There's much more to Frankfurt than trade fairs, airport terminals and the Bundesbank. Delve beneath the skyscrapers and banking institutions to find cosmopolitan bustle and cultural flair.

The best are on that you're going to Frankfurt because you have to - to attend a book fair or make a plane connection - but don't despair: the city has much more to offer than trade fairs, airport terminals and the Bundesbank.

The city's formal name is Frankfurt-am-Main, and today the Main River mirrors the high-rise skyline that epitomizes modern Frankfurt, home to Germany's stock exchange, the Bundesbank, the European Central Bank and 400 other banking institutions. The modern architecture and financial clout give the city a decidedly American tone - though the nickname 'Mainhattan' is perhaps overdoing it - and the population's cosmopolitan mix makes it Germany's most international town. Frankfurt throws more money at the arts than any other European city so you'll most likely catch a ground-breaking exhibition at one of its museums, second only to Berlin's as Germany's finest. And if you do happen to get stuck at the mega-airport - beaten only by harrowing Heathrow as Europe's biggest - there's a nightclub, art gallery and X-rated cinema to help while away those in-transit hours.