At first sight, Frankfurt-am-Main seems a bustling international metropolis. Thousands of traveler's pass through its airport daily, one of Europe's busiest, yet, Frankfurt is steeped in history, tradition, and the arts. Since the Middle Ages, Frankfurt am Main, which is located on the banks of the River Main, has been a crossroads for European trade and commerce and the official venue for imperial coronations. .
It has now developed into Europe's second largest financial center after London and in June of 1998, the European Central Bank chose Frankfurt as the site for its headquarters. However, business and trade is only one side of Frankfurt's amazing diversity, its story is just as impressive. Karl the Great resided here and this city is also the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the famous poet.
This 1200-year-old city originally founded during the 1st century BC by Celtic and Germanic tribes were once a vital inland port in the heart of the Rhine-Main region. Now, Frankfurt's modern skyscrapers form a part of the city's identity. The skyline is truly unique; thanks to its extraordinary architectural blend of tradition and modern buildings and the city plays host to Europe's largest skyscraper. .
The city is home to beautiful cathedrals, art galleries and many museums, many of which dot the river's banks. Frankfurt am Main also displays its own distinct style of contemporary and historical art and culture, ranging from antique sculptures to the Museum of Modern Art's semi-annual Change of Scenery exhibitions.
It is also home to one of the world's finest ballet ensembles and hosts international guest performances of the highest order on a regular basis. The city's numerous theatres and the concert house Alte Oper offer Frankfurt's stage aficionados and lovers of fine arts a comprehensive and diverse program of events. At the same time, Frankfurt am Main is a metropolis for techno and dance-floor music.
The Römer, Frankfurt's town hall and enduring symbol, displays full-length portraits of all 52 emperors of the Holy Roman Empire in a hall with a spectacular hand-carved wooden ceiling. Traditional half-timbered houses in the Romerberg Square look dramatic against the 21st-century skyline of the new Frankfurt, which now surrounds the Square. .
The center with its shopping streets, cafes, bars and market stalls makes it a fun place to relax and stroll. Just across the bridge, on the Southern side of the Main River, you will find Sachsenhausen with its renowned South-bank museums and famous Apple-Wine pubs, making it the part of Frankfurt most visitors remember best.
Sachsenhausen, believed to be the most elegant district of Frankfurt, boasts many charming cafes; wine bars, boutiques and vibrancy found nowhere else in the city. Sachsenhausen boasts the best and most entertaining flea market in Frankfurt, the banks of the river are covered with market stalls every Saturday morning
offering the best bargains around.
The banks of the river, streets and squares of Frankfurt make ideal places for open-air events and over 100 folk festivals and street celebrations take place each year. Many of these traditional festivals can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages and have gained recognition well outside of Frankfurt's city districts. The array of festivals attracts over 20 million people annually and these numbers are increasing continuously.
Frankfurt also has many excellent restaurants, especially along the Grosser Bockenheimer Strasse, with its cafés, delis, and restaurants, makes deciding difficult! You can enjoy everything from traditional specialties like Tafelspitz (boiled beef), sausage, and potato dumplings to nouvelle cuisine.
Along the Zeil, one of Germany's busiest retail streets, you'll find great shopping and in the evening dance clubs, and music bars galore, the possibilities for nightlife are endless. Frankfurters love jazz, and the city offers more jazz clubs than many cities in America.
Because of its central location, Frankfurt makes for an ideal place to be based for excursions to places of interest outside of the city, including Heidelberg, Wiesbaden, Königstein, Kloster Eberbach, a monastery surrounded by vineyards, countless castles. Dusseldorf, Bonn and Koln are only two hours away by train. Frankfurt is truly an ideal place to study the language and if you wish, you can combine this program with a "split city" program with our school in Dusseldorf.
It is the participant's responsibility to have a valid passport and any necessary visas and permits to study abroad. Visit G3Visas for comprehensive information on visa, passport, permit and general country entry requirements.
Frankfurt is the largest airport in the country and handles most international flights, it is located about 15 km outside of the city. The S8 commuter train line which is located at Terminal One has direct connections with the Frankfurt underground and Hauptbahnhof (main train station).
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Goethehaus Museum
Jüdisches Museum
Museum für kunsthandwerk
The Palmengarten
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Our school is located in one the most beautiful and elegant areas of Frankfurt, Sachsenhausen which offers many charming cafes; wine bars, boutiques and a vibrancy found nowhere else in the city. Only 5 minutes walk from the school you can reach the banks of the river, half a dozen art galleries or museums, the charming high street of Sachsenhausen and the main underground stop "Schweizer Platz".
The center of Frankfurt can be reached by underground in about 10 minutes or you can take a stroll across the bridge and walk to the center in less than 20 minutes. For our lazy students, a taxi will take you five minutes and cost about 5 -7 Euro. On Saturdays the banks of the river are covered with market stalls offering the best bargains around.
Our school is housed in a large modern 8 storey building and our impressive modern school owns two floors with excellent facilities. The ground floor area offers a large reception area which is also used as a social area for students relaxing between lessons or after class. It offers many cafe style table with coffee machines.
