On this page:

• Frankfurt's skyline reveals ambitions to rival London and New York

  Where to live
• Where to find rentals
• Where to arrange a residence permit
• Where to register
• Where to arrange a driving licence
• Health and recreation opportunities
• Social Clubs
• Expat Food
• English bookshops
• Schools

Frankfurt is one of Germany's economic powerhouse regions and likes to think of itself as "Mainhattan", an allusion to its skyscrapers and its location on the river Main. About 600,000 people work in Frankfurt, but like in Manhattan, most of them don't actually live there.

Some two thirds of the Frankfurt workforce choose to commute to the city, either because they prefer the suburbs and their higher quality of life, or because they can't find or afford an apartment in the city.

The latter holds true for a lot of people: Frankfurt has one of the severest housing shortages in the country, especially concerning inexpensive family housing and up-scale apartments in popular neighborhoods.

Despite the construction of some 2,500 apartments every year, Frankfurt's demand for housing is not even close to being met.

Those newly-built units, though, are very sought after and can be found mainly in Riedberg, the West and East Harbor, Rebstockpark and Friedberger Warte. Financially out of reach for many are the leafy neighborhoods of Westend, the Holzhausen Quarter, the Poets' Quarter (Dichterviertel), and the Diplomatenviertel, all located north of downtown and home to scores of consulates and executives' mansions.

Also popular are the dictricts of Sachsenhausen and parts of Nordend, teeming with singles, which tend to like historic buildings and the proximity of restaurants and bars.

As in London, a lot of people look north, to the city's edge or beyond, to find a better selection of housing. Popular here are the neighbourhoods of Niedereschbach, Kalbach, Bonames, Niedererlenbach, Riedberg, and Harheim, which offer more green spaces and less hassle than the city.

Closer to Frankfurt's centre, but still mostly in the upper-medium price range, lie the boroughs of Niederursel, Heddenheim, Eschersheim, Ginnheim, Eckenheim, and Preungesheim.

Even higher-end housing can be found northeast of downtown, in parts of Seckbach and Bergen-Enkheim.

Many of Frankfurt's innumerable business executives and bankers shun the city altogether, however. They usually set up residence in the Vordertaunus, a wooded area 45 driving minutes northwest of Frankfurt, that includes the towns of Königstein, Kronberg, Oberursel, Bad Homburg, and Friedrichsdorf.

For apartment seekers, Frankfurt's three newspapers are the best starting point. The paper versions with real-estate ads hit the newsstands on Fridays and Sundays ("Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", "Frankfurter Neue Presse") as well as on Wednesdays and Saturdays ("Frankfurter Rundschau").

If you want to check the ads online, go to their joint website at www.rheinmainmedia.de/rmc/rmc.php?markt=38 (where you have to pay a fee by credit card to get the contact information) or www.fr-aktuell.com/imm/suche (no fee).

Since a large portion of the market is covered by agents anyway, you might as well save time and effort by looking at commercial databases (www.immowelt.de, www.immobilienscout24.de and www.planethome.de), which provide digital images of many apartments and sometimes even neighborhoods. Some real-estate agents listed there also run their own websites.

Alternatively, check the non-commercial (and therefore commission-free) http://www.wohnungsboerse.net, where after running your search you have to register to get the contact information. In general, click "Mieten" for rentals, "Kaufen" for purchases.

If  you are considering a particular neighbourhood and would like to see its surroundings without actually going there, you can get an aerial view at www.frankfurt.de/sis/Stadtplan.html (enter an address including house number, choose the map scale, then click on "Luftbild" instead of "Karte", confirm each by clicking "ok".)
 
Abbreviations and terms in real-estate ads

2 ZKB (2 Zimmer, Küche, Bad): two rooms, kitchen, bathroom
zzgl. NK (Nebenkosten): utility and maintenance fee (added to the rent)
Garage/SP (…/Stellplatz): outdoors car parking
EG: (Erdgeschoss): ground floor
UG (Untergeschoss): below ground
DG (Dachgeschoss): attic floor
EBK (Einbauküche): built-in kitchen
Keller: basement
Fahrstuhl: elevator/lift
Gäste-WC: guest bathroom
Garten/Grdst (Grundstück): backyard

Ausländerbehörde
Mainzer Landstraße 323
60326 Frankfurt am Main
Tel: (069) 212 42485 and 069/212 44133
 
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:  7.30 – 12.30pm
Thu rsday: 1-6pm
Tuesday: closed

Zentrales Bürgeramt
Zeil 3
60313 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. 069/212 30600 

Monday, Thursday: 10-6pm
Tuesday, Wednesday: 7.30 – 1.30pm
Friday:7.30 – 1pm

Ordnungsamt
Führerscheinstelle (3rd floor)
Mainzer Landstraße 321
60326 Frankfurt am Main

Tel: (069) 212 42334
 
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 7.30 – 12.30
Thursday: 1-6pm
Tuesday: closed

This office also provides car registrations.

