Instant weekend ... Frankfurt
Why go now?
Its reputation as the financial capital of continental Europe means that Frankfurt is often dismissed as a dull business city and is almost completely overlooked by UK citybreakers. But it makes a perfect weekend destination - the swanky hotels are a bargain at weekends when the businessmen have left, there's a thriving bar, restaurant and club scene, and a huge number of cheap flights from airports as widespread as Glasgow and Southampton. Plus, it hosts one of the oldest and biggest Christmas markets in Germany, perfect for picking up presents or just getting into the festive spirit.
Checking in
The Goldman 25hours Hotel (00 49 69 40 58 6890; 25hours-hotels.com) is a new addition to the Design Hotels group with all the usual characteristics - bold styling, young clientele, stylish restaurant - but without the usual price tag. At the weekends double rooms cost as little as £57.
If you have £136 to spend on a double room, try the Pure (00 49 69 710 4570; the-pure.de), a super-Zen place where almost every surface is white. For a splurge, it has to be Rocco Forte's Villa Kennedy (00 49 180 512 3360; villakennedy.com), with doubles from £171.
Hit the streets
Frankfurt's Christmas market dates back to 1393 and this year runs from 26 November to 22 December. The heart of the festivities is the Roemerberg, the central square of Frankfurt's Old Town, where a giant Christmas tree stands in front of the attractive town hall and rows of half-timbered houses. Stalls offering food, drink and gifts sprawl from the banks of the River Main to the Zeil shopping district.
Try a flammkuchen, a type of thin, crispy pizza with sour cream instead of tomato sauce. Kartoffelpuffer are deep-fried potato pancakes, eaten with apfelmus (apple sauce). There is ample gluehwein but also try the feuerzangenbowle, a wine-based drink made by burning rum-soaked sugar over a cauldron. You will be charged a deposit, usually of a couple of euros, for the use of a mug.
Coffee break
Try the bustling Cafe Karin (Grosser Hirschgraben 28; cafekarin.de) in the Weissadlergasse for a delicious selection of cakes with coffee. Next to the cathedral, in Weckmarkt, Cafe Metropol (metropolcafe.de) is a great spot for breakfast ahead of a day's sightseeing or for a leisurely coffee.
Worked up an appetite?
Sausages are so much a part of life here that they have entered the language, for example: 'das ist mir wurst' means 'I couldn't care less', or literally 'that is sausage to me.' Try a bratwurst, a fat, fried pork sausage, or a thueringer, long and thin, with mustard. Frankfurt is also famous for its apfelwein taverns, where meat and cider in very rustic surroundings are the order of the day. Many can be found in the Sachsenhausen area of the city, south of the river.
Don't miss Adolf Wagner (Schweizer Strasse; apfelwein-wagner.com) - order a Schweinshaxe, or pork knuckle (which is charged by weight) and a Bembel, a special jug, of apfelwein. Oma Rink's Sterntaler (off Musikantenweg; omarinks-sterntaler.de), in the northeast of the city, offers a fun modern take on the apfelwein tavern.
Neighbourhood watch
Stroll along the south bank of the river for views of Frankfurt's skyline, which contrasts the old, such as the cathedral and Paulskirche, with the modern, such as Norman Foster's Commerzbank tower. Later, take the high-speed lift to the top of the Main Tower (maintower.de), at Neue Mainzer Strasse 52-58, for spectacular views of the city from the outdoor viewing platform almost 200 metres above the ground. Head to Merianplatz on U-Bahn Line 4, away from the city centre, and stroll along Berger Strasse, with its plentiful cafes, restaurants and boutiques. At the bottom of the street is the delightful Von-Bethmann Park
The big night out
Try one of the bars on the corner of Zeil and Friedberger Anlage streets, such as the trendy Cafe Maingold and Lala Mamoona, a converted public toilet that's swapped WCs for DJs. Later on, take a taxi and head down to the Hanauer Landstrasse, whose numerous night spots include King Kamehameha (king-kamehameha.de), which hosts big name DJs from Ibiza.
The morning after
Sunday brunch is an institution in Frankfurt, with numerous cafes offering self-service buffets from around £6 to £8. Try the striking black-and-white Cafe Bar at 14 Schweizer Strasse (cafe-bar-frankfurt.de), or Harveys, to the northeast in Friedberger Platz. For about £20, you can enjoy a luxurious brunch with a glass of Prosecco in the lavish surroundings of the old opera house, the Alte Oper (00 49 69 134 0215 to reserve a table; 11am-3pm; alteoper.de).
Getting there
Frankfurt is one of the easiest cities to get to in Europe. Lufthansa and BA fly from Heathrow from £80 return, Flybe from Birmingham, Manchester and Southampton. A taxi to the city centre will cost around £20, while the regional S-Bahn train (Lines 8/9) takes you to the central train station (Hauptbahnhof) in under 15 minutes for about £2.20. Ryanair flies from Stansted and Glasgow Prestwick, but will drop you at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, about 124km (77 miles) to the west. A coach service takes one hour 45 minutes from Hahn to Frankfurt's main train station.