Our 16 classrooms are located on the other floor (elevator or stairs available) and offer bright modern spaces in which to learn. The furniture is new and the school has recently been renovated, offering a relaxed but professional atmosphere. Within a few steps of the school, there are several interesting pubs and cafes, this is truly a great location to study in!
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Standard: 4 Lessons daily (20 lessons per week) Max. 10 students per class.
Our programs cater for all language levels from absolute beginners to the more advanced, include the use of course materials and provide a variety of options to enhance your program. For more information please see Prices and Start Dates.
Each student will be expected to take a short placement test on the first Monday morning of the course (unless a complete beginner), to determine the students language level and ensure placement in the correct class. Lessons are usually held in the mornings, starting at 9 am, which leave the afternoons free for social or cultural activities, trips, workshops, short excursions or free time to relax or explore on your own.
Teachers are native speakers and many are University educated with years of teaching experience. They will help enhance your speaking, listening, grammar and general comprehension skills. They will also use interactive techniques such as role-play, games and perhaps videos to support lesson content. Current political, social and cultural materials are integrated to add interest and increase knowledge of the host country and culture. Homework assignments are given and students will be tested. For more information please see Course Outline.
After classes are over for the day, our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture, traditions, customs and everyday life. Our optional cultural and social activities allow you to make new friends among your new international classmates, experience cultural and social activities together, and also practice your new language skills in real life situations. In some cases, a small additional fee will be charged to cover local transport and entrance costs.
At the weekend many students can arrange to take optional excursions to local cities or local places of interest. These excursions are slightly more expensive than the daily activities ($10-$40), as they are normally full day or full weekend excursions and could include (transport, meals entrance fees and even accommodation). If you are interested in sight-seeing by yourself or with other class mates, our school staff are more than willing to assist you with any questions you may have and help you book local travel or excursions.
NOTES: Private lessons and additional options can be added to any program, lessons normally last 50 minutes in length and you will be studying with international students from around the world. Lessons run from Monday - Friday, you will be expected to arrive early on the first Monday morning to take a placement test and orientation meeting. During class only the local language will be spoken, the emphasis is to speak and think in the new language, a language proficiency certificate is available at the end of the program. The school is closed on all public holidays. Please see the program info and resource links, for additional information or please contact us.
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Host Family: (private or shared room) 2 meals daily.
Living with a host family is probably the best and most effective way to become fully immersed into the language and culture of your chosen country. All families are chosen after a careful selection procedure and are visited regularly by the school to ensure that high living standards are maintained. As many of our host families live in the surrounding neighborhoods, the trip to school, is usually not more than 20 to 30 minutes away.
Students have access to all living areas in the house and in most cases, will be expected to share the bathroom. All bed linens and pillows will be provided, however we suggest you bring your own towels. If your family does not provide a laundry service, they may allow you to use the laundry facilities for a small additional charge.
Staying in a family is a truly wonderful experience and many students make lifetime friends with their host family. However, you should also have realistic expectations and recognize that an element of flexibility is required to adjust to the local customs and way of life. Your host family may not have the same comforts as your own home but you will always be treated as a guest and free to come and go as you wish.
Self Catering Apartments: (private or shared room) no meals.
This is also a very popular option especially for those students looking for further independence. Our apartments are normally located within the same distance as the host families and are shared (with other international students studying at the school) so will be sharing with many other nationalities. Our apartments are co-ed, however rooms are shared with the same gender.
All apartments provide a well equipped kitchen (including cooking utensils), shared bathroom facilities and living areas. The apartments vary in size and number of bedrooms, depending on the location in the city but expect to share with 2 - 4 other students. All apartments are self-catering, which means meals are not included and students provide their own groceries and prepare their own meals or eat out. In many cases the cooking becomes a social event in the apartment and a great way to chat and make new friends. Many students have theme nights, where they take turns to prepare a meal from their home country for the rest of the students.
For the duration of the stay in the apartment, you will be living among other students. You are expected to comply with the 'mutual' house rules. This means that common living areas must be kept clean and tidy at all times. All students have keys to the apartment and can come and go as they wish.
NOTES: Airport transfers may be included or available, also extra nights can be booked before / after course (at an additional cost), please check price page for details. The Sunday night accommodation before your course begins on Monday, is included in the program price. All meals will be local custom and meal times may be different to what you are used to, however you are not obligated to eat all your meals with the family, just notify them when you will not be returning to eat.. Our families are diverse with young couples without children, couples with children (of all age groups) and older couples with grown children who are no longer at home. Please see the Accommodation link for additional information.
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"Good school facilities, all employees were warm and welcoming. School location was good. The couple who welcomed me into their home were great. The part of the city we were in was excellent."
Charles Sohl, USA student
"I had a great time and was surprised at how much I learned in only 2 weeks. My family was very friendly and welcoming."
Elizabeth Gregory (27) October 2002, USA student
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