Venue
Siesmayerstraße 61, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Winterlichter at the Palmengarten, Frankfurt guide
An evening light trail among sleeping plants.
In short
Couples and families wanting a calm winter outing can walk Frankfurt's Palmengarten after dark during Winterlichter, which usually runs about six weeks from late November or early December to mid-January. The 2026-27 dates are estimated until the Palmengarten publishes them. The installations change every season, so returning visitors see new work.
For more than a dozen winters, Frankfurt's Palmengarten has reopened after dark for the Winterlichter, a light trail that turns a nineteenth-century botanical garden into an evening walk past lit trees, glowing ponds and sound and video installations, all set among plants that would otherwise be sleeping through the coldest weeks.
Nothing about it is static. The show is rebuilt every season, so a visitor who came last year finds new pieces hanging in the branches and floating on the water. The mood is gentle: light and plants, a little music, and paths that wind between beds and glasshouses.
It makes a calm evening out for families and couples, one that sits apart from the city's crowded Christmas markets, and it gives the garden a second life in the months when its beds would otherwise be bare.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Sunday, 10 January 2027
Where: Frankfurt, Germany
Venue: Palmengarten
Held: Every year
Type of event: Leisure Events, Arts Festivals, Winter Festivals
Currency: Euro (EUR, €)
Time zone: Central European Time, UTC+1 (UTC+2 in summer)
Language: German
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Buying an evening ticket online
Winterlichter tickets are sold online in advance through Frankfurt Ticket, for the light trail only. A daytime garden ticket does not cover the evening, and the Palmengarten has not yet published prices for the coming season.
Annual pass holders have been admitted free in recent seasons, which can make the pass worth considering if you plan both a summer visit and a winter one. Last admission is at 20:00, so do not cut it fine on a weekday after work.
Dogs, glasshouse access and borrowing wheelchairs
- Dogs are not allowed in the Palmengarten. Certified assistance dogs with their ID card are the only exception, on a lead throughout.
- Do not count on seeing inside the glasshouses during the light trail. In some seasons the show houses have closed in the late afternoon to keep the plants warm.
- Wheelchairs can be borrowed at the Siesmayerstraße ticket office against a deposit such as an ID card; ring ahead to reserve one.
- Visitors with a severe disability and wheelchair users have free day admission, so ask about concessions when booking the evening event.
Footwear and warm layers for the trail
The trail runs in any weather, and its garden paths can be wet and muddy after rain. Wear waterproof boots, and dress for standing still in the cold, because you will stop often.
Path lighting is kept low so the artworks stand out, which means some stretches are genuinely dark. A small torch or a phone light helps on steps and uneven ground, but keep it pointed down so you do not spoil other people's view. Tripods and long exposures are easiest early in the evening before the paths fill.
Planning an evening visit during a Frankfurt stay
The Winterlichter work best as one evening of a longer city stay. Plan on two hours in the garden, which is enough to walk the whole loop slowly, stop for a hot drink and go back for a second look at the pieces you liked.
Buy your ticket online as soon as the season's sale opens. Tickets are sold online for a set evening. Given the choice, pick a weeknight over a Saturday.
For a base, the Westend is the obvious pick: a quiet district of villas and low apartment blocks with both garden gates on its doorstep. The biggest choice of hotels, though, is in the streets around the main station. Check the trade-fair calendar before booking: when a big fair is on, room rates can triple. If the trip has room for more, our Frankfurt pages are a good starting point for the daytime hours.
The Palmengarten's history and the light installations
The Palmengarten opened on 16 March 1871, laid out by the garden architect Heinrich Siesmayer on what is now 22 hectares in the Westend. At its centre stands the Palmenhaus of 1869, one of the largest buildings of its kind in Europe. Its younger neighbour, the Tropicarium, is arranged by habitat, with humid rainforest in one hall and dry tropics in the other. During recent seasons a torchlit tour called Nachts im Tropicarium has taken small groups into that jungle after dark.
The lights are the work of Wolfgang Flammersfeld and his company World of Lights, who rebuild the show each winter. The 2024/25 season was the twelfth and used about 30 artworks, around 700 spotlights and roughly 12 km of cable, rigged by a team of eleven over four days. That year a 10 m globe glowed on the playground, jellyfish hung in the trees and a curtain of light ran off the Palm House roof.
The show has also had a conscience. In the energy crisis of 2022 every spotlight ran on time switches, the path lighting was cut to a safety minimum and the café moved into a building already heated by day. In 2021 the theme marked the garden's 150th birthday with flowers and their pollinators.
Getting there
Flying in
From Frankfurt Airport's regional station, take the S8 or S9 to the Hauptbahnhof, Taunusanlage or Hauptwache, about 20 minutes. Avoid the S1, which does not call at the airