Residential districts of Frankfurt am Main

Wow this forum seems quite active!
I've received in one hour twice as many answers as I got in a one month time on another expat forum for Germany (and the most helpful answer I actually got was 'Are you talking about /Main or /Oder?')
Thanks to all of you!
I'm going to have a look at the rent prices in this Bornheim area.

I too live in Sachsenhausen and like it very much. I also like Bornheim, its my secondmost fav area in Frankfurt. Both areas have a lot of history and proud heritage and plenty of interesting nooks and crannys, cafes, shops, style, atmosphere, architecture and so on.

I`d say B.H. is more cool and "in" than S.H.

S.H. has the Schweizerstrasse, but I never really feel comfortable there, its too conservatively bourgeious compared to Bergerstrasse. S.H. has the riverfront which I find makes the area especially interesting, also the alt-Sachsenhausen area as well of course. tho that can be a bit lager loutish (Costa Del Sachsenhausen on saturday nights, bar after bar blasting out salsa music or similar.

B.H. has Alt-Bornheim, a similar, but smaller scale Apfelwein type area. S.H. is not far from the forests and plenty of green.

Another thing I like about S.H is that you are very close to the center, just hop across the river and you are safely out of the centre. And you have a good view of the river and the city centre as well, which you dont have in B.H.

And you have the fleamarket on saturdays along the River Main in Sachsenhausen. Plus the museum and gallery mile along the embankment.

Bornheim though has a very nice atmosphere, Id say better than S-Hausen, at least I find it so. Even if it gets a bit self-conscously "bio" at times. I prefer that at least to the Porsche mob you get in Schweizerstrasse. Some of the cafes in which can be rather snooty. Correction - are snooty.

But it brings up a good question...what side of the Main for the lower rents

I guess Bornheim would be a little more "reasonable", no? I have been nestled away for the last few years so I have lost track of prices and availability.

Im not sure it divides as neatly as that. Bornheim is very popular especially amongst young professionals. S-Hausen is also popular, but possibly less so than B.H Id estimate.

But you can find cheaper areas on both sides of the river. Parts of Niederrad for example are cheapish, (but other parts pricey).

And isnt Offenbach cheaper in general, and thats south of the river - although strictly speaking thats a separate city, even though very close to FFM and practically joined up to it by sprawl.

Just a comment on the 'Bornhiem may be more reasonable' thing. That really does depend where in Bornheim you stay. My apartment is well located - only about 200 yrds off bergerstrasse, which is great because it only a few staggering steps from the bars and restaurants...and beleive me i'm well grateful of that when i'm rolling home from nacht bar at 5 in the morning. But the downside is that the rent is nothing whort of extortionate - since moving in i've seen what other people get for the money i pay and quite frankly my apartment should have solid gold door knobs, chandaliers and a jacuzzi for what they charge us.

Having said that, Bornheim is without a doubt the rock'n'roll place to be.
And basically as you get further from bergerstrasse the rent get's much more realistic.

I live just off Bergerstrasse (Merianplatz end). I do like it but if I had my time again, I would definately move to Sachsenhausen, mainly for the reasons that rick de said (and so much better than I could as well).

Personally I only have one thing I don't like about Sachsenhausen - it's a nightmare to park there (and as a non-resident you always end up parking illigal there at night).

I live in Bockenheim. I find there area quite nice. It is probably a bit more varied than Sachsenhausen and Bornheim (some nice areas, some a bit less nice).

When you start searching for the apartment, then try to be clear about your priorities. The ideal apartment is difficult to find here unless you have unlimited time (or budget).

I found that when you combined demands like fitted kithcen, parking, no plane noice, balcony and a decent standard of the apartment you very fast reduce the number of apartments to choose from.

Henrik

I don't have unlimited budget, but I do have quite a lot of time..

One question though : are the prices going up at the moment? (because here in Brussels, you have to pay almost 50% more than 3 years ago, and it's constantly going up, due to the increasing number of new EU nationals coming here) or is it stable? I've read somewhere that the rents are high in Frankfurt for Germany standards (second highest after Munchen), but acceptable compared to the salary you're supposed to make (unlike London or Paris).

You confirm that?

I checked out the rents in Brux a few years ago when I was on the brink of taking up some contract work there. To my horror the city appeared to be far more expensive than Frankfurt. Mind you these were the expat type areas in the southern districts of Brussels.

