9 experiences you can only have in...

From its famous green sauce to Germany’s highest rooftop bar, here are unique experiences to have in the city

From quirky culinary traditions to sky-high sundowners, Frankfurt offers a unique mix of experiences that extend far beyond its businesslike facade. Whether you're visiting for work or leisure, the city serves up a memorable blend of sights, flavours and cultural moments that you won’t find anywhere else.

Here’s Connecting Travel’s pick of unmissable Frankfurt highlights, from tasting the city’s beloved Green Sauce to raising a glass in Germany’s highest rooftop bar.

1 Admire Franz Marc’s most famous painting in Frankfurt
Franz Marc’s Dog Lying in the Snow is one of Frankfurt’s most beloved art treasures. In a survey conducted by the Stadel Museum, it ranked as visitors’ favourite painting. The subject, Russi, is the artist’s own dog. It shows the pet at one with himself and the world, living in the moment, a state of being that Marc was fascinated by and often attempted to capture in his famous paintings of animals.

Shortly after creating this painting, Franz Marc and fellow artist Wassily Kandinsky went on to issue the almanack Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a collection of texts and pictures presenting their views on art that turned into a movement. They were joined by other artists with similar beliefs about modern art and Marc became a key figure of German Expressionism, making this masterpiece even more significant. See it among the Stadel’s permanent collection. www.staedelmuseum.de/en

Franz Marc’s Dog Lying in the Snow

2 Take a Frankfurt city tour on the Ebbelwei-Express
Hop aboard the psychedelic tram that rides around the city providing an alternative whistle-stop tour of the main sights. Postcard attractions passed along the way include the River Main, Platz der Republik, historic Römerberg square, St Paul’s Church, St Bartholomew’s Cathedral and the modern MesseTurm tower. Commentary comes from an accompanying audio guide available in German or English.

The tram was commissioned in 1977, with artists designing the interior and exterior as a ‘travelling cider pub’, complete with music. Named after local Ebbelwei cider, which passengers can sample as part of their tour, the ticket price of €8 includes a bottle of the local brew, an apple juice and pretzels.

Operating at weekends, the hour-long Ebbelwei-Express tour is a quick way for newcomers to get their bearings. The tram is also available for private hire on weekdays. www.ebbelwei-express.de/en

Ebbelwei-Express ©VisitFrankfurt/Isabela Pacini

3 Marvel at Frankfurt’s reconstructed DomRömer Quarter
While many European destinations have spent years carefully reconstructing historic buildings destroyed during the wars, Frankfurt is the world’s only city to have recreated an entire district.

Spanning 7,000 square metres between the Römer (town hall) and Emperors’ Cathedral, the new Old Town, or DomRömer Quarter, features 15 faithful reconstructed buildings in a fascinating blend of designs from different eras sharing a postcode. Expect to see half-timbered and pastel-hued residences perched alongside Baroque buildings, housing shops, cafes and museums.

Highlights include the Inn at Hühnermarkt, serving seasonal and regional cuisine, and the Historical Museum displaying objects owned by a wealthy family during the 17th and 18th centuries alongside a roof gallery with views of the city. www.domroemer.de/english

DomRömer Quarter ©VisitFrankfurt/Isabela Pacini

4 Raise a toast to Germany’s highest rooftop bar
One of the best views of the city comes from the 47th floor of Nhow Frankfurt, with the hotel’s rooftop bar offering panoramic vistas from a height of 185 metres.

The NFT Skybar is named after digital Non Fungible Token artworks, which you can also buy at the bar. It sells the works of renowned artist David Zuker. Not only will buying one of the NFTs provide an alternative investment, collectors also benefit from exclusive customer perks.

Beyond the art, you can watch the sunset from the 360-degree open terrace, or settle indoors on comfy armchairs to sip cocktails. www.nft-skybar.com

NFT Skybar ©VisitFrankfurt/Isabela Pacini

5 Socialise like a Frankfurter at a Wasserhäuschen
There are more than 300 Wasserhäuschen (water houses) still in operation across Frankfurt. They were originally intended to provide safe drinking water to the denizens of the city, with the water being collected from the natural springs outside the city and sold as an alternative to beer and schnapps.

