Frankfurt am Main is Germany's compact global city, a skyline of banking towers nicknamed Mainhattan rising above a river, half-timbered squares and a surprisingly earthy local culture. Approach it as an easy, high-contrast weekend: the gleaming financial district sits minutes from the rebuilt medieval Romer square and the museum-lined south bank of the Main. This is a city that works hard and eats well, so tap into its traditions in the apple-wine taverns of Sachsenhausen, where cloudy Apfelwein is served from blue-grey Bembel jugs and the classic order is Handkase mit Musik or green sauce with boiled eggs. Ride a lift up the Main Tower for the city's only public skyscraper viewpoint, graze the Kleinmarkthalle's stalls, and cross to Museumsufer for a run of first-rate galleries. Frankfurt is walkable at its core and superbly connected, making it a natural base for the Rheingau vineyards, medieval Heidelberg or the Rhine gorge. Give it two unhurried days and you will find far more character than its business reputation suggests.
A full, walkable day in Frankfurt, free for everyone. Set your pace and start time.
The gooey Zimtschnecke is worth the detour to the Nordend; grab a coffee and start the day sweet.
Go early before the coach crowds; step inside the Romer's Kaisersaal if it's open to the public that day.
The 328 steps of the Kaiserdom give a close view over the old town; the climb is steep with no lift.
Snap the skyline from the love-lock bridge, then pick a museum on the south bank.
Allow two hours; don't miss the daylight-flooded sunken hall of contemporary art beneath the garden.
The only public skyscraper viewpoint in the city; buy your ticket in the lobby and time it for golden hour.
Order a Bembel of cloudy Ebbelwoi and Schnitzel with green sauce; you'll share long benches, so be sociable.
The archetypal Sachsenhausen Ebbelwoi tavern since 1931, benches packed elbow-to-elbow for cloudy apple wine from Bembel jugs, Schnitzel and green sauce.
The only skyscraper in the banking district with a public observation deck at 200 metres; go near sunset for Mainhattan aglow, and buy a ticket in the lobby.
Frankfurt's world-class art museum on the Museumsufer, spanning Botticelli and Vermeer to Monet and modern German art; the sunken contemporary hall is a highlight.
The red-sandstone imperial Kaiserdom where Holy Roman Emperors were crowned; climb its Gothic tower's 328 steps for a close-up view over the old town and skyline.
A grand Victorian botanical garden in the leafy Westend, with tropical glasshouses, a rose garden and rowing pond; a serene green break in the city.
The south bank of the Main lined with a dozen museums from film to architecture to world cultures; walk the riverside path and pick two or three that catch your eye.
A neighbouring Sachsenhausen classic with a leafy courtyard, famed for Handkase mit Musik and Frankfurter green sauce over boiled potatoes and egg.
The city's beloved covered market, where the standing stall of Schreiber grills the legendary Frankfurter Bratwurst and the upstairs wine bar pours regional whites.
A wonderfully old-school painted-facade Apfelwein house where locals sing and share long tables over Rippchen mit Kraut (cured pork ribs with sauerkraut).
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Germany