Live large on small sums in Frankfurt
The market on Konstablerwache has the widest variety of drinks, from the local apple wine — a strong sour alcohol made from fermented apples, to riesling from the Rheingau and home-brewed beer not available bottled, only light or dark on tap. All cost €2-3 ($2.50-4) a glass. In the winter, the afterwork crowd bundles together around tall tables with steaming mugs of mulled wine called Gluehwein. Try the honey waffles and fresh yogurt from the milk bar or one of the juices — elderberry, apple or pear — in tall, cloudy glasses. The market is every Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., but on Fridays many of the same stands show up on Schillerstrasse for the market next to the stock exchange, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Shopping always means spending money but Frankfurt’s flea market even earns praise from out-of-towners with a selection of clothing called vintage elsewhere. Everything from plaid wool jackets to 1960s designer furniture is available at the market, not to mention souvenirs like beersteins, postcards and Cold War paraphernalia. It’s up to you whether you want to drive a hard bargain or just pay the €2 ($2.55) for your find.
When hunger hits, grilled corn on the cob and crepes are ready and waiting. The market runs along the Main river on the south bank, or the Sachsenhausen side every Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and is always packed regardless of the weather.
The Cafe im Liebighaus is tucked just around the corner at Schaumainkai 71, just secret enough to be special. For €1.80 ($2.30) try the Abruzzo, Poppy Seed or Buckwheat Tart — original creations made from scratch in this villa built by Baron von Leibieg in 1896. Friday evenings there is jazz in the garden, and inside, the low ceilings make the old-fashioned rooms the coziest in town, http://www.cafe-im-liebieghaus.de.
For a hearty dinner, go to Klosterhof at Weissfrauensstrasse 3, which serves heaping platters of Bratkartoffeln with Woodcutter’s Steak or hash browns called Roesti, piled with cheese and tomato, all for €10-12 ($13-15), http://www.klosterhof-frankfurt.de.
NEIGHBORHOODS: Directly out of the main train station is certainly the most colorful neighborhood in the city. A two-block red light district runs directly into the major banking district on Taunusstrasse. Running parallel two blocks over, Muenchenerstrasse is a one-street Turkish district with barbers, banks, restaurants and coffee shops. Try honey-soaked baklava in the Suna Bakery or ayran, a salty yogurt drink, at Bayram across the street and watch men carving up Mediterranean fish at Ali’s.
Behind the Kaisersdom is a tiny neighborhood with a mix of unique shops and galleries. The Bitter and Zart Chocolaterie, Domstrasse 4, creates their own extraordinary confections and Walter Koenig next door has a great selection of art and design books to browse through in English. One street down on Fahrgasse, a row of galleries displays works through oversize windows and the art-book publisher Revolver sells limited editions. Back up into town is the Kleinmarkthalle, a real Frankfurt institution, a market hall with produce, spices and all cuts of meat at Hasengasse 5, http://www.kleinmarkthalle.de.
ACCOMMODATIONS: A youth hostel is the cheapest way to go, at €17 ($22) per night in the dorm style room for under 27-year-olds — over 27 is €21.50 ($27.50) — in Sachsenhausen, on the south side of the river at Deutschherrnufer 12, http://www.jugendherberge-frankfurt.de/. Another hostel opposite the main train station at Kaiserstrasse 74 charges €18 to 20 ($23-25.50) a night for dorm rooms, http://www.frankfurt-hostel.com.
