Things to Do in Frankfurt: An Expat’s 2026 Guide
The best things to do in Frankfurt are rarely the ones a visitor squeezes in between a trade fair hall and a taxi. This is a resident’s rundown, mixing the free habits you repeat every month with the ticketed places worth a whole Saturday. Every price and opening time below was checked in 2026 against the venue’s own site or frankfurt.de, and hours shift between summer and winter here, so confirm before you cross town.
In this guide
Free Things to Do in Frankfurt Every Week
Start with the river. The Museumsufer promenade runs along both banks of the Main and costs nothing, and the Eiserner Steg footbridge hands you the skyline for free. Rent wheels through bikesbooking.com and the same path runs out past the Niddapark. The cheapest of the things to do in Frankfurt is walking it on a Sunday morning.
Inland, the rebuilt Altstadt between the Roemerberg and the cathedral is a compact half hour of half timbered facades. The Kleinmarkthalle at Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt is where locals actually shop: over 60 stalls, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 18:00 and Saturday to 16:00, closed Sunday, phone +49 69 212 33696. Go upstairs for a glass of wine at midday and you have seen the real city.
- Museumsufer promenade and Eiserner Steg, free
- Roemerberg and the rebuilt Altstadt, free to wander
- Kleinmarkthalle, free entry, closed Sunday
- Gruenburgpark and the Stadtwald, free parkland
Museum Things to Do in Frankfurt on the Museumsufer
Thirty nine museums sit on or near the river, which is why the culture based things to do in Frankfurt beat cities twice this size. The Staedel Museum is the heavyweight at 19 euro, 17 euro reduced and free under 12. The Senckenberg Naturmuseum is 12 euro, 6 euro for ages 6 to 17, and its Wednesday evening ticket after 17:00 is only 6 euro. The Goethe-Haus and Deutsches Romantik-Museum sell one combined ticket at 12 euro, 5 euro reduced, 3 euro for pupils and 18 euro for a family.
Visiting more than two in a weekend? The MuseumsuferTicket covers 39 museums across two consecutive days for 21 euro, 12 euro reduced or 32 euro for a family. If you live here, the MuseumsuferCard at 89 euro a year pays for itself in five visits and includes the Museumsuferfest. Single skip the line tickets are sold through tiqets.com.
Staedel Museum
Address Schaumainkai 63, 60596
Adult price 19 euro
Hours Tue to Sun 10:00 to 18:00, Thu to 21:00
Senckenberg Naturmuseum
Address Senckenberganlage 25, 60325
Adult price 12 euro
Hours Mon to Fri from 09:00, Wed to 20:00
Goethe-Haus and Romantik-Museum
Address Grosser Hirschgraben 21, 60311
Adult price 12 euro combined
Hours Fri to Wed 10:00 to 18:00, Thu to 21:00
Cheap Skyline Views and the Apple Wine Tram
Two of the best value things to do in Frankfurt are simply looking at it from above. The Main Tower deck is the only public high rise platform in the banking district: 9 euro adult, 6 euro reduced, 20 euro family, 4 euro if weather restricts the view. Summer hours are Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 21:00 and Friday to Saturday to 23:00; winter closes two hours earlier. Phone +49 69 3650 4878.
Cheaper and older is the Domturm: 3 euro, 2 euro reduced, 328 steps to a platform 66 metres up, open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00 and weekends from 11:00 between April and September, closing an hour earlier in winter. The Ebbelwei-Express apple wine tram runs Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays on an hour long loop at 8 euro, 3.50 euro reduced, with a bottle of apple wine, juice or water and pretzels included. Arriving with bags? Drop them at a radicalstorage.com point near the Hauptbahnhof.
Family Things to Do in Frankfurt
With children the list of things to do in Frankfurt gets easier, not harder. Zoo Frankfurt charges 12 euro for adults, 13 euro with the voluntary conservation euro, 6 euro for ages 6 to 17 and 29 euro for a family, under 6s free, open daily from 09:00 until 19:00 in summer and 17:00 in winter. The Palmengarten is 9 euro, 5 euro reduced and free for everyone under 18. Add the Senckenberg dinosaur hall and that is three full days. Guided tours and Rhine valley day trips are easy to compare on klook.com.
Zoo Frankfurt
Address Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316
Adult price 12 euro
Hours Daily from 09:00, to 19:00 in summer
Palmengarten
Address Siesmayerstrasse 63
Adult price 9 euro, free under 18
Hours 09:00 to 19:00 March to October
Main Tower deck
Address Banking district, see maintower.de
Adult price 9 euro
Hours From 10:00, later on Fri and Sat
Seasonal Things to Do in Frankfurt Through the Year
Two dates anchor the calendar. The Museumsuferfest takes over both riverbanks on the last full weekend of August, 28 to 30 August in 2026, and the 7 euro festival button gets you into the participating museums, with fireworks over the Main on the Sunday at 22:00. The Frankfurter Weihnachtsmarkt then fills the Roemerberg, Paulsplatz and the Mainkai from late November to 22 December 2026, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 21:00 and Sunday from 11:00; frankfurt.de publishes the exact opening day each autumn.
