Thanks for the information! We will be arriving in Frankfurt on June 3, departing the next morning. We are flying from Florence to the US, so it will be an international trip.

Mainz is much easier to see in a brief stop and only a few minutes farther than Frankfurt. When we had a 12 hour layover we had a great time in Mainz. Everyone thinks of Frankfurt because (?) of the name of the airport. Wiesbaden us another possibility but of the 3 I prefer Mainz. Frankfurt is a must for fans of Goethe and international businessmen. I lived an Frankfurt and l loved it. But for short stay tourism: Mainz.

In June, it will still be light outside until about 22:00 or so. You will still be able to walk around before it gets dark, though the city is really beautiful when the lights go on at night.

A stroll along the river in the evening is lovely, or down around the Alte Oper. Restaurants should still be serving food until 23:00. There are many reasonable hotels around the train station area. A double can be had for 70-85 euro per night, including breakfast in many of them. The train back to the airport in the morning will take 11 min. and they run every 15 min.

For me, Frankfurt is a must for anyone interested in the Holy Roman Empire, the Jewish history of Germany, museums, art, cultural events, or the birth of democracy in Germany.

Thanks for the information! We weren't really planning on going to sleep that night (we do have a very long flight back, so have plenty of time to sleep then). Would there be any issues with walking around at night (i.e. is it reasonably safe)? And are there any bars/other avenues of entertainment open that late?

Another question about leaving the airport...do they have anywhere we would be able to store one of our carry-on bags (lockers, for example)? We don't really want to carry all of our carry-ons around the city with us.

Also, what time does the sun typically rise there in June, and where would be the best place to see it? The river? We would like to get some nice photos and think it would be a nice way to wrap up the trip!

Thanks again!

Both Frankfurt and Mainz are very safe. I feel less safe in the train station area of Frankfurt although it's gotten better. Since Mainz is smaller and the student population a bigger part of the mix, the bars are (to me) more welcoming. Also more wine offered and drunk. If there is a sex industry in Mainz, not so you'll notice. Mainz also offers a compact old town including 2-3 excellent and reasonably priced jewelry stores. Ask my wife!

There are lockers at the main train station or you can leave your carry-ons at the airport. The airport charges 7 euro per bag though. Train station lockers are cheaper.

Sun will be coming up around 04:00 or so in June. I love walking along the river at both sunrise and sunset.

Some clubs may be open all night, but it depends on what you are looking for. Not a lot of all night restaurants though. I have to say I certainly feel pretty safe if I walk around Frankfurt late at night. I used to get off work at 2 in the morning or later and walk through the downtown area to catch a taxi to go home. As to the red light district in Frankfurt, if you don't go looking for it you will never know that it is there.

Thanks for the info about the nightlife guys! Sunrise at 4am should work out well, though I'm not sure how you guys deal with that on a daily basis...I am an early riser (about that time), but she would hate having sunlight coming in before 630-7am all the time!

As far as the lockers at the train station go, would you feel comfortable leaving a bag with electronics (laptop, possibly secondary camera, etc)? Or would it be safer to leave them at the airport (a few euro per bag isn't a big deal)?

Thanks again!

The Bergerstrassenfest will be taking place on June 3rd and you might be able to catch the end of it. I am not 100% how long it will be open on Sunday but I think at least 22:00 and maybe 23:00. Any of the other Frankfurt people know?

The bars that are open will probably close about 1:00. There will be a few bars and clubs open till late though you will end up drinking with a fairly strange mix of people at that time on a Sunday night :-).

I'll see if I can look up a few bars and post them here.

My family is taking a similar flight in August. I was told by the airline - United, that because the layover was that long (can't remember if the cutoff was 8 or 9 hours) that we would have to collect our bags and could not recheck them until 4 hours before the flight. We intend to sleep in a hotel so while a pain we can manage. You should speak to your airline.