What is the Frankfurt self-guided walking tour?
The Frankfurt self-guided walking tour is a self-paced walk with audio narration on your phone instead of a person leading the way. The whole thing takes around 3 hours, of which 30 minutes are on foot over 2.2 km, plus 10 stops where you stand and listen. You decide when to start, how long to stay and when to stop.
Over the entrance of the Alte Oper the narration reads out the motto Dem Wahren Schönen Guten, to the true, the beautiful, the good. At St Paul's Church you learn that the first all-German parliament sat inside in 1848, and at the cathedral why a church that never had a bishop is called the Kaiserdom. The Old Bridge ends with a legend: its builder promised the devil the first soul to cross, then sent a rooster over first.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 30 min · 2.2 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
What you do on the walking tour
Hear the stories
The audio tells each stop's history, a legend or two and a few fun facts, and the full text is on screen for anyone who prefers to read.
Follow the map
Google Maps points the way from stop to stop: 30 minutes on foot over 2.2 km altogether.
Pause when you like
Coffee, lunch or a museum fit in whenever you want, and the walk picks up where you left it, today or another day.
Find food and shops
The app suggests places to eat and local shops close to the route, and lets you begin at any stop and change the order.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the walking tour is for
First time here
One walk leads from the opera house through the old town to the river and shows a Frankfurt that has little to do with its skyline.
Independent travellers
Nobody sets the pace but you: linger at the stops you like and move quickly past the others.
A stopover between meetings
Only 30 minutes of the walk are spent on foot, the stops lie close together, and the whole thing fits into a free afternoon.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The walk stop by stop: Alte Oper, Goethe House, Römerberg, the Old Bridge
10 stops · about 30 min walking · start: Alte Oper · finish: Old Bridge (Alte Brücke)
You begin in front of the Alte Oper and walk past the Goethe monument into the centre, where Goethe's birthplace and St Paul's Church follow one another. Römerberg, the Stadthaus am Markt and the cathedral stand close together in the rebuilt old town, and the Historisches Museum takes you down to the Main. The last two stops are bridges: the Iron Footbridge and the Old Bridge with its golden rooster. The app can open the walk at another stop or in another order, and no stop asks for a ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Alte OperStart
The Alte Oper, Frankfurt's old opera house, opened in the 19th century and was burnt out in the Second World War. After years as a ruin and a citizens' campaign to save it, it reopened as a concert hall. Above the entrance runs the motto Dem Wahren Schönen Guten, to the true, the beautiful, the good.
2Goethe-Denkmal
This bronze statue honours Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was born in Frankfurt in 1749 and became one of the great writers of the German language. It was designed by the Munich sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler and unveiled in 1844, and the house where Goethe was born is only a few minutes' walk away.
3Goethe House
This is the house where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the author of Faust, was born and spent his youth. It was destroyed in the Second World War and rebuilt afterwards, and much of the original furniture, which had been taken to safety, is back inside.
4St Paul's Church (Paulskirche)
The oval Paulskirche is one of the key places of German democracy: during the revolution of 1848 and 1849 it was the seat of the first all-German parliament. Today it is no longer used for services but for ceremonies and exhibitions.
Read the full story →
5Römerberg
Römerberg is Frankfurt's old town square, named after the Römer, the row of houses with stepped gables that has served as the city hall for centuries. Opposite stands a row of half-timbered houses rebuilt after wartime destruction, and in the middle the Justice Fountain shows Justitia with her scales.
6Stadthaus am Markt
The Stadthaus am Markt is a modern building between Römerberg and the cathedral, at the edge of the rebuilt old town. It stands over the Archaeological Garden, where excavations revealed remains of Roman buildings and of the early medieval royal palace from which Frankfurt grew.
7Frankfurt Cathedral
Frankfurt Cathedral, dedicated to St Bartholomew, was never the seat of a bishop, yet it is known as the Kaiserdom: from the Middle Ages the kings of the Holy Roman Empire were elected here, and later also crowned. Its tall Gothic tower rises above the roofs of the old town.
8Historisches Museum
The Historisches Museum tells the story of Frankfurt from its beginnings to the present day. It stands between Römerberg and the river Main and combines a modern building with parts of the medieval Saalhof, a former royal residence by the river.
9Iron Footbridge (Eiserner Steg)
The Eiserner Steg is an iron footbridge over the Main, built in the 19th century on the initiative of Frankfurt citizens to link the old town with Sachsenhausen. Its railings are covered with love locks, and from the middle you get a wide view of the river and the skyline.
Read the full story →
10Old Bridge (Alte Brücke)Finish
The Alte Brücke stands at Frankfurt's oldest crossing of the Main, used since the Middle Ages, although today's bridge is modern. On its railing sits a golden rooster. According to legend, the builder promised the devil the first soul to cross the bridge, then sent a rooster over first.
Read the full story →
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Karla– Mexico –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Praktisch, man kann sich die Zeit selbst einteilen, man ist unabhängig
Frank– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Praktisch, man kann sich die Zeit selbst einteilen, man ist unabh?ngig
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Leider meiner Meinung nach zu wenig Information.
Carol– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Me cancelaron un free tour a ?ltimo momento, as? q comore esta gu?a, para mi sorpresa me ha salvado el d?a en Frankfurt.. La recomiendo si no tienes ning?n plan de que ver y quieres saber ?a historia de los monumentos que visitas..
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Technik hat gut geklappt und alle wichtigen Sehensw?rdigkeiten waren mit dabei.