Berger Strasse is the spinal cord of the district of Bornheim, the traditional working class part of town. These days, it prefers the label 'bohemian', an image it measures up to well with its mix of dusty bookstores, eccentric boutiques, health food shops and inexpensive cafes and restaurants. Towards the north, the feel gets more mainstream with chain stores and snack bars.

From fashion to art to photojournalism, this gallery-museum is the only exhibition space in Frankfurt entirely devoted to photography, exhibiting the best of the contemporary still image.

This place is fascinating. It has a library and film history exhibit, constantly changing exhibitions and extensive archives, plus premieres and special film events (all in their original languages) in the Kommunales Kino; check the programme in any listings magazine.

'He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.' Goethe's parents' house is a wonderful example of how Frankfurt's well-to-do lived in the 18th century. It was Goethe's birthplace, and he lived here until moving to Weimar in 1775, an act that many Frankfurters found hard to forgive.

It was here that Goethe penned his ode to suicide, The Sorrows of Young Werther, and began work on Faust. The rooms are nicely decorated with a mix of reproduction and original furniture, offering a glimpse of 18th-century domestic life.

Don't miss Goethe's original writing desk and the library on the top floor. The museum illustrates the various stations of his long life with paintings from the late Baroque to the Biedermeier periods. The gorgeous little garden is perfect for getting away from all that Sturm und Drang.

This mammoth building is chockers with student groups and budding artists engaged in lectures and sketching lessons. There's a stunning collection of Van Eycks, Dürers, Rubens and Vermeers. Vernissages (openings) and cultural events are a regular occurrence, as are parties and piano music in Holbein's bistro/restaurant.

Renowned architect Oswald Mathias Ungers transformed this patrician villa in 1984 with his 'house within a house' concept. The museum has a groovy hands-on approach and topical exhibitions dissecting the virtues and vulgarities of architecture. The permanent exhibit consists of 24 large-scale models tracing the history of construction and urban planning from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Frankfurt's own town planning is frequently fodder for debate.

Germany's largest natural history museum also happens to be Frankfurt's busiest and a particular favourite with young folk. With an atmosphere that's a little raucous by museum standards, the exhibits from the mummified cats to the anaconda swallowing a water boar are the instigators of excited chatter. As far as dinosaur bone exhibits go, this is a great collection.

The MMK is the most challenging and provocative contribution to Frankfurt's museum landscape. This is a place where viewing the modern and contemporary art on the display is as much part of the experience as exploring the building itself. Designed by Viennese architect Hans Hollein, it is triangular in shape and has been nicknamed 'slice of cake' by locals.

Inside, labyrinthine passages display exhibits from odd angles, from tiny, elevated viewing balconies or unobtrusive side entrances. Some are hidden in narrow staircases and cubbyholes; others fill a whole wall. All the major art players of the past 50 years are represented, from Roy Lichtenstein to Francis Bacon, Claes Oldenburg to Joseph Beuys.Temporary exhibits showcase local, national and international artists.

Orfeos is an art house cinema, a restaurant and a bar rolled into one. If the feet are sore or the spirit in need of a shot of cinematic art, the distances won't kill you - about 10 paces between table, bar and cinema, all in an ambience dominated by timbers.

This French bistro is something very special. Treat yourself to a five-course menu or a lunch menu. The champagne list sparkles with class, and the little outside garden area, completely enshrouded in vines, is as romantic as anything on a summer's nights.

You get an electronic card at the door, and let one of the frisky young chaps swipe it through the till after he's dashed together your dish before your very eyes. The pasta and salads are very decent. Wash them down with an Italian red or white from the bar. Keep your card in your pocket and not on your tray, lest it gets whisked away. Pay on your way out.

The food at this institution relies on pure flavours and the wine seduces your tongue into parts of your mouth you didn't know were there. Stylish modern German cuisine with plenty of international extras, that's the order of the day. The only downside is if someone's tugging on a cigar or a pipe at the next table.

The smoke-stained walls, iron fan above the door and ancient floorboards all suggest an inelegant, long-toothed past. We love this place, others say the noise level snaps their nerves. The hallmark rösti (shredded potato pancake), large servings of tasty salads and other main courses have been served in this restaurant-bar for over 100 years.

A hospital on the left bank of the river Main, across the river via Eiserner Steg bridge.

The hospital's International Medical and Representative Services has many international physicians.

laundry

A strapping Leonardo DiCaprio-type guy might dash out and unexpectedly plough the length of the ornamental pool - it's been known to happen. KingKa is legendary, with its own live club band on Thursday, dance beats on weekends, private rooms and that tempting watercourse in one bar. In summer, the magic words will be Sansibar Roofgarden.

