On the way to Venice, I have a 7 hour layover in Frankfurt. Can anyone suggest something to do during that time in the city? Also, is there a place at the airport to store carry on luggage for a short period of time?
Thanks for any advice

If you have an interest in Holocaust memorials and it's a nice day, there is a Holocaust memorial wood about a 10-minute cab ride from the airport--on the northern edge of the town of Walldorf. The town borders the southern side of airport.

It was a workcamp for Hungarian Jewish women. They were assigned to upgrade the airport's runways for use by the jet aircraft Germany produced at the end of the war.
There is not much left of the camp itself--a few foundations and steps. Some schoolchildren from Walldorf found the site several years ago and researched it as a class project. It ended up being turned into a memorial wood.

There is a walking path through the woods with numbered markers along the way telling the story of the women, where they came from, what they did at the airport, where they ended up as they were moved around at the very end of the war (most died). There are copies of women's letters, quotes from interviews with survivors, etc.

We were moved to tears as we followed the story of these women and the horrors they experienced in what is now a peaceful and pleasant little wood.

It's accessed via Nordendstrasse in northern Walldorf. Just a few feet east of the intersection with Farmstrasse, there's a little road that goes north into the woods. That's where the memorial starts.

Doesn't take long to see, but if you've got some time left over at the airport, it's not a bad way to spend it.

Another suggestion might be to visit the Palmengarten, a large city park with greenhouses, cafes, bandstand and lots of benches for people watching. I think there is a small admission fee. If you're there on a Sunday, it is filled with locals out for a pleasant afternoon. We enjoyed strolling there.

BTW,Paul1950, thanks for posting about the Holocaust Memorial; I have not seen it in my tourist guides.

Or you could hop a train from the airport and head to Rudesheim in about an hour and do a few hour cruise on K-D boats thru the famous Rhine Gorge (Lorelei) to say Boppard and from its boat dock walk the few blocks to its mainline train station and be back in the airport on a direct train probably in one hour. 4 hours for the excursion that is one of the most popular boat rides in Europe!
www/k-d.com - just buy tickets at the dock.

PalenQ: I loved that boat ride. I always wanted to do it after seeing it in the movie, "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium" and was so pleased that I finally did it a couple yrs ago. It did not disappoint. Another nice way to spend the day.

Thank you this would be of interest to me.

I was in a similar situation when I was traveling overseas with a long layover in Frankfurt. I stashed my bag in an airport locker and took a train to the middle of the city. I found a city square with food vendors and people everywhere--a ped mall. Then I promptly got lost! I found my way to the zoo, paid 2.5M (a little more now that they're on the Euro) and thoroughly enjoyed the zoo! Check it out if you enjoy zoos. I don't usually but this one was pleasant.

Frankfurt also has some world-class art museums dotting the eastern or southern? bank of the Main River right in town.

In Frankfurt itself there are lots of things to keep you busy - visit a traditional applewine pub in Sachsenhausen (itself made up of gorgeous 19th century buildings). Shop till you drop on the Zeil (major pedestrian zone and shopping street). See the Eschenheimer Turm (near the Zeil) and the Roemer (which is all that remains of the old city after WWII). Near the Roemer, visit the Museumsufer (museum bank - the banks of the Main River are home to a street of museums). All of them are top-notch museums. If you want to leave the city I'd second annetti's advice about the Palmengarten as it really is a nice botanical garden. In seven hours you could reasonably also visit Mainz or Wiesbaden instead of doing Frankfurt - Mainz is bigger, Wiesbaden less touristy.

Lavandula

BTW, if you are traveling on a Eurail pass, you can use it on the Rhine cruise.

These would be my suggestions, depending on your interests and day of the week you will be here. If you want to go to museums, Monday isn't the best day.

Option A. - Römerberg, Alte Nikolai, Haus Wertheim, St. Leonhards Church, Jörge Ratgeb Wall Paintings in the Karmeliter Cloister, Pauls Kirche, the old Palace and Roman Bath Ruins, the Kaiserdom, the Jewish Holocaust Memorial Wall, the Leinwand Haus, the Klein Markt Halle, Eschenheimer Turm, Alte Oper, and then go up on the Main Tower for sunset, have dinner at the Friedberger Warte or the Sachsenhause Warte.

Option B. - Add in the Deutsche Ordens Church, visit the Palmengarten, take tram #12 to Bornheim on Wed. or Sat. for the Farmers Market and a walk down the Berger strasse with a stop in the Chinese Garden at Bethmann Park, on Fri. visit the Farmers market on Schiller Strasse, or at the Konstablerwache on Thurs.and Sat. For lunch or dinner, take a walk through Alt Sachsenhausen and eat in one of the old applewine pubs, like Dauth-Schneiders.

Option C - if you won't be able to get to any old towns while here in Germany, then try to visit the Frankfurt neighborhood of Hoechst. There you can walk through a dry moat next to the original city walls, see lots of original half-timbered houses set on narrow cobble-stoned streets, the Bolongaro palace and the Schloss, and St.Justinus, one of the oldest churches in Germany, built in 850. A visit to the Höchest Porcelain Factory would also be interesting. Take the S-2 to Hoechst from the Hauptbahnhof.

Museum recommendations if you only have one day and depending on your taste? Liebieg Haus for sculpture, Judengasse & the Jewish Museum, the Archeology Museum, the Schirn, Museum of Modern Art, the Kunsthandwerk Museum, and the Historic Museum.

Thanks mainhattengirl. Every time you reply, there's another great suggestion for something to see in Frankfurt.

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. It seems that I will need more than a layover to see all the great sites you mentioned. Perhaps a trip to Frankfurt should be planned in the future.