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Live large on small sums in Frankfurt
Food: Street food is always the cheapest and most local way to go. Frankfurt has markets five days a week in several spots around town. Try the market directly on Kaiserstrasse straight down from the main train station for famed German wurst — five kinds all swinging on a round grill suspended from the top of the stand. Grilled chicken, crepes, coffee and local wines are all for sale here on the street starting at 9 a.m. and running through 7 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays year round.
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 euro2-3 ($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 euro2 ($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 euro1.80 ($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.
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 euro10-12 ($13-15).
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.
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Accommodations: A youth hostel is the cheapest way to go, at euro17 ($22) per night in the dorm style room for under 27-year-olds — over 27 is euro21.50 ($27.50) — in Sachsenhausen, on the south side of the river at Deutschherrnufer 12. Another hostel opposite the main train station at Kaiserstrasse 74 charges euro18 to 20 ($23-25.50) a night for dorm rooms.
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