We arrived for a weekend in Frankfurt, Germany after a week in Mykonos, Greece and it was hard not to feel culture shocked. Greece was sunny and beautiful and you could take your little scooter just about anywhere your heart desired. I don’t think I saw a single stoplight on the island.
Frankfurt, on the other hand, was big and had amazing public transportation but it also had rain. So. Much. Rain. In fact, besides a few sunny hours each afternoon, it never stopped raining while we were there. Mind you, this is in August. Middle of summer. But we were here and we were committed to making the most of our stay.
Here’s the thing – if you like museums, there’s a TON to do in Frankfurt if it rains. But my wife and I haven’t developed the patience needed to walk through an entire museum. We can appreciate art and history and science better in short spurts and spending an afternoon of our vacation time wandering halls looking at objects doesn’t hit the spot for us (most of the time). Which brings me to this post’s true name:
What do you do in Frankfurt if it rains and you don’t like museums?
Sorry to trick you guys into this – but even if you like museums, these activities will help you explore the charm of this uniquely accessible city in Germany.
1. Find a jacket (and umbrella) at MyZeil and grab some brunch
First thing’s first – if you packed a backpack full of bathing suits, shorts, and dresses, it’s time to find yourself some proper attire. Enter MyZeil.
A giant indoor and outdoor mall in the center of Frankfurt, MyZeil has every shop your heart could desire (including an H&M with a home decor section *drool*). We made our way here initially to get a Covid Test for our flight back to the States but stopped in a few shops and picked up some jackets for the weekend. If we were smart, and/or not PNW’ers, we would’ve picked up some umbrellas. We didn’t. We regret it. C’est la vie.
Tip: there’s a boujee cafe to cater to all your brunch and sweets needs just outside of the indoor portion of MyZeil: Gugelhupf & Du. The perfect pit stop to take any sleepy wife on her way to a day in the rain.
2. Enjoy a concert in the Alte Oper
Even though we didn’t pack jackets or layers, we did pack some slacks, a button-up and a dress. If you’re in Frankfurt while there’s an orchestra playing, I highly suggest going. The Alter Oper is a beautiful concert hall and what better excuse to chill and listen to classical music for 2 hours than a dreary evening outside?
3) lol Leave Frankfurt
Alright, hear me out on this one. Leaving Frankfurt doesn’t exactly seem like the perfect Frankfurt activity, but wait until you hear how long it takes to get just about anywhere. Frankfurt is in such a central part of Europe, exploring the neighboring countries and towns is easy – and cheap! – from here. So if you’ve got a rainy few days ahead of you and you have the time, why not go exploring?
Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels are all only about 4hrs away on average. Even closer are some beautiful little towns and villages that dot the German countryside – like Heidelberg.
It only took us about 45 minutes to get here – and although we didn’t manage to escape the rain, being surrounded by beautiful, cute Bavarian architecture made us feel just a little more cozy.
4) Eat a ton of food!
One thing I will say about Frankfurt – we did not have a hard time finding good food. And a lot of it Vegan! From Charcuterie breakfast plates to bratwurst street food to poke bowls, vegan food in Frankfurt was fairly easy to find. We also enjoyed non-vegan street food like brie sandwiches, spaetzle (incredible German mac & cheese), pretzels and more. And despite traveling during the pandemic, all these places has cozy indoor seating and gave us a nice respite from the rain.
5) Cozy up to beautiful views
Sure rain doesn’t feel great when its pouring on you, but seeing the layers of gray clouds over the city skyline makes for a beautiful view from your hotel room. We stayed at the Scandic Frankfurt Museumsufer, and the views didn’t disappoint and the room was modern, clean, and very relaxing (Plus they refill your mini bar – for free!!!). Sometimes, taking an extra hour in the rainy morning to snuggle or making an early night watching German dubbed American action movies from the 90s with a hefeweizen and a couple of shots can make for wonderful memories abroad.
What do you guys think?
Have you ever found yourselves on a vacation with unexpected weather? What about other surprising conditions? Finding joy when you can’t do all the things you expected to do is hard but soooo worth it.
The Vagabun 