You'll need to get this right if you want to be in the right shirt: Studio Bar (opposite) is 1960s, Stereo Bar is 1970s. This one's a bit more eclectic, and more off-beat in character without fudging on hedonism.

A former New York resident, Balalaika's owner, Anita, was singing long before many of her customers were born, as one of the pace-setters in the jazz and blues scene in the swinging 60s. These days she sings a more mellow song in her tiny, candlelit pub that has the usual cheer of the local taverns but with a more intimate vibe.

This post-modern, pulsating membrane-like miracle is the home of Techno legend Sven Väth; it throbs with music from the man himself or his guests Fridays and Saturdays, other days in small format. The screen, which is everything but small, is a delight. The highly technical website can give you much assistance with directions.

Despite its location on Frankfurt's traditional lesbian drag, Pulse pulls a mixed GLBT audience into its stylish and trendy setting that's pretty much a restaurant, lounge and nightclub all rolled into one. The compendium of cocktails is killer and likely to suit all tastes. The garden out the back is the place to be in summer.

Hidden away in the quiet backstreets of Sachsenhausen, this handsome mock-Tudor mansion houses one of Frankfurt's most eccentric gems. Each of the (mostly enormous) rooms is decorated in a different style, but they're all distinctly retro and bordering on the kitsch.

The creaking wooden staircase leads from a grandiose lobby hung with family portraits to the bedrooms, distributed higgledy-piggledy through the mansion's twisty corridors. The smallest, up under the sloping ceilings at the top, were once servant's quarters, while the largest have their own balconies and bathrooms big enough for a brisk game of tennis. Some have vast Art Deco wardrobes and dressing tables in black and gold lacquer, while others go for a more colonial theme, with fake leopard-skin rugs and pictures of lions and tigers pasted on the walls. If the extravagance of the interior gets a bit wearing, you can always retreat to the pleasant garden behind the house.

Sounding like a trashy Hollywood celebrity, this well-regarded Frankfurt hotel has also bedded a few pop stars and royalty in its day. Cheaper than Frankfurt's other top-end options, the Sheraton is a good bet for travellers looking for the standard business hotel amenities without needing cutting-edge style.

The decor here really could do with some help - it's still stuck in the early '80s mould of royal blue flock carpets and ugly brown chairs. The Peninsula restaurant's menu is pedestrian but there is a slightly funkier Thai restaurant adjoining reception (it's under different management from the hotel itself). Bedrooms are large and luxurious, with no less than three telephones in each - there's even one in the bathroom. The rooms' overpowering blue and yellow colours make them less than relaxing. There's an efficient business centre and a pleasant spa and wellness area on the 6th floor, including all the usual Germanic saunas and steam rooms, plus a small but beautiful swimming pool, flanked by Grecian columns and pastoral murals.

The Excelsior's location couldn't be more convenient: bang opposite the entrance to the main train station, it's easy to find no matter how jet lagged or jaded you're feeling. Once inside, the decor is no-nonsense, '80s style. So far, so bog standard. What makes this hotel stand out is the impressive list of free extras that are included in the room prices.

Frankfurt's summer holiday crowd will appreciate the free minibar (restocked daily), which provides welcome beers and soft drinks on long, scorching afternoons. The hotel's free business centre provides an impressive range of services, parallel to the offerings of many far more upmarket establishments. Best of all, it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This level of service is not always available, even at far more expensive hotels, and will be particularly handy for harassed delegates at Frankfurt's many conferences and trade fairs. Similarly useful, is the ironing service, which offers to press either a shirt and a pair of trousers or a skirt and blouse every morning free of charge. Room rates also cover afternoon tea and a very generous breakfast buffet, which includes several Asian dishes.

It pays to move off the beaten track when you discover a fashion boutique of this quality. Speaking of paying, it stocks international designers such as Yohji Yamamito, Helmut Lang and Ann Demeulemeester, as well as Stone Island, Jil Sander and Dolce & Gabbana. No wonder CQ and Vogue dropped in for a closer look.

Goethestrasse neighbours Cartier and Tiffany take care of the classics, allowing upstarts like this to spread their wings with experimental jewellery. A fortunate product of Frankfurt's talented young jewellery scene, its patented Charlotte and Tipin ranges cleverly include replaceable bits to create not one but several decorative pieces.

You could almost mistake the old lady who runs this shop full of wacky beer mugs for one of the items on sale. Some of the pitchers stand over 1m (3.28ft) tall, a gift that would make many a man happy. This is a treasure trove of traditional pottery, and a definite port of call if you need a quirky gift.