Frankfurt

08:45 Start the day. Begin your day sightseeing at one of Frankfurt’s oldest coffee houses. Once upon a time. J.W. von Goethe, Frankfurt’s most famous son, would buy his milk at the shop at Kornmarkt 9. The CafeWacker opened for business here in 1914, and it remains a family-run business to this day. The homemade cakes, tarts and of course freshly roasted coffee are a lovely way to get your day off to a good start.

10:12 Getyour bearings. One of the best ways to become acquainted with Frankfurt, the metropolis located at the very heart of Europe, is by taking a city tour. You have a number of different tours to choose from: one of the best is the two-and-a-half-hour coach tour, featuring a round trip via Romerberg (the city’s central square) and a visit to the Goethe House. This tour starts off daily at 10.15 a.m. from the Central Station. Alternatively, you might think about getting to know Frankfurt from one of the popular hop-on-hop-off double decker buses. The complete tour lasts an hour, with the first bus of the day leaving St. Paul’s Church at 10.00 in the morning. The sights along the way include the Romerberg, St. Paul’s Church, Frankfurt Cathedral, the Goethe House, the financial district, the Alte Oper opera house, the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment), and Sachsen- hausen, the city’s ever-popular cider quarter.

ST***i MittagessenimTable US ‘J ! Restaurant. Das Restaurant in der Schirn Kunsthalle (Romerberg 6) bietet kreative Menus aus fri- schen, regionalen Zutaten. Abends verwandelt sich das Table zu gehobener Gastronomie in puristisch-eleganter Atmosphare und mit einer grofien Auswahl an internationalen Speisen und Weinen. | Lunch at theTableRestaurant.

The restaurant at the Schirn Kunsthalle exhibition

space (Romerberg 6a,) offers creative menus using fresh regional ingredients. In the evening, the Table is transformed into a purveyor of top-end gastronomic fare in an elegantly purist atmosphere and offering a large selection of international dishes and wines.

12:57 Checkout amuseum. Whenyou leave the Table,you immediately find yourself at the heart of Frankfurt’s museum landscape. Take the time to discover the Museum Embankment, a collection of 26 museums alongside or nearby the River Main. The Stadel Museum, home to one of the most famous art collections in Europe, is certainly worth a look, and will be reopening its doors in October 2011 after a major extension project.

No matter what interests you, other spaces such as the German Architecture Museum, the Museum of Communication, the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of World Cultures are sure to have something for every taste.

17:34 Up, up and away. Frankfurt is famous for its skyline, and not without good reason: the view down onto the city from one of the skyscrapers is simply breathtaking. The Main Tower, headquarters of Hessische Landesbank (Neue Mainzer Str. 52), is the only tower open to the public, and gives you the chance to enjoy the panoramic view onto Frankfurt at something like 200 metres above ground. On a clear summer evening, you can see the entire region, as well as aircraft taking off and landing at Frankfurt Airport.

22:32 Timeout. Those who still have the time and energy will be pleased to know that Frankfurt has numerous clubs and bars to offer. Most of these are located in the city centre or on Ffanauer Landstrafie. One thing’s for sure:you’ll definitely find a place that suits you – and your party mood – down to the ground!