more often in late spring and summer.
It's not too hot in Frankfurt in the summer. The average temperature in June is only +22°C and in July and August it's around +24-25°C. Sometimes, of course, the thermometer's bureaucratic clocks are used to measure the heat. Sometimes the thermometer reaches +30°C, but it doesn't stay that high for long.
For a summer holiday in Frankfurt am Main, you'll also need to bring some warm clothing, as temperatures can drop to between +15 and 18°C during the day and between +10 and 15°C at night.
The average temperature in September is +19°C. There are a few summery hot days, but mostly clear, slightly cool weather. Rainfall is much less than in summer. In October, the temperature stays between +6-13°C, cooling down to +4-8°C in November.
Frosty winters are rare in Frankfurt. In general, the thermometer stays at +2-4°C during the day and drops to -2-5°C at night. There are a few snowfalls during the winter, but the snow melts quickly in the rain. Spring in Frankfurt is early and sunny. In March the temperature rises to between +6 and +12°C, in April it gets warmer and warmer — but rainy — than in May.
What's the best time of year to go on holiday with children in Frankfurt am Main? Every season is good in its own way. If you don't have to plan a trip for the summer, consider Frankfurt in April and May or September.
Hotels in Frankfurt usually include breakfast in the room rate, usually continental, with occasional buffets. Children's menus are a rare service, although some hotels offer full meals for younger guests.
There are plenty of cafes and restaurants where you can have lunch or dinner with your child. Getting acquainted with the German culinary tradition is a good place to start, especially as Frankfurt has its own gastronomic calling card:
Incidentally, a visit to Frankfurt may dispel the myth that there are no gastronomic delights in Germany other than sausages and beer. Children will love Bethmännchen, little marzipan buns — although they are only baked at Christmas.
Frankfurt marzipan gingerbread, made to an old Christmas recipe, is also delicious. And the sumptuous Frankfurter Kranz cake, a sponge cake glazed with candied fruit and nuts, can be enjoyed all year round. And there's even the Kartoffelpuffer, served with apple puree, which is a treat for children.
If German food doesn't sound good enough for the kids, there are plenty of Mediterranean restaurants, pizzerias and fast food outlets. You can buy baby food and children's toiletries in supermarkets. Just remember that many shops are closed on Sundays.
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It's also time to sing the praises of public transport in Frankfurt am Main. While it is convenient to drive between German cities, it is easier and cheaper to use public transport within the city.
Frankfurt has an excellent public transport infrastructure, with U-Bahn (underground), S-Bahn (suburban), tram and bus lines linking the city districts and surrounding suburbs. All transport follows a strict timetable.
Frankfurt's public transport system is very accommodating to travellers with young children: a special lift helps you get down to the underground with a pram, the carriages have spaces for prams and there are separate doors for entering the carriages (they are marked with a yellow stripe).
A single ticket for all public transport costs €3.40 for adults and €1.7 for children aged 6-14. Day tickets cost €6.65 for adults and €3.3 for children.
If you plan to make active use of public transport, the Frankfurt Card is a good deal. This card gives you free travel on public transport and discounts at museums, restaurants and shops.
The card is valid for 24 hours and costs €11.50 for a single person and €24 for up to five people. The 48-hour card costs €17 and €34 respectively. The card is sold at the railway station, airport, tourist offices and some hotels.
You can order a taxi to travel around Frankfurt am Main. A trip of up to 5 km costs 20 euros. Tourists often use a bicycle taxi instead of a car taxi. It costs about 4 euros per kilometre for a bike and a driver.
Renting a bike taxi is much more expensive than renting a bike. Bicycle hire shops can be found throughout the city and a day's hire costs around €15. For those who prefer to drive, the city's roads are congested during the day. Most of the city centre is closed to traffic.
Family holidays in big cities often turn into a sightseeing race. There's no such thing in Frankfurt — there's plenty to see, but there's no need to rush. The more time you have to explore the old town, the more interesting it is. The town hall — Frankfurter Römer — and the nine houses, each with its own name, were destroyed in the Second World War, but have now been restored to look as they did centuries ago.
You can also take the Ebbelwei-Express tram around the city, where passengers are treated to traditional apple wine from Hesse, Äppelwoi (and apple juice for the kids).
