This is our running guide to Frankfurt, Germany — the fifth largest city in Germany and an important commercial and cultural center. It is the largest financial center in continental Europe, and a major transportation hub, with one of the busiest airports in the world. Much of the city was damaged during World War II, but the old town (Altstadt) has been largely rebuilt.
The running highlights of Frankfurt are centrally located, and include paths along the Main River, and several major parks and gardens, such as Grüneburgpark and Palmengarten. We also include a ‘runseeing’ tour of Frankfurt’s highlights, and a loop around the Wallanlagen, a 5 km green belt around the city centre following the former city walls. Further afield, the Stadtwald (City Forest) has extensive paths for running (a good option near the airport) and there are also nice paths along the Nidda, a tributary of the Main, just north of the city. For a pleasant destination run, we’ve added a route in Hanau showcasing river paths and the Schlosspark Philippsruhe castle park.
As one might expect, transportation in Frankfurt is world class, with the S-Bahn, U-Bahn trains/subway, and extensive trams and buses. The airport is a 12-minute train ride from downtown. So it’s easy to work transport and bike sharing/infrastructure into your runs.
Frankfurt has a temperate ocean climate. The city is known for a fair bit of clouds and rain, but temperatures are moderate. Summers are warm but not hot, with average highs in the high 70sF (25C). Winters feature lots of overcast, with temperatures cold but not frigid, with average January highs of 40F (4C) and lows just below freezing. There are about 22 inches of rain a year – more in summer do to thunderstorms. About 1/2 of the days see precipitation.