Frankfurt am Main is definitely worth seeing! For proof positive, why not explore the Main metropolis by way of one of the many motorised city tours and city walks currently on offer? Take an open-top double-decker bus or head off on foot, improve your fitness by sightjogging or scoot through the city on a Segway PT. There are basic tours providing a general overview of Frankfurt, special theme tours, tours following Goethe’s footsteps as well as ones highlighting Frankfurt’s apple wine and its unusual architecture. All of them have the same objective – to help visitors become better acquainted with Frankfurt am Main. And this year, there actually are several new and unique ways to explore the Main metropolis.

Hop On-Hop Off Skyline Tour

Frankfurt’s skyline is without a doubt one of the city’s premier attractions. Visible from miles away, it serves as both a popular photo motif and Frankfurt’s most recognisable landmark. The new “Hop On-Hop Off Skyline Tour” now presents this unique attraction in more detail, also focusing on the past, present and future of Frankfurt’s urban development. Using a red London-style double-decker bus as mode of transport, the tour also features an audio-band that is available in 10 languages. The Hop On-Hop Off Skyline Tour expands further on the “City Tour”, which covers Frankfurt’s basic sightseeing attractions. At the joint Römer tour stop, participants have the opportunity to switch from the City Tour to the Skyline Tour and vice versa. Tickets may be purchased individually or in combination. Altogether, the tour takes approximately one hour. Participants may of course get on and off the bus whenever and wherever they wish, making it a fun and flexible way to discover Frankfurt am Main.

iTour

This tour has Pauline, the audio tour guide, being joined by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Stoltze in taking participants on a very individual walk through Frankfurt. Not possible, you say? It most certainly is! Simply visit an iApp Store and download the digital tour of the Main metropolis on to your iPhone or iPad. The application allows you to access images and information “on site”, that is, while standing in front of the monument or building in question, for example. Goethe, Frankfurt’s most famous son, and Stoltze, the popular dialect poet, share with listeners a variety of interesting stories on the sightseeing attractions. Those without an iPhone at the ready may hire an iPod touch from one of the tourist information offices. The tour is available in German and English language.

Sightbiking – Green City Frankfurt

Frankfurt flourishes like few other German cities, literally speaking. Its circular green belt, spacious parklands and vast city forest attract locals and visitors of the Main metropolis to relax and enjoy the beauty and serenity of Mother Nature. Frankfurt presents itself as a very “green” city, with environmental compatibility and sustainability ranking high on its list of priorities. Frankfurt’s eco-friendliness is also mirrored in its efforts to expand its parks and gardens, not to mention the urban development measures being taken by the city and local businesses. A brand-new tour now draws attention to Frankfurt’s green side. The bicycle tour starts at the Römer, taking participants past numerous modern, climate-friendly buildings and green locations. During the tour, cyclists are informed in detail of the city’s environmental efforts, which are comprehensive enough to place Frankfurt second amongst Germany’s urban centres in terms of climate protection. And Frankfurt isn’t about to rest on its laurels, either, with further plans for improved environmentalism and sustainability in the pipeline. In fact, Frankfurt is currently in the process of vying for the title of «Green City 2014».

Podcast for the Apple Wine Express

As far as memorable experiences go, a tour of Frankfurt on the Apple Wine Express is surely one of the best. Passengers sit and enjoy a glass or two of Frankfurt apple wine, the locals’ beverage of choice, while the time-honoured streetcar continues on its merry way, passing by various downtown attractions. Those interested in learning more about Frankfurt during the tram ride may choose to download a free audio podcast offering detailed information on numerous locations in German, English and Hessian. The podcasts are playable on MP3 players and mobile phones.