A Local’s Guide to the PERFECT Layover in Frankfurt, Germany (+ Map)

For years, I have had friends message me telling me they had a layover in Frankfurt, Germany and they weren’t sure what to do… or even if they should leave the airport.

As a Frankfurt local, I never hesitated to tell them I would meet them and show them around the city that I loved, but was severely underappreciated by most. After all, I was determined to make them love the city as much as I did, even in a short amount of time!

Now that I have recently left Germany and live in the Nordics, I don’t have the same luxury of showing someone the Frankfurt that I love after 11+ years of living there. Hence this post. In this guide, you will find my suggested itinerary for those on a layover at FRA (Frankfurt am Main).

It will tell you how to get into the city, what to do when there (a mix of main attractions plus my favorite coffee shops and restaurants), and contain a map so that you can find places with ease.

If you have any questions regarding your layover in Frankfurt, please let me know in the comments. If you’re not a first-timer to the city and want some of my top spots for a returning traveler, send me a message and I’d be happy to share some ideas.

Should You Go into Frankfurt on a Layover?

If you have a layover of 6+ hours, I think you can manage a quick trip to the city. This would give you 3 hours in the city to see a few things and time to still get back to the airport and through security. Do keep in mind that FRA’s airport security can be slow at times since it is such a trafficked airport.

You will need to factor in transit time (around 10-15 minutes max once on the train) and which terminal you are leaving from and heading to. If you are arriving at and leaving from Frankfurt with Lufthansa, for example, you will be in Terminal 1. Terminal 1 is where the trains leave from, so this is a good thing! Terminal 2 will require getting to Terminal 1 if you want to take a train into the city (and not a taxi).

If you are flying to Frankfurt from outside of Schengen, you will also need to factor in passport control. This may take a while, depending on the time of day and the flights landing.

Another thing to consider is the day and time of your flight. If you’re coming to Frankfurt around rush hours (8am to 10am; 5pm to 7pm), trains will be rammed as these trains also go to and from other places and are not an airport express.

It means taxis will also maybe hit traffic on the roads. Sundays are also a good time to head into Frankfurt but beware that many places are closed on Sundays. And if you’re heading in on a Monday, a lot of restaurants and museums are closed.

How This Frankfurt Layover Itinerary Works

Before getting into the fun stuff, I want to explain how I created this itinerary. I am giving a few stops on here that are ‘big attractions’. Like the must MUST visits. And in between that, I will give a list of stops in between that on the way to the next stop with quick details so that you can add other places into your own, semi-customizable itinerary.

On the map, I will have the key places in black and the optional stops in orange. This itinerary was created for someone with 8-12 hours in mind. If you have shorter and want to give it a try, go for it! Please just remove the second half of it and use a taxi to get back to the airport so you don’t miss your flight!

How to Get from Frankfurt Airport to the City

Frankfurt Airport has made it extremely easy to go to and from the airport to the city center. The two ways I go are via the trains or a taxi. Here is a quick explanation of both:

Taxi

You can use Uber or Bolt if that is what you’re comfortable with. You can also safely take a taxi outside that has a meter. In Germany, these taxis are regulated and often an ugly beige-colored Mercedes-Benz. They will be waiting in lines outside of each terminal.

The price for a taxi from Frankfurt Airport to the city center is dependent on the day and where you will go. Expect to pay around €35-40 one way to Frankfurter Römer (the historical city center).

Train

The cheapest option for getting to and from the airport is to take the trains. Everyone gives Deutsche Bahn a hard time, but as an American from a land void of good public transportation, I like them.

The trains leave Frankfurt Airport from Terminal 1 (the Lufthansa terminal), concourse B/C. Just follow the signs to the trains and to the city and it will guide you right there. Once you go down the escalators to the train platform area, you will see a ton of self-checkout kiosks for tickets. You can use a card or cash here, and there is an option for English. A one-way ticket costs €6.90 (about $8) in 2026.

Once you have your ticket, you will hop on the S8 or S9 to ‘Hauptbahnhof’ or ‘Hanau’. These take you to the center and that will be around a 10-minute commute. For the sake of this itinerary, I recommend getting off the train at a place called Konstablerwache. Do not continue to the Hauptbahnhof.

Frankfurt Layover Itinerary (Overview)

The key stops on this layover itinerary are:

• Konstablerwache (where you will get the S-bahn to)
• Kleinmarkthalle
• Frankfurt Cathedral
• Römer
• Eisener Steg
• Main Tower
• Opernplatz
• Eschenheimer Turm

The optional stops along the way (and some of my favorite places!) are: Drei Kaffeebar, Hoppenworth & Ploch Altstadt, Museumsufer, Flemings Hotel, MyZeil’s viewing platform, esistfreitag, Käsestube – Gutes aus Milch, Apfelweingalerie, Mehlwassersalz, and Zu den 12 Aposteln.

If you have more time in Frankfurt or a sunny day and you want to make the most of it, I also suggest going to Palmengarten here. I love botanical gardens, and I think Frankfurt’s is so lovely and it is also situated beside Grüneburg Park, which is one of the most popular spots in Frankfurt in summer. I also included Sachsenhausen, which is a good neighborhood with old buildings and a lot of local Apfelwein spots.