The rest of the year, the Deutschlandticket at 63 euro a month since January 2026 makes regional trains a flat rate, so plenty of the best things to do in Frankfurt are really a 40 minute ride away in Mainz or the Rheingau. Short visitors do better with the Frankfurt Card, from 9.90 euro, or 20 euro for a group of five. To follow the German in an apple wine tavern rather than nod politely, evening classes at lingoda.com are the usual route, and a data eSIM from airalo.com keeps your maps working from the moment you land.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best free things to do in Frankfurt?
The Museumsufer promenade and the Eiserner Steg, the rebuilt Altstadt around the Roemerberg, the Kleinmarkthalle and the Gruenburgpark all cost nothing. They make one easy loop, and they are the everyday things to do in Frankfurt residents never tire of.
Is the MuseumsuferTicket or the MuseumsuferCard better value?
The MuseumsuferTicket is 21 euro for two consecutive days across 39 museums, which suits a visiting friend. If you live here, the MuseumsuferCard at 89 euro a year is the better buy: the same 39 houses plus entry to the Museumsuferfest.
What are the best things to do in Frankfurt with kids?
Zoo Frankfurt, the Palmengarten and the Senckenberg Naturmuseum each fill a whole day. Under 18s are free at the Palmengarten, under 6s are free at the zoo, and the Ebbelwei-Express at 3.50 euro reduced is the cheapest treat in the city.
Where is the cheapest skyline view in Frankfurt?
The Domturm at 3 euro, or 2 euro reduced, beats every other viewpoint on price, and you climb 328 steps to a platform 66 metres up. The Main Tower at 9 euro is higher, has a lift and stays open late on Friday and Saturday, so it wins an evening, not a budget.
What is open in Frankfurt on a Sunday?
Museums, the zoo, the Palmengarten, the Main Tower and the Ebbelwei-Express all run on Sundays, and the Sachsenhausen apple wine taverns are busiest. The Kleinmarkthalle and shops are closed, so plan food around a tavern or museum cafe.
Your Frankfurt Things-to-Do Action Plan
Do the free loop first: the Museumsufer promenade, the Eiserner Steg, the Altstadt and the Kleinmarkthalle in one morning. Then pick a paid layer: the Staedel and the Senckenberg on a MuseumsuferTicket, a family day at the zoo and the Palmengarten, or 3 euro and 328 steps up the Domturm. Confirm hours on each venue’s own site first, because summer and winter timetables differ. Below is every address, price and link for the things to do in Frankfurt above.
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Museumsufer, Altstadt, Roemerberg | Central Frankfurt, free, one morning on foot |
| Kleinmarkthalle | Hasengasse 5-7, 60311. Free. Mon to Fri 08:00 to 18:00, Sat to 16:00. Tel +49 69 212 33696 |
| Staedel Museum | Schaumainkai 63, 60596. 19 euro. Tue to Sun 10:00 to 18:00, Thu to 21:00. staedelmuseum.de |
| Senckenberg Naturmuseum | Senckenberganlage 25, 60325. 12 euro, Wed after 17:00 just 6 euro |
| Goethe-Haus and Romantik-Museum | Grosser Hirschgraben 21, 60311. 12 euro combined. Tel +49 69 138 80-0 |
| MuseumsuferTicket and Card | 21 euro for 2 days, 89 euro a year, 39 museums. museumsufer.de |
| Main Tower deck | Banking district. 9 euro. Tel +49 69 3650 4878. maintower.de |
| Domturm | Altstadt. 3 euro, 328 steps. dom-frankfurt.de |
| Ebbelwei-Express | 8 euro, drink and pretzels included. Sat, Sun, holidays. vgf-ffm.de |
| Zoo Frankfurt | Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316. 12 euro. Daily from 09:00. Tel +49 69 212 33735 |
| Palmengarten | Siesmayerstrasse 63. 9 euro, free under 18. palmengarten.de |
| Frankfurt Card and festival dates | From 9.90 euro. Dates on frankfurt.de and visitfrankfurt.travel |
| Bikes, museum tickets, tours | bikesbooking.com, tiqets.com, klook.com |
| Luggage, German classes, eSIM | radicalstorage.com, lingoda.com, airalo.com |
Expat Essentials for Frankfurt
A few quick wins make settling into Frankfurt easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.
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