Mairi Beautyman

The Gateway to the World? Germany’s second city is a force to be reckoned with. There are more than 50 museums and 40-plus theatres here, to go with the incredible nightlife and fabulous foodie scene. The best things to do in Hamburg touch on the many lives of this place, an innovative-friendly city that isn’t afraid to doff its cap tradition. What is Hamburg? Well, it is Hamburg. It couldn’t be anything else.  From gourmet cuisine to the sinful lights of the Reeperbahn, this is your ultimate guide to the best things to do in Hamburg. Get ready for heaps of fun. 

When it comes to museums, Munich manages to tick both the ‘quality’ and ‘quantity’ boxes. There are more than 80 here, but the best museums in Munich are cut from altogether different cloth. Everything from ancient history to avant-garde art is on the ledger, with plenty of beer mixed in for good measure. This is Munich, after all, beer is never far away. Munich is a magnificent destination. The beer halls are legendary, the fine-dining scene might be the best in Germany, and the museums are world-class. These are the best of the best when it comes to the latter.   

Magnificent Munich is ready to wrap you up in its unique mix of elite museums, hearty food and rambunctious nightlife. The best things to do in Munich cover all that and more, showing that there is more to the Bavarian capital than Lederhosen, Dirndls, strangely long food, and questionable Ferris wheel decisions are eight foaming steins. No, not us, definitely not.Munich is a cultural powerhouse, both inside and out. The museums and galleries deserve special attention, and keep your eyes peeled while wandering the streets. A carefully-executed reconstruction plan following World War II has made Munich one of the most architecturally impressive cities in Europe. Also, beer! Hooray!

In Germany, all roads lead to Frankfurt. That should be taken literally, by the way, as the economic powerhouse in the belly of the country has Germany’s biggest Autobahn interchange, its busiest train station and biggest airport. A veritably mass of humanity pulses through Frankfurt every single day. Ready to dismiss the city as a destination because of that? More fool you.The best things to do in Frankfurt are a delight. They might just have you planning to join the international community that calls this place home. The restaurants and breakfast spots are as good as it gets, and there is an energy to Frankfurt that is downright infectious.

Frankfurt might be best known for money-making and the chaotic magic of mass transport, but all those travellers and business folk need to relax from time to time, right? Germany’s financial capital has shed its boring reputation and has blossomed as an artistic charmer, with fantastic restaurants and a buzzing nightlife scene to boot. At the last count, foreign nationals comprised nearly 30 percent of the city’s residents, and foreign nationals need a boozer or two. Frankfurt has plenty more than that, and every aspect of the nightlife world is represented. The craft beer revolution has unsurprisingly made its way to the city, while studious mixologists have revitalised Frankfurt’s cocktail bars. You might even find a roaring fireplace and an abundance of bar snacks if you’re lucky. For fun-filled drinks all night long, these are the best bars in Frankfurt. Drank somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDrinkList. You can also find out more about how Time Out makes recommendations and reviews bars.

As Germany’s financial capital, Frankfurt may have its fair share of high-rise monoliths, but the rest of the cityscape is diverse. From the conservative Westend, which caters to the banking set, to slowly gentrifying Bahnhofsviertel, once rife with prostitution, Frankfurt’s most happening neighbourhoods range from glam to seedy, prohibitively expensive to cheap-as-schnitzel. Does a villa with a moat float your boat? How about the district known for its dedication to local Apfelwein (apple wine)? Or maybe it’s a central location you’re after? To help you choose where to stay in Frankfurt, here’s our guide to five of the city’s major neighbourhoods, with insider tips on the best bars, restaurants and hotels in each. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in Frankfurt

Frankfurt is not a city short on hotels; Germany’s financial capital annually holds some of the world’s most important trade fairs and attracts some 500,000 visitors a month, and hoteliers have met the demand. However, until recently many of these hotels were all business, no pleasure—and rather stiff as a result. In part due to a hospitality trend turning towards a more holistic lifestyle approach, times are changing. From a boutique hotel built on the narrative of a well-traveled fictional character or a popular chain hotel branch that is a homage to Levis jeans to a design hotel dedicated to the friends and lovers of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, here are the ten best hotels in Frankfurt. Luckily for visitors, most of these are within walking distance of the cities top attractions and tastiest restaurants, so no matter which you choose, you can sightsee in style.

