Introducing Frankfurt

Order prevails in the cosmopolitan city of Frankfurt. Since the 1980s, Frankfurt (or ‘Mainhattan’ as the moniker goes) has rivaled London as the financial capital of Europe. Despite the financial meltdown of 2008, Frankfurt remains a leading economic center. The European Central Bank, Frankfurt’s Stock Exchange (which accounts for 90 per cent of Germany’s financial market turnover), and the Deutsche Bundesbank are all based in Frankfurt. But, while the money still flows, the rules have changed. Nowadays, a German financier who drives his Porsche on the autobahn for a martini lunch is an aberration rather than the norm.

Within the Altstadt (Old Town), the medieval district known as Römerberg was pulverized by the Allies during World War II. Frankfurt harmoniously blends age and distinction with the dynamism of youth. Restored, 500-year-old half-timber houses stand alongside state-of-the-art galleries with surprising grace and harmony. After Berlin, Frankfurt boasts the finest museums in the country. The Städel Museum, located on the Museumsufer embankment, features work by Renoir, Monet, Dürer, and Holbein. Stark modernism is on show at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum which celebrates the seminal work of native son, Mies van der Rohe. The Goethe-Haus, where Germany’s greatest literary export was born, has been transformed into a small exhibition space where you can view his desk and peruse his library.

The city’s thriving international population fosters a diverse cultural landscape. You’ll find some of the best restaurants in the country, one of the world’s most venerated opera houses, and an avant-garde theatre scene. Every year, more than two million visitors converge upon Frankfurt for any one of the city’s numerous trade shows, including the International Book Fair, when 5,500 publishers from nearly 100 countries come to town, lending the city a distinctly intellectual aura.

Airports within a 20-mile radius of Frankfurt:

  • Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
    • Egelsbach Airport (QEF, 11 miles from downtown Frankfurt)
    • Hanau AAF Airport (ZNF, 13 miles from downtown Frankfurt)

Popular aircraft charters* in the Frankfurt area include:

  • Citation Excel (super light)
  • Learjet 45 XR (super light)
  • Citation CJ3 (light)
  • Learjet 31ER 400A (light)
  • Learjet 60 XR (midsize)
  • Citation III (midsize)
  • Gulfstream G200 (super midsize)
  • Citation Sovereign (super midsize)

*This is just a sample. Zephyr provides access to aircraft at every end of the spectrum, from luxurious VIP airliners, to ultra long range business jet, helicopters, and economical turboprops.