The promenade is also pleasant and, thanks to the artistic lighting, it's as beautiful at night as it is during the day. There are lots of cute little things — ducks and swans coming up for treats, strange trees along the water, an organ grinder by the bridge — to take your mind off everyday life and feel the atmosphere of a fairy tale. In summer, there are attractions for children on the promenade. Take the family on a boat trip down the Main and discover a whole new side to the city: Old buildings are replaced by high-rise business towers.
Skyscrapers are the best example of the city's modern life: Frankfurt has the second highest number of skyscrapers in Europe. Children might be interested in climbing to the observation deck of the Maintower skyscraper, where they can see the whole city from 200 metres up.
Sometimes you want a relaxing or fun break from all the walking and museums. The best place to spend time with the kids is at one of Frankfurt's water parks. Each has two or three water slides, a children's pool, a sports pool, a Jacuzzi, an outdoor seating area and an outdoor swimming pool.
There is Panoramabad Bornheim, in Frankfurt itself, and two more in neighbouring towns — Monte mare in Oberhausen and Rhein-Main Therme in Hofheim.
If the weather is nice, children will happily agree to go to an amusement park. Which one to choose? At Lochmühle, 35 km from Frankfurt, the list of attractions includes a tour of a farm, a tractor ride through a field and an animal encounter in a barn, as well as rafting on a real river.
Taunus Wunderland (50 km from Frankfurt) has more of the usual attractions, but children will also enjoy riding the merry-go-rounds and running along the 'primitive world' trails.
Frankfurt's Old town is almost devoid of greenery, but there are many beautiful parks around it where you can take your child for a walk. The Palmengarten is a popular destination for locals. Children especially enjoy riding the Palm Express train and attending workshops at the Green School.
On Saturday evenings the garden is transformed into a playground by the Papageno Theatre. For a bit of action, Günthersburg Park has picnic areas and playgrounds, including a water playground that's popular with kids of all ages.
The southern part of the city is wooded, but Frankfurt's urban forest is well maintained and a safe place for children to play. The zoo is also great for a stroll.
Frankfurt's main zoo is big, so imagine the time you can spend in the seal pool, the primate pavilion or the little jungle.
Another zoo, Kobelt Zoo, is smaller and quieter, but has lots of animals to pet and feed. If you are travelling with a child in Frankfurt am Main, you should also visit the Alte Fasanerie wildlife park near Hanau. Here you can see wolves, wild boars, elks and small carnivores.
The most bizarre inhabitants of the park are the white polar wolves. Before you go, check the feeding schedule on the park's website. It turns out that there are so many things to do in Frankfurt am Main with a child that you need to make time to visit museums — and there are plenty of them.
Travellers who don't make a list of things to see in Frankfurt am Main are probably right. Many of the city's museums are located in a row on the south bank of the River Main, known as the Museum Embankment (Museumsufer). Not everything will be of interest to children, but there are a few things they can look forward to.
At the Museum of World Cultures, for example, the exhibits are arranged in a special way. There's a display case full of hats from all over the world — different shapes, colours and sizes, made from different materials; there's even a hat made from a hedgehog fish.
The German Film Museum tells you all about the secrets of filming, acting, special effects and editing. You'll be particularly impressed by the costumes of film characters: you can even see the armour of the alien monster from Alien.
At the Museum of Communication you can show your child how people used to send messages in the days before the telephone. The halls are filled with old radio transmitters, telegraphs and telephones — not even all adults can guess the purpose of some of the equipment.
On the north bank of the river, there are a number of museums worth visiting with your child. Start with the Historical Museum, which has a very expressive and detailed plan of the old town.
The rooms of the Senckenberg Natural History Museum are full of surprises. Skeletons of mammoths and dinosaurs are the first things that catch your eye. One of the most interesting exhibits is a cast of the skeleton of an Australopithecus from Africa: Lucy, as it is known, is around 3.2 million years old.
Frankfurt is also home to one of the museums in the Dialogue in the Dark project. It focuses on how blind and partially sighted people perceive the world around them. It's amazing how little people rely on hearing, smell and touch, and how much information the other senses can provide.
In addition to museums for adults and established museums, Frankfurt also has interesting places for children. These are also museums, but with an unusual way of presenting information. At the Children's Museum, for example, young visitors can use antique household utensils and tools, take part in creative workshops or play in the playground.