There are pricey areas in Frankfurt - Westend in particular comes to mind, but I think even that isnt on a par with comparable areas of Brussels. And popular districts like Bornheim and S-hausen are not cheap, but nothing like Brussels. The point to bear in mind is that Frankfurt`s economy has taken a dive since 2001/2002 and as a result there is much less pressure on rents. Large contingents of financial sector and also IT and related staff have lost their jobs, the contract work market also has collapsed Companies here are not doing much new hiring. All of which has taken the pressure off as people have moved away or simply been deterred from moving here in the first place.

Wow I'm really surprised that you found Brussels expensive, as far as rents are concerned! When I arrived there, 4 years ago, you could easily have a two bedroom apartment, 70 sq meters, in a nice area (southern districts, like you said), for 500 euros. Now it would be more like 650 euros. But that remains quite ok.

From what I've seen on the web about Frankfurt, the same apartment would cost me around 900 euros.

I think 10€ per square meter cold rent a month is the norm and that is about what mine is.

I think finding the right apartment just takes time it depends how fussy you are. I realised I was being too fussy in the end whilst looking for the place I am in now and compromised and took a flat without a balcony. That is the only thing I dislike about it though!

From what I have heard from others people's experience furnished places in Frankfurt can be a bit of a rip off maybe landlords think they can get away with charging over the odds as a lot of foreigners come in only staying for a year or two and quite often get housing allowances from their companies.

Well the places I saw advertised in Brussels were over 1000 euros a month. But these were quality joints in the desirable southern and south-west parts of the city. As the descriptions were in english they must have been specifically targeted at expats, particularly the EU staff market. As Purple Muffin says, there are expensive places in Frankfurt apartment hotels and furnished properties which would probably also cost the earth.

Having lived in Sachsenhausen, Westend & Nordend; anywhere near Berger Str., is definitely the best. But not on Berger Str. itself as it is not the quietest of places.

I prefer the Merianplatz area in Nordend-Ost (as Bornheim starts further up this 2-3 mile long street) area also, and not because I live near there.
If you get bored of all the shops, bars, restaurants on Berger Str. it's ony a 10-15 minute walk down to the Zeil.

Of course parking is definitely a problem, which is why I hired a parking garage space although a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Still quicker than driving around and finding a parking space.

Yes my first apartment here was on Bergerstr. about a minutes walk from MacGowans. At first I couldn't believe my luck in finding an apartment for 500DM warm a month so central. When the street cleaning machines woke me up at 5am the follwing morning I realised why it was so cheap!

Hey I'm a bit late to this thread, but I also live in Bornheim and I refuse to live anywhere else. It's a very lively area, the rent is reasonable (considering you are almost in the center of the city), and even though I only live around the corner from the bar/ restaurant area (it's literally a 2 minute walk), it is extremely quiet and parking is abundant. Mind you, that is only in my neighborhood; I know loads of people that live in Bornheim that have nightmare parking situations. Just look around a bit and don't worry about being choosy... you're sure to find somewhere that suits you.

Happy hunting!
Rebecca

I am currently based at Zurich and shall be moving to Frankfurt during February 2006.

I have spent few years in Munich but this will be my first time to Frankfurt. I shall be working near Kronberg.

I need the following advise from you:

1. What are the residential districts that may be conveniently connected to Kronberg? I have 2 main criteria - staying near some public transport spots and ease to commute to airport since I need to travel a lot

2. Some useful websites for Frankfurters e.g. relocation agents, apartment agencies, map guides and train guides

3. Any advise on usage of public transport like special fare cards, annual passes, half price cards etc? I shall be extensively using the local transport and hence some guidance on economic usage will be beneficial

4. Any other link that you feel can be helpful for a new expat like me to Frankfurt

I am not great in spoken/written/reading German. So some helpful English links to expat material will be really great. Otherwise I shall use my broken German to understand the sites :-)

Thanks in advance

Frankfurt Expat

Frankfurt Expat would be a good place to start the message board isn't that busy but the site contains a lot of info.

Scout 24 unfortunately its all in German, but once you know the terms its pretty straight forward. If possible avoid estate agents as they charge 2 months rent (unless you can talk them down)

Kornberg is also on an Sbahn so you can live in the city and commute out which also means avoid all the traffic, 26mins travel time to bahnhof and 3,35€ each way, but weekly tickets are cheaper.

Also try doing a search here, I seem to remember several other postings regarding the same question.

hope this helps

Kronberg itself is a great place to live if you have a family. Quite pricey though.

Shall be checking out ffexpats as well - as recommended.

I dont mind staying in Kronberg. Can you give me an idea of rent there? Or rent around Eschborn? I heard that even that is quite near Kronberg.

