After a dreadfully long winter, Frankfurt is coming to life again, bringing its annual facelift of pedestrians, bikers, and outdoor cafes to the streets.

Eating and Drinking
The most popular spot to lounge around in great weather is of course the Main River. The Maincafé is a kiosk set up on the riverbank, close to the Eiserner Steg that offers beer, wine, applewine, and assorted cakes and coffee. They have some tables set up, but most people prefer to lounge around on the surrounding grassy knolls of the riverbank. In fact, you needn’t even purchase anything from the café. Most people grab a few bottles of wine or beer and get some snacks and sit themselves down for a river gathering. There are also two boathouse restaurants where you can have an applewine and bob along in the water, or rent a paddleboat if you are feeling particularly adventurous. Alte Oper and Fresgaße are both pedestrian zones that are jam packed with unending rows of cafes, upmarket delis, and coffee shops to choose from. The Hauptwache café directly in the centre of town with its many outdoor tables set up is perfect for a coffee break or light lunch in the middle of the day. Bergerstr. in Bornheim is also littered with tons of trendy and chic outdoor cafes. Enjoying an ice cream in one of the many Eis Cafés dotted around town is another favourite pastime, the ones at Römerberg being particularly popular with tourists looking to enjoy more ‘authentically’ German surroundings. Sachsenhausen has the most number of traditional beer gardens and applewine gardens, along with the best traditional German food. Schweizer Str. tends to have more trendy cafes and bars, whereas the traditional food and drink can be found along Textorstr.

Outdoor Excursions
A trip up to the Lohrberg Park & Vineyard is certainly worth a look, however difficult it may to get there without a car. A 1.1-hectare plot of land in the eastern edge of the city, the door to Germany’s Rheingau wine region, this vineyard produces over 6,000 litres of wine a year. From this 590-metre vantage point are breathtaking views of the city skyline and the town of Offenbach, with the forested hills of the Odenwald off in the distance, viewable on a clear day. There are many lovely walking paths, places to grill, a playground and a decent restaurant called the Lohrberg-Schänke (Am Lohrberg 9, 47 99 44). The easiest way to make the journey without a car is by taking Bus N°30 to Heiligenstock and walking about 10 easy minutes.
To get to the Taunus Mountains take U3 to the end station (Oberursel-Hohemark) and then transfer to the Bus N°511 to Grosse Feldberg. You will be directly atop the highest point in the Taunus Mountains, where a number of walking, hiking and biking trails converge. Check out the Falkenhof, a breeding station for birds of prey, such as vultures and falcons. There is also a lookout tower that can be climbed (167 steps in total) and a terrace restaurant.