Se Berlim é conhecida pela sua vida animada, Munique é muitas vezes deixada de fora dos elogios à Alemanha. No entanto, nos últimos anos, a cidade tem conseguido reinventar-se. Do ponto de vista arquitectónico, os edifícios históricos, marcados pela guerra, ganham agora uma nova vida como parte de um plano de recuperação levado a cabo pela cidade. Acrescente-se uma economia em crescimento, impulsionada por grandes empresas como a BMW, grandes centros culturais e uma cultura gastronómica apaixonada – além da cerveja, cerveja e mais cerveja. Munique continua no topo das listas das melhores cidades para viver no mundo. Eis, as melhores coisas para fazer em Munique.

A salty seafaring life is deeply embedded into the cultural web of Germany’s second largest city. With more bridges than Venice and Amsterdam combined, Hamburg is shaped by its bodies of water—something the city’s 1.7 million inhabitants take full advantage of. Celebrated as a music metropolis, the city is also home to numerous photo-inducing cultural centers and museums, mixed in with historic (some reconstructed) and contemporary landmarks. From a miniature journey through countries around the world or the wave-like roof and sculptural glass facade of the city’s new concert hall, to a landmark tunnel that runs through the depths of the earth, find the most Instagrammable places in Hamburg here. Miniatur Wunderland A post shared by Mairi Beautyman (@i_scribe_design) on Nov 18, 2017 at 9:09am PST On a beach you’ll never swim at, a lean man in Speedo-like swim trunks towels off his hair while his family looks on–just one tiny scene at Miniatur Wunderland. Located in Hamburg’s historic Speicherstadt district, this exhibit of a miniature world spread out over 1,350 square feet draws 1.3 million visitors a year, with the world’s largest model train display (50,000 feet) and an international journey that goes from America to Germany, Scandinavia, Austria and Italy. From snow-glazed alpine panoramas to cityscape shots of Hamburg (the biggest city in Minatur Wunderland) to the realistic air traffic flying into Knuffingen Airport, the photo ops are overwhelming. One uniqu

There are few cities in the world where you can snap both neck-wrenching skyscrapers and stunning historical buildings just a few minutes apart. When it comes to diversity, Frankfurt is a photographer’s dream. If it’s the urban landscape you’re after, Germany’s financial capital has it in spades—this is one of the few European cities with a large cluster of high rise buildings in its downtown area. While much of the city’s historical architecture was destroyed during World War II, billions of euros have been sunk into rebuilding efforts. Most recently, 15 historical replicas were returned to the city. Then there’s the scenic River Main, connecting old and new by almost a dozen bridges. From a museum with a verdant green lawn punctuated with porthole skylights to a building dating to the middle ages with a distinctive tiered gabled roof, these are the most Instagrammable places in Frankfurt. Städel Museum A post shared by Saskia (@strassen_ninja) on Apr 2, 2018 at 7:39am PDT A verdant green lawn punctuated with porthole skylights draws light into a subterranean extension at the Staedelmuesum, Frankfurt’s citizen’s museum. Completed by architecture firm Schneider + Schumacher in 2012, the extension doubled the museum in size, adding 3,000 square meters of light-flooded exhibition space for a collection of European art history spanning 700 years, from the early fourteenth century to the present. On Thursday and Friday, the museum is open until 9pm, allowing the opport

There is only one place in the world where half-timbered buildings seeped in old world charm are an eight-minute walk from Germany’s highest tower: Frankfurt. The architecture in Germany’s financial capital is as varied as it comes—it’s undeniable that two world wars had an impact. However, a careful reconstruction effort combined with rich creativity tapped from a pool of talented architects mean a cityscape as strikingly diverse as its populous—a quarter of which have foreign citizenship. From a greenhouse formed as a cluster of flowers to a contemporary mall that sucks visitors in through a vortex, as well as one of the oldest churches in Germany, here are the ten most beautiful buildings in Frankfurt.

