It was actually quite a simple idea from the then Stadtwerke when they approached the artist couple CM and Estine Estenfelder in 1976 to have them design the interior and exterior of a vintage tram. The "travelling cider bar", which was intended to help bring the city's sights closer not only to tourists but also to Frankfurt residents themselves, rolled along the tracks for the first time on 7 February 1977. And since then, the strikingly painted cars have been as much a part of the cityscape as the skyline or the Römer.
The old trams, which were built in the late 1940s to mid-1950s and have long been a regular fixture through the city's streets, still exude an extremely quaint charm with their colorful paint schemes and rustic interiors. The cars each offer 22 seats and eight standing places. So it's really cosy here. The route, which is carefully planned before the maiden voyage, takes about an hour and leads from the zoo past sights such as the Römer, the cathedral, the Paulskirche, the municipal stages, the Märchenbrunnen, the main station, the trade fair, the Westhafen and Sachsenhausen. With the simple journeys there is no city guide, who contributes here a few explaining words. ES exists however the possibility of downloading an App, with which one can listen to a Ebbelwei-Expreß Podcast, which supplies to many stations of the travel short informative contributions.
The travel in the Ebbelwei-Expreß costs for adults 8 euro, for children and young people up to 14 years 3,50 euro. Included in the fare are 1 bottle of Ebbelwei or optionally apple juice or mineral water, as well as a bag of pretzels. It is nice that - apart from the podcast - no attempt was made to modernize the Ebbelwei-Express to the devil's own ends, but that here really a piece of city history travels through Frankfurt and offers its guests a particularly rustic tour through the Main metropolis. Those who want to dig a little deeper into their pockets can, of course, rent the vintage train for private parties or for larger groups.
Who has never been on the Ebbelwei-Expreß should definitely make up for it. The 40th anniversary of this travelling institution is the perfect opportunity to do so, isn't it?
When?: Saturday, Sunday, public holiday (with a few exceptions, please note the timetable)
You can also find more info at: <link http: www.ebbelwei-express.de _blank>www.ebbelwei-express.de
