Frankfurt, Germany | The MAIN Things You Should Know

Hey Expats and Travelers! Have you ever considered a move to Frankfurt, Germany? Maybe you're thinking about visiting there but don't know much about it. Either way, Josh and Kalie from ExpatsEverywhere are here to give you the info you need to understand the city a little more. We dig into moving to, living in, and working in Frankfurt. Let's chat about housing prices, the weather, different neighborhoods, the train station, food, and more. Be sure to stay to the end to get our take on whether or not we would expat that. Come explore with us!

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Josh and Kalie left the US for a life abroad in 2009 and haven't looked back. They have lived in Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and are currently in Portugal. Yes, they realize they only moved to countries starting with the letter "S" until they spoiled that streak with their move to Portugal. Follow ExpatsEverywhere as we aim to get information to you through expat interviews, city breakdowns, expat life, travel, vlogs, and more.

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[moonoom]

I live near Frankfurt and it was very interesting to her your opinions on this city! First of all, I think it's very unfortunate that you, and many other visitors have the district around the train station as a first experience in Frankfurt. This area is terrible, dirty and sketchy. I would not say it's dangerous per se to walk through there (at least not compared to some parts of American cities for example) but it's unpleasant and makes you feel not safe for sure.
Unfortunately the districts vary vastly and while some can be very nice (Sachsenhausen, Westend, Ostend, Bockenheim), others just feel cold and industrial. BUT the district between the train station and the downtown is the only area that is sketchy and really dirty.
Frankfurt is one of the best connected cities in Europe: You can easily reach Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, etc. in just a couple hours by train or by car, the airport has the most direct flight connections in the world and you're smacked in the middle of Europe so Paris, London, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, etc. are all quick to reach. Wiesbaden, the odenwald, taunus, the nearby vineyards, & the Rhine are just a couple near by things to check out and explore too.
The area around the river is very beautiful in the spring, summer and partially in autumn too. As far as the weather goes, yes, the winters aren't super cold but they can be very dark, grey and rainy. The Taunus mountains are just 20 minutes away by car and those can be used for excellent trips into the snow!
The summers here can be very hot tho! The last couple years we've pretty much always had a bunch of very unpleasant days around 100° Fahrenheit, the evenings and nights tend to be cool and pleasant tho.
Overall I understand your points but I also feel like if you know the city and the area, it can be absolutely fantastic living there! Thank you!

[mikaelblom]

There is a saying when it comes to Frankfurt: "You cry twice when you get sent to Frankfurt - once when you arrive and once when you leave."

Many people might have the feeling as you did, not too happy about it maybe sent from London or New York etc, but then they start to love the City.

Its a great city once you really get settled here, you learn to love some of the "dodgy" areas and frankfurts internationalism etc.

Its not a typical German city its very special.

Its Frankfurt

[riaconradt]

It is unfortunate your experience in Frankfurt was not positive enough for you to “expat” it. I find Frankfurt is a very international city which is really great for many reasons, especially for expats. It also has a lot of cultural offerings - museums, theatre (even an English Theatre!), festivals, etc. As you mentioned, the restaurant scene is robust and many with international cuisine. It has a very good public transportation system and a major airport. It’s location is very central which means travelling to different parts not only of Germany but of Europe is quite convenient. It’s a major city but not overwhelmingly big. I did “expat” in Frankfurt years back and it was a wonderful experience.

[silver]

Greatest City in Germany. Worth a visit and a wonderful place to live.

[TravelingisFREEDOM]

This seems to be a very interesting place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much! And please keep up the great job! Subscribed!!

[TheWillisLee]

The Hauptbahnhöf train station in Frankfurt is the largest train hub in Europe and, as a result, has gathered transients, drug dealers and the prostitution buildings right in its vicinity. It is the area of town that everyone knows to avoid and seems to be the main focus of your video.

