Frankfurt is one of the larger cities in Germany. It is a travel hub and an international bank city. But it is also a bunch of small villages. And those small villages are ideal for walking. A lot of guides will tell you to go to Bornheim, or the city center. But I find Sachsenhausen most charming. It has everything. It is right by the river, but also near the forest. There is Alt Sachsenhausen with its charming old houses, where most tourists go. But there are other attractions: the museums along the river Main, lots of shopping, coffee shops, and restaurants. I might be slightly biased, I grew up in Sachsenhausen. My school, friends, and job were for the most part all within a 3 mile radius. Let me take you on a tour.

Where to eat.

Sachsenhausen has great pizza places, and nowadays Thai restaurants (of all things) on every corner. But really, do yourself a favor and eat at the local Apfelweinkneipe. There is nothing like it. The waiter will barely acknowledge you and direct you to squeeze in with the local grandmas, because these places are ALWAYS packed. And loud. So no one will hear your baby screaming, I promise. They offer Schnitzel and such, but you need to order the Rippchen (smoked pork chops) and Sauerkraut, and “Handkäs mit Musik”. And don’t ask for forks with the latter or they will know you are a tourist right away. And of course you drink apple wine, undiluted that is. If you have the audacity to order a Gespritzte (apple wine with Seltzer water), or a “Süssen” (apple wine with lemonade) the waiter will gruffly bring you an apple wine glass with an extra bottle of lemonade all the while glaring at you. And you get to figure out how to combine the two. 🙂 But really, the waiters are really nice, in a Frankfurt kind of way.

Below is a local’s favorite: Zum Gemalten Haus (To the Painted House).

Other local favorites are Wagner and Zur Buchscheer.

“Brunchen” is a thing right now. A lot of my friends and family wanted to meet for breakfast or brunch. These were their favorite places.

Das Lesecafe 

This place has been around forever. Started by former teachers from my high school (I may or may have not skipped school once or twice to come here). It is also a bookstore.

I like how tucked away it is. Like many places in Sachsenhausen, you kind of have to know where they are….

The coffee is great, and there are lots of breakfast and lunch options. Some with Spanish influences. Oh, and yummy desserts.

Lokalbahnhof 

This is my friend’s favorite. It is a build-your-own-breakfast kind of place. Very rustic. Good coffee.

Depot 1899

I hate to use this phrase but “back in my day” it was a train depot. I like what they did to the place. My sister took me here. It seems to be a local favorite for families. It was packed. It has a huge self-serve buffet. Nice surprise, they had American breakfast options, which means they had bacon!!

Where to shop.

If you like unique designer stores go to Brückenstrasse.

Goyagoya

I discovered this women’s designer store online. I was not disappointed. I wrote more about it here.

Lieblingsstuecke

Where you can find curated women’s clothing from Scandinavian designers.

Other stores: Ich war ein Dirndl: Clothing designed by Jutta Heeg.  Designe, Kleine featuring unique homewares by local makers.

Schweizerstrasse is my personal favorite street to shop, because it has everything. Book stores, flower shops, Butlers, drug stores, boutiques,and even an Italian shoe store. I really should have bought a pair of Italian shoes. Kicking myself….

I personally like German flower shops. Not to buy them but just to look how they pair flowers so elegantly and artistically. I was there just before Christmas.

Butlers

The Museums

Das Museum für Angewandte Kunst (The Museum for Applied Art) used to be my favorite simply because it was a great place to hang out in their park and have photo shoots.

There are more museums all conveniently located right by the river: The Museum for German Architecture, the Film Museum, a couple of art museums (Museum Giersch and Staedel), and others.

You see, it is worth a visit.

Let me know if you have been there and I forgot to mention something.

-Sofija

Most pictures taken by me, except for the one of the museum  found via Erlebnis Raum Frankfurt.   And the picture of the design store Lieblingsstuecke. Found via Miriam Beltz.

I used a Canon 5d Mark ll with a 50mm f/1.2 lens. (Thank you, Emily!)