It's full of businessmen during the week, but visit at the weekend and Germany's financial heart should pay dividends, writes Mal Rogers
AS BEFITS the city whose name has become a byword in the hot-dog-eating stakes, hearty food is easily come by in Frankfurt. Stalls, kiosks, cafes and markets are ready to ply you with everything from Kartoffelpuffer (deep-fried potato pancakes, eaten with apple sauce) to the eponymous frankfurter, washed down perhaps with a jug of Feuerzangenbowle, a wine-based drink made by burning rum-soaked sugar over a cauldron.
Of course, most expense- accounting visitors will be dining in one of the city's upscale restaurants - Bankfurt, as it is semi-affectionately called, is one of Europe's financial centres, and this city-in-a-suit entertains its clients well.
But if your heart doesn't leap at headlines such as 'Luxembourg exports down 0.01%' you might wonder what this solid city has to offer. That's easy: five-star dining, architecture dripping with aesthetic appeal, some of Europe's great art galleries and retail opportunities to make your credit card come out in a sweat.
To recuperate sail up the River Main through the castles of the Rheingau region, which appear to have tumbled straight out of a fairy tale. (They are, in fact, more likely to have tumbled into a fairy tale, having inspired local boys Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.)
Nonetheless, Frankfurt, as its citizens will readily admit, suffers from an image problem. Come Friday afternoon the hotels empty - the reason you can pick up tempting weekend deals. And we're talking seriously swanky places here. In my hotel, the Maritim, everything was design fabulous - the fixtures a la mode; a state-of-the-art CD quietly playing a Schubert concerto; and a wafer-thin veneer of camphor wood on the walls. In fact, the only thing that looked out of place was the sundowner, a gin and tonic. I was asked my preference - Gordon's, Bombay Sapphire and so on - "or perhaps Sir would prefer a Scottish gin?"
A Hendrick's duly appeared, served with not ice and lime, nor even lemon, but ice and cucumber. That's how a Scottish GT should be served, I was told. Truly, travel broadens the mind.
Overall, Frankfurt is mind-broadening. The city was flattened in 1945, with more than 5,000 civilians killed - they don't call the second World War "the Emergency" in these parts. Frankfurt decided to build more or less a new city. Innovation rather than renovation means this is one of the very few European cities with a significant modern skyline.
The remains of the old medieval city surround Römerberg. Frankfurt's limited number of ancient buildings - the town hall, St Nicholas's Church, St Paul's Church - abut the likes of the ultramodern Europe Tower. The tallest tower in the city, it boasts a revolving bar at the top - where doubtless you can order a Scottish GT with cucumber and ice.
To admire Frankfurt's skyline, head west along Museumsufer, home ground to some of Europe's great art collections, including the Städel Art Institute, the Museum of Decorative Arts and the German Film Museum. There's even a museum dedicated to Apfelwein, the local hooch. (To be honest, not terribly hoochy.)
Back across the river stands a statue of Frankfurt's most famous son, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a man with a touch of the Jimmy Joyces about him - he wasn't very fond of his native city. But he seems to have had something of a sunnier disposition than JJ. JG believed that every day you should hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture. Easily enough come by in his native city. For myself, the picture part selects itself. Not for me a Botticelli or a Rembrandt. Rather, a visit to Städel Art Institute to see The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the travel writers' ultimate icon. A man leaning over a table with a pair of dividers, the floor festooned with maps and diagrams.
The look of concentration on the geographer's face draws you into his world. Art historians have argued for centuries what this moment of insight is about. Let me tell you.
The geographer is bent over some ancient travel brochure, wondering how to transform what he sees into inviting words for his readers.
And maybe how he can rack up the old expenses a bit.
Where to eat, stay and go if you're visiting the German city
5 places to stay
1.The Maritim. Theodor-Heuss-Allee 3, 00-49-69-75780, www.maritim.de. Doubles from €137.50 per person sharing. A hang-out for the well-heeled during the week. The turndown nibbles at bedtime would represent a substantial meal in many another establishments.
2.The Goldman 25hours Hotel. Hanauer Landstrasse 127, 00-49-69-40586890, www.25hours-hotels.com. Double rooms at the weekend for as little as €65.
3.Rocco Forte Villa Kennedy. Kennedyallee 70, 00-49-69-717120, www.villakennedy.com. Double rooms plus four-course evening meal for two and late (4pm) check-out: €436. If you're independently wealthy, on honeymoon or a hopeless spendthrift, the swashbuckling Villa Kennedy is your only man.
4.Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof. Am Kaiserplatz, 00-49-69-21502, www.frankfurter-hof.steigen berger.de. Doubles from €75 to €247.50 per person sharing. In the centre of the city in an elegantly restored building. Like the Maritim, this is a place for uber-travellers during the week; at the weekend it does various sleep-and-brunch deals.
