Frankfurt by Foot: 3 Walking and Running Routes to Explore the City

Germany’s dynamic business capital features a skyline dotted with skyscrapers, but Frankfurt also surprises many visitors thanks to its historical heart, laid-back charm, multinational feel — and particularly its embrace of green, open spaces.

That’s thanks to Frankfurt’s Grüngürtel, or “Greenbelt,” which more than lives up to its name with nature reserves, parks, gardens, trails, lakes and more.

For those who want easily accessible routes, whether you’re walking or jogging, three let you truly discover the city — and are all within just a few minutes walk from The Westin Grand Frankfurt. The property also offers guests the service of a running concierge, who can serve as both running partner and guide.

As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.

Route 1 — The Grüngürtel (1.8 miles / 3 km)

The Grüngürtel is a short, accessible and flat trail that takes you through interconnected parks and elegant gardens where history abounds. Heading left out of The Westin Grand Frankfurt along Konrad Adenauer Strasse (named after West Germany’s first chancellor), you’ll enter the park and cut across it, under the shade of trees, toward the Drachenburg playground, where families love to gather.

Past the mini maze, fountains and statues in a corner of the park called Bürgergarten, you’ll cross Eschenheimer Tor, a thoroughfare bisecting the park — at this point, you’ll want to take a quick breather to admire and snap photos of the tower that gives the street its name. Eschenheimer Turm is a 15th-century medieval tower and former city gate that rises incongruously like a wedding cake surrounded by the modern metropolis.

From there, the paved path skirts Bockenheimer Anlage’s elegant lake and fountain, where you’ll reach a turning point opposite Alte Oper Frankfurt, the city’s concert hall. Rebuilt in the 1970s to mirror the 1880 original, the hall is a lovely spot that can seat up to 2,500 for concerts and operas.

Head back to the hotel along the path as it winds around the other side of Bockenheimer lake; then retrace your steps for the remainder of the return.

Route 2 — The Main River (3.1 miles / 5 km)

For those who want a slightly more challenging run, this compact, 3.1-mile riverside loop is the perfect way to build up speed. From the hotel, head south along Kurt Schumacher Strasse. You’ll come to the red stone Alte Brücke, or Old Bridge, your sign to turn east along Frankfurt’s river, the Main.

It’s a clear, straight shot along the riverside path (though you may have to negotiate occasional ducks and geese), and you’ll pass a funky equatorial sundial sculpture and then run underneath an old shipyard crane that serves as a reminder of the mighty river’s history.

Skirting the greenery of Hafenpark, you’ll catch the skate ramps, fitness bootcamps and soccer pitches that make it a popular draw before crossing the Main on the Osthafenbrücke (East Harbor Bridge). Now on the river’s south side, take in the skyline ahead of you, which boasts 13 of Germany’s tallest buildings.

Though temptation may await in the form of Yachtklub, a bar and café moored on the river with an inviting terrace, it’s also your landmark reminder to turn and cross the Old Bridge back toward The Westin Grand Frankfurt.

This run is also great in the early evening, as the bridges are illuminated, the skyline lights up and Frankfurters come out to stroll along the riverbank.

Route 3 — Sightseeing Tour (1.8 miles / 3 km)

For a more relaxed excursion, take a slow, 1.8 mile stroll through the streets of Frankfurt’s heart where churches, museums, cafés, markets, stores and more await.

Start at Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus, also known as St. Bartholomew Cathedral, which is barely a 10-minute walk from The Westin Grand Frankfurt. Rebuilt after World War II, this Roman Catholic place of worship sits on the site of a chapel dating back more than 1,100 years.

The nearby Historisches Museum Frankfurt tells you everything you’ll need to know about Frankfurt’s storied past across 15 collections, from painting to photography, science to fashion.

Don’t miss the pink sculptured facade of Frankfurter Römer, the city hall for more than six centuries, as you head to Goethe Haus, where Germany’s most famous literary giant was born and today features a museum celebrating his life.

Thereafter, hit up Wacker’s coffee house, which has served freshly roasted coffee and delectable cakes for more than a century in Instagram-friendly interiors, before finishing up with eats at Kleinmarkthalle food hall. It may be compact compared to other iconic European food markets, but this 1950s architectural gem wows with fabulous local sausages and other charcuterie, regional and global dishes, wines, beer — and yes, they also serve frankfurters!