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Take your time to stroll and soak up the ancient history in the Altstadt (old city). The Eschenheimer Turm, a 14th century tower that was an original gate to the inner city. The Alte Oper is an ornate 19th-century building renovated to its former glory. It’s now a concert hall, and a great place to catch some culture. Römer square is where the fusion of old and new reaches its peak thanks to the painstaking reconstruction of 15th-century merchants’ homes around the square.

Where to start? Maybe at the German Film Museum, dedicated to the history and technology used in the movie industry. It also hosts regular film screenings. Movingly sombre is the Jewish cemetery near the Börneplatz, the city’s Jewish quarter . The Senckenberg Museum is a natural history museum protected by life-size models of dinosaurs at the front door. Also famous and worth a visit is the Museum of Modern Art with lots of European and American artworks from the 1960ies. It hosts works of Art from Andy Warhol and many more.

You can’t miss the distinctive bronze sculpture of a bull and a bear in full fight outside the DAX Stock Exchange. The building dating back to 1843 is an imposing colonnaded affair, and you can view the electronic trading floor on a free tour in German and English if you book in advance and carry your ID. When it comes to business, Frankfurt is king – a heritage started back in the 1500s, when its traders set up a currency exchange to smooth international trade.

For designer gear head to the posh shops of Goethestrasse (Fressgaß). The Kleinmarkthalle (Small Market Hall) is a barracks-like building, but inside it’s a treat of foodie and flower heaven. The most popular street for shopping is the Zeil Shopping promenade, which is mentioned in 5 of The Best.

Named with typical German practicality, the Main Tower is, well, the main tower of the city and a key part of its skyline. At 200m tall it has the most brilliant panoramic views. You catch a lift for the first 190m then walk the last 10m to the observation deck. There’s a restaurant and cocktail lounge on the 53rd floor, and an art exhibition in the foyer.

The world-class Städel museum spans 700 years of European art from the Middle Ages to the present, by way of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical Modernism. Among more than 3,000 paintings, 600 sculptures and endless photographs and drawings are works by Cézanne, Rembrandt, Rubens, Renoir and Picasso. Join a tour, or take the audio guide that gives you information on about 250 key works.

You can’t possibly visit Frankfurt without trying the Frankfurter, or sausages blathered with hot mustard. There are lots of other local delicacies to indulge in too, like Rippchen, a dish of cured pork cutlets with sauerkraut, broth and potatoes. It’s hearty fare, but leave room for Bethmännchen, or pastries with marzipan. Wash it down with Apfelwein, an apple cider with a merry little kick.

The main shopping area is the Zeil, a pedestrian route that runs between two major squares. It starts at the Hauptwache, once a guardhouse dating from 1730 and now a restaurant. Even if shopping isn’t your bag, the area is worth a visit for its sculpture and architecture. The MyZeil arcade built in 2009 is a must-see for its vaulted glass ceiling of Gothic-style splendour.

The Ebbelwei-Express (Apple wine Express) is a historic tram that runs on a 70-minute circuit taking in both banks of the River Main, so it’s great for orientating yourself and seeing everything from the Zoo to the massive Messe exhibition centre. Jump on at any stop marked with the letters EE. As you’d expect, the price includes Ebbelwei and pretzels!

That’s a wonderful word for a city walkabout, and a good place to start is in the tranquil Garten des Himmlischen Friedens (Chinese Garden of Heavenly Peace). A series of parks and gardens surround the Innenstadt (old city) like a wall of green, just like the medieval wall that surrounded it centuries ago.

Germany’s white wines are pretty damn fine, but take the chance to try its Apfelwein, or Ebbelwoi, as it’s also called. You can fnd some gorgeous old apple cider bars on the charming cobblestone streets of the Sachsenhausen district, just south of the old town. A lot of them serve food as well, so settle in for the evening.