Frankfurt is however not only a financial centre, but also a city of the arts with an unusual theatre and museum landscape with 40 museums. On Frankfurt’s so-called Museum Embankment, the museums are lined up along the bank of the Main river like pearls on a thread: from the Museum for Applied Arts to the German Architectural Museum, from the German Film Museum to the Städel Museum, here you will find a total of 16 museums and exhibition halls of international repute.

In the historic city of Frankfurt, besides the house where Johann Wolfgang Goethe was born, Frankfurt’s Cathedral or Kaiserdom, the Römerberg square and St Paul’s Church (Paulskirche) are also important witnesses to German history. All within walking distance of one other – as is the Main river embankment which, with its cocktail bars and green spaces, is a fabulous promenade in the heart of the city. On the other hand, the atmosphere in the traditional apple wine bars on the Sachsenhausen side is more tranquil. For families too, Frankfurt’s zoo, Palmengarten (palm tree garden) and the Senckenberg Museum, Germany’s largest natural history museum, offer a range of activities.

On the last weekend in August every year, it is time for one of Europe’s largest cultural festivals, the Museum Embankment Festival. This is centered around Frankfurt’s museums which are open late into the night with a varied programme of events. The festival has a different theme each year and offers visitors a unique combination of art and culture, music and culinary delights from many different countries of the world.

To end the year on a celebratory note and induce a touch of Christmas spirit, it’s worth visiting the traditional Frankfurt Christmas Market, which is held in the heart of the city at the Römerberg square. Here on the oldest Christmas market in Germany, a glass of warm mulled wine or apple wine allows one – in the words of Goethe – to be human.