Experiminta is also about interactivity, but here the focus is on the laws of physics and their practical implications: it is useful to know how to lift weights without effort or build strong bridges without fixing parts. The experiments are like a game, so the learning curve won't be too hard for children.
And a holiday in Frankfurt am Main with the kids will be especially memorable if you visit the museum dedicated to the children's poetry hero, Struwwelpeter. Der Struwwelpeter is an 1845 German children's book by Heinrich Hoffmann, the man who wrote the story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The museum tours are more like a game and are suitable for pre-school and primary school children. Children's museums are located in or near the Old Town.
Despite the abundance of things to do with children in Frankfurt am Main, we recommend that you make time for trips to other towns in Hessen where there is also plenty to see.
Neu-Anspach is famous for its open-air museum, Hessenpark. It tells visitors about the lives of rural families and their traditions. Of course, you can also see old half-timbered houses in the park and children can enjoy the old Hessian school.
Bad Homburg's main attraction is the ancient Saalburg, built by the Romans some 2,000 years ago. The castle itself has been reconstructed and the interior has been recreated to show the everyday life of its inhabitants.
From a children's point of view, the best museum in Hanau is dedicated to toys. The oldest toys in the collection are over two thousand years old, but there are also baby dolls, soldiers, utensils and cars (or rather carriages). The most recent exhibits are familiar to today's children, as they can be found in every home.
Choosing where to stay in Frankfurt is surprisingly easy. Almost all hotels and apartments are concentrated in one area, close to the old town. You will almost always be close to the main attractions in Frankfurt am Main, and you only need to decide on the cost of accommodation and the level of comfort you require.
Frankfurt's most hotel-rich district is the Bahnhofsviertel, where the main train station is located.
There is a wide range of accommodation available: four and five star hotels, budget and good quality three and two star hotels, apartment hotels with in-room kitchens and apartments of varying sizes and comfort. In addition, the Bahnhofsfiertel is a 15-minute walk from the historic city centre and is easily accessible from the airport and all parts of the city.
There is a large supermarket close to the station, which is particularly handy if you are planning a self-drive holiday in Frankfurt am Main with children. It's worth noting, however, that this is a fairly busy area, so it's best to choose rooms with windows overlooking the courtyard.
Another option for staying in Frankfurt with children is the Frankfurt-Westend district. It borders the Old Town on one side and the Palmengarten on the other.
There are fewer hotels in the Old Town and the inner city. Although it's a short drive from the city centre, we wouldn't recommend staying in this area with young children to avoid the noise and hustle and bustle.
Choosing where to stay with children isn't difficult either. Many hotels in Frankfurt allow children under the age of 6, and sometimes 12, to stay in the same room as their parents free of charge. A cot can be provided on request and a babysitter is available for a fee. If you are bringing a pushchair, check if the hotel/house has a lift: older buildings often do not.
Good and inexpensive accommodation can be found near Frankfurt am Main. Hotels and apartments in the suburbs are often half the price of those in the city, and it takes about half an hour by train to get to the centre of Frankfurt.
Some of the towns around Frankfurt am Main have their own attractions and activities for the whole family. These include Bad Homburg, Wiesbaden, Mainz and Rüsselheim.
Frankfurt International Airport, or Rhein-Main Airport, is the largest airport in Germany. It is located 13 km from the city. Flight schedules can be found on the airport's website.
How to get to Frankfurt from the airport:
Frankfurt-Hahn airport is 120 km away. It receives flights from low-cost airlines. Buses and rental cars can be hired from the airport to Frankfurt.
Frankfurt Central Station, Germany's largest railway station, is located in the city centre. International, national and local trains arrive here. Tickets can be purchased from the Deutsche Bahn website: https://www.bahn.de.
Next to the railway station is the bus station, where buses from German cities and other European countries arrive.
There are several major motorways leading to Frankfurt. If you intend to drive your own car, you should obtain a special sticker allowing you to enter the green belt before you travel.
How to get to Frankfurt by car
From Hamburg, Hannover — take the A5
From Basel (Switzerland), Karlsruhe, Darmstadt — take the A67 then the A5
From Munich, Nuremberg — take the A3
You can hire a car at the airport on arrival or online in advance.
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