Other useful addresses

The British Consulate in Frankfurt provides lists of English-speaking doctors, lawyers and other professionals in the area that might be needed at one time or another (www.britbot.de/en/consular/frankfurt/index.htm).

The city centre doesn't offer many green spaces, but the further you go toward the city limits, the more you can feel that not too long ago Frankfurt was a collection of separate small towns and villages. Between the neighborhoods of Bockenheim and Rödelheim, for example, flows the small creek Nidda, along which you can walk, run or bicycle through fields and meadows until you reach Brentano Park, once the grounds of a banker's mansion built in the 19th century.

Popular with runners is also the Grüneburg Park in Bockenheim, neighbouring on GoetheUniversity's main campus on one side and the botanical Palmengarten on the other. The Palmengarten charges an entrance fee and is therefore not really joggers' territory, but it offers exotic plants from bougainvillea to hibiscus, as well as concerts, book readings and exhibitions.

A nice circular run around an artificial lake can also be found at Ostpark, in Frankfurt's East End (Ostende). In the south, well beyond Sachsenhausen and nudged between the city and the airport, lies the expansive, wooded Stadtwald, which can be conveniently reached by tram (Lines 14 and 21). For a quick run after work there are also the downtown banks of the Main river, with the best stretch between the bridges Holbeinsteg and Alte Brücke.

GYMS

Like other big German big cities, Frankfurt has in recent years seen a veritable boom of fitness gyms. 

Many of the better-equipped ones are part of national chains, like Fitness Company and Kieser Training. The former has set up shop in eight locations in Frankfurt and offers not only fitness machines, but swimming pools, steam baths and saunas in some places. The other chain, Kieser, caters more to older customers who want to improve their health through muscle training.

Additionally, there are countless smaller or independent fitness clubs, many of which can be found at www.fitnesswelt.de/fitness-studios/F/ .You should visit the gym of your choice for a free test session and try to negotiate a reasonable admission fee, especially when you join together with a partner.

Alpha Sports
Darmstädter Landstr. 85, 60598 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel: (069) 611 774

Enjoy Wellness und Fitness World
Martinskirchstr. 70, 60529 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel: (069) 9855 8880

Fitness Center Colosseum
Silostr. 19, 65929 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel: (069) 303 800

Fitness Company
www.fitcom.de
Tel: (069) 96373 100

Kieser Training
www.kieser-training.com
Tel: (069) 23 06 46

Planet Fitness
Hanauer Landstr. 151, 60314 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel: (069) 4305 3880

Wellness Park
Franziusstr. 35, 60314 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel: (069) 498 794

GOLF

The Rhein-Main region is home to dozens of golf clubs, where more than 25,000 players hit the fairways on a regular basis. Since membership fees vary greatly, it's best to shop around. A list of golf courses in the larger Frankfurt area can be found at
www.frankfurt-rhein-main.de (click "Sport" in the topic bar).

Since the Frankfurt area is home to many multi-national companies, numerous international clubs have sprung up. Here expats can get together, exchange their experiences on living in Germany and take part in activities. The list ranges from German-British societies to the more exotic "Exiles Rugby and Hockey Club" and the "Frankfurt Scottish Country Dance Club." For contact information see Expatica's list of groups and clubs in Germany: Directory of expat groups and clubs  (make this link live)

In recent years, foods from outside Europe have become more and more popular in Germany – including fruits and vegetables that had long been exotic to the German palate. Contributing to this development has been the rise in immigrant numbers from Asian countries, especially China.

As a result, the long-established Turkish shops - with their lamb and poultry meat, goat cheeses, figs, dates, and olives - have gotten company by Asian stores mushrooming throughout German cities. There you can buy not only spices, sauces, rice and noodles, but also fresh vegetables, among them bean sprouts, Asian broccoli, pok choy, okra, and chillies.

For British foods you can visit the following shops:

A Taste of Britain
Oederweg 34, 60381 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel. 95 92 94 74

Harrod's Knightsbridge
Frankfurt Airport
Terminal 1, Departures B
Tel: 697 06 964

Hugendubel
Steinweg 12
Tel: (069) 289821

The British Bookshop
Börsenstr 17
Tel: (069) 28 0492

The Frankfurt area has six international schools that cover children's education from kindergarten to grade 12:

Europäische Schule Frankfurt am Main
Praunheimer Weg 126
60439 Frankfurt a.M
Tel: (069) 92 88740
www.eursc.org

Frankfurt International School (FIS)
An der Waldlust 15
61441 Oberursel
Tel: 06171/2020
www.fis.edu

International Bilingual Montessori School
Westendstr. 45
60325 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel: (069) 745646
www.ibms-frankfurt.com

Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main (ISF)
Straße zur Internationalen Schule 33
65931 Frankfurt a.M.
Tel: (069) 348 2970
www.isf-net.de

October 2004

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Life in Germany, relocation, Frankfurt