I recently spent 24 hours in Frankfurt after arriving on a direct flight from the United States (U.S.).
If you’re flying to Europe from North America, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself flying in or out of the Frankfurt am Main airport, a major international hub, like we did.
Many tourists use the city as a transfer point to their final destination and never venture outside of the airport or train station. But I’d like to encourage you otherwise.
The city of Frankfurt has a lot to offer. It’s a global hub for commerce and finance, which bring huge skyscrapers with great views, and it also has a fascinating history. If you’re on a longer Euro trip, it makes for a good first stop, full of newness but with all of the creature comforts of home, and even if your trip is short, it’s worth spending some time exploring downtown.
In order to explore the city, I encourage spending 24 hours in Frankfurt before heading on to your next destination. This guide will cover things to do in Frankfurt with kids, where to stay, and what to do in Frankfurt for one day, based on my time there. Oh, and don’t worry about being a tourist in a German-speaking location, we found it extremely easy to get around because everyone spoke English in Frankfurt, even more so than I’ve experienced in other European cities like Rome, Paris and Amsterdam.
24 Hours in Frankfurt | Airport Transportation
We used one of my secrets to budget travel to fly our family for free from Spokane, Washington, to Frankfurt using airline miles. The Frankfurt am Main airport is located about 13 kilometers from the city center. The cheapest Frankfurt airport transportation to the city is the train or the metro, but it’s not the most convenient, especially with luggage and kids.
Since our family of five arrived in Frankfurt with luggage for a six-week stay, we opted for taking a taxi from the Frankfurt airport. The taxis line up right outside the arrivals area and range from €30-40 to get to the city center.
Uber is more budget-friendly than a taxi from Frankfurt airport since it does operate in Frankfurt. But, unfortunately, Uber in Frankfurt only accommodates up to four passengers and we had five. Even though it was not an option for us, it may be the most economical and convenient option for you, so definitely keep it in mind!
Where to Stay in Frankfurt
While there are hotels located near the airport, their location is not convenient to the city center. My goal for finding a place to stay for our 24 hours in Frankfurt was to find something budget-friendly and in a central location so we could walk everywhere. The perfect option that checked both of these boxes? 25hours The Trip Hotel.
25hours The Trip Hotel Review
This is such a cool hotel that has a boutique feel, though it’s a chain with locations throughout Europe. The artistic design of the hotel along with the on-site restaurant, lounge, café, and courtyard made it easy to hang out and relax, especially after a long international flight.
Rooms
The rooms are modern with comfortable beds, air conditioning, and a mini fridge stocked with drinks for purchase. My family and I loved the technology in the rooms that included free wifi, a Bluetooth speaker, and a device charging station.
Location
The 25hours The Trip hotel is located around the corner from the central train station and within walking distance of the business district, tourist attractions, and lots of great restaurants. We were able to walk everywhere during our 1 day in Frankfurt thanks to the hotel’s central location. As with most hotels located near train station in major cities, there were some unsavory characters hanging out about one or two blocks from the hotel, but my family and I avoided that area and didn’t have any issues.
Pricing
Rooms can be booked for as little at €70 and breakfast can be included for an additional €17. I definitely recommend the breakfast; it’s not the standard continental breakfast you might be used to from U.S. hotel stays. It includes made-to-order omelets, eggs, French toast, and drinks from the espresso bar. My husband and I both got two cappuccinos at breakfast because we were so jetlagged, all included with the hotel-provided breakfast.
Overall, when looking for where to stay in Frankfurt, I highly recommend the 25hours The Trip location. And I have an exclusive offer for One Savvy Wanderer readers! If you book with the OSW promo code, you’ll receive a 15% discount on your next stay. The code is applicable for the Frankfurt location or at any of their other locations across Europe including Paris, Vienna, Munich, Berlin and many more!
24 Hours in Frankfurt | What to Do
Are you wondering what to do in Frankfurt for a day? Whether you’re looking for things to do in Frankfurt with kids, on your own, or your travel buddy, these great options will ensure you have a great trip to Frankfurt.
I suggest you do all the activities in the order they’re in below, especially if you’re short on time as this is how our 24 hours in Frankfurt was structured and it worked well. If you have a few days in Frankfurt, feel free to fit them in in whatever order you choose.
After arriving in Frankfurt and checking into our hotel, we headed to our first stop on the itinerary, the Main Tower.
