Where to base yourself
Where to stay in Frankfurt
Frankfurt is compact and split into 43 districts, but as a visitor you will spend your time in a handful of them. The city center fits inside a 30-minute walk, so the choice is less about distance than about what you want outside the hotel door: landmarks, cider taverns, shopping, quiet streets or a short hop to the fairgrounds.
Below: a quick answer by traveler type, then a full guide to each of the 14 neighborhoods worth knowing.
The short answer
First time in Frankfurt
Altstadt (the Old Town)
Everything you came to see is within a 15-minute walk, and the Christmas market is on the doorstep in December.
Read the neighborhood guide →Arriving by train
Bahnhofsviertel (the station quarter)
Hotels are minutes from the platforms and usually cheaper than the Old Town. Livelier and edgier after dark.
Read the neighborhood guide →Here to eat and drink
Sachsenhausen (the south-bank quarter)
The apple-wine taverns are on your side of the river, the museums are next door and the walk back over the bridge is short.
Read the neighborhood guide →Trade fair or Book Fair
Westend
Closest to the fairgrounds with the calmest streets in the city. Book early, because fair weeks sell out.
Read the neighborhood guide →Traveling with kids
Ostend (the east end)
The zoo, the riverbank, the Hafenpark and 79 acres of the Ostpark, all in one district.
Read the neighborhood guide →Early flight or a layover
Flughafen (the airport district)
Airport hotels with shuttles to both terminals save you the trip into the city and back.
Read the neighborhood guide →Every neighborhood worth knowing
Historic core
Altstadt (the Old Town)
Frankfurt's medieval core around the Römerberg, rebuilt after the war and walkable to nearly every landmark.
Best for: First-time visitors who want everything within walking distance
Shopping
Innenstadt (downtown)
The Zeil shopping street, the Hauptwache and the skyscraper canyons of the banking district, all in one small central district.
Best for: Shoppers, business travelers and anyone who wants the skyline outside the window
Apple wine
Sachsenhausen (the south-bank quarter)
Across the Main: the Museumsufer museum row, the apple-wine taverns of Alt-Sachsenhausen and the best evening scene in the city.
Best for: Travelers who want museums by day and Apfelwein taverns by night
Arrivals hub
Bahnhofsviertel (the station quarter)
The quarter around the main station: wide boulevards, skyscrapers, street food and a frank reputation. The most convenient landing spot if you arrive by train.
Best for: Rail travelers and short stays where a five-minute walk to the platform matters
Upscale
Westend
Frankfurt's most expensive address: 19th-century villas, the Palmengarten botanical garden and the tallest towers in the city.
Best for: Quiet upscale stays and anyone attending Messe Frankfurt
Nightlife
Bornheim
The lively village: Frankfurt's longest shopping street, a dense run of apple-wine taverns and the city's favorite place to live.
Best for: Eating and drinking where locals do, away from the tourist center
Residential
Nordend
The city's densest and most sought-after residential quarter: Gründerzeit apartment blocks, parks, cafés and no tourists.
Best for: Repeat visitors who want to live like a local rather than sightsee
Riverside
Ostend (the east end)
From working-class district to riverside redevelopment: the European Central Bank, the zoo, the Hafenpark and a 79-acre city park.
Best for: Visitors with kids heading to the zoo, and anyone who likes new architecture
Student
Bockenheim
A town within the city: student bars, market stalls and workshops on the Leipziger Straße, right beside the trade fair grounds.
Best for: Trade fair visitors and budget-conscious travelers
Riverside
Gutleutviertel
A quiet riverside quarter west and south of the main station, anchored by the glass-and-water redevelopment of the Westhafen.
Best for: Quiet nights near the station with a river walk on the doorstep
In transition
Gallus
A former industrial and railway quarter west of the main station, now one of the fastest-changing parts of Frankfurt.
Best for: Budget stays with a short hop to the main station
Historic old town
Höchst
Frankfurt's best-preserved historic center, 1,200 years of history, a famous porcelain manufactory and one of Germany's oldest churches.
Best for: A half-day trip out of the center for travelers who have already seen the Old Town
Village feel
Bergen-Enkheim
A village at the edge of the city, with a white medieval tower, a Gothic town hall and a view that reaches to the Odenwald.
Best for: A quiet day out of the center, and drivers who want space
Aviation hub
Flughafen (the airport district)
Frankfurt Airport is its own city district: 7.7 square miles, 211 residents, 62,000 jobs and around 640 flights a day.
Best for: Early departures, late arrivals and long layovers
Still deciding?
For a first visit, the Old Town and downtown keep the cathedral, St. Paul's Church, the Main Tower and the riverbank within walking distance. Compare live rates, or see how the days fit together in a ready-made itinerary.