So where should you stay in Frankfurt? It depends a lot on whether you’re coming for a holiday, a trade fair or just passing through by train. Here are my six suggested areas and three hotels in each.

Where to Stay in Frankfurt: The Best Areas

• Altstadt (Old Town) - best area for first-time visitors
• Innenstadt & Zeil - best area for shopping and a central base
• Sachsenhausen - best area for apple wine and museums
• Bahnhofsviertel - best area for trains and nightlife
• Westend & Messe - best area for trade fair visitors
• Nordend & Bornheim - best area for a local feel

Below, I go through the areas one by one with a map, transport, price level and three hotels in each. The prices come from a search for a November weekend for two people, and they rise sharply when there’s a major trade fair in town. During the biggest fairs, a night can easily cost double, and the central hotels sell out well in advance, so check the trade fair calendar before you book.

1. Altstadt (Old Town) - best area for first-time visitors

• Distance to the centre: You’re right in the historic core. From Römerberg, it’s a five-minute walk to Hauptwache and Zeil and two minutes down to the Main.
• Transport: U-Bahn U4 and U5 from Dom/Römer, and S-Bahn from Hauptwache and Konstablerwache, both a couple of minutes’ walk away.
• Time from Frankfurt Airport: About 15 minutes on the S-Bahn S8 or S9 to Hauptwache, then a five-minute walk. A single ticket from the airport into the city costs about €6.90 (around £5.80).
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £90 to £215 per night when I searched for a November weekend.
• Safety: Safe and busy until late. Watch out for pickpockets on Römerberg, especially during the Christmas market, when it’s packed.

Altstadt is Frankfurt’s Old Town, and this is where you’ll find the half-timbered houses that grace the postcards. Most of it was bombed to pieces in the Second World War, but on Römerberg stands the Römer, the city hall since the 15th century, and just behind the square lies the Dom-Römer quarter with narrow lanes and houses rebuilt from old drawings. The new Old Town between the Römer and the cathedral was completed in 2018, so although it all looks old, much of it is actually new.

The Imperial Cathedral of St Bartholomew rises above the rooftops with its 95-metre tower, and this is where the Holy Roman Emperors were crowned from 1562 to 1792, as you can read more about on the cathedral’s own website. A few minutes away is the Paulskirche, where Germany’s first democratically elected parliament met in 1848, and from Römerberg you can walk straight down to the Eiserner Steg, the old footbridge over the Main with views of the skyline.

See hotels in Altstadt here.

I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Frankfurt, if you’re coming for the Christmas market on Römerberg, or if you only have a couple of days and want to walk everywhere. The Christmas market is one of the oldest in Germany and fills the square and the streets down towards the river from late November until just before Christmas.

The downside is that there are few hotels in the Old Town itself, and they’re expensive for what you get. It also gets quiet in the evening once the day-trippers have gone, and the restaurants around Römerberg mostly cater to tourists. You’re better off crossing the river to Sachsenhausen when it’s time to eat.

Hotels in Altstadt

Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof - the city’s classic grand hotel on Kaiserplatz

The Frankfurter Hof has stood on Kaiserplatz since 1876 and is Frankfurt’s best-known five-star hotel, with a spa, sauna, hammam and several restaurants. It sits on the edge of the Old Town, so it’s under ten minutes’ walk to Römerberg and the same down to the Main. Some rooms are showing their age, and a few guests have heard traffic from the street, so ask for a quiet room when you book.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Everything went perfectly. The hotel is beautiful, and the rooms are well equipped and clean.”

See photos and book Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof here.

Hotel Schopenhauer Hof - modern four-star hotel by the Main

Hotel Schopenhauer Hof is on Schöne Aussicht, the street along the Main at the eastern end of the Old Town, where the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer spent his final years. The rooms are modern and around 22 square metres, there’s a bar and terrace, and it’s a five to ten-minute walk to Römerberg and the Eiserner Steg. There’s no spa, and some guests miss free water in the room.

From a review: “Fantastic location. Clean, modern, larger and comfortable room.”

See photos and book Hotel Schopenhauer Hof here.

Motel One Frankfurt-Römer - budget design hotel three minutes from Römerberg

Motel One Frankfurt-Römer is on Berliner Straße between Römerberg and Zeil and follows the chain’s familiar formula of small, well-designed rooms of around 16 square metres, good beds and a lounge bar on the ground floor. It was the cheapest of the three when I searched, and the hotel has over 8,000 reviews on Booking.com. Berliner Straße is a wide, busy road, and some guests have struggled to get breakfast on busy days.

One guest highlights: “Very modern hotel, the staff were very friendly, and the room was perfect for me.”

See photos and book Motel One Frankfurt-Römer here.

2. Innenstadt & Zeil - best area for shopping and a central base

• Distance to the centre: You’re right in the centre. From Hauptwache it’s a five-minute walk to Römerberg and ten minutes to the River Main.
• Transport: Hauptwache and Konstablerwache are the city’s big underground hubs, where almost every S-Bahn line and many U-Bahn lines stop.
• Time from Frankfurt Airport: Around 15 minutes on the S8 or S9 straight to Hauptwache or Konstablerwache, with no changes.
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £75 to £160 per night when I searched for a weekend in November.
• Safety: Busy and safe during the day. People hang around Konstablerwache in the evening, so stick to well-lit streets if you’re out late.

Innenstadt is Frankfurt’s shopping centre, and its main street is the Zeil, a wide pedestrian street running from Hauptwache to Konstablerwache, lined with department stores and chain shops. Halfway along sits the MyZeil shopping centre with its huge glass roof that funnels down through the building, and at Hauptwache stands the small baroque guardhouse that gave the square its name. West of Hauptwache, Fressgass, as Große Bockenheimer Straße is known, leads past restaurants and wine bars towards the Alte Oper.

Just south of the Zeil is the Kleinmarkthalle, the city’s covered food market, where you can buy sausages, cheese and green sauce and enjoy a glass of wine between the stalls, and Goethe’s birthplace is a few minutes’ walk from Hauptwache. If you want to see the skyline from above, the lift in the Main Tower takes you up to an open-air platform 200 metres up. A ticket costs 9 euros (around £7.50), and the platform stays open into the evening.

See hotels in Innenstadt here.

I’d stay here if you want to go shopping, if you’re going to a concert at the Alte Oper, or if you simply want the most practical base in the city. From Hauptwache you can reach almost everything on a single train, including the airport, and you can walk to the Old Town, the museums by the river and the banking district.

The downside is that the Zeil is a fairly ordinary shopping street that looks like many others in Germany, and it gets empty and a bit dreary once the shops close. In the evening, Konstablerwache at the eastern end attracts both homeless people and people who’ve had too much to drink, so choose a hotel at the western end or on a side street if that bothers you.

Hotels in Innenstadt & Zeil

The Westin Grand Frankfurt - five-star hotel with a pool close to the Zeil

The Westin Grand is on Konrad-Adenauer-Straße, a few minutes’ walk from Konstablerwache and the eastern end of the Zeil. There’s an indoor pool, a spa, a gym and several restaurants, and guests particularly praise the beds. The hotel is large and built for business travellers and groups, and some guests find the breakfast in the lounge confusingly organised.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The location, the service, the breakfast and especially the beds were fantastic.”

See photos and book The Westin Grand here.

Moxy Frankfurt City Center - lively design hotel right behind MyZeil

Moxy is on Thurn-und-Taxis-Platz right behind MyZeil, a two-minute walk from Hauptwache. It’s Marriott’s playful chain for younger travellers, with a bar in reception, rooms of around 17 square metres and family rooms of 27. There’s no spa or restaurant, and a few guests miss some very basic things in the room.

From one review: “Everything was perfect, the beds are so comfortable, and the breakfast was good.”

See photos and book Moxy Frankfurt City Center here.

Hotel Zeil - simple budget hotel right on the pedestrian street

Hotel Zeil is at Zeil 12, at the eastern end of the pedestrian street near Konstablerwache. It’s a simple three-star hotel with soundproofed rooms from 12 square metres for singles and 20 for doubles, and the breakfast buffet costs around 12 euros (around £10) extra per person. It was the cheapest of the three when I searched, but the décor is old-fashioned, so it’s not the place if you’re after design.

One guest highlights: “The hotel staff were super nice.”

See photos and book Hotel Zeil here.

3. Sachsenhausen - best area for apple wine and museums

• Distance to the centre: Just across the river. From Alt-Sachsenhausen it’s about a 15-minute walk over the Eiserner Steg to Römerberg.
• Transport: U-Bahn U1, U2, U3 and U8 from Schweizer Platz and Südbahnhof, plus S-Bahn from Lokalbahnhof and Südbahnhof.
• Time from Frankfurt Airport: Around 30 minutes on the S8 or S9 to Konstablerwache and another S-Bahn on to Lokalbahnhof, or around 20 minutes by taxi.
• Price level: € to €€€. The three hotels below cost from around £55 to £120 a night when I searched for a weekend in November.
• Safety: Safe. Alt-Sachsenhausen gets noisy at weekends when the bars fill up, but it’s more lively than dangerous.