Any particular suggestion about how I can avoid these rental agencies? 2 months rent is too steep.

Hello!

Eschborn is not a really nice area (at least not compared to Kronberg).

Kronberg is the best area around Frankfurt, its really beautiful.

There are other areas in Frankfurt that are also nice, but Kronberg is THE place to live and also expensive due to this fact.
Take a look at a map - there are some areas like Bad Solden, etc that are equally as nice and maybe not quite so pricey...all have S-bahn stops.

Rob and I live in Langen (south of the city) which is also really nice and quite inexpensive. Takes about 20 minutes to get downtown via S-Bahn...

Scout24 is really one of the best websites to look for a place on your own. Agencys get a bit pricey...

Hope this helps...

If you are looking at Kronberg, I know the guy who built the whole new development around Berliner Platz. I'm sure he's got some apartments to rent in the new development so would abvoid the estate agent.

Unfortunately Scout 24 Immobilien / doesn't allow you to choice Mackler or Private but its pretty easy to figure out, just look for "Provision" that means it through an agency.

I would also suggest you take one with a kitchen (Einbaukucke).

If you find one your really like through an agency offer them less say 1 months cold miete, they may take it. We had looked at a furnished place in Munich via an Makler but the company refused to pay the fee so she came way down from 2000€ to 500€. But we ended up finding a place privately.

Its worth asking.

"Built-in chick"? Sounds like just what the single man needs

Search for "Einbaukuche", but beware of the word "abstand", which means you have to pay for them to leave it in! Often over the odds.

I've seen a lot of scrap which ostensibly had a new price of €10000 and was only "recently" built in. If you fall for it, you kann easily end up paying twice what you'd pay new in the shops for something that's really shagged out.

We've covered this topic before! :-)

If you don't speak German, save the headache & hire a relocation agent to do the work for you ...

If you moving from a distance you have two choices one is to go through an Esate Agent and pay the fees, or to take a short term let and look for a place once you've arrrived.

Thanks all for the helpful advise. But I can feel the difficulties to arrange all this by sitting in Zurich and trying to manage things remotely :-)

Would really appreciate if you can send me some weblinks in addition to the ones like ffexpats and scout24. Or else, if you can also send me some contact details of economical relocation agents, your friends who might have apartments to rent starting 1 March / 1 April, will be of immense help

Thanks

We're giving up our Bornheim apartment ... avail. April 1st.

Hey buys - busy forum you have here. I was wondering if you could help me out.

My company is relocating to Frankfurt and I need to know what are the good/bad places to live. Because of its new office's location in the industrial splodge to the east of the city, the most convenient places to live would be:

Sachsenhausen
Ostend
Offenbach
Hanau and Bad Vibel (just about)
or anywhere within walking distance of a stop for Tram #11.

I've been to Frankfurt for a weekend and stayed in Sachsenhausen, which I liked a lot, but I get the feeling it is relatively expensive. Does anyone know Offenbach at all? If so what are the good parts and bad parts of that city. I am looking at possible apartments on Kaiserstrasse (Offenbach not Frankfurt) near the theater - is that any good?

Also is there an equivalent to Toytown Munich for Frankfurt? Where I can get reviews of good restaurants and clubs? Even if it is in German it would be useful.

Answers to any of these questions, or any other help and advice about living in Frankfurt would be great.

I don't think I would recommend living on Kaiserstrasse - although it is convenient if you want to nip down to the brothel and can't be bothered to put a coat on.

Aha, thanks for doing the searching for me, slackmack, that was very lazy of me.

Hey Ben, is that definitely Kaiserstrasse in Offenbach that has all the brothels?

Any information on Offenbach would be particularly useful. I've been told that it is a haven for criminals, but what I read doesn't support that.

The Kaiserstrasse in Frankfurt has all the Brothels!!!

To be honest I would not recommend Offenbach at all. It is full of criminals and most people I know who have lived there would not recommend it.

Am I right in assuming you need to be close to the 661? That is what your chosen locations seem to depict!

I live in Bornheim just on the border of Ostend and think it is lovely. There are loads of other Frankfurters who would back me up on this one. Sachsenhausen is also a nice area but too close to all the scummy bars for my liking


I get Journal Frankfurt am sure they have an online version as well!

Oh and if you live in Bornheim you'll be able to cycle to work probably.

Another area you might want to consider is Fechenheim. There is not an awful lot there but you might find flats are a little cheaper!

