Frankfurt might not be the first place that springs to mind when planning a weekend escape—but it completely surprised me. Not just for its mix of sleek modern towers and old-world charm, but because I brought books along that made the city feel alive in ways I didn’t expect.

Before I arrived, I picked up two things:
📘 A biography of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe by Jeremy Adler 
📗 The Sorrows of Young Werther, Goethe’s wildly romantic, emotional novel that once swept Europe like a literary fever dream.

On Saturday morning, I wandered through Frankfurt’s tidy streets with Werther’s voice in my head—melancholy, idealistic, overwhelmed by beauty. The city felt more layered than it had the day before, full of ghosts and ideas.

The highlight? Visiting the Goethe House—a lovingly restored 18th-century townhouse where he was born and raised. Walking through the rooms where he scribbled his earliest lines, where he looked out onto the same cobbled streets, was unexpectedly moving. The study, the handwritten manuscripts, even the furniture—all of it made him feel real, not just a name in a textbook.

Back outside, the city felt changed. I noticed more. I imagined Goethe passing through the same squares. I slowed down. (Also, the Apfelwein didn’t hurt.)

Even with just two days, pairing reading with travel turned a quick city break into something richer. It’s like you carry the place inside you a little longer. And that, to me, is what makes literary travel magic.

Would I recommend Frankfurt for a weekend? Absolutely. But bring a book—or better yet, bring Goethe.

Goethe not your thing? Here are a few other literary angles to explore in Frankfurt:

🏛️ German Romanticism & the Romantics Museum
Frankfurt is closely tied to the Romantic movement beyond Goethe. The Romantik-Museum, next to the Goethe House, gives a vivid introduction to the art, poetry, and politics of the era.

🖋️ Anne Frank’s Birthplace
Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt in 1929. The Anne Frank Educational Centre offers a reflective space focused on her life, her diary, and the enduring importance of young voices in literature and history.

📖 Contemporary German Writers
Frankfurt’s literary scene today is also alive with contemporary voices—visit indie bookshops like Buchhandlung Weltenleser or Karl Marx Buchhandlung for German fiction in translation, or ask for recommendations by Frankfurt-based authors writing today.