Orientation
FRANKFURT
The Main River runs east to west through Frankfurt, splitting it in two. Most of the city is located to the north.
NORTH OF THE MAIN
The historic city center right along the Main is called the Altstadt, and includes the Römerberg (a medieval square) and the (in)spired Dom Sankt Bartholomäus, site of those famous Holy Roman Empire elections. Just to the north is the Innenstadt, the city’s commercial district, with high-class shops and restaurants stretching along the Zeil between Hauptwache and Konstablerwache. Immediately west of that, around Taunusanlage, the city’s financial district holds the highest concentration of skyscrapers. To the southwest lies the Hauptbahnhof, surrounded by cheap restaurants and the city’s red light district. Just to the north, near Festhalle/Messe, the FrankfurterMesse is the third-largest trade fair hall in the world and is surrounded by more glass pyramids than 31st-century Egypt. In the northwest corner, Bockenheim is home to the students of Johann-Wolfgang Universität and the wallet-friendly cafes that enable their freshman 15. The city’s most upscale and exclusive nightlife lies along Hanauer Landstrasse on the east side of the city, amid auto dealers, factories, and highway cloverleaves.
SOUTH OF THE MAIN
Immediately south of the Main, a row of museums called the Museumsufer stretches along Schaumainkai, which runs along the river. The neighborhood to the south is known as Sachsenhausen. In the middle, around Schweizer Platz, you’ll find a collection of age-old restaurants specializing in grüne Soße (literally “green sauce,” made with borrage, sorrel, chives, and other herbs) and Apfelwein (apple wine), while to the northeast, by Frankensteiner Platz, a hopping, cobbled nightlife district fills its diverse bars withthrongs of ruddy-faced young people.