Given such a soaring skyline, Frankfurt is remarkably green. The entire ring where the ramparts once ran is now a veritable shady oasis popular with joggers. Bethmann Park, with its Chinese gardens and rose garden, lies along this route, reachable by bus no. 30 or tram no. 12. Both banks of the Main provide a riverside retreat for lunch breaks, and are often the venues for summertime festivals.

Farther north, the city's two major parks can be found next to one another. Once the grounds of the Rothschild family's former castle, the Grüneburg Park is the city's largest, and a popular sunbathing haunt in summer. The neighboring Palmengarten, Siesmayerstrasse 61 (tel. 069/21233939; www.palmengarten.frankfurt.de; U-Bahn: Westend; bus: 32), is a park and a botanical garden. Renewals and reconstructions have enhanced the gardens in recent years, and they're now home to 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. Don't miss the Tropicarium and its tropical vegetation, the Entrance Conservatory and its insectivorous plants and bromeliads, and the Sub-Antarctic House with plants from southern Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand. 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.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.