Active Pursuits

Parks

Frankfurt has a lot of parks. Locals like to point out that while the city has no Central Park as New York does, it is itself a central park. A botanic city ring has replaced the enclosing city walls of old Frankfurt. Along the Main is a park landscape where you'll see bankers taking their lunch break beneath statues of heroes from the past.

The Palmengarten, Siesmayerstrasse 61 (tel. 069/21233939; www.palmengarten.frankfurt.de; U-Bahn: Westend; bus: 32), is a park and a botanical garden. During the last decade, the gardens have been renewed and the conservatories and historic greenhouses completely reconstructed. You can admire a perennial garden, an expanded rock garden, and a beautiful rose garden. A huge gallery that serves as an exhibition hall for flower shows and other botanical exhibitions surrounds the 1869 palm house. In recent years, new conservatories have been added: The Tropicarium is a complex for tropical vegetation; the Sub-Antarctic House displays plants from southern Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand; and the Entrance Conservatory houses insectivorous plants and bromeliads. Collections of orchids, palms, succulents, waterlilies, and many others are also on display.

Admission to the botanical garden is 5€ for adults and 2€ for children, or 9.50€ for a family ticket. It's open daily March to October 9am to 6pm, and November to January 9am to 4pm. In the park area, there's a small lake where people can row boats. In summer, concerts are given in the band shell; evening events include open-air dancing, jazz, and fountain illumination. There are some facilities for food. For guided tours in English call tel. 069/21233391.

Bethmann Park, with its Chinese gardens, is another interesting park. It lies immediately to the northeast of Stadtmitte, and is reached by bus no. 30 or tram no. 12.

Sports & Outdoor Pursuits

Jogging -- A pretty jogging route is along the quays of the River Main, using both sides of the river and the bridges to create a loop. Another choice is the centrally located Gruenberg Park, with walkways that are suitable for jogging.

Tennis -- Few of the tennis courts in Frankfurt allow nonmembers to play. A noteworthy exception is the Tennisplatz Eissporthalle, Am Bornheimer hang, 60486 Frankfurt (tel. 069/21239308 or 21230810; www.eissporthalle-ffm.de; U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Eissporthalle), which has a half-dozen courts. They're open May to October daily 8am to sundown. The cost is 10€ per hour.