Sachsenhausen sits on the south bank of the Main, and this is where you need to go if you want to taste Frankfurt’s very own drink. Apple wine, or Ebbelwoi as it’s called in the Hessian dialect, is poured from grey stoneware jugs called Bembel and drunk from ribbed glasses, and many of the classic apple wine taverns are on Schweizer Straße and in the streets around Textorstraße. Order Handkäs mit Musik, a tangy cheese with onions and vinegar, or a Frankfurter Rippchen to go with it, and you’ve tried it all.

Along the river is the Museumsufer, where the museums stand side by side on Schaumainkai. The largest is the Städel, with European art from the Middle Ages to the present day, and a ticket costs 19 euros (around £16) for adults, while children under 12 get in free. The museum is closed on Mondays. In summer, people lounge on the grass by the river, and in the evening you get the city’s best view of the skyline from the Sachsenhausen side.

See hotels in Sachsenhausen here.

I’d stay here if you’re a couple or a group of friends looking for cosy evenings, and if you’re into art. If you want the stories behind it all, you can take a guided apple wine tour with tastings from around 37 euros (around £31), and on set days the Ebbelwei-Express, an old painted tram, runs around the city with apple wine on board. The ride costs 8 euros (around £7) including a bottle of apple wine, apple juice or water and pretzels, so check the timetable before you head down to the stop.

The downside is that Alt-Sachsenhausen, around Große and Kleine Rittergasse, is now more bars and shot bars than cosy taverns, and on Saturdays it can be loud and full of stag and hen parties. If you stay around Schweizer Straße and the Museumsufer, you get the best of Sachsenhausen without the noise. The area has no proper luxury hotels either, so my most expensive suggestion below is an aparthotel.

Hotels in Sachsenhausen

Star Apart Hotel Sachsenhausen - spacious rooms close to the Museumsufer

Star Apart Hotel is on Gartenstraße, a street running parallel to Schaumainkai, so the Städel and the other museums are a few minutes’ walk away and Schweizer Straße is just around the corner. The rooms are spacious, there’s a sauna and a gym, and breakfast includes both hot dishes and fresh fruit. The hotel faces a busy road, and several guests have heard street noise at night.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Pleasant hotel.”

See photos and book Star Apart Hotel here.

Maingau Hotel - classic mid-range hotel on the edge of Alt-Sachsenhausen

Maingau Hotel is on Schifferstraße between Schweizer Straße and Alt-Sachsenhausen, about a ten-minute walk from the Eiserner Steg. It’s a three-star hotel with a breakfast buffet and family rooms, and the rooms range from 12 to 28 square metres, so check the size before you book. Several guests say the walls are thin, so bring earplugs.

From a review: “Fantastic location, fantastically friendly hotel, fantastic room.”

See photos and book Maingau Hotel here.

Hotel Primus Frankfurt Sachsenhausen - budget hotel right in the apple wine quarter

Hotel Primus is on Große Rittergasse in the middle of Alt-Sachsenhausen, so you have bars and apple wine taverns right outside the door and it’s a 15-minute walk to Römerberg. The rooms are small, 12 to 16 square metres, and simple, but the price was the lowest in this entire guide when I searched. Noise from the bars can be heard at night at weekends, and its Booking.com score is the lowest of my three suggestions in Sachsenhausen.

One guest highlights: “Really good value for money, a clean hotel in a fantastically central location.”

See photos and book Hotel Primus here.

4. Bahnhofsviertel - best area for trains and nightlife

• Distance to the centre: About 1.5 kilometres west of Römerberg. From Hauptbahnhof it’s a 20-minute walk to Hauptwache and the Old Town.
• Transport: All long-distance trains, S-Bahn trains and several U-Bahn lines leave from Hauptbahnhof, and the U4 and U5 run from there to Dom/Römer in just a few minutes.
• Time from Frankfurt Airport: About 12 minutes on the S8 or S9 to Hauptbahnhof, and the RE2, RE3 and RE59 regional trains also run into the city from the airport’s regional station.
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £65 to £155 a night when I searched for a weekend in November.
• Safety: The city’s most talked-about neighbourhood. There’s an open drug scene around Taunusstraße, Niddastraße and Elbestraße, and it can feel unsafe at night. Stick to Kaiserstraße and Münchener Straße, where there are plenty of people about.

