Sights—Goethehaus; the Romer with its ornate banquet hall; the Kaiserdom and its original Gothic carvings; Paulskirche; the Old Opera House; the view of the city's skyline from atop the Goetheturm in the Stadtwalk or the Main Tower.

Museums—German, Flemish and Italian old-masters paintings and new artworks at the Stadel Institute; contemporary (and constantly changing) exhibits at the Museum fur Moderne Kunst and the Schirn Kunsthalle; Fotographie Forum International for world-renowned photography.

Memorable Meals—Gourmet meals at the Francais in the Hotel Frankfurter Hof or in the eclectic Silk restaurant of the Cocoon Club; brunch or dinner surrounded by the golden splendor at Restaurant Opera; German classics and local specialties at Frankfurter Haus; sitting elbow to elbow with native Frankfurters, quaffing ebbelwoi at a traditional tavern in Sachsenhausen; garden dining at Zum Rad; a preshow meal at Tiger-Restaurant.

Late Night—Jazz at the Jazzkeller; barhopping in Sachsenhausen; the hip scene at Club Goldfish; clubbing along Hanauer Landstrasse; music and comedy at Batsch Kapp; people-watching on Bergerstrasse.

Walks—A peaceful stroll amid exotic plants in the Palmengarten; noshing your way along the Fressgasse and finding yourself at one of Frankfurt's loveliest squares; a look around the Alte Oper at Opernplatz; an evening stroll along the Museum Embankment to see the skyline lit up; walking along the banks of the Main enjoying views of boats, bridges and Frankfurt's architecturally distinguished museum row.

Especially for Kids—The Frankfurt Zoo; swimming at the Titus Thermen; the Kindermuseum at the Historisches Museum; the Museum fur Kommunikation; a boat ride on the Main River.

Frankfurt sprawls out from the Main (pronounced mine) River, although most locations of interest are relatively close together. The historic center of the city is Romerberg, a square just two blocks north of the Main. The old town's walls were torn down and the moats filled in, but a greenbelt of parks loops around the old city in their place. Several old guardhouse towers still stand as landmarks. North of Romerberg is the Konstablerwache, which has U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations. Northwest of Romerberg is the Hauptwache, now a cafe and also an important transportation hub. To the east of the Hauptwache is the Zeil, Frankfurt's busiest shopping street, and to the west is Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse, known locally as the Fressgasse (or 'chow-down alley') for its food markets and eating establishments. To the south of the Romerberg is an old iron footbridge, the Eiserner Steg, which crosses the Main into Sachsenhausen. In Sachsenhausen, you'll find interesting pubs and traditional taverns, as well as the Museumsufer (museums along the southern embankment).

On the northern side of the river—west of Romerberg—is the Hauptbahnhof (main train station). Just a few blocks northwest of the station is the Festhalle, the main gateway to the giant fairground known as Messe Frankfurt.

Frankfurt's origins date back to the late eighth century, but there were Celtic and Roman settlements in the area long before then. The city got a big break when Charles I (Charlemagne), the king of the Franks, chose it as one of his official residences. But feuds between the Franks and the Saxons across the river didn't give him much peace.

Frankfurt's next political endorsement came in 1152, when Frederick I (Barbarossa) was elected Holy Roman Emperor there. Subsequently, the city became the electoral, and eventually the coronation, capital of the Holy Roman Empire, a political entity that included much of western Europe from 962 to 1806. In the early Middle Ages, Frankfurt also developed into a commercial center by hosting international trade fairs.

Wars during the 17th-20th centuries meant repeated invasions and occupations for the city. During the Nazi period, Frankfurt's Jewish population—the second largest in Germany and originally the heart of the city's banking tradition—was devastated as a result of deportation, murder and exile. Following World War II, Frankfurt itself lay in ruins. Slowly things began to look up in the postwar period as the West German Bundesbank (central bank) made its headquarters in the city, along with many other financial institutions. The city's monetary and financial traditions, as well as its transportation infrastructure, were instrumental in its being named the headquarters of the European Central Bank. The euro was officially launched there in 1999. Frankfurt continues to thrive as a financial center—a fact most apparent in its ever-expanding skyline. Two additions include a new headquarters for the European Central Bank along the Main River, set to be finished in 2008, and a new stadium (on the same site as the old one). Built especially for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the new stadium has a spectacular sliding roof.

Although visitors love to call Frankfurt 'Mainhatten' or 'Bankfurt' for its sprawling financial district, real Frankfurters dislike these terms; they are proud of a city that is a mix of idyllic small-town charm and world-class metropolis. But Frankfurt does have about 370 banks.

Apfelwein (apple wine), called ebblewoi or stoffche in the local dialect, is Frankfurt's universal drink. Best consumed on long wooden benches shared with strangers, it is a philosophy of life, not just a drink. The biggest bembel (apple wine jug) can hold up to 12 liters. Few people know that apple wine is also produced in a very tasty sparkling variety.

Every year people complain about hotel owners jacking up their prices during the Frankfurt book fair. Every year the book fair organizers threaten to move the fair to Munich. But the huge international fair remains in Frankfurt.

The former Green Party foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, used to down his beer in the Cafe Grossenwahn (the name means 'delusions of grandeur') in Lenaustrasse 78, a popular meeting place of the leftist scene in the 1970s and 1980s. He also worked as a taxi driver in the city.

Famous native Frankfurters include Otto Hahn, who in 1938 discovered nuclear fission of uranium—by accident—and Anne Frank. Her family fled to Amsterdam in 1933, when she was 4 years old, and there she later wrote the diary that would become world famous. She never saw her native city again and was deported to the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen, where she died in 1944.

Cedar, fig, laurel and lemon trees grow on the northern bank of the Main River between Friedensbrucke and Untermainbrucke, and so the locals call this area 'Nizza,' after the balmy city of Nice, on the French Riviera.

Frankfurt is home to Germany's most important sports organizations. The German Sports Federation (DSB), the National Olympic Committee (NOK) and the German Football Association (DFB) are all based there.

In a tradition going back to 1347, the bells of all Frankfurt churches ring out the beautiful melody of the Frankfurter Stadtgelaut—but only four times a year, on the evenings before Easter, Whitsunday, Christmas and the first Sunday in Advent.

The Romans did occupy the hill that was later to become the Frankfurter Romerberg in AD 83, but left the place 27 years later when the troops were moved to the Limes, which formed the fortified border between the Roman Empire and free Germania.

Although not always successful, Frankfurt's biggest soccer club, Eintracht Frankfurt, is the pride of every sports-loving and self-respecting Frankfurter. Germany's footballers returning from international events traditionally receive a hero's welcome on the balcony of the city hall.