taPhoto: Shutterstock - Zolnierek 

GERMANY: Whether travelling for business or pleasure, there’s always something going on in Germany's very own “Mainhattan” - Frankfurt. And with plenty of fresh air and gorgeous surrounds, it's not unusual for visitors wanting to give their minds an airing out and get their bodies moving, to take to the streets and cycle. So, if you’re in the mood to take Frankfurt by storm, our best advice is to rent a bike and just do it. 

Such is the importance of cycling to the economy, that the city of Frankfurt has established a special Government office for bicycles. Their super informative online bike portal gives lots of practical service tips for bikes, and lists up to nine different city bike paths - from the Bockenheim District to the Museum Embankment, or from Bockenheim to the zoo (via the Westend Villa District) - so you'll be spoiled for choice.

Not to be outdone, the  local German Cyclist's Club “Allgemeiner Deutsche Fahrrad-Club (ADFC)” has compiled a list of bike rental companies  – including Call a Bike and nextbike – as well as private shops and bike specialists, so you can kit yourself out properly before you hit the road.

Photo: Pierre Aden / Shutterstock.com

Insider Tip: The city hasn’t yet erected signposts along its bike paths, so be sure to check out the  BBBike website first. According to the experts, you can work out any bike route in Frankfurt and even enter how fast you want to ride, which road surfaces you like, and if you’d rather avoid cobblestones or unlit streets.

It's not all about the City Centre...

If you have time on your hands and want to discover the surrounding countryside, check out the regional Hesse Bicycle Route Planner. The 60km long GrünGürtel-Radrundweg (Green Belt Bike Tour) is one of the favourites in these parts and a must-do if you love your cycling. On this ride, you'll start in Frankfurt’s city centre and follow the signs along the River Nidda. From there, it's downhill to Bergen-Enkheim, through Frankfurt’s City Forest (south of the River Main). You board the river ferry between Schwanheim and Höchst to complete the ride. 

To help your planning, a visit to the popular outdooractive.de is another great start. Here, you'll find ten adventurous bike tours including a round trip through the Rhine-Main regional park - the 50km “Limes-Ronneburg” tour or the “ADAC LiteRadTour H3: From Wächtersbach to Hanau” - in the Vogelsberg Mountains. With so many options, it can be hard to choose, so we recommend the 30km historic lake tour - the ride starts at the Main Embankment and passes through Frankfurt before heading to Frankfurt City Forest, where cyclists can marvel at ruins from the Bronze Ages and Roman times.

As an added incentive to get out and about, you can take your bike free of charge on the public transport system in the Rhine-Main area.

Photo: Sergey Tsetkov / Shutterstock.com

The call of the wild: For those of you in town on Sunday, September 22, consider joining the “FahrRad! im GrünGürtel” (Ride Your Bike in the Green Belt) Campaign. You can start from one of 17 bike stations throughout the town and ride from station to station at your own pace with cyclists of all shapes and abilities. And, when you team it with a stay at Adina Frankfurt Neue Oper or Adina Frankfurt Westend, you've got all the makings of a memorable and healthy staycation in fabulous Frankfurt.