Bahnhofsviertel is the neighbourhood between Hauptbahnhof and the banks’ skyscrapers, and it’s Frankfurt’s grittiest district. The streets are lined with handsome Gründerzeit buildings from around 1900, but also with sex shops, amusement arcades and nightclubs, and in some side streets you’ll see open drug use in the middle of the day. You need to know this before you book, because there are lots of cheap hotels by the station, and the photos on booking sites rarely show the street outside.

At the same time, it’s one of the city’s best neighbourhoods for eating and going out. On Münchener Straße, Vietnamese, Turkish and Indian restaurants sit side by side, with cocktail bars, coffee bars and design hotels in between, so the atmosphere changes from street to street. In the evening, this is where lots of young Frankfurters go out, and several of the popular bars are just a few minutes’ walk from the hotels below.

See hotels in Bahnhofsviertel here.

I’d stay here if you’re travelling by train, if you’re only staying a single night, or if you want the city’s best nightlife right on your doorstep. The S-Bahn runs to the airport in about 12 minutes with departures roughly every 10 minutes. If you’re travelling by rail through northern Germany, the journey often goes via Hamburg, and if you want to break it with a night there, I’ve put together my suggestions on where to stay in Hamburg. If you’re heading further south, Munich is just over three hours away by ICE, and my guide to where to stay in Munich can help you there.

The downside is the drug scene. It’s most visible in the northern part of the neighbourhood around Taunusstraße, Niddastraße and Elbestraße, and although there are lots of police on the streets, many people won’t walk there alone late at night. Choose a hotel close to Hauptbahnhof or south of Kaiserstraße towards the Main, and stick to the main streets when you head back.

Hotels in Bahnhofsviertel

Roomers Frankfurt Central - dark, exclusive design hotel with a rooftop spa

Roomers is on Gutleutstraße, a few minutes’ walk south of Hauptbahnhof in the quieter part of the neighbourhood towards the Main. It’s a five-star design hotel with dark, elegant interiors, a bar, a restaurant and a spa with a sauna and steam room on the top floor. Food and drink at the hotel are expensive, and the dark style isn’t for everyone, although most guests get used to it.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The whole family loved our stay here.”

See photos and book Roomers here.

25hours Hotel The Trip - travel-themed hotel with a bar close to the station

25hours Hotel The Trip is on Niddastraße, a few minutes’ walk from Hauptbahnhof. The hotel is decorated with adventurous travel themes, there’s a sauna, a restaurant and a bar, and the rooms range from small to very large. It’s in the northern part of the neighbourhood, where the drug scene is most visible, and some guests feel the furnishings are starting to look worn.

From one review: “I loved this hotel. I stay here every year, and I love the location and how convenient it is.”

See photos and book 25hours Hotel The Trip here.

The Frankfurt - practical hotel right opposite Hauptbahnhof

The Frankfurt is at Am Hauptbahnhof 2, so you step out of the hotel door and you’re standing in front of the station. It’s a simple four-star hotel with a bar and rooms of 16 to 22 square metres, and it was the cheapest of the three when I searched. The breakfast has a limited selection, and from the rooms facing the square you can hear the traffic.

One of the guests highlights: “I had a lovely stay without any problems at all.”

See photos and book The Frankfurt here.

5. Westend & Messe - best area for trade fair visitors

• Distance to the centre: Around 2 to 3 kilometres west of Römerberg. From Alte Oper at the eastern end of Westend, it’s a 15-minute walk to the Old Town.
• Transport: The U4 from Festhalle/Messe, the S-Bahn from Messe station and the U6 and U7 from Westend and Bockenheimer Warte, while trams 16 and 17 run past the trade fair grounds.
• Time from Frankfurt Airport: Around 25 minutes on the S8 or S9 to Hauptbahnhof and then the U4 one stop on to Festhalle/Messe, or around 20 minutes by taxi.
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost around £75 to £160 a night when I searched for a weekend in November.
• Safety: One of the city’s safest and most affluent neighbourhoods, and the streets are quiet in the evening.

Westend is Frankfurt’s upmarket residential district, with wide tree-lined avenues, villas and Gründerzeit houses, and it stretches from Alte Oper out towards the Palmengarten and the trade fair grounds. Bankers and diplomats live here, and during the day the area buzzes with students around the university campus by Grüneburgpark. The Palmengarten is the city’s large botanical garden, with glasshouses full of palms and tropical plants, and admission is 9 to 10 euros (around £8), while children and young people under 18 get in free.

To the south, Westend meets Messe Frankfurt, one of the world’s largest trade fair grounds, with the Messeturm and the huge Hammering Man sculpture by the entrance. When a major fair such as the Book Fair, Ambiente or Light + Building is on, there are tens of thousands of extra visitors in town, and hotel prices shoot up across Frankfurt, especially here. So check the trade fair calendar before you book, wherever in the city you plan to stay.

See hotels in Westend and near the trade fair here.

I’d stay here if you’re attending a trade fair, travelling on business, or want peace and quiet and green spaces within walking distance. It’s also a good choice for families, as the Palmengarten and the Senckenberg Natural History Museum, with its huge dinosaur skeletons, are right on your doorstep. If you want to explore the Taunus or the Rheingau wine region on your own, you can find hire cars on Booking.com and be out of the city in half an hour.

The downside is that Westend is quiet in the evening, and bars and restaurants are few and far between compared with the other areas. Around the trade fair it’s mostly offices and wide roads, so if you want some atmosphere, you’ll need to take the U-Bahn into the centre or head over to Leipziger Straße in neighbouring Bockenheim.

Hotels in Westend & Messe

Taj Hessischer Hof Frankfurt - five-star classic right opposite the trade fair

Taj Hessischer Hof sits on Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage directly opposite the trade fair grounds and is one of Frankfurt’s classic grand hotels, now run by the Indian Taj chain. There’s a spa, a gourmet breakfast and large rooms and suites, and guests give the service top marks. A few guests have had problems with the air conditioning in their rooms, and during the major fairs the price is a completely different story from what I found.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The best hotel experience and the best hospitality I have ever had at a hotel.”

See photos and book Taj Hessischer Hof here.

Hotel Palmenhof - stylish hotel in the heart of Westend near the Palmengarten

Hotel Palmenhof is on Bockenheimer Landstraße in the middle of Westend, a few minutes’ walk from the Palmengarten and Westend U-Bahn station. There’s a generous breakfast buffet, spacious rooms and staff that guests praise again and again. Some of the furnishings are old-fashioned, and you can hear the traffic from the street-facing rooms.

From one review: “What a lovely hotel with incredibly polite and helpful staff.”

See photos and book Hotel Palmenhof here.

Premier Inn Frankfurt Westend - budget chain hotel by the trade fair grounds

Premier Inn Frankfurt Westend is on Hamburger Allee on the western edge of Westend, a couple of minutes’ walk from the trade fair grounds. It’s the British chain’s familiar formula, with comfy beds, air conditioning, a restaurant and an underground car park, and it was the cheapest of the three when I searched. Rooms aren’t cleaned daily as standard, so ask at reception if you’d like fresh towels.

One guest highlights: “Everything about this hotel was absolutely exceptional.”

See photos and book Premier Inn Frankfurt Westend here.

6. Nordend & Bornheim - best area for a local feel

• Distance to the centre: Around 2 kilometres north-east of Römerberg. From Merianplatz it’s a 15-minute walk to Konstablerwache and the Zeil.
• Transport: The U4 runs beneath Berger Straße from Bornheim Mitte, Höhenstraße and Merianplatz to Konstablerwache and Dom/Römer, and several tram lines run through Nordend.
• Time from Frankfurt Airport: Around 30 minutes on the S8 or S9 to Konstablerwache, then the U4 on to Merianplatz or Bornheim Mitte.
• Price level: € to €€. The three hotels below cost roughly £60 to £100 a night when I searched for a weekend in November.
• Safety: A quiet, safe residential area with plenty of life on the streets in the evening around Berger Straße and Friedberger Platz.

Nordend and Bornheim are the neighbourhoods north-east of the centre where lots of young families and creative locals live, and this is where you’ll see the city without the skyscrapers and suits. Nordend is built around Gründerzeit houses with balconies, tree-lined streets and little squares such as Friedberger Platz, where the Friday market is known for turning into one big open-air party once people finish work.

