The Frankfurt Apple Wine Tour: Ebbelwoi, Sachsenhausen & Tastings

Apple wine — Apfelwein, or Ebbelwoi in the local dialect — is the one Frankfurt tradition you can taste. It's served cool and tart from a blue-grey stoneware jug called a Bembel, poured into a ribbed glass called a Geripptes whose facets grip in wet hands, and it comes with its own etiquette, vocabulary and dishes. This tour walks you through it: the history of the cider, the ritual of the pour, and the cosy, slightly rowdy world of the Sachsenhausen taverns, with tastings so you're not just hearing about it.

It's the most local thing on this site and a favourite with anyone who likes food and drink as their way into a city. At 2.5 hours it's a proper evening out. If you'd rather sightsee first, compare it with the walking tours of the old town.

A walk built around the drink and the district it belongs to:

• Alt-Sachsenhausen — the cobbled old tavern quarter across the river Main
• Traditional Apfelweingaststätten — the family-run cider houses
• The Bembel and the Geripptes — how Ebbelwoi is poured and why
• Tastings of the local apple wine along the way
• The stories, etiquette and dishes that go with it

What's Included

• A 2.5-hour guided walking tour of Sachsenhausen
• A local guide and the stories behind the cider
• Tastings of the local Ebbelwoi apple wine
• The tavern district and how the drink is served

Not Included

• A full dinner (though there's food in the taverns if you want it)
• Extra rounds beyond the included tastings
• Gratuities for the guide (optional)
• Hotel pickup — the tour meets at a set point

A relaxed evening, with a few practical notes:

• Come thirsty rather than full — the tastings add up over 2.5 hours
• It involves walking between taverns on cobbled lanes
• Many traditional taverns are cash-only unless the bill is large, so carry euros
• The tour meets at a set point rather than at hotels — check your confirmation

What to pack

• Cash in euros for any extra rounds, food or tips
• Comfortable shoes for the cobbled lanes
• A light jacket for the evening walk between taverns
• An appetite for the local dishes if you plan to eat

Local know-how for getting the apple-wine ritual right:

• If the pure, tart cider is too sharp, order it 'sauer gespritzt' (with sparkling water) or 'süß' (with lemonade) — locals mix to taste and no one blinks
• Try 'Handkäs mit Musik', the pungent hand-cheese in an onion-and-vinegar marinade — it's the classic thing to eat with Ebbelwoi
• Carry cash: many old taverns are cash-only unless your bill is €50 or more
• Mid-afternoon and early evening are calmest; the taverns get packed and loud closer to dinner
• A Bembel is shared — the ribbed glasses are small on purpose, so pace yourself across the stops
• If you want to keep going afterward, Apfelwein Wagner and Dauth-Schneider are reliable, more tourist-friendly cider houses with English menus

The pick for travelers who taste their way into a place.

• Food-and-drink lovers who want the local speciality, not a tourist bar
• Visitors who like a relaxed evening over a march of monuments
• Couples and small groups after a sociable night out
• Anyone curious about a tradition most tourists never find

Not ideal for

• Anyone who doesn't drink alcohol — the tastings are the point (though the walk and stories still work)
• Travelers wanting to see the main old-town sights — that's the walking tours
• Families with young children in the evening tavern setting