April through September is the best time to visit Frankfurt; this is when the city enjoys mild temperatures and sunny days and when the numerous parks are in their full green glory. Year around, temperature varies from 30 degrees to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and rarely drops below 17 degrees or above 88 degrees Fahrenheit. On crisp fall days, leaves on the abundance of trees cast the city with a golden hue. In December, the city hosts one of Germany’s largest Christmas markets. Come March, even before the dense gray cloud cover of Winter flees the skies, outside seating props up–with a little luck, you’ll find thick wool blankets slung over seat backs. Whatever the time of year, you’ll see locals out in full force on weekends (especially on Sundays, when most shops are closed) determinedly traipsing parks and riverfront walkways for the Volkslauf—the habitual weekend walk that is a popular German pastime. RECOMMENDED: Your essential Frankfurt travel guide

A visit by John F. Kennedy in 1963 left such an impression at this luxury hotel in the Sachsenhausen neighborhood that the proprietors changed its name to Villa Kennedy. Now black-and-white photos of the U.S. president adorn walls of the carefully restored historic grand villa, once home to an influential banking family. The villa and its three new wings are all centered around a garden terrace. Timber floors, soft tones and natural fabrics fill rooms–nab one with a French balcony. A 50-foot lap pool is among the amenities in the four-level, 11,000-square-foot spa, and the hotel’s Italian restaurant, Gusto, boasts a Michelin star. In part due to the large number of privately-accessible suites (36 out of 163 rooms), this hotel draws the city’s most VIP visitors, among them the German Soccer National Team. Time Out tip: Check the hotel’s website for live music events in the JFK bar.

As a major international hub, Frankfurt Airport is home to its fair share of brutal layovers and early flights. The brand-new Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport has all the fixings for making these travel itineraries as stress-free as possible. Opened in January 2017, this hotel is the first Hyatt Place-branded hotel in Germany, and a mere seven-minute shuttle bus from Frankfurt Airport Terminal One. Despite a chain hotel construct, the 312 rooms have a residential feel, and two of the four room types have ‘cozy corners’–meaning you can relax on a sofa bed or a chaise lounge. In-room coffee and tea, a 24-hour gym and kitchen and grab-and-go meals available for purchase bring home the dedication to convenience. Time Out tip: Print out your boarding pass by connecting with your cellphone directly to a remote printer.

An interior by German artist Stefan Strumbel celebrates the color white at this small boutique design hotel, where you’ll be greeted with a welcome drink. The soothing minimalistic design is distinguished by Thassos marble and light gray floors in the lobby and white leather headboards in rooms, each a compact 190 to 260 square feet offset by high ceilings. The gym and the spa—where you’ll find a sauna and steam room—are open 24 hours. Other thoughtful touches include breakfast served until 1pm, a 4pm extended checkout free of charge on Sundays and bean bags on the patio, which is candle-lit on summer evenings. Time Out tip: While the hotel does not serve food after 1pm, orders can be placed from nearby restaurants.

With previous lives as a manor house, flour mill and tannery dating as far back as the 14th century, the Gerbermühle was razed during World War II and not rebuilt until the 1970s. Today, the design hotel is dedicated to the friends and lovers of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who once lived there for a year. The 19 rooms, filled with thoughtful details like antique side tables and upholstered armchairs, range from 260-960 square feet and benefit from a prime location directly on the River Main, and some historic elements such as stone walls remain. Attracting travelers and locals alike, the bar serves up excellent cocktails; try the Lemongrass Sour 10, a fusion of lemongrass infused gin, maraschino, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white. Time Out tip: A restaurant and self-service beer garden make the terrace one of the best places in the city to enjoy a warm summer evening.

For five-star luxury with a taste of the Hesse region’s royal history, there’s the Grandhotel Hessischer Hof in the Westend district, a 13-minute walk from the Frankfurt Messe exhibition center. Owned by the Landgrave and Prince of Hesse family foundations, this luxury hotel was once the city residence of Prince Wolfgang of Hesse, and the 35 rooms and suites are packed full of royal antiques, with noble fabrics and carpets and historic art. The 29 executive junior suites, designed by a German Countess, are nearly 600 square feet and have luxurious accents such as marble bathrooms and dark granite countertops. If that’s not big enough for you, there’s always the Presidential Suite–it sits at nearly 2,000 square feet. The royal treatment continues in the spa, where you’ll find a steam room and sauna, Ayurvedic-style massages and medical treatments such as osteopathy or chiropractic services. Time Out tip: You’ll find live piano music until 3am in the hotel’s cocktail bar, Jimmy’s Bar.

A short walk from Frankfurt Central station, this boutique hotel chain (with two other locations in Germany) channels the sensual undertone of the burlesque world in both rooms and public areas (which include a bar, restaurant and spa). All 116 rooms and suites are unique, and details such as dark natural stone, upholstered headboards, sound systems and ambiance lighting (which may be too dim for some) evoke a sultry elegance. For a selection of “tease” goods, chocolate-covered fruit, champagne and a room covered in rose petals and lit candles, packages include the not-so-subtly named “Make Love.” Private bathrooms and ‘quiet’ rooms are available on request. Time Out tip: Sink into a tub filled to the brim with glass beads in the spa for a unique relaxation experience.

