Family Days Out in Frankfurt: Sun or Rain Plans
Family Days Out in Frankfurt: Sun or Rain Plans
The weather decides a family day in Frankfurt more than the calendar does. Split the city into a sunny-day plan and a wet-day plan, and you can swap at breakfast without losing the whole day.
If it is dry: outdoors first
Start at Zoo Frankfurt on Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee, reached by U6 or U7 to the stop called Zoo. Entry is €13 for adults and €6 for ages 6 to 17, with a €30 family card for two adults and up to four children, and under 6 is free. It opens at 09:00 and closes at 17:00 or 19:00, depending on season. Founded in 1858 by Bernhard Grzimek, the zoo is famous for the Grzimek House, where visitors walk through darkness to see animals that are awake by day. Ticket details are at zoo-frankfurt.de .
In the afternoon, head to the Palmengarten in the Westend. Under-18s enter free and adults pay €9. Wooden rowing boats go out on the lake for about €6 per half hour, and a narrow-gauge electric train called the Palmen-Express runs from spring to autumn for around €1.50. Hours are on palmengarten.de .
If it rains: indoors first
The Senckenberg Natural History Museum at Senckenberganlage 25 is the natural pick. Adults pay €12 and children aged 6 to 17 pay €6. The dinosaur hall has real Diplodocus and Edmontosaurus skeletons and a T. rex cast, and the building also holds whale and mammal halls.
Experiminta at Hamburger Allee 22 to 24 is the other indoor option, with around 200 hands-on exhibits across four floors. The state of Hesse ends the lease on the building at the end of 2026, so confirm it is open before you travel. Term-time hours are 09:30 to 14:00 on weekdays, and school holidays run 10:30 to 17:30 daily.
The zoo itself has indoor parts, since the Exotarium and the Grzimek House are under cover.
Main Tower on a clear day
The view only works when the air is clear. A family ticket costs €20 for two adults and up to three children aged 6 to 12, and the tower closes in bad weather. If visibility is restricted, the ticket price drops to €4 for an adult. Check maintower.de on the morning.
Practicalities
Children’s single tickets on the RMV network are €1.55. Goethe-Haus is not suited to prams, so leave it off a family list. Keep an eye on bags near the Hauptbahnhof. If you want a guide for the Altstadt, you can compare Frankfurt tours on Viator . The attraction tours page gives hours for the main museums.
Tip: check the forecast the evening before, and give the zoo the dry day and the Senckenberg the wet one.