I met a woman just before Xmas who said that she would like to live in Offenbach but as she works as a lawyer, it is just not possible!!! My best friend lives in Offenbach and I have a co-worker that lives there too. They both really enjoy living there - I can ask what areas they would recommend but as you can see from these replies, I think they would even be in the minority by recommending the place! I quite like Offenbach myself but all I really know if it is the few times I have been out there in the evening for dinner/drinks - I don't know how it is to live there personally but as I work in Frankfurt, I prefer to live there too, just to save time in the morning! We are vaguely looking to move ourselves and have found some nice apartments in Oberrad, which is between Sachsenhausen and Offenbach.

Hi,

I live in Offenbach. There are a couple nicer areas ( like the area I live in - 661 and Taunusring ) but there are alot of rougher areas - for example alot of the more central areas - most are a little ghetto-like. My area is quite convenient for me - the airport is exactly fifteen minutes away.

The biggest plus in Offenbach is that there are alot more foreigners - the German spoken here by foreigners is quite butchered up which means that most of the shop workers will not scowl as much when you butcher it up yourself!

Crime-wise, I would be a little more concerned with the more central locations ( I had my bicycle stolen right before my eyes while drinking wine at an Italian cafe close to the hospital - by a group of quite good bicycle thieves who had no problem snapping my heavy-duty lock ), but the petty crime stuff doesn't usually carry over to my district for some reason.

As for the brothel thing - the poster is confused with Frankfurt - there are three or four brothels in Offenbach - mostly towards or on Bieberstrasse - a little East of the center. There are a few decent neighborhoods to the West of the centre near Kaiserstrasse - although the I am not crazy about the areas closer to the river.

All-in-all, if I was to choose again, I would choose the West End of Frankfurt. It is quite a bit more upscale than Offenbach and expats I know who've lived in both places have really enjoyed living there.

A couple of other thoughts after reading your post:

- Hanau is not a bad choice - home to alot of US Army personnel - for this reason you find alot of business that cater to an expat Engligh-speaking crowd

- Bad Vilbel - had a very bad experience with an employer out there - found the place to have a real smalltown anti-foreigner streak running right through it

As for riding a bicycle to work is concerned - geograpically, Frankfurt is really quite small so that shouldn't be a huge problem wherever you work and live. My work is in Niederrad and I can easily ride the whole distance ( only 14 km ) by bike for 6 months of the year. The only place in the Frankfurt area that I found difficult to bike to was Bad Vilbel - there is a killer hill in that direction.

Yes - sorry I misread your post - Kaiserstrasse in Offenbach is "clean".

I have the pleasure of working in Eschborn, which has often been referred to as the "arsehole of Frankfurt".

From what the others have said, it sounds like Offenbach is the "front-bottom" of Frankfurt!

Thanks for all the fantastic help everyone!

A few more questions:

What is the 661? Is it that industrial splodge stretching out east from the centre of Frankfurt? If not, what's the name of that thing? Is Fechenheim really an ok place to live? I scratched it from my list after seeing an apartment advertising its (internal) front door as a major selling point; it had four locks including a thick metal bar across the middle. I found a university study into urban degeneration that focused on Fechenheim as a classic example of idyllic village spoiled by big city overspill. Is it really not that bad?

You are doing a good job of putting me off Offenbach. I think Bornheim is moving into first place on my list .

Fechenheim is rather cut off from Frankfurt, the only way to access it directly from Frankfurt is via the Industrial estates of the Hanauer Landstrasse. That is its main problem. Hemmed in by a huge industrial area and hence depressing 'cos it lacks in good looks. I don't live there, and I have never found a reason to ever want to go there. Reading that advert for that flat would definitely be a good reason to scratch Fechenheim from your list.

The 661 is the A661 motorway which runs from Oberursel to Langen.

The Industrial splodge is the Hanauer.

Why don't you look at Bergen-Enkheim in the east of Frankfurt? Admittedly it is also somewhat cut off from Frankfurt, but it does have four separate roads linking it to Frankfurt [Riederwald, Hanauer, B521, or Seckbach] which is much better than Fechenheims solo Hanauer Landstrasse connection to Frankfurt.
It also has the Hessen Centre, the U7 underground line and is right beside the green countryside.
Only 6km to Frankfurt city centre

We live in Langen - 10 - 20 minutes to FFM bahnhof and cute little city.

Rent is cheap.

LOVE IT, wood everywhere!

- Chris

Purple.

Is Frankfurt Journal Am in German or English

Bornheim is the best in FFM --SSH is a dump as is Offenbach and most of frankfurt

Yeah, Bornheim is the best. Especially if you have a car. Its so good there are not enough parking spaces for all the residents... brilliant place. :doh:

Hi guys,

I'll be moving to Frankfurt in a few weeks and really need to sort out somewhere to live. I have details of the following places to rent but have no idea what the areas are like, anyone offer any information?

Ginnheimer Waldgasse, Ginnheim
Klingerstraße, Innenstadt
Birkholzweg, Eschersheim
Am Alten See, Rödelheim
Heisterstraße, Sachsenhausen

The other option is something like an apartment hotel with some cooking facilities, anyone know any?

Thnx

Hi Gav

best/most recommended areas are usually Bornheim, Nordend, Sachsenhausen or Westend (my order of preference!) - they all have a bit of life about them, are central etc.

Ginnheim and Rödelheim are a bit out in the sticks, Eschersheim is sort of ok. Frankfurt has good public transport, on a par with Munich so you would probably do fine anywhere...

As for serviced apartments or that kind of thing, try www.city-living.de or www.city-residence.de for example. Frankfurt has plenty of people on secondment or short term contract, so furnished and serviced apartments are plentiful

For reference, see also the related chat topic: Best residential districts in Frankfurt

Yeah, i can only echo those words..

ginnheim, rudesheim, you will be out of town - don't know the areas very well personally, but there's probably a reason for that.

Sachsenhausen is a superb location to move into. i actually live in the Bornheim/Nordend area of town and that area, along with Sachs, represent the best living areas in Frankfurt without a doubt - certainly as far as central areas go anyway... Again central, be a bit wary of Ostend and anything around Bahnhof - some areas there are pretty rough. Bockenheim is fairly cool, not as lively as Sachsenhausen or Bornheim but still a pretty young crowd and enough to keep you entertained.

I would personally avoid Ginnheim not a very nice area and a little bit out of town.

OK not the nicest area but you'll be in town which is a bonus


Depending on where this is I would say it is definitely worth considering as Eschersheim is not that far from the centre.


This is the furthest away about 20 minutes S Bahn from the centre. I suppose it depends how close to the S Bahn the place is. I don't think Rödelheim is a bad place to live.

But as already previously mentioned none of these places are a patch on Bornheim, Nordend or Sachsenhausen they are the cool places to live in Frankfurt. Bockenheim is also quite nice albeit the bars there are full of students.

I know, the two are not comparable, but my boyfriend and I are moving to Frankfurt from Tribeca, and searching for an apartment online without knowing the neighborhoods is very difficult!

We are moving in July (currently still in NYC) and my office is in Sachsenhausen. I have only ever spent one night in Frankfurt and did not get a feel for where we would want to live. I have lived in Berlin and Munich, and the neighborhoods there that I liked are Schoeneberg, Kreuzberg, Parts of Mitte, Charlottenburg (Savigny Platz) and Gaertnerplatz.

Can anyone give us a sense of the neighborhoods in Frankfurt that may appeal to us? We love Tribeca (restaurants, transport, on the water...) and are looking for a neighborhood with some life, but not over run by tourists.

Any and all help much appreciated.

Best,
Joe

Hi Joe

In my opinion, Bornheim and Sachsenhausen are the two best districts in Frankfurt (alas, I am stuck in Bockenheim, though! )
Try Berger Strasse in Bornheim... there are lots of cafes in this lively street. We were gonna get a flat just off Berger Strasse but someone else was quicker than us.

good luck with your house hunting,
Ingrid

Not usually a problem associated with Frankfurt, I've found.

You may as well stay in Sachsenhausen: you're by the water, you can walk to the office, there's (by Frankfurt standards) plenty of bars and restaurants in the area, there's some fine, grand houses (some of the best in town) in parts of it.

Just my 2d. My opinion is worth what you paid for it.


PS: But there's nowt wrong with Bockenheim either.

no, there is nothing wrong with Bockenheim at all. where i live (near Leipziger str.) can get a bit dirty sometimes and there are a few strange people around but otherwise i guess it is OK.

Hi everyone,

I'm moving to Frankfurt in a couple of months and am looking at potential areas to live in.

I have had a brief look around Frankfurt, but unfortunately not enough to be able to form an opinion, so I'm hoping for some help!

It seems that popular areas are City West (near Bockenheim), Westend and Sachsenhausen.

Important factors for me are:

- The area is relatively affluent (e.g. one doesn't feel threatened walking home at night etc.)
- There are good amenities (e.g. bars, cafes, cinemas)
- The transport links are good (U/S Bahn)
- Reasonably close to the town centre

It would be fantastic to hear the experiences of people that live/have lived in these places and would happily listen any other recommendations.

Thanks in advance.
Adam

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