Frankfurt Layover Itinerary (The Details)

1. Konstablerwache

Konstablerwache, or ‘Konsti’ as we refer to it, is a square in the central part of Frankfurt that is the starting point for the Zeil (a busy shopping street). If you’re arriving any day but Thursday or Saturday, this square is boring and won’t be anything too exciting.

But if you do happen to arrive on a Thursday (10am to 8pm) or Saturday (8am to 5pm), there is the Bauernmarkt (Farmers’ Market). It is Frankfurt’s largest and one of my favorite places in the city.

You can try plenty of Frankfurt staples here like Handkäse mit Musik (soured milk cheese with onions), Apfelwein (also called Ebbelwoi here), and Grüne Soße (Frankfurter green sauce). There is a lot of local produce, flowers, sausages, and other deliciousness. You can always see locals standing around tents, drinking wine from our neighboring regions, which is fun to join in on.

2. Kleinmarktalle

Kleinmarkthalle is our famous indoor market that has been around since the 1950s (it was rebuilt after WWII). It may seem underwhelming compared to other markets across Europe, but it is special for us because of the 150+ vendors inside and it was a place I could find a lot of international ingredients back in the day when I first moved to Germany (mostly Mexican chilis and stuff!).

When you’re inside, be sure to check out the Apfelwein Galerie (on the backside, lower right corner), where you can do a flight of different apfelweins local to the city and region. Apfelwein Galerie is open daily from 10am until 6pm and Saturday from 10am until 4pm (closed on Sundays).

Another cool thing about Kleinmarkthalle is that there will often be hundreds of people hanging out the backside of it on Saturdays in summer drinking and socializing with music. Kleinmarkthalle is open daily from 8am until 6pm and on Saturdays from 8am until 4pm. It is closed on Sundays.

3. Frankfurt Cathedral

The next stop is the Frankfurt Cathedral (Frankfurter Dom). I don’t ever go inside but it is nice to see it from the outside as it is a city icon and you’re going to go past it anyway.

I suggest walking up Fahrgasse to get there because it is one of my favorite streets for cafes and things to do in the city. I marked a few places on the map for you to stop at if you’d like a to-go coffee for your journey.

This Roman Catholic Gothic church is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew and dates back to 1550 (with fires and WW2 destruction in between). It is 95 meters (312 feet) tall.

4. Römer

Römer is the main square in Frankfurt and the one you’ll find on the postcards. Römer means ‘Roman’ and you can also find Roman ruins there (which, surprisingly, not a lot of people know about). But Römer actually refers to a building here that sits across from the city hall (Rathaus) and the Old St. Nicholas Church. Today, there are shops, cafes, and a lot of selfies happening at Römerberg Square!

Needless to say, this is not the original square given the city’s WW2 history, but it has been reconstructed to look the same. I still love it and took people there whenever they visited me in Frankfurt.

Outside of the pretty architecture, there are some cool cafes and bakeries here. A Frankfurt favorite is Hoppenworth & Ploch (we call it ‘Hopplo’). They have a cafe here and have opened a small bakery next door.

I live (emphasized in the most dramatic of ways) for their croissants. The cafe is open daily from 10am until 7pm. The bakery is open from 11am until 5pm daily (but it will be slim pickings later in the day).

5. Eisener Steg

Eisener Steg is a pedestrian bridge connecting one bank of the Main River with the other bank of it. It was first built in 1868 but has undergone a few changes and rebuilds. You can head out onto the bridge for a photo of the Frankfurt skyline, or you can use it to cross over to Sachsenhausen (I chat more about this neighborhood at the bottom of the guide).

Along the banks of the river, you will also find Museumsufer, which translates to Museum Embankment. There are 39 museums in this area and this is an amazing thing to occupy you if you’re a museum-goer or end up in Frankfurt on a rainy day. Which happens a lot.

6. Main Tower

This is probably one of the more skippable things on this guide, but the reason I am including it is that, depending on where you’re from, Frankfurt’s skyline is tall and impressive.

As an American, the buildings are similar to what I’d see back home, so going to a viewing platform is something that I’ve done a thousand times. But if you’re coming from somewhere else in Europe, it may be a worthwhile stop to take in everything from a bird’s-eye view.

The Main Tower is a 200 m (655 ft) building, excluding its spire, where you can go up 56 floors to take in the views over Frankfurt. It was opened in 1999 and is one of the most popular things to do in Frankfurt for first-time visitors. A ticket to the top is €9 (you can grab a family ticket for €20).

It is open in the summer daily from 10am to 9pm and on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 11pm. In winter, it is open daily from 10am to 7pm and Friday and Saturday from 10am to 9pm. Dress warmly if you go in any season but summer (it is windy up there).

7. Opernplatz

From Main Tower, you can make your way to Opernplatz, or the Opera Square. This is where you’ll find Alte Oper and the central business district. If there is not a festival happening, it can still be somewhat lively during lunch and dinnertime.

