The Main runs through the middle of the city, and on a dry day its banks are where families end up. Flat paths on both sides suit a stroller or a bike, sightseeing boats leave from the old-town bank, and beer gardens sit right on the water. In summer the river hosts its own festivals. Here's what we checked, from the Eiserner Steg footbridge to a sand dune boardwalk downriver.
Eiserner Steg is an iron footbridge over the Main, linking the old town by the Römerberg with Sachsenhausen. From the middle, kids can watch boats pass underneath, with the skyline on one side and the Museumsufer on the other.
Sightseeing boats leave from the old-town bank, and electric boats can be rented on the Sachsenhausen side, next to a restaurant ship.
A sightseeing boat on the Main that leaves from the Eiserner Steg footbridge, a short walk from the Römer. One loop heads upriver toward Gerbermühle, the other downriver toward the Griesheim lock, and the long trip does both. Kids can sit on the open top deck and watch the bank towers and bridges slide past. Commentary is in German and English, and food and drinks are sold on board.
Hafenpark is a 40,000-square-meter park on the Main riverbank, right below the European Central Bank tower. Its Concrete Jungle skate park draws amateur and pro skaters, and a second, smaller skate area is set aside for kids.
Around it sit basketball, volleyball, badminton and soccer courts, a climbing course, playgrounds, outdoor fitness equipment, and open lawns with wide wooden loungers for picnics.
Gerbermühle is a historic former mill on the south bank of the Main, now a restaurant and small hotel. Its beer garden sits under the trees by the riverbank, looking across the water to the skyline, and a glass-walled winter garden and terraces take over on cooler days.
Goethe spent almost a month here in 1815 and celebrated his 66th birthday in the house.
Achter is a restaurant and café in the Rudererdorf, the row of rowing clubhouses on the south bank of the Main in Oberrad. Out back, a garden has a treehouse and a sandbox where kids play while the grown-ups eat, plus deck chairs and a kiosk selling ice cream. The kitchen mixes hearty German cooking, vegetarian dishes, big salads and Frankfurt classics, with apple wine and homemade cake.
Schwanheimer Düne is a 58-hectare nature reserve on an inland sand dune, formed from Main riverbed sand after the last Ice Age. A wooden boardwalk loops through pine trees, silver grass and open sand, with information boards. Kids have to stay on the boards to protect the lichens, which makes it a car-free stretch for running. Look for herons fishing in the Schmitt'sche Grube, a former sand pit.
Mainfest is Frankfurt's old riverside folk festival, rooted in a fishermen's feast from the Middle Ages. The Main embankment and the Römerberg fill with traditional rides, a Ferris wheel, regional food stalls and a culture program.
Kids tend to remember the Fischerstechen: jousters in historical costume stand on narrow boats and try to push each other into the river with padded poles. It suits families who enjoy a busy fair.
One of Europe's largest culture festivals fills both banks of the Main along the Museumsufer, Frankfurt's row of riverside museums. Museums open late with special programs, stages run from local bands to DJs, and stalls sell crafts and food from around the world.
For kids, the draws are the dragon boat races on the river, stilt walkers in the crowds, and the music fireworks that close the weekend.
The Main runs through the middle of the city, and on a dry day its banks are where families end up. Flat paths on both sides suit a stroller or a bike, sightseeing boats leave from the old-town bank, and beer gardens sit right on the water. In summer the river hosts its own festivals. Here's what we checked, from the Eiserner Steg footbridge to a sand dune boardwalk downriver.
Eiserner Steg is an iron footbridge over the Main, linking the old town by the Römerberg with Sachsenhausen. From the middle, kids can watch boats pass underneath, with the skyline on one side and the Museumsufer on the other.
Sightseeing boats leave from the old-town bank, and electric boats can be rented on the Sachsenhausen side, next to a restaurant ship.
A sightseeing boat on the Main that leaves from the Eiserner Steg footbridge, a short walk from the Römer. One loop heads upriver toward Gerbermühle, the other downriver toward the Griesheim lock, and the long trip does both. Kids can sit on the open top deck and watch the bank towers and bridges slide past. Commentary is in German and English, and food and drinks are sold on board.
Hafenpark is a 40,000-square-meter park on the Main riverbank, right below the European Central Bank tower. Its Concrete Jungle skate park draws amateur and pro skaters, and a second, smaller skate area is set aside for kids.
Around it sit basketball, volleyball, badminton and soccer courts, a climbing course, playgrounds, outdoor fitness equipment, and open lawns with wide wooden loungers for picnics.
Gerbermühle is a historic former mill on the south bank of the Main, now a restaurant and small hotel. Its beer garden sits under the trees by the riverbank, looking across the water to the skyline, and a glass-walled winter garden and terraces take over on cooler days.
Goethe spent almost a month here in 1815 and celebrated his 66th birthday in the house.
Achter is a restaurant and café in the Rudererdorf, the row of rowing clubhouses on the south bank of the Main in Oberrad. Out back, a garden has a treehouse and a sandbox where kids play while the grown-ups eat, plus deck chairs and a kiosk selling ice cream. The kitchen mixes hearty German cooking, vegetarian dishes, big salads and Frankfurt classics, with apple wine and homemade cake.
Schwanheimer Düne is a 58-hectare nature reserve on an inland sand dune, formed from Main riverbed sand after the last Ice Age. A wooden boardwalk loops through pine trees, silver grass and open sand, with information boards. Kids have to stay on the boards to protect the lichens, which makes it a car-free stretch for running. Look for herons fishing in the Schmitt'sche Grube, a former sand pit.
Mainfest is Frankfurt's old riverside folk festival, rooted in a fishermen's feast from the Middle Ages. The Main embankment and the Römerberg fill with traditional rides, a Ferris wheel, regional food stalls and a culture program.
Kids tend to remember the Fischerstechen: jousters in historical costume stand on narrow boats and try to push each other into the river with padded poles. It suits families who enjoy a busy fair.
One of Europe's largest culture festivals fills both banks of the Main along the Museumsufer, Frankfurt's row of riverside museums. Museums open late with special programs, stages run from local bands to DJs, and stalls sell crafts and food from around the world.
For kids, the draws are the dragon boat races on the river, stilt walkers in the crowds, and the music fireworks that close the weekend.
