Nightlife

For details of what's happening in Frankfurt, you can pick up copies of Journal Frankfurt at newsstands throughout the city. Also listing events are Frizz and Strandgut, both free and available at the tourist office.

To purchase tickets for many major cultural events, go to the tourist office at the Hauptbahnhof. Or you can head for a bona-fide ticket agent, one of the biggest in Frankfurt, for tickets to concerts, plays, and sporting events throughout town. Best Tickets lies in the ZeilGalerie (Shop no. 47), 112-114 Zeil (tel. 069/20228 or 069/91397621).

Of course, one of the greatest ways to spend an evening in Frankfurt is at one of the Apfelwein (apple-wine) taverns across the south bank of the Main in the district of Sachsenhausen.

The Performing Arts

Theater der Stadt Frankfurt, Untermainanlage 11 (tel. 069/1340400; U-Bahn: Willy-Brandt-Platz), has three stages. One belongs to the Frankfurt Municipal Opera, whose productions have received worldwide recognition in recent years. Two stages are devoted to drama. If your German is adequate, you may want to see a performance of Städtische Bühnen/Schauspiel (tel. 069/1340400), a forum for classic German plays as well as modern drama. A variety theater, Kunstlerhaus Mouson Turm, Waldschmidtstrasse 4 (tel. 069/40589520; U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Merianplatz), hosts plays, classical music concerts, and dance programs almost every night of the week. Tickets run 6€ to 44€ ($9.60-$70).

Dance Clubs

In a 16-square-block area in front of the Hauptbahnhof, you'll find a rowdy kind of entertainment, what the Germans call erotische Spiele. Doormen will practically pull you inside to view porno movies, sex shows, sex shops, and dance clubs teeming with prostitutes. Warning: This area can be dangerous -- don't come here alone. For less lurid activities in a safer environment, head to the live-music clubs, dance clubs, bars, and cafes across the Main River in the Sachsenhausen district. Most gay bars and clubs are located in a small area between Bleichstrasse and Zeil.