Frankfurt Infos

What you need to know

What You Need To Know

Frankfurt is the largest city in the German state of Hesse (Hessia) and the fifth-largest city in Germany. Frankfurt is a global hub for commercehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com culturehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com educationhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com tourism and traffic. It is the most important financial centre of the European continenthttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com with the HQs of the European Central Bankhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com German Federal Bankhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com Frankfurt Stock Exchangehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com Deutsche Bankhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com Commerzbankhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com DZ Bankhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com KfWhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com several fintech startups and other institutes. Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s largest trade fairs. Major fairs include the Frankfurt Motor Showhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com the world’s largest motor showhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com and the Frankfurt Book Fairhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com the world’s largest book fair.

Frankfurt is culturally and ethnically diversehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com with around half of the populationhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com and a majority of young peoplehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com having an immigrant background and a quarter of the population being foreign nationals. It’s the birthplace of writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com whose home is now the Goethe-Haus museum whichhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com like much of the cityhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt afterward. The reconstructed Altstadt (Old Town) is home to lively Römerberg Plazahttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com which hosts an annual Christmas market.

Area: 95.87 mi²
Population: 687https://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com775 (2013)

Currency

Currency Converter

  • The official currency of Germany is the Euro (EUR).
  • The euro comes in coins of 1cthttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 2ctshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 5ctshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 10ctshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 20ctshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 50ctshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 1EUR and 2EUR. Paper money comes in bills of 5EURhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 10EURhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 20EURhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 50 EURhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 100EURhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com 200EUR and 500EUR.
  • You can exchange currency at any bank throughout the cityhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com as well as at train stations or at the airport.
  • You will be able to use your credit card at most places in Frankfurthttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com but it is advisable that you carry cash as well. ATM machines will allow you to withdraw cash quickly and hassle-free. There is no general rule to determine which kinds of shops accept credit cards.

Climate

Frankfurt has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) with moderately cold winters and warm summers. Its average annual temperature is 10.6 °C (51.1 °F)https://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com with monthly mean temperatures ranging from 1.6 °C (34.9 °F) in January to 20.0 °C (68.0 °F) in July.

Language

Although the official language of Frankfurt is Germanhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com you will quickly notice that there are many phrases and words used in Frankfurt that are no easily understood in other parts of Germany. This is because most Frankfurters speak a dialect called Frankfurterischhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com which is related to the Hessisch dialect.

Health

  • The German health care system is on par with the majority of modern western nations and as such provides top-notch carehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com which prevents the need for vaccinations.
  • Frankfurt offers modern health care at all of its hospitalshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com which possess state-of-the-art medical facilities. Clinics specialize in a variety of areas.
  • Each hospital has an emergency servicehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com which will take patients who need immediate treatment for any kind of illness. Insurance generally covers this service. Pharmacies operate on a rotating schedule and one is always open in each neighbourhood. Each pharmacy has a list in its window of the nearest pharmacy that is open on any given day. The pharmacies at the main train station and at the airport have extended hours.
  • Water safe to drinkhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com although many Germans are used to drinking bottled waterhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com generally sparkling water.

Safety

Frankfurt has had the highest per capita crime rate of all communities in Germany for years. Sohttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com for German circumstances the city is quite dangeroushttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com but violent crime is not as common as in some cities of the United States and South Africahttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com among others. The high crime rates of Frankfurt can partly be explained with some statistical reasons: smuggling and similar offences at the airport as well as anything concerning credit card fraud anywhere in Germany is registered in Frankfurthttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com since the main credit card clearing company is based in Frankfurt.

Physical crime is in general concentrated in the red-light district around the central train stationhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com which also is the hangout of many drug dealers/junkies. The Gallus area west of the central station doesn’t have the best reputationhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com either. Neverthelesshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com Frankfurt is still safe and it is highly unlikely that you will face armed robbery or other violent crimes. Use your common sense and avoid drunken or aggressive people at night. If you have a problem or are being harassedhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com ask the police for help.

DON’T

  • Make jokes involving “German” stereotypes. Germany is a diverse placehttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com and many Hamburgers simply don’t relate to Schnitzel-eatinghttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com Lederhosen-wearing mountaineers. Feel free to make jokes about Bavarians.
  • Run a red traffic light. Whether drivinghttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com biking or walking: Red means stophttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com and it is not okay to ignore the traffic lights. At least mind the children!
  • Spit on the ground. This is considered very rude and should be avoided at all times.
  • Make noise on Sundays. By German lawhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com Sunday is considered a “Ruhetag” or “quiet day”. The absence of loud disturbances is taken quite seriouslyhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com so it’s best to refrain from drilling holes in the wallhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com and check with your landlord before throwing a garden party on a Sunday.

DO

  • Make eye contact and politely smile to your waiter if you need them. Unlike in some other countrieshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com it’s considered good manners in Germany to leave customers in peace while eating.
  • Greet and thank cashiershttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com waiters and cleaning staff. Late in the afternoonhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com a courteous “schönen Feierabend” (wishing people an enjoyable time-off) is appreciated.

Getting Around

  • Make eye contact and politely smile to your waiter if you need them. Unlike in some other countrieshttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com it’s considered good manners in Germany to leave customers in peace while eating.
  • Greet and thank cashiershttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com waiters and cleaning staff. Late in the afternoonhttps://Frankfurt.germany-infos.com a courteous “schönen Feierabend” (wishing people an enjoyable time-off) is appreciated.