The 5 Art Museum Main River You Can’t Miss in Frankfurt
Frankfurt’s Museumsufer — the museum embankment lining the Main’s south bank in Sachsenhausen — is one of
the densest concentrations of serious art museums anywhere in Germany, and it doesn’t stand entirely alone: a
scattering of specialist collections sit a short walk back from the river, in the old town and beyond. We went
through every art museum with a Google Business listing that plausibly answers to “art museum, Main river”
across that stretch of the city — 11 qualifying listings once obvious mismatches were filtered out — and
weighted each one’s rating against how many people actually left it, because a 4.6 from twelve thousand reviews
and a 4.6 from fifteen hundred are not making the same claim. Five came out clearly ahead, and between them they
cover most of what an art museum in this city can be: a 700-year survey collection, a sculpture-only specialist
in a historic villa, a museum built entirely around cartoon and comic art, a contemporary Kunsthalle currently
between homes, and a design and applied-arts museum in a Richard Meier building.
Städel Museum, Sachsenhausen
Start with the anchor of the whole embankment, and the most-reviewed name on this list by a wide margin:
Städel Museum, 4.6★ from 12,921 Google reviews. The Städel’s own pitch is “700
years of art under one roof” — a genuinely continuous chronological sweep from medieval panels through to the
present, run alongside a rotating exhibition programme that currently spans a Bruegel print survey and a show
built around Elmgreen & Dragset. It also runs its own rooftop venue, Städel Dach, for skyline views over the
Main once the galleries close. Schaumainkai 63, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Thursday until
9:00 PM, closed Monday.
Liebieghaus, Sachsenhausen
Two doors down the embankment, and matching the Städel’s 4.6★ on a far smaller base — 1,505 reviews.
Liebieghaus is a specialist rather than a survey: sculpture only, spanning ancient
Egyptian and Classical work through to the Renaissance and Neoclassical periods, housed inside the Villa
Liebieg, a 19th-century mansion built as a private residence before it became a museum. Its research wing has
spent years on what it calls Polychromieforschung — reconstructing how ancient sculpture actually looked in
colour, under the tagline “die Antike war bunt” (antiquity was colourful) — and there’s a café on the
Main-facing terrace for afterwards. Schaumainkai 71, Tuesday and Wednesday from noon, Thursday through Sunday
from 10:00 AM (Thursday until 9:00 PM), closed Monday.
Caricatura – Museum for Comic Art, Altstadt
The one on this list built around a genre rather than an era. Caricatura — a
“Museum für Komische Kunst” in its own German name — covers cartoon, comic and satirical art across painting,
photography, film, text and object art, spread across three spaces: a rotating special-exhibition floor, a
permanent collection floor, and a Caricatura Salon reserved for emerging artists. In 2025 it took on the
complete artistic estate of Loriot (Vicco von Bülow), Germany’s best-known 20th-century humorist, as a
permanent loan — easily the most specific acquisition on this list. It sits back from the river at Weckmarkt
17, near Römerberg in the old town, rather than directly on the Museumsufer. 4.5★ from 1,527 reviews,
open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, closed Monday.
Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Bockenheim (temporary)
The one name on this list currently not where you’d expect it. Schirn Kunsthalle
is a contemporary-art Kunsthalle — no permanent collection, only changing exhibitions — running shows that
range from “The World Through AI” to a Leonor Fini retrospective, backed by a members’ circle, its own SCHIRN
Paper publication, and accessibility programming that includes easy-language and sign-language versions of its
content. Its usual home is on Römerberg by the river, but the building is currently under renovation and the
Schirn has temporarily relocated to Bockenheim — worth checking before a visit, since the current address is
well back from the Main. 4.4★ from 4,338 reviews, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Thursday
until 10:00 PM, closed Monday.
Museum of Applied Arts, Sachsenhausen
The design specialist of the group. Museum Angewandte Kunst, to give it its
German name, covers graphic and industrial design, fashion, ceramics and East Asian decorative art, with
permanent style rooms dedicated to designers including Dieter Rams. The building itself is part of the story —
a white, grid-windowed structure designed by Richard Meier, built around the older Villa Metzler, which now
houses the museum’s own restaurant, Emma Metzler. The lowest-rated of the five, but still a solid 4.2★
from 1,272 reviews, Schaumainkai 17, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Wednesday until 8:00 PM,
closed Monday.
All five, on the map
The interactive map has all 11 qualifying art museums we found along Frankfurt’s
Main river and the old town just behind it, these five marked and numbered, and a button that hands the
walking-and-transit route between them straight to Google Maps on your phone.
Getting the most out of an art museum day in Frankfurt
Four of these five sit close enough together on or near the Museumsufer that a determined visitor can walk
between them in an afternoon; the Schirn’s temporary Bockenheim address is the outlier and needs its own trip
across town. If you’re visiting rather than living here, a local eSIM from Airalo
means Google Maps and museum opening-hours pages work the moment you land, and a booked transfer from Welcome Pickups takes the guesswork out of getting from Frankfurt Airport
into the city in the first place. Museum admission across five stops adds up in a hurry — a Wise card avoids the foreign-transaction fee on every ticket desk and café bill
along the way. And Tiqets covers skip-the-line and combined tickets for
several of these museums directly, which matters most at the Städel, the single busiest name on this list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best art museum on the Main river in Frankfurt?
By rating weighted against review volume, the Städel Museum comes out on top at 4.6★ from 12,921
reviews, though Liebieghaus matches its 4.6★ on a much smaller review base. “Best” depends on what you
want: the Städel for a 700-year general survey, Liebieghaus for sculpture specifically.
Are all five of these museums actually on the river?
Not quite. Städel, Liebieghaus and the Museum of Applied Arts sit directly on Schaumainkai, facing the Main.
Caricatura is a short walk back near Römerberg in the old town, and the Schirn is currently temporarily
relocated to Bockenheim during renovation, well away from the river — check its current address before
visiting.
Which of these is best for comic art or something lighter than fine art?
Caricatura – Museum for Comic Art is the one built entirely around cartoon, comic and satirical work,
including the complete estate of German humorist Loriot, acquired as a permanent loan in 2025.
Are these museums open on Mondays?
No — all five list Monday as closed in Google’s current data. Thursday is the long evening across the
group: Städel, Liebieghaus and Schirn all extend hours into the evening that day.
Is the Schirn’s current location its permanent home?
No. Per the museum’s own site, its usual home is by the river near Römerberg, but the building is under
renovation and it has temporarily relocated to Bockenheim — confirm the current address before making the
trip.
- 1. Städel Museum — Schaumainkai 63, 60596 Frankfurt am Main
- 2. Liebieghaus — Schaumainkai 71, 60596 Frankfurt am Main-Frankfurt-Süd
- 3. Caricatura – Museum for Comic Art — Weckmarkt 17, 60311 Frankfurt am Main-Innenstadt I
- 4. Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt — Gabriel-Riesser-Weg 3, 60325 Frankfurt am Main
- 5. Museum of Applied Arts — Schaumainkai 17, 60594 Frankfurt am Main-Frankfurt-Süd