5.The Victoria. Kaiserstrasse 59. 00-49-69-273060, www.victoriahotel.de. Doubles (with breakfast) from €85 at the weekend. Comfortable digs close to the station.
5 places to eat
1 .Adolf Wagner. Schweizer Strasse 71, 00-49-69-612565, www.apfelwein-wagner.com. The food here comes in baronial quantities and is generally not what the cardiologist ordered. Order a Schweinshaxe, or pork knuckle, and Bembel, a special jug of Apfelwein. You're charged by weight (the pork knuckle, that is, not yours).
2.Wacker's Kaffee Rösterei. Kornmarket 9, 00-49-69- 287810, www.wackers-kaffee. de. Devastatingly delicious odours waft out of Wacker's, and even if you feel coffee is this world's ultimate disappointment - nothing could ever taste as good as coffee smells - Wacker's might help redress the balance. Take your cuppa with a slice of Apfel Sahne (apple cream) cake, specially designed for those with a flexible take on diets.
3.Alte Oper. Opernplatz 1, 00-49-69-1340322, www.alteoper.de. For about €25 you can enjoy a luxurious brunch with a glass of Prosecco in the lavish surroundings of the old opera house.
4.Harvey's. Bornheimer Landstrasse 64, 00-49-69-48004878, www.harveys-ffm.de. Long-standing local favourite that draws a bohemian, eclectic crowd. One of the most stylish places to hang out in Frankfurt, Harvey's Sunday breakfast is an institution.
5.Tigerpalast Restaurant. Heiligkreuzgasse 16-20, 00-49-69-9200220, www.tigerpalast.com. Specialising in seafood, game in season and the odd Mediterranean venture, this is now one of the top restaurants in the city - with a Michelin star to prove it.
5 places to go
1Museum of Modern Art (Museum fur Moderne Kunst). Domstrasse 10, 00-49-69-21230447, www.mmk-frankfurt.de.
Just like its contents (Warhol, Lichtenstein and so on), the design of the Museum of Modern Art is seriously out of whack. The work of Austrian architect Hans Hollein, its design must have been a piece of cake, because that's exactly what it looks like.
2.Take tram 12 from the eastern end of the Zeil to Bethmann Park. This is where Frankfurt gets fit - joggers, cyclists, speed walkers, dogs. The park is, like so many things in Germany, formal but lovely.
3."Frankfurter sandwiches / Frankfurter sandwiches / All night long," the song has it, and certainly you'll find plenty at the marketplace of Kleinmarkhalle, Hasengasse 5-7. Every conceivable kind of German sausage is available. Just a word of warning, however: "Das ist mir Wurst" means "I couldnt care less", not "That is my sausage".
Don't take umbrage. There are plenty of sausages to go around.
4.The impressive red sandstone Church of St Bartholomaus was the venue for the election and coronation of the Holy Roman Emperors. Despite severe war damage, the church retains many of its original features. The Dom tower offers one of the best views of the Old Town.
5.For similar altitude with attitude, take the high-speed lift to the top of the Main Tower on Neue Mainzer Strasse. You'll look down on the twin towers of the Deutsche Bank known locally as Soll und Haben (debit and credit), as well as the glorious Hessen countryside, with it castles, vineyards and wooded valleys.
Check out
Frankfurt does Christmas exceedingly well. Its market, dating back to 1393, takes place in the Römerberg, the centre. Stalls plying food, drink and gifts sprawl from the banks of the River Main to the Zeil shopping district.
Hit the shops
Frankfurt's international designer shops can be found on one of Europe's most popular shopping promenades, the Zeil. For more quirky bling, head for Tongastrasse, in the Old Town. For second-hand designer clothes, Schillerstrasse and its adjoining streets and alleys are stuffed with pre-loved swag. A flea market is open every Sunday morning along Museumsufer.
Hot spot
Frankfurt does good party.
For spirited after-dark carousing try one of the bars on the corner of Zeil and Friedberger Anlage streets, such as Lala Mamoona, a converted public toilet that has swapped WCs for DJs. For feisty local and international nightlife, the Cocoon Club,run by the German techno legend Sven Varth, provides German crack well into der klein hours.
Before you go
Rid yourself of ideas of the Protestant work ethic. Unlike in Ireland, all shops and supermarkets give their employees Sunday off.
State museums are closed on Mondays, although a few private ones are open.
It's also worth checking out which restaurants are closed on Mondays.
Go there
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin to Frankfurt. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from Dublin, Kerry and Shannon to Frankfurt-Hahn, about two hours away by coach.