Frankfurt’s Museumsufer: The Museums Along the Main

This guide is for people who have moved to Frankfurt from abroad, with or without children, and want to use the city’s museums the way residents do rather than the way tourists do. By the end you will know what the Museumsufer is, what the shared MuseumsuferTicket covers, when many museums are free, and why the Städel makes a good first visit.

• What the Museumsufer is
• The MuseumsuferTicket and free Saturdays
• Start with the Städel
• What is on this season
• With children, and without
• FAQ

What the Museumsufer is

Museumsufer means “museum embankment”. It is the name for Frankfurt’s museums along the Main, and also for the joint platform that brings them together. According to the official Museumsufer website, the network covers 39 museums in and around Frankfurt. For a new resident, that website is the most useful place to start: it lists current exhibitions across all the member museums, explains the shared ticket and announces the monthly free day.

The range is wide. The site features the Städel Museum, the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung (a sculpture collection), the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (German Architecture Museum), the Jüdisches Museum Frankfurt (Jewish Museum), the Schirn Kunsthalle (an art exhibition hall) and the DFF, Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (the German film institute and film museum). It also includes the Senckenberg Naturmuseum (natural history museum), the Frankfurter Goethe-Museum and the Deutsches Romantik-Museum, both run by the Freies Deutsches Hochstift (a literary and cultural foundation), and the Junges Museum Frankfurt, the city’s museum for young people. ZOLLAMT is an exhibition venue of the MMK, Frankfurt’s museum of modern art.

Because you live here, you don’t need to rush round all of them in one weekend. A good habit is to check the exhibitions page once a month and pick one or two things that interest you.

The MuseumsuferTicket and free Saturdays

The MuseumsuferTicket is the shared pass. The Museumsufer site says it gives you two whole days in all the permanent and special exhibitions of the 39 participating museums in and around Frankfurt. The page does not give the price or explain where to buy the ticket, so check the Museumsufer website for current details before you plan around it.

Two full days suits a particular kind of trip. If friends or family are visiting from abroad, the ticket lets you all cover several museums in a short stay. For your own everyday visits, the free day below often makes more sense.

That free day is called Satourday, a play on “Saturday” and “tour”. On the last Saturday of every month, many Frankfurt museums let visitors in free. The site says “many”, which means not every museum takes part, so check the list for that month before you set off. Put the last Saturday of each month in your calendar and you have a regular, low-cost way to get to know the museums one at a time.

Start with the Städel

If you only go to one museum in your first months, make it the Städel Museum. Its permanent collection, which the museum calls “700 Years of Art”, gives you a broad introduction in one building, and you can come back to its special exhibitions over time.

The Städel is at Schaumainkai 63, 60596 Frankfurt am Main. Opening hours are:

• Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 10 am to 6 pm
• Thursday: 10 am to 9 pm
• Monday: closed

The museum lists entry from €19 or €17, and €10 on Tuesdays from 3 pm. Its ticket information page explains which price applies to you. The Tuesday afternoon rate and the Thursday late opening both work well if you have a full-time job. You can go after work without paying full price or hurrying.

There is plenty besides the galleries. The Städel Rooftop offers a view of the skyline, and the museum also has a garden, a café, a restaurant and a shop. Before you go, its Digital Collection lets you browse the collection online or look up a particular work, which helps if you want to arrive with a plan. The museum’s website also has pages on accessibility and on group visits.

What is on this season

At the Städel, the main exhibition is Mary Magdalene: Sin. Pray. Love., which runs until 17 January 2027. On Sundays the museum runs an Exhibition Highlight Tour that covers a selection of key paintings and objects from the show. Also at the Städel, Elmgreen & Dragset’s Stillleben mit Gemüse (Still Life with Vegetables) has been on since 20 May 2026 and closes on 17 January 2027. The museum lists SurFace On Skin and Welcome to Paradise as upcoming exhibitions. Its website has their dates.

Around the rest of the Museumsufer, the site currently features these exhibitions:

• W.I.M. In the Course of Time, a Wim Wenders exhibition at the DFF. The Museumsufer site gives the closing date, so check it if you don’t want to miss it.
• AMEL BASHIER. ESSENCE OF LIFE at ZOLLAMT MMK, until 10 January 2027.
• Secret Service: Women in the Natural Sciences at the Senckenberg Naturmuseum, which has a long run ahead according to the Museumsufer listing.

The site also groups together exhibitions linked to World Design Capital 2026 and exhibitions on Czechia, the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Both are good starting points if you want to see what the city is focusing on this year.

With children, and without

The official pages say little about specific children’s programmes or age limits, so check each museum’s own site for family tickets and workshops. The Museumsufer site does point to a few promising options. The Junges Museum Frankfurt is the city’s museum for young people, and the site shows its Druckwerkstatt (print workshop). The Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung appears with a photo of a family in its exhibition. If your children like science, the Senckenberg Naturmuseum and its exhibition on women in the natural sciences are worth a look.

For older children and teenagers who like books or history, the Frankfurter Goethe-Museum shows the Cornelia-Zimmer (Cornelia’s room), and the Deutsches Romantik-Museum has its Himmelstreppe (sky staircase). Both are run by the Freies Deutsches Hochstift.

Without children, the Thursday late opening at the Städel is the obvious choice. You get a quieter evening with the collection, then something to eat at the restaurant or café. The Mary Magdalene exhibition and the Sunday highlight tour will probably suit adults most.

FAQ

How much does the MuseumsuferTicket cost?

The Museumsufer website does not state the price on its main page. It does say the ticket covers two whole days in all the permanent and special exhibitions of the 39 participating museums in and around Frankfurt. Check the Museumsufer site for the current price and how to buy it.

Can I visit Frankfurt museums for free?

Yes, on Satourday. On the last Saturday of every month, many Frankfurt museums offer free admission. Not every museum takes part, so check the Museumsufer website to see which ones are free that month.

When is the Städel cheapest to visit?

The Städel lists entry from €19 or €17, and €10 on Tuesdays from 3 pm. Visiting on a Tuesday afternoon is therefore the cheapest option the museum lists. Its ticket information page explains which standard price applies to you.

Is the Städel open on Mondays?

No. The Städel is closed on Mondays. It opens from 10 am to 6 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and from 10 am to 9 pm on Thursday. You will find it at Schaumainkai 63, 60596 Frankfurt am Main.

Official sources: museumsufer.de · staedelmuseum.de

Last checked: 10 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.