Frankfurt am Main

Frankfurt is the place most visitors to Germany arrive by air. It's near the middle of the country and is its rail centre, so a good place to start. Frankfurt's also been nicknamed Mainhattan for its high-rise financial district, the centre of the low-rise European economy.

But there is plenty of culture, especially modern art, and the centre of the old town marks the salvage of some vestiges of the city's Roman and medieval past. At Saalburg, about 25km from the city centre, a Roman fortress and settlement have been recreated on their site, complemented by an archaeological museum.

The impressive cathedral was the site of the coronations of Holy Roman emperors.