Eighty percent of Frankfurt is completely awesome. It has a really cool mix of old European and super modern architectures all intermingled. It has gorgeous parks throughout the city. It is excellent for biking virtually anywhere you want to go. It has a killer drinking section in old town Sachsenhausen where the bars are in the old beamed houses and the streets are the old fishscale cobblestone style. You feel like you have gone back in time. The Opera and theater section is pristine and gorgeous with some fabulous architecture. They have a nice zoo. They have killer festivals throughout the year. They attract top name artists for live performances. They have a super efficient airport and, once you wade through the muck of the main train station, you have access to all of Europe without ever needing a car. Oh..the local trains and buses are great and, yeah, the food, beer, and wine are so, so good. Plenty of castles nearby and river cruises and Frankfurt has an amazing Christmas market in the Romer platz that is magical.

I would move back there in a heartbeat. I'm sorry that your impressions were so negative.

[averywight]

This is lovely that you are exploring different areas and countries. Thank you kindly for sharing

[kgcg]

Just subscribed to your new channel, love all of your content, great video :)

[samkapoor]

Was filming the city in yucky weather under grey skies intentional? I stopped watching after few minutes. This would be a perfect way to discourage people from watching your videos.
BTW, I have been to Frankfurt many times and have enjoyed my visits there.

[alexeyohilkov]

Guys, you have done a great job to prepare that video. I definitely recommend you to promote yourself via social media. Your videos deserve more views.
P. S. I am not a agent or smth like that)) I just a user who noticed this video have really low view rate compared to the quality

[eddisoncassius]

nice video guys. thanks for the info👍💯

[yumikosato]

Agree - near Frankfurt main station attracts quite a lot of ‘fragrant’ people 😅 (same around Rome…) I find areas right around central train stations in Europe can be quite ‘iffy’

[dqyclvi]

Good video guys. I especially liked the pub scene where you were trying, and reviewing, different drinks. I think Frankfurt would be worth a visit but, based on what I saw, I wouldn’t want to move there full time and I would want to visit in the late spring or summer. Cheers!

[achinsingh]

Your videos are quite decent for the views that you get. Been following since sometime. You’ll should probably research bit more about how to get more views, you’ll deserve it. ( pls ignore if you are already well versed with how viewership algorithms work )

[br]

A fairly good analysis! I live here in the Westend area. Although the area around Hauptbahnhof is shady, I would definitely say the other areas are much better, especially Westend, Nordene, Bockenheim. Housing is certainly a factor and I am already paying a higher rent for a smaller space in the downtown. It is best to move away from the downtown where you will find similar conveniences, especially transportation and supermarkets.

But I must also add that the totally different feel she mentioned after leaving the train station and seeing the parks and skyscrapers is just subjective. Actually that is what most people like it in here. It’s a relief being around much better places like a park after getting out of a shady area like Hauptbahnhof. But the way she made faces like how it was a put off is totally weird. Maybe it is a typical American perspective and Americans like it all crowded and busy. It is not that the US cities are well planned and are flawless. You should consider that as well.

[tillappelhans]

Let someone show you Frankfurt, before you give the wrong information to the world. Did you try the Applewine pure? It's better to pour some sparkling water. Mispelchen is a different fruit, it's not an apple. Google Translation for Mispel is Medlar. The drink mispelchen contains of Calvados, some of the fruit water (as they come in a glass or can) and a fruit itself. Calvados is actually French, but it is Apple Liquor.

[tillappelhans]

Although, this video gives a different impression, the sun does shine eventually. 😞

[evejust]

Frankfurt has been a city of contrasts for decades in Germany in a very small square. In the 70ies/80ies the city has the negative framing of Bankfurt, Krankfurt.
Mainhattan turned the framing in the 90ies to a positive - it compares with NewYork or London, but is even 15 times smaller...

[rachelrigby]

The apple
wine? I like it !:) Been to Berlin in winter it was the coldest place I have ever been! I guess Frankfurt isn’t that bad but it’s a very conservative feeling overall. Nice video thanks

[agn]

As far as I know Frankfurter Apfelwein often contains "Speierling" too - that is giving it its "special" flavor.