Frankfurt is a 21st-century city full of surprises and the key to an old-world adventure. It’s an hour and a half from Heathrow, two hours from Edinburgh and offers an ‘efficient’ gateway to some fab German towns.
Whilst Frankfurt remains one of the world’s financial hubs, it’s an engaging and friendly city with a central station where you can catch a train to beautiful towns.
Where to stay in Frankfurt? Best Western or push the boat out at the Sofitel Frankfurt Opera or my favourite Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof. Stay comfortably for under €80 at the Crowne Plaza.
Getting around? There are trams everywhere. Buy a day ticket!
Frankfurt is a great base for accessing two beautiful towns; Bad Homburg, a medieval and spa town from where Homburg hats come and the the spa town of Wiesbaden, which offers an array of up-market shops and cafes amongst the Art Nouveau architecture.
For a vegetarian or vegan lunch visit Hans im Glück.
Buying antiques? In Wiesbaden look out for Art Nouveau glass and ceramics. Some shops may resemble an old school junk shop but it’s worth a mooch and with a bit of bubble wrap fits in hand luggage. It sounds a bit eccentric but wrap valuable in your underwear. Vases go well in socks!
In Bad Homburg Aubaho is an up-market gallery; don’t forget three things. Firstly haggle a little bit! Secondly, don’t forget they can ship items back to the UK for you and third, since Brexit there’s a duty to pay on items worth more than £50. Visit Schloss Bad Homburg and tower and then have a coffee and cake at Zum Wasserweibchen a very traditional and old-world coffee shop whose stag I found delightful.
Uber back to the airport or a train. I didn’t mention much about Frankfurt? River trip, museums, bars, music. Go and enjoy!
Not everyone’s bag, but the cemetery is worth a wander for the monuments. The Hindenburg Airship disaster put an end to airship travel until recent times. The tragic loss saw many of the dead remembered at the Hindenburg monument. Profoundly next door you’ll find the Jewish cemetery and not far away a plaque to Anne Frank on her original family home at Marbachweg 307, Frankfurt.
Before catching a tram back to the city centre, eat at Kuli Alma Vegan Restaurant, give it a try, otherwise, back in central Frankfurt there’s Wacker’s Kaffee, a tempting coffee shop established in 1916.
After all that eating it’s time to burn off some calories at the Techno Music Museum, unless you’re Eminem who clearly hadn’t visited Germany when he wrote “No one listens to techno”.
Andrew Blackall is an English antique dealer with more than 30 years of experience selling period furniture and quirky collector's items to clients across the globe. He has written and produced award-winning film and television productions. He was born in St John’s Wood, London and he grew up in and around London. He currently lives in Avebury, Wiltshire. His love of antiques stems from an early fascination with history and from visiting country homes throughout old England and the British Isles. Many of Andrew’s clients are well known on both sides of the pond, patronising his ability to source antiquities with provenance and appeal. His stock has appeared in a number of films and TV shows. Andrew has two styles of business: one selling high-end decorative antiques at The Blanchard Collective, the other selling affordable collectables at The Malthouse Collective.
His website is chairmanantiques.co.uk/
Instagram is: chairman_antiques
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here