They have now become focal points for local communities to meet for coffee – and something stronger. In fact, these cute kiosk-cafes have become such a part of the social fabric that there are regular guided tours taking in some of the best examples while sharing stories about them. Most are now owned by large drinks companies and serve a range of drinks, sweets, newspapers and cigarettes. www.visitfrankfurt.travelwasserhaeuschen

Wasserhäuschen ©VisitFrankfurt/David Vasicek

6 Experience a slice of France in Frankfurt
Named after Nice in Southern France, Nizza is a flourishing park that runs around a kilometre along the north bank of the river Main. A number of factors, natural and manmade, give the park a microclimate more akin to that of the Mediterranean, which is why its exotic fruit trees thrive. There are also herb gardens to stroll through and a water playground to keep kids occupied. frankfurt.de/englishgardens/nizza

Nizza ©VisitFrankfurt/Isabela Pacini

7 Climb Lohrberg for Frankfurt’s best views and brews
Located on the outskirts of the city, 7km from the cenre, Lohrberg is worth a visit for two reasons: firstly, the 185-metre hilltop offers impressive skyline views; secondly, it’s home to the vineyard and orchards that keep Frankfurters merry. While the grapes are pressed into Lohrberger wine, the apple orchards are responsible for Frankfurt’s ubiquitous apple cider, Ebbelwei.

Keeping the Ebbelwei tradition alive is the MainÄppelHaus Lohrberg, a non-profit orchard centre, founded in 1924, where guests can sample the sour brew and also learn more about the local environment, as well as activities from beekeeping to soap making. The farm shop and bistro make a fitting reward for the gentle climb, as do the views. www.visitfrankfurt.travel/en/poi/lohrberg

Lohrberg ©VisitFrankfurtRheinMain/Christoph Partsch

8 Feast like royalty on a Frankfurt Crown Cake
Frankfurter Kranz, or Crown Cake, is shaped and decorated to resemble regal headwear. There’s history behind the baking, as Frankfurt was the coronation city of the Holy Roman Emperors until 1792.

It all starts with a firm sponge cake baked in a ring, which is then sliced horizontally into two or three layers, with thick, sweet buttercream icing and strawberry or cherry jam added between the sponge. The exterior is decorated with another coating of buttercream and chopped caramelised nuts, known as Krokant, toasted almond flakes and ground hazelnuts to create a golden hue, while cocktail cherries placed on top resemble rubies. Try a slice at family-run Huck’s bakery, which has outlets across the city, or Kaffeehaus Goldenen Waage, a coffee and pastry shop housed in a renaissance building. www.baeckerei-huck.de/standorte

Kaffeehaus Goldenen Waage ©VisitFrankfurt/Isabela Pacini

9 Sample Frankfurt’s famous Green Sauce
While many cities have culinary specialities, few embrace their signature as wholeheartedly as Frankfurt, even dedicating an annual festival to its fabled Green Sauce, or Grüne Soße.

The cold yoghurt sauce is made with a blend of seven chopped herbs (borage, sorrel, garden cress, chervil, chives, parsley and salad burnet) that were traditionally sourced from within the city limits. Typically, it’s poured generously over potatoes and boiled eggs.

From 2008 to 2024, each May, Frankfurt has hosted a Green Sauce Festival where chefs and restaurants from all over the city compete to be crowned the winning maker of the best version. Visitors should try the 2024 champion, restaurant Gasthaus zum Einhorn in Bonames, around 5km from the city centre, or sample some at Apfelwein Wagner on Schweizer Strasse. gasthaus-zum-einhorn.de; www.apfelwein-wagner.com/en

For more information on Frankfurt, visit www.visitfrankfurt.travel/en and follow Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn