Frankfurt parks and green nature may sound a bit strange to those who know the city as an international business center. However, with beautiful parks and an impressive zoo, nature lovers as well as city dwellers can experience the natural world here.
The Frankfurt Zoo
Escape the city life with a trip to Frankfurt’s zoo. In minutes you can be transported to the world of the Amazon jungle, or the Arctic tundra. Some of the highlighted animals are the strange aye-aye from Madagascar and the always-popular Big Cats. This impressive zoo holds over 4,500 animals from six hundred species.
The Palm Garden (Palmengarten)
This Frankfurt nature park offers a glimpse of the exotic. Over 50 acres of land is dedicated here to beautiful flowers and tropical plants. May and June is a great time to visit as you can see the hyacinths, tulips, rhododendrons and roses in full bloom.
The Tropicarium showcases the foreign flora in a variety of greenhouses. Palm trees and orchids await you in this 16,000 square foot complex.
Von Bethmann Park
Another Frankfurt nature highlight is the Von Bethmann Park. Once owned by a powerful banking family, today the park provides much needed calm and tranquility from a thriving and busy metropolis. There are a colorful assortment of flowers and gardens. The high point of this park is its Chinese Garden, another sign of what an international city Frankfurt truly is. It is designed according to the principles of feng shui.
The City Forest (Frankfurter Stadtwald)
You may not expect to find a forest in the middle of a city, but Frankfurt will prove you wrong. About 30 square miles of woodlands are located just south of the city center. It’s even accessible by Frankfurt’s impressive public transport network. With nine ponds and six playgrounds, the Frankfurter Stadtwald is a great place for outdoor recreation for the whole family.