Frankfurt am Main

Frankfurt is Germany’s most vertical city, but its architectural identity goes far beyond the skyscrapers that earned it the nickname Mainhattan. Reconstructed medieval houses and grand 19th-century buildings coexist with post-war architecture, glass towers and an important Modernist legacy. During the 1920s, the Neues Frankfurt movement transformed ideas about housing, urban planning and functional design, with architects such as Ernst May helping make the city a laboratory for European Modernism. Today, the Museumsufer, converted industrial buildings and contemporary projects along the Main continue that tradition of architectural experimentation.

Food and drink reveal a more relaxed Frankfurt behind the financial façade. Traditional apple-wine taverns in Sachsenhausen serve Apfelwein alongside regional dishes such as Grüne Soße, while the city’s international population has created an exceptionally diverse restaurant scene. Japanese, Korean, Middle Eastern, Italian and many other cuisines coexist with ambitious contemporary German kitchens, specialty coffee and natural wine bars. Frankfurt’s cocktail culture is particularly strong, providing a sophisticated counterpoint to the wonderfully unpretentious Apfelwein institutions.

Frankfurt’s most interesting hotels reflect the city’s contrasts. Historic villas, former industrial buildings, Modernist structures and contemporary towers offer very different interpretations of urban hospitality, often with ambitious restaurants, rooftop bars and strong art or design identities. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where architecture, food and Frankfurt’s international character come together—hotels that reveal considerably more personality than the city’s reputation as Germany’s financial capital might suggest.