Berger Straße is the backbone of it all, a long street of cafés, bookshops, wine bars and small shops that starts at Merianplatz and carries on up through Bornheim. Bornheim is nicknamed das lustige Dorf, the merry village, and in the upper part around Bornheim Mitte and the little clock tower, the Uhrtürmchen, you’ll find some of the city’s cosiest apple wine taverns, where you sit side by side with locals rather than tourists.

See hotels in Nordend and Bornheim here.

I’d stay here if you’ve been to Frankfurt before, if you’re staying for several days, or if you’d rather have breakfast at a local bakery than in a hotel restaurant. Günthersburgpark and Bethmannpark, with its Chinese garden, give you some breathing space, and on the U4 you’re still at Konstablerwache in a few minutes. The area is also a good choice if you’re travelling with children, as there are playgrounds in the parks, wide pavements and plenty of restaurants used to families.

The downside is the hotels. Nordend and Bornheim are residential areas with few hotels, so the three suggestions below are on the edges of the area, and many people opt for an apartment instead. You’ll also need to take the U-Bahn or allow for a decent walk every time you want to get to the Old Town or the museums by the river.

Hotels in Nordend & Bornheim

Hotel Alexander am Zoo - four-star hotel with a sauna near the Zoo

Hotel Alexander am Zoo is on Waldschmidtstraße in Ostend, just south of Bornheim and a few minutes’ walk from Frankfurt Zoo and the Zoo U-Bahn station. It’s a four-star hotel with a sauna, steam room, breakfast buffet and 24-hour reception, and it’s about a ten-minute walk up to Berger Straße. Several guests complain that the Wi-Fi is unreliable.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Excellent hotel.”

See photos and book Hotel Alexander am Zoo here.

Turm Hotel - small, quiet hotel by the Eschenheimer Turm

Turm Hotel is on Eschersheimer Landstraße at the south-western end of Nordend, a few minutes’ walk from the medieval Eschenheimer Turm tower and the Eschenheimer Tor U-Bahn station. The rooms are spacious and quiet, but breakfast costs extra, and apart from a bar there aren’t many facilities. From here it’s about a ten-minute walk to Hauptwache and 20 minutes to Berger Straße.

From one review: “Small, quiet hotel with a lovely spacious room.”

See photos and book Turm Hotel here.

City Hotel Mercator - simple budget hotel close to Merianplatz

City Hotel Mercator is on Mercatorstraße, a quiet side street a few minutes’ walk from Merianplatz and the lower end of Berger Straße. It’s a simple three-star hotel with large rooms and breakfast, and it was the cheapest of the three when I searched. Its Booking.com score is one of the lowest in this guide, and parking spaces are limited, so it’s best to come without a car.

One guest highlights: “It’s a simple, good hotel with no nasty surprises.”

See photos and book City Hotel Mercator here.

Where not to stay in Frankfurt?

Don’t stay at the cheapest hotels in the northern part of the Bahnhofsviertel around Taunusstraße and Niddastraße if you feel uneasy walking home alone at night. Gallus, west of the station, is a mixed area of offices, traffic and housing blocks, apart from the new Europaviertel, and Niederrad, south of the river, is an office district that’s completely dead in the evening. The airport hotels only make sense if you have an early flight, and Offenbach, east of Frankfurt, is a separate town with cheaper hotels, but you rarely save enough to make up for the extra travel. And don’t move far out just to save money during a big trade fair, because the suburban hotels will be full too, and you’ll spend your time on the train every day.

If it’s your first trip to Frankfurt, I’d stay in the Altstadt or Innenstadt, where you can walk to everything. If you’re a couple looking for cosy evenings, choose Sachsenhausen, and if you’re travelling by train or want to go out in the evening, the Bahnhofsviertel is the most practical, as long as you know what you’re getting into. If you’re going to a trade fair, stay in Westend, and if you’ve been here before, Nordend and Bornheim give you the local side of Frankfurt.

A single ticket in the city costs 3.80 euros (around £3.20) and a day ticket 7.75 euros (around £6.50), so buy the day ticket if you’ll be taking the U-Bahn and tram several times. Frankfurt is also a good base for day trips, and the Rhine Valley, with its castles and vineyards, is about an hour’s drive away. If you don’t want to drive yourself, you can take a guided day trip to the Rhine Valley with a boat cruise for around 149 euros (around £125). On the ICE you’re in Cologne in just over an hour, and if you take the train along the Rhine past the Loreley instead, the journey takes a couple of hours longer, but the views are worth every minute. If you want to combine the two cities, you can read my guide to where to stay in Cologne.

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