Main Tower Observation Deck
For the most impressive view of the Frankfurt skyline, visit the observation deck at the Main Tower in the business district. My husband and I took our kids to the see the views and we all really enjoyed the experience from the top of the Main Tower!
Open daily, adult tickets to the observation deck are €7,50 and children ages 6-12 are €5,00. Kids ages 5 and under have free entry. The family pricing is a great value at only €19,00 for two adults and three children, with the option to pay €2,00 for each additional child. Our family of five opted for the family pricing even though our 5-year-old daughter is technically free because it was cheaper than buying individual tickets. Adult tickets can be purchased online in advance, but unfortunately, children and family tickets are not currently available online. We ended up buying tickets at the door and there wasn’t a line. Easy!
Euro Monument
The large Euro-Skulptur, or Euro Monument, is a quick walk from the Main Tower and is one of the top Instagrammable shots in Frankfurt. The euro-shaped sculpture is located in a lovely park and represents Frankfurt being home to the European Central Bank.
Kaiserstraße
Kaiserstraße is the main street that connects the central Frankfurt train station to the financial district of the city. It is lined with restaurants with outdoor seating, ice cream shops, and shopping. After you’ve gotten your fill of cityscapes and taken a few photos in the park, you’ll be hungry for dinner (or maybe just in need of a drink.) Walk to Kaiserstraße and take you pick among the numerous choices.
We decided to eat at Good Guys, a burger place that offers veggie and vegan options in addition to traditional beef burgers. Our family enjoyed eating outside and people watching up and down the Kaiserstraße, and the food was fantastic!
Now if you are anything like us, after a long day of travel and some sightseeing, you will probably be exhausted and ready to catch up on some sleep back at the hotel. There are a few more things to do in Frankfurt, but those can wait until the next day…
Primus Linie Sightseeing Cruise
I love taking boat tours when visiting a new city, whether I’m with my husband or my kids. Boats are fun for all ages, a unique perspective to see city highlights, and make for a hell of a photo op.
Photo credit: my 10-year-old son – ha!
The Frankfurt sightseeing cruise by Primus Linie is a great way to see Frankfurt from the river Main. They offer 50-minute and 100-minute tours, beginning at the top of the hour from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, so there are options depending on your schedule. (Note: tours start every 30 minutes on Sunday’s and holidays and the last departure is at 6:30 pm). Depending on the direction of the cruise, the 50-minute version may take you past the newly built European Central Bank and historic Gerbermühle or the inner-city area and its impressive skyline. Since we were crunched for time with only 24 hours in Frankfurt, we opted for the 50-minute tour, which was perfect for us, but those with extra time in their schedule should definitely consider the 100-minute tour to see all of the sights.
The boats have both indoor and outdoor seating, which makes this a year-round activity, and an on-board bar with very reasonable pricing. For reference, my husband and I bought a beer and our three kids each got a soda or juice and we spent less than €20 total.
The tickets for the sightseeing cruise are very affordable, making it a great budget-friendly activity. Adult tickets are €12,90, children (ages 6-14) pay €5,70, and children 5 and under are free. There’s a special offer for families, who can get tickets for two adults and up to three children for €33,20. Tickets can be purchased online in advance or at the Primus Linie ticket office at Eiserner Steg on the north side of the river Main.
24 Hours in Frankfurt | Römerberg Square
After taking the sightseeing cruise, walk a few blocks to the center of Frankfurt’s old town, Römerberg Square. The medieval buildings were rebuilt after being damaged in World War II accordingly to their original plans, making the square a good place to explore the historical side of Frankfurt. There are lots of places to stop to eat, grab a drink, or shop in the square, depending on how much time you have left for your 1 day in Frankfurt.
If your schedule is like ours, your 24 hours in Frankfurt will come to an end after visiting Römerberg Square and you’ll be off to catch a plane or a train to your next destination. You can take a train, metro or Uber back to the airport or you can walk to the train station as it’s located in the center of the city.
Overall, we really enjoyed our quick trip and found that there were lots of things to do in Frankfurt with kids, which was extremely important since we were traveling as a family. Even if you are traveling solo or with a friend or significant other, I highly recommend giving yourself some time to explore the city if you are flying in or out of Frankfurt.
Special shout out to 25hours Hotels for hosting our family for the night and to Primus Linie for the complementary sightseeing tour. As always, all opinions are my own.
Cheers!
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