Design-conscious travelers will delight in the boutique hotel style interior of Capri By Fraser Frankfurt, where just about everything in the 153 studio- and one-bedroom apartments falls into a palette of grey, white, lemon-yellow or turquoise-blue. In the spacious rooms—all with fully-equipped kitchens—sculptural vases and glassware, cactuses, tattoo art books and candle sticks are thoughtful design accents in bookcases. Walls displaying contemporary art throughout add to the homey feel. Both the gym and the business center–where iMacs are on hand–are open 24 hours. Meal options are available from both a grab-and-go snack bar and a full-service restaurant brasserie serving international cuisine and authentic Asian dishes. Time Out tip: The Messeturm, once Europe’s highest building, is a 10 minute walk away and visible from north-facing rooms.

The comforts of apartment-style living combined with a prime location on the River Main keep guests returning to the Adina Apartment Hotel Frankfurt Neue Oper, situated a five-minute walk from the financial and Old Town districts. Prices for the 134 rooms run from budget to luxe; however, all come with a fully-equipped kitchen, mini bar, iPod docking stations and stereo systems. Communal areas also include laundry rooms and a gym with indoor pool and sauna. For those with no time or energy for cooking, a large hot and cold breakfast buffet kicks each morning off and room service runs 16 hours a day. Time Out tip: The Goethe House, where German writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe was born, is a nine-minute walk away.

The stylish home of a well-traveled fictional character, Libertine Lindenberg in the Alt-Sachsenhausen-neighborhood is not your traditional hotel experience. Among the more unique amenities in the five-story boutique hotel are film and concert nights, a recording studio, cooking classes and a punching bag in the basement gym. The slim silhouettes of Mid-Century-Modern-style furnishings fill the ground-floor cafe and lounge area, and nearly all furnishings throughout are handmade or custom-designed. The one-to-three bedroom suites are available by night or month and can include kitchenettes. Soak in the city skyline on the top floor in the 24-hour fully-stocked kitchen, where ingredients for various meal options are available on an honor system. Time Out tip: Bikes are free to guests, but perhaps you’d like to zip around on the Libertine’s über stylish yellow Vespa ($39 a day).

Steps away from the main train station, and part of the popular 25hours hotel chain, the 76-room Frankfurt by Levi’s is a tribute to Levi’s jeans. Appropriately, blue is the dominant color in the creative interior design. Each of the single, bunkbed (with two beds) and suite rooms, ranging from 183 square feet to 377 square feet, come with Bluetooth speakers. In summer, you’ll find open-air cinema, concerts and barbecues on the rooftop terrace. Bike tours and rentals are offered for a fee on Schindelhauer bikes, however you can always drive off in a Mini car free-of-charge, depending on availability. While the hotel does not have a fitness center, a collaboration with a nearby Fitness First means you can take advantage of facilities including a sauna for under 10 euros a day. Time Out tip: Some of the rooms have more privacy than others due to glass bathroom doors; ask when you book if you have a preference.

Housed in a neoclassical 1839 villa, the Literatur House is a cultural institution seeped in old school charm. Before it was left derelict for several years, the villa in the Uhlenhorst district north of the city center served as a dance school and a home for girls. In 1985, the historic building was painstakingly restored with help from an unnamed donor; now, chandeliers drop over crisp white table cloths and elaborate stucco decorative elements on walls and ceilings are back to their original glory. From a menu focusing on what’s seasonal and regional, try a sweet taste of Germany with the Pflaumen Knödel, soft dumplings filled with plum and cognac swimming in a vanilla cream sauce.

For the best retro or vintage souvenirs, head to Flohschanze, considered by many to be the city’s best flea market. Every Saturday, hundreds of vendors hold court at the market, which is located in the hip Schanzenviertel district near an old slaughterhouse and has an excellent view of the FC St. Pauli soccer stadium. Just about everything is on offer, from Mid-Century light fixtures to brass candle sticks, used bicycles, clothes, furniture and even car batteries. While you won’t find brand new items from local retailers, that’s a good thing; it’s a flea market in the truest sense, meaning bargains are to be found. Toilets are in a trailer on site, and offer a clean experience for a small charge.