Frankfurt Travel Report 2023

My Frankfurt travel report will show you some highlights of our city trip. Especially if you're visiting Frankfurt with your family, you can get some valuable tips here. I'll show you a green oasis in the middle of Frankfurt, ways to keep the kids in a great mood, and we went to the Mainfest or Mainuferfest, as some call it, for the first time.

Frankfurt was my absolute favorite city for many years. I came here very often to buy records, go shopping, and also to party. Back then, as a DJ, Frankfurt was perfect for making contacts in the scene. So it's all the nicer to finally visit the city again after many, many years.

Travel to Malta – Frankfurt

The connections from Malta to Frankfurt are great. Lufthansa flies to Germany's financial capital several times a day. Is that really still Frankfurt? 🤔

For the first time in a long time, our flight is taking off on time, which surprises us a bit. However, we're taking the first flight at 6:20 in the morning. In return, we're staying overnight in Malta so that we don't have to travel in the morning. By 9:00 AM, we're already in Frankfurt am Main.

Frankfurt Zoo

Our first stop in Frankfurt was the zoo. Even before we checked into our hotel, we took the kids on an outing here. Founded in 1858, the Frankfurt Zoo among the oldest zoos in the world. The green oasis in the middle of Frankfurt offers the animals a relatively natural habitat.

More than 4,600 animals, representing 450 species, live here. In addition to outdoor enclosures with thematic areas from all over the world, the zoo features a penguin exhibit, an exotarium, and an aquarium hall. We particularly enjoyed the little octopuses there.

There is also the reptile house with an insectarium. There you can, for example, see how ants live in an anthill. Next to it are numerous playgrounds with a maze and petting zoos for the kids.

We had a wonderful morning here and the kids had a great time. As a child, I used to come here now and then, and back then, just like today, the zoo is worth a visit.

The Zeil – Shopping in Frankfurt

After many, many years, I'm back on the Zeil. This is where I used to go shopping several times a year for the latest clothes and records. Especially during my time as a DJ, I used to walk from record store to record store looking for the newest tracks. The Frankfurt techno scene is still one of the best in the world today.

The Zeilgalerie has since become the UpperZeil, but otherwise everything here has remained the same. The familiar stores buzz with activity between Hauptwache and Konstablerwache. But since we've been living on small islands for the past three years, our hearts beat faster here. It doesn't always have to be the The Dubai Mall to be 😃.

We're stocking up on summer dresses here because they're on sale right now. Thank goodness we brought a big suitcase with us. Yay! The kids can also buy themselves some new toys.

Frankfurt Palm Garden

The whole family is in love with botanical gardens. On our visit to the Palmengarten, one of the largest botanical gardens in Germany, we killed two birds with one stone. We were able to view the most beautiful and greenest plants here while it was raining, which is actually quite atypical for the beginning of August. What visibly bothered others, however, made us flourish. We hadn't had any rain for over seven weeks. Malta is currently very, very dry, which is normal in the summer. We enjoyed the wet coolness paired with the lush green of the plants and trees here all the more.

In the palm house, we then find many trees, palms, and plants, which we Barbados know. That was particularly exciting for our little one. If you ask her where she comes from, she still answers „Barbados“ today. She basically felt at home here. 😍

The Palmengarten in Frankfurt is a beautiful place where you can enjoy nature and learn more about the fascinating world of plants at the same time, all in the middle of the big city of Frankfurt.

For the kids, there's also a huge playground with a water play area. However, that latter one spread throughout the entire garden for us that day. We also preferred to just admire the pond with the pedal boats. Apparently, a small train used to run through the garden, as tracks are still visible here and there.

I can highly recommend the Palmengarten in Frankfurt. Especially if you are traveling in Frankfurt with your family, you can have a wonderful and exciting time here with the kids.

Bruchsal and Bad Vilbel

The area around Frankfurt and its suburbs are also beautiful. Therefore, I don't want to leave out our excursions to Bruchsal and Bad Vilbel in my Frankfurt travel report. About an hour's train ride from FFM is the idyllic Bruchsal, surrounded by many green forests and meadows. We were invited to a wedding celebration here. But anyone who knows me knows that I don't miss any shopping opportunities. So, we first took a look around the town and actually found a new and chic pair of shoes here.

The wedding celebration was great. There was a medieval club on-site that even fired salutes with a cannon. For me, that was a highlight, while my girls preferred to hide out in the venue.

Accompanied by medieval music and lots of „drumming,“ we met many friends from Switzerland, some of whom we hadn't seen in years. There was Baden regional cuisine, followed by a lot of „moonshine.“ We had an apricot schnapps that was supposed to taste like the sea. Later, we learned that „more“ was meant, not "sea." It was anything but salty, but we got a second one. 😋

Afterward, we met up with friends in Bad Vilbel whom we also hadn't seen in years. The last time we were here was in 2016. We took a trip to Ritterweiher and the kids were able to let off steam at the playground there. Therefore, I can also recommend a trip here if you are visiting Frankfurt with your family.

Bad Vilbel is a lovely small town, only a 30-minute bus ride from Konstablerwache. It is famous for its mineral springs, whose healing properties have been valued for centuries.

Striking in Bad Vilbel are the many graffitis that make the city appear colorful. However, they are different from the many graffitis in Frankfurt or other cities, having been designed with a lot of detail and care. They fit perfectly into the local scenery and make the place appear colorful and cheerful.

Other Things to Do in Frankfurt with Family

Coincidentally, the Mainfest, one of the traditional folk festivals in Frankfurt am Main, took place that weekend. It is located right on the banks of the Main River and you can walk there from the old town. In addition to numerous food stands, which mainly offer German festival specialties like bratwurst, pretzels, and beer, there are also countless rides.

The kids especially loved it, because everything was there, from boring kiddie rides to rollercoaster action, bumper cars, and a Ferris wheel with a great view over the city. We spent almost the entire Sunday here. In the evening there would have been a big fireworks display, but we've had enough of that in Malta at the moment. 🎆

On Monday, we went to the Zeil one last time, and in the evening, we flew back to Malta. 5 days in Frankfurt are ideal for seeing the city and taking everything at a relaxed pace.

Conclusion Frankfurt Travel Report

Visiting Frankfurt with family is worthwhile for many reasons. Not only are there great shops offering all the toys in the world, but with the zoo and the botanical garden, the whole family will get their money's worth. Speaking of money: This might be a negative point that I noticed this time. Prices in Frankfurt have increased drastically. We paid 5 EUR for a cup of coffee and 8.75 EUR for a 0.75 liter bottle of mineral water. 🥳 Unfortunately, I didn't know the latter and ordered a second one. So, we drank water in a café in the city for almost 18 EUR. 😅

We'll be back =)

Impressions of Frankfurt with family