6 places you need to see in Frankfurt’s retro Neue Altstadt

This Renaissance-style home was reconstructed to match its original 17th-century design. “Unlike other buildings in the New Old Town, which only have a reconstructed facade, the inside of this building was elaborately reconstructed,” explains museum director Jan Gerchow. Take a tour to see the period details, then grab a crown cake at the sweets shop downstairs. You’ll need to schedule a guided tour through the Historical Museum to visit the House of the Golden Scales.

This high-end gift shop feels like you’ve wandered into the pages of a whimsical German storybook. Here you can buy German handicrafts, such as traditional Christmas pyramids, nutcrackers in lacquered uniforms, hand-painted beer steins and even cuckoo clocks so intricate they can cost up to $2,000.

This popular café roasts its own sustainably sourced beans. Enjoy your coffee with a pistachio cube croissant at outdoor seating overlooking the charming cobblestone streets. Cofounder Julian Ploch says that the minimalist, teal-toned interior “blends the older aesthetic of the facade with a more modern approach inside.”

Apfelwein is often called the fuel of Frankfurt. The cider-like “apple wine” was first produced commercially in the city’s historic center in 1881. Try a selection of drinks then soak up the alcohol with traditional German pub grub, such as flammkuchen (Alsatian flatbread).

Owner Christian Ress considers his wine bar “the cosmopolitan spot in the New Old Town.” The sleek interior design contrasts with the historic plaza outside. Among the wines Ress serves are dry rieslings and pinot noirs from his estate winery, which were certified as organic in 2019.

One side of this budget hotel features a wood carved outline of Frankfurt’s historic core. The other side illustrates the modern financial center’s growing skyline etched in stone. The hotel’s reception even has a hanging sculpture with hundreds of flying pages, commemorating the invention of moveable type. Everything in the space reflects the hotel’s core theme: it’s where old meets new.