I love taking a few photos and then heading to a cafe nearby. I love Sunny Side Up for a coffee or grabbing a drink at Chinaski. Both also have a delicious breakfast.

If you want to get off your feet and relax somewhere, you can walk over to the Ruby Louise Hotel & Bar nearby and head to their rooftop terrace. I used to work up here on nice days (it does not get lively and turn into a bar until evenings, though).

8. Eschenheimer Turm

Eschenheimer Turm is a 47 m (154 ft) high Gothic tower that was built in the 1400s and is one of the icons of the city. It is situated below a modern high-rise, which kind of is symbolic of the old and new juxtaposition of the city. There is now a cafe inside (I haven’t been in there since 2008… long before I officially moved to Frankfurt).

While you’re by the tower, there are two places I love visiting here. The first is Käsestube – Gutes aus Milch, a cheese shop and eatery owned by Vartan Kevorkyan. This place is a gem and they know their stuff! They have over 150 different types of cheeses from all over the world, but most importantly, Germany. They also have a large variety of wines to complement the cheeses and do regular cheese and wine pairings.

But don’t worry, you can easily head in there and grab something to take away or eat inside. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays but is open for lunch and dinner on the other days of the week.

The second place worth stopping into is the Fleming’s Hotel. There is a nice area at the top where you can grab a drink and overlook the Eschenheimer Turm (it’s a great photo op!), but the highlight of visiting is its 1952 Paternoster elevator.

It is a continuous, doorless elevator that will take you up to the top floor’s restaurant terrace. If you’re respectful, you can pop in at any time and check it out and take a ride on it. Just ask the reception if the bar is open and where to get off if it is not.

Hitting Up Some of My Favorite Spots Along the Way

If you have looked at the map, I have an entire section of places I love to stop at in between. While I think these spots are more dependent on your liking (sorry… I love coffee!), I did try to include an array so that you can see the city beyond the highlights I discussed above.

Here is a quick list of those places:

• Drei Kaffeebar: cool Scandi-inspired coffee shop on Fahrgasse; always busy but good for a takeaway
• Hoppenworth & Ploch: I wrote about it a bit above; located at Römer and has delicious coffee and a bakery next door to it
• Mehlwassersalz: a bakery/cafe where you can sit down right at the Modern Art Museum; has amazing sourdough cinnamon buns
• Museumsufer: a stretch of 39 museums along both sides of the Main River
• Fleming’s Hotel: has a historic Paternoster elevator and a terrace with a view over the city
• Käsestube – Gutes aus Milch: my favorite place for cheese and wine in Frankfurt
• Hauptwache: a square and meeting point in the central part of Frankfurt
• esistfreitag: can buy some hip products that are locally-made here
• Apfelweingalerie Frankfurt: detailed more above; can try different types of Apfelwein here
• Zu den 12 Aposteln: good spot for traditional German food in Frankfurt
• MyZeil: this is a shopping center but there is a pretty good view from the top over the city’s skyline

Do You Have Extra Time in Frankfurt?

If you have extra time in Frankfurt, two places I suggest hitting up are the Palmengarten and Sachsenhausen.

Palmengarten

Palmengarten is one of our two botanical gardens in the city and is located in the Westend. It spans 22 hectares and is such a great place to spend a sunny day. It is open daily from 9am to 7pm and is also situated next to Grüneburgpark, a huge public park that is popular in the summer. It has good views of the TV tower.

Sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen is a neighborhood across the river from what I have covered in this guide, hence not including it until this section. It is known for its old cobblestone streets in Alt-Sachsenhausen and Apfelwein pubs!

It is a fun place to walk around, but beware… if you head there at night, it is a huge nightlife spot. My favorite Apfelwein place here is Apfelweinwirtschaft Atschel (Wallstraße 7). They are open 7 days a week.

FAQ: Layover in Frankfurt am Main

Do I need a visa for Frankfurt?

It depends on your nationality. If you have a Schengen visa and are traveling onward within Schengen, this makes leaving the airport a much simpler process.

How much time do I need on a layover in Frankfurt?

I would recommend at least 6 hours (bare minimum) of a layover to actually leave the airport. Can you see something in 4 hours? Sure, but you have to factor in transit time as well as getting back through security, which can be a cumbersome process at FRA.

Can I just stay in the airport on my layover?

Yes! But I would check your terminal first. Terminal 2 isn’t as exciting as Terminal 1. There is a lot more to do in T1. You can also leave both terminals and go underground, where you’ll find some restaurants and bakeries.

I’ve been to Frankfurt before and have a layover there… where else can I go?

If you’re looking for a city excursion, head to Mainz or Wiesbaden. I used to live in both, as well, and they are excellent places to spend a long layover (and have decent connections to the Frankfurt Airport).

What if I have an overnight layover in Frankfurt?

You can leave the city and get a hotel, or you can opt to stay at the airport. If you’re looking for a good place for a hotel, I would steer clear of the Hauptbahnhof area late at night.

Do you have any questions about making the most of a layover in Frankfurt, Germany? Please let me know in the comments or send me a message and I can help you customize something more suitable for your trip. Thanks!

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