Frankfurt’s accessibility is outstanding—only 15 minutes by train or taxi from the airport. Trains leave approximately every 20 minutes and whisk passengers to the central station. From there, it’s only a short walk or quick taxi ride to any of the tourist attractions. If your time is very limited, take a cab. The fare to any of the main tourist sites should be no more than15 EUR to 20 EUR.

The Hauptbahnhof, or railway station, is an adventure in itself, a genuine slice of prewar Europe with soaring girders supporting a massive skylight roof that arches above some two dozen tracks and platforms. Stop in and visit the tourist information center, where hostesses will orient you to the city and provide maps and brochures.

From the train station the first destination is the Römerberg, a square near the Main (pronounced mine) River that has been the focus of extensive city renovation efforts in recent years. The gabled facades of the three burghers’ houses on the Römer square have come to serve as the symbol of the city and mark the core of the old quarter. Here the Kaisersack, or Imperial Hall, was the site of many celebrations when Holy Roman Emperors were crowned in Frankfurt.

This is the district of the Altstadt, or old city; although the aerial bombings in World War II destroyed nearly 80 percent of the city, many of the oldest buildings have been restored, including historic St. Bartholomew Cathedral, the Nikolai church on the Römerberg and the unique, oval Paul’s Church across the street.

Close by, for a visitor who wants to do last-minute (or first day) shopping, is the Zeil, Frankfurt’s most fashionable pedestrian shopping street. The Hauptwache, a square where Zeil and Rossmarkt meet, reigns as the commercial heart of Frankfurt. Further down the Zeil stands the reconstructed Alte Oper, the old opera house, which rivals the beauty of prewar Dresden buildings. In the same area is the Goethe House and museum honoring Germany’s most famous writer.

For nightlife, Sachsenhausen is lively. This district, across a footbridge on the opposite side of the Main River from the Römerberg, bustles with pubs and restaurants, and all pour Apfelwoi, a distinctive apple cider.