My fairy tale adventures in Frankfurt: A Travel Diary.

By Kate O’Brien. 

I did not expect to go on two trips in January. On Christmas Day, roughly two hours after my Mam surprised me by telling me that she and I were headed to NYC, my boyfriend surprised me by telling me that he and I were headed to Frankfurt … three days later. 

To say I was shocked and delighted would be an understatement. So I landed in Dublin from NYC on a Monday morning and on Thursday I was back in Dublin airport with my repacked suitcase, ready for a snowy adventure. 

This was my second time travelling to Germany, but my first ever visit to Frankfurt so I was very excited to see a new city for the first time. By now you all know that I love a literary inspired trip, and Frankfurt did not disappoint. 

Frankfurt is a city packed with culture, at times it felt like we were seeing museums on every corner. The city was cold and crisp, very cold in fact. I loved seeing snow topped trees as the plane was landing, and we arrived to snow on the ground and icicles on railings. It was the winter trip of my dreams, and I thoroughly enjoyed being bundled up as we explored. 

One of my favourite things about Frankfurt is that it is a very walkable city, aside from getting the metro here and there for ease, we found ourselves walking everywhere. The city was very easy to navigate and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful buildings as we walked around. 

I love city breaks, but I always feel as though there is so much more I want to do, which is why I make a list of reasons to go back! Frankfurt was no exception, there are many things that I wish we got to do, so I’m sure we will be returning at some point in the future, however we did get to do some amazing things while we were there, if you’re looking for travel inspo, I’ve got you covered. 

We stayed in the Hotel Schopenhauer Hof, which was an ideal spot beside the river. 

We were lucky as we had a fabulous river view from our room. We were a five minute walk away from the Iron Footbridge, from Römer, and from the Frankfurt Cathedral, and we were surrounded by some amazing spots for food and drinks. 

As two film lovers, we couldn’t go to Frankfurt and not visit the German Film Museum. 

For only €6 each, we had a wonderful afternoon exploring the exhibitions. This museum is home to original sketches and storyboards from Disney classics such as Peter Pan and Snow White, face moulds and masks from Star Wars, and one of the original aliens from Alien. It was really amazing to see such an appreciation and love for films on display. 

One of the most beautiful spots was Römerberg, a historical square that is home to gorgeous, mediaeval buildings and bustling markets. I would imagine this square is absolutely beautiful on a bright, warm, summer day, but we loved it in the snow just as much. 

We loved wandering the city and seeing where the day would take us. We explored some amazing book shops and antique shops. I was particularly thrilled to find a collection of wooden nutcrackers in an antique shop, and I’m only sorry that none of them would fit in my suitcase. 

I am a fairy tale lover, so much so that for my master’s dissertation I focused on fairy tales. 

This trip was partially a Christmas gift, and partially to celebrate that I have received my master’s degree in Children’s and Young Adult Literature, so we simply had to have an adventure and visit some of the spots on the German Fairy Tale Route. 

My dream is to one day do a road trip to complete more of the stops on this route, however this trip was the perfect beginning. The journey from Frankfurt to Hanau is only thirty minutes on the metro, so a day ticket was purchased and off we set to the home of the Grimm Brothers. 

The Brothers Grimm National Monument is the starting point of the German Fairy Tale Route. 

The statue sits in the Am market and it is the focal point of the busy village square. The statue features the brothers, we can see that Wilhelm Grimm is sitting down while Jacob Grimm is standing beside him. Local legends suggest that Jacob and Wilhelm secretly swap places at midnight, which is a story that I’m fond of as it sounds like a fairy tale that the brothers would create. 

Fairy tale lovers can also enjoy the Hanau Fairy Tale Path. There are statues all around Hanau, depicting scenes from Grimm fairy tales. We loved seeing each statue and seeing which tale it was from as we walked around. It was very special to see fairy tales being celebrated this way. 

We also visited Philippsruhe Castle, where the Historical Museum of the city of Hanau is located. The GrimmsMärchenReich, the first Brothers Grimm interactive museum in Germany, is located in the right wing. This might have been my favourite part of the trip, although it is hard to pick just one favourite thing. Visiting the castle grounds made me feel like I had stepped into Beauty and the Beast. The grounds were blanketed in sparkling, white snow. Fountains and lakes were completely frozen over, all gleaming under a crisp blue sky. It was picturesque. 

The museum itself was stunning. High, stucco ceilings, breathtaking chandeliers, the most beautiful ballrooms and drawing rooms with paintings, cabinets, and other pieces on display, taking a walk through this place was like walking through a storybook. Not only did we get to enjoy some history, but we got to enjoy the fairy tale exhibit too. The whispering corridor, which features open fairy tale books that whisper to you as you walk by, was a highlight for me. I felt like a little girl again. Young children have the option to explore the fairy tale exhibit in costume, and it was fantastic to see young kids having such a wonderful time. There’s magic to be found in stories and I loved embracing the magic of it all. I especially loved that there was a glass slipper placed on the grand staircase, implying that perhaps a runaway princess had recently fled. 

I would love to return in the summer as the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Festival takes place in the amphitheatre, and I would love to see the paper theatre museum which is currently being renovated. I would also love to see the castle grounds on a bright, sunny day.  

We also visited the gold and silver museum in Hanau, which was lots of fun. I’m a big jewellery fan and I enjoy looking at different pieces so I enjoyed wandering through these exhibits. There are some stunning pieces of jewellery on display in this museum, and I loved seeing the artistic craftsmanship through time. 

While in Frankfurt we visited some lovely restaurants. We loved IIMORI, a little café that was home to roses, books, and other sculptures. We enjoyed breakfast here. The croissants were delicious, and it was a beautiful spot. One of the best meals we had was at Jamy’s Burger. This restaurant was beautiful. The burgers were amazing, and if you go I cannot recommend the dirty fries enough. The cocktails were delicious as well as beautiful to look at, and the staff couldn’t have been nicer. The price was also very reasonable so win wins all round. 

I think our favourite restaurant was a place called Panamaa. This place was a two minute walk outside the door of our hotel. We ate there twice and had quite a lot of drinks there. The atmosphere was lovely, the place was lit by candles, warm lights, and star fairy lights hung everywhere. This spot was slightly pricier, but if you’re looking for a romantic treat, it is ideal. If you like cosmopolitans, this is the place to order one. 

On our last morning in Frankfurt we had breakfast at Kaffeehaus Goldene Waage, and it was amazing. This place was just beautiful. The decor made us feel like we had stepped back in time to a vintage tea house. The coffees and hot chocolates were rich and indulgent. The selection of cakes was unbelievable, everything looked delicious, and the outside of the building looked like a fairy tale building from a storybook. Nearly every single building in Frankfurt looks pretty, this is the lesson we learned. If you enjoy appreciating architecture then this is a city you need to visit. 

Frankfurt is most definitely on my must visit again list. I want to go back and do the river cruise. I’d like to explore other museums, particularly the animation museum. I’d like to go back to visit the paper theatre museum, and I’d like to time my trip to align with the fairy tale festival and perhaps go on further to explore more of the fairy tale route. 

I couldn’t have loved this trip more. It was the most incredible surprise. 

I hope anyone who goes enjoys themselves as much as I did. 

Make sure you follow me on Instagram @katelovesliterature if you don’t already for all updates about what is coming up next.