Flights from Almaty, Astana and Uralsk to Frankfurt

The New Old Town is at the beating, bustling heart of the city. It’s a story of rebirth after Frankfurt was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War. The first reason to book a direct flight to Frankfurt is its architecture. Most of Frankfurt’s buildings are new and modern and look it. But the Neue Altstadt, or New Old Town, recreates how the area looked before the war. The main period of reconstruction lasted from 2012 to 2018. The New Old Town is also big. More than 7,000 square metres were redeveloped and 35 buildings redesigned.

A good spot to begin exploring is in the centre. As you land from the Frankfurt airplane, get off at the Dom/Römer subway station (like most German cities, Frankfurt has excellent and efficient public transportation) and take in the views at the attractive little square called the Hühnermarkt, or the Chicken Market. Surrounded by timber and stone buildings, it’s easy to feel like you’ve been transported back to when knights in shining armour rescued princesses and defeated dragons. Each building looks different than the one next to it, and they are surprisingly colourful: reds, yellows, pale blues, greens, and shades of pink. Even the signs for the shops and restaurants, which use a fancy type of lettering called Fraktur that looks like it’s been carefully written by a very skilled hand, are designed to appear as they would have in decades and centuries past. The stone fountain in the square is not just a calming sight, but calming to hear. The sound of its bubbling water replaces the toots of cars. To engage another sense, pop into a café in the square that’s one of the best in Frankfurt. After the Frankfurt flight, relax with a cup of warm drink in parks or any other cosy place.

Pair your drink with homemade banana bread, a brownie, or a strudel, a traditional German pastry with a layered crust and sweet filling. No matter what you order, admire the funky, modern décor that, given how historic the New Old Town looks outside, will again have you feeling like you’ve teleported someplace else, to a world with smooth surfaces, straight lines and multicoloured seat cushions. A direct flight to Frankfurt am Main can lead you to the different historical periods. 

Fuelled with food and drink, walk a few metres down a street called Markt towards the cathedral to another unique building: the Haus zur Goldenen Waage, or House of the Golden Scales. It’s easy to see why it has this name: extending from a corner of the half-timbered house, originally dating back to the Renaissance, is a long arm holding a pair of golden scales. Renaissance attractions are what appeal to buying a Frankfurt ticket at the same moment you see them in the photos. Next to a museum dedicated to Friedrich Stoltze, a poet and writer who advocated for civil rights and democracy, with many multimedia exhibits, it’s home to a beautiful coffee shop that looks like it belongs in a fairy tale. The specialty here is cakes of all kinds so that’s how with just airline tickets Frankfurt can show you a variety of sights.

Not far from the House of the Golden Scales is one of Frankfurt’s most famous sights: the cathedral. A symbol of the city with a unique reddish colour, the Gothic-style, brick cathedral is free to visit. With cheap airfare from Frankfurt and free-for-al sights, your journey becomes rather low-priced. There are also free public guided tours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 3:00 pm that explain its history and take visitors all over the cathedral. 

For souvenirs to buy before setting out to the Frankfurt airport at last, Handwerkskunst am Romer on Braubachstrasse is a good choice. Here you can buy traditional German handicrafts. Think nutcrackers, hand-painted beer steins (a beer mug with a hinged lid) and charming cuckoo clocks. Even if you’re not buying anything, it’s fun just looking at the works of art for sale. 

Because of its central location, there’s plenty to see and do after exploring the New Old Town. You can visit the Römer (Frankfurt’s city hall for more than 600 years) and its huge public square (famous for its Christmas markets). The Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge) is close too, as is the beautiful, blue Main river (the full name of the city, Frankfurt am Main, means ‘Frank ford on the Main’) and museums like the Historisches Museum Frankfurt, which explores the history of the city and its inhabitants and is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. These places can also feel like stepping back in time. Fortunately, there’s still Wi-Fi.