Altstadt, Frankfurt: neighborhood guide

Altstadt is medieval Frankfurt, the ground inside the old Staufen wall. The boundary is hard to see today; it roughly follows Neue Mainzer Straße, Berliner Straße, Großer and Kleiner Hirschgraben, Holzgraben and Kurt-Schumacher-Straße. The wider centre wraps around it in a semicircle out to the old ramparts, now a green belt where an 1827 easement still blocks most building.

Before 1945 this was one of Europe's largest half-timbered old towns, with around 3,000 such houses. Braubachstrasse was cut through in 1904–1906 and took over 100 of them. Wartime bombing then destroyed nearly everything; only Haus Wertheym survived largely intact. Post-war planners chose a car-oriented rebuild, keeping a few set pieces — the churches and the Römerberg — and filling the rest with 1950s blocks.

The 21st century reversed part of that. The Technical Town Hall came down and part of the old street plan was rebuilt on its site; the Dom-Römer quarter reopened in 2018 and is now busy with visitors and locals. Expect a compact, walkable core of reconstructed lanes and squares, ringed by offices and the Zeil shopping street.

Stay in Altstadt if your trip is short and sightseeing-led. You can walk to the Römerberg, the cathedral, the Museumsufer across the river and the Zeil without touching a train, and the Dom/Römer U-Bahn station (U4, U5) links you to the rest of the city. It also works well for one night before or after a flight, since Frankfurt Airport is a short S-Bahn ride away.

Do not stay here if you want calm. The lanes around the Römerberg carry tour groups by day and bar noise into the night, and rooms cost more than in the streets around the main station. If you want cheaper beds, a residential feel or easy parking, look at the neighbouring districts instead.

A middle option: book Altstadt for one or two nights to see the core, then move to Innenstadt or Süd for the rest of the stay.

The district is restaurant-heavy and aimed at visitors. Around the Römerberg and along the river you find Frankfurt classics — pork with green sauce, sausages, apple wine — plus Italian, Asian and hotel dining. Haus Wertheym on the square is the oldest surviving building here and runs as a restaurant; treat it as a historic room rather than a bargain.

For better value, walk five to ten minutes north to the streets off the Zeil or east towards the cathedral, where offices and locals eat at lunch. Apple wine taverns in Sachsenhausen, across the river, are the traditional alternative if you want the full Frankfurt experience.

Reserve for dinner on weekends and during trade fairs, when the whole centre fills up and prices climb.

Altstadt sits between the Zeil and the Main. The Dom/Römer U-Bahn station (lines U4 and U5) is the closest stop to the Römerberg; Hauptwache and Konstablerwache, on the S-Bahn and more U-Bahn lines, are a 5–10 minute walk north. From Frankfurt Airport, take the S-Bahn to the city centre and walk, or change to the U-Bahn — allow roughly 30 minutes door to door.

On foot is the point of staying here. The Römerberg to the Eiserner Steg bridge and the south riverbank is about 5 minutes; the cathedral is next to the Dom-Römer quarter; the Zeil starts a few minutes north. Trams run along the river side and around the old town edge.

Bicycles are easy on the flat riverbank paths, and the green belt on the old ramparts is a pleasant loop. Driving is not: parking in the centre is scarce and expensive, so leave the car outside and use the U-Bahn.