Places to visit in Frankfurt

The city of Frankfurt in Hesse is not just a hub for finance and commerce, it is also a great draw for tourists from around the world. Frankfurt’s futuristic skyline with some of the highest office buildings in Europe attracts its own share of attention, but there are also more traditional and far more accessible Frankfurt tourist attractions on offer.

The “Palmengarten” Botanical Gardens display exotic plants on some 22 hectares of land in the centre of Frankfurt. An ideal destination for sunny as well as rainy days – there are many greenhouses, where one can keep warm and dry during cold and wet autumn or winter days – the Palmengarten was founded in the 19th century and showcases nearly every plant habitat on Earth. The Tropicarium is a collection of some 14 modern greenhouses, where tropical and subtropical plant specious can be admired in conditions that mimic the rainforest and monsoon-driven habitats of such organisms. The actual Palmenhaus – where the palm trees are on display – is 18 metres high and dates back to 1868.

On the outskirts of Frankfurt visitors will delight in the many wonderful animals the Opel Zoo in Kronberg has on show. The zoo is beautifully situated at the foothills of the Taunus mountain range and was founded in 1956 with the aim in mind that animals should be displayed in an environment as natural and as closely resembling their own as possible. More than 200 species are on display, including elephants, giraffes and hippos on the 27 hectares of spectacularly designed grounds. A children’s adventure playground, restaurant for refreshments and regular guided tours make this a perfect day out for all the family.

Other popular Frankfurt tourist attractions include Königstein in the Taunus Mountain range. The popular health and spa resort is just a short 25 km drive from Frankfurt and offers wellness and health related treatments in beautiful surroundings. Walkers and bikers will love this part of Hesse.

The Hesse region of Germany is famous for its crisp white wines, carnival festivities and beautiful scenery. Historic towns and picturesque villages are dotted around a landscape rich in forests, sunny valleys, orchards and vineyards, mighty rivers, lakes, hills and mountain ranges such as the Taunus, Spessart and Vogelsberg. Hikers, mountain bikers, rock climbers and culture-seeking visitors will find there’s never a dull moment in the State of Hesse.

There’s the huge Hessenpark, an open air museum displaying historic houses and much heritage from the region, there’s the reconstructed Roman fort at Saalburg close to the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Roman Limes, the border fortifications that once denoted the extent of Roman territories on Hesse’s soil.

None of the Frankfurt tourist attractions are far away. An hour's drive into either direction will take motorists to some of Germany’s most important historic sites, commercial and cultural centres.

In the northern part of Hesse the main Frankfurt tourist attraction could be described as a fairy tale itself…it is the beautiful area that was once home to the Brothers Grimm, who created one of Europe’s largest collections of fairy tales for posterity. At their birthplace, visitors can also enjoy the Emperor Barbarossa’s imperial palace at Gelnhausen and Hanau.

For more information about Frankfurt tourist attractions, please visit the official tourist website at http://www.germany.travel.