Frankfurt (5)

Get yourself a Privium card if you regularly transit through Schiphol to Schengen countries (most of Europe). This allows you to bypass the long Passport queues using an Iris Scanner and channels you through the Aircrew Security Scanners. This has saved my trip many a time due to delayed flights and tight connections.

Its often popular to stay near the 'hauptbahnhoff' in Frankfurt - but if you can, try and avoid it. The 1km around the Hbf (hauptbahnhoff) has a reputation for being seedy and full of crime. There are many hotels just five minutes' underground ride away from the Hbf, which will leave you more centrally located for any meals/drink you may want - usually located around Hauptwache or Konstablerwache.

Partake of this for €25 at the Villa Leonhardi – a superb Italian restaurant in an old villa just outside the old city; and once a month they do a seasonal tasting menu for €80‚ which is well worth making the journey for.

For good accommodation, there’s a new hotel in town called the Villa Kennedy, which is definitely worth checking out if you are in Frankfurt for more than one night. It’s just off the south bank of the Main and is an old villa that’s been converted into a five-star hotel. Its courtyard can be hired for launch parties and it also has some great business suites if you want to have in-house meetings.

It’s quicker to take the S-Bahn rail service from Terminal 1 at Frankfurt airport than to bother with a taxi. It’s cheaper, too. You can get a day pass that includes the airport trip for around €6.85 and the journey is just 11 minutes into town. A taxi, on the other hand, will take you half an hour and cost about €30.