Rooftops in Frankfurt: the Mainhattan skyline seen from above
The city of towers on the River Main
Germany's fifth-largest city by population and the largest in the state of Hesse, Frankfurt am Main is the country's financial capital. It is home to the European Central Bank, the Bundesbank and the Stock Exchange, and its exhibition centre, the Messe, hosts major international trade fairs such as the Frankfurt Book Fair. Crossed by the Main, the city has sixteen districts, from the centre and the Westend to Sachsenhausen, on the south bank, and the Ostend.
It is nicknamed “Mainhattan”: Frankfurt has almost all of the country's buildings over 150 metres tall. The Commerzbank Tower, designed by Norman Foster, rises to 259 metres without its antenna, just above the Messeturm, its neighbour in the trade-fair district. To the north-west, the wooded hills of the Taunus close off the horizon.
From the Römer to the skyscrapers
At the foot of the towers, the historic centre, almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War, has been partly rebuilt. The Römerberg square and its gabled houses, the Römer city hall, St Bartholomew's Cathedral, where the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned from 1562 to 1792, and the Paulskirche, seat of the first German parliament in 1848, form a striking foreground in front of the glass façades. On the other bank, Sachsenhausen keeps its cobbled lanes where people drink Apfelwein, the local cider.
Where to get a view from above in Frankfurt
At the top of the towers
In the banking district, the Main Tower Restaurant & Lounge occupies the 53rd floor of the Main Tower, 187 metres up: a Michelin-starred restaurant and an evening lounge behind a glass façade eight metres high; the panoramic platform at the top is visited separately. Near the Messe, the NFT Skybar serves its cocktails on the 47th floor of the ONE tower, 185 metres up, with a terrace that wraps around the whole floor. Close by, Oben combines a restaurant and a skybar on the 15th floor of the Meliá hotel.
The city centre and its rooftops
Around the Hauptwache, THE VIEW occupies the 7th floor of the GALERIA department store, the Ruby Louise has planted a 400 m² garden on its roof and Lazuli opens its terrace on the 5th floor of the Kimpton Main Frankfurt, in the middle of the FOUR towers. Further north, you ride a paternoster lift up to the 7th floor of the Flemings Selection Hotel to reach the Occhio d'Oro, facing the Eschenheimer Turm. Two car park roofs come to life in fine weather: GAIA, with its swimming pool above the Stock Exchange car park, and the Citybeach at the Konstablerwache, which becomes the CityAlm, an alpine chalet, as winter approaches.
Sachsenhausen, the Ostend and beyond
On the south bank, FRANZISKA occupies the “barrel” that tops the Henninger Turm, and The Blasky lines up two terraces on the 6th floor of a hotel. To the east, the Oosten has set its bar on the roof of a building constructed around a former crane, near the ECB tower, and the Marmion hides its terrace on the 5th floor of a hotel in the Ostend. To the west, Chicago Roof sets up an urban garden every summer on the roof of the Gekko House, and THE ROOF, on the 12th floor of the b'mine hotel in Gateway Gardens, watches the planes take off.
Gastronomy and cocktails up high
For every budget
Prices vary: around €10 for a cocktail at THE VIEW, €12 to €15 at Chicago Roof, the Ruby Louise, the Citybeach or The Blasky, roughly €14 to €18 in the hotel bars and mixology spots, and up to €30 for the prestige cocktails at the NFT Skybar. At the Main Tower, the lounge focuses on champagne and fine wines. On the plate, you go from FRANZISKA's reworked German cuisine to the Tuscany of the Occhio d'Oro and the Mediterranean of Oben and GAIA.
A rooftop for every occasion
As a couple or with friends
For a tête-à-tête, the Main Tower, FRANZISKA, the Occhio d'Oro or the NFT Skybar play the elegance card, with the skyline lighting up as night falls. With friends, Chicago Roof and the Oosten roof, which take no reservations, lend themselves to impromptu drinks, GAIA and the Citybeach to summer afternoons, and THE VIEW to a break between shops.
Getting around easily
The Hauptwache and Konstablerwache stations serve THE VIEW, GAIA, Lazuli, the Ruby Louise and the Citybeach, Taunusanlage the Main Tower, Eschenheimer Tor the Occhio d'Oro, Festhalle/Messe (U4) the NFT Skybar and Bockenheimer Warte Oben. THE ROOF is at Gateway Gardens station (S8 and S9), FRANZISKA near Frankfurt Süd station and the Oosten near Ostendstraße station.
Tips for making the most of Frankfurt's rooftops
Choosing your season and time
GAIA and Chicago Roof open only from late spring to late summer, in fine weather, as does the Oosten roof; the Citybeach gives way to the CityAlm from mid-October to the end of the year, then closes until spring. The other venues have indoor rooms and open all year round. Opening hours vary by day and by season: check before you go, and arrive early in the evening to watch the sun set behind the towers.
Photo : Thomas Wolf (Der Wolf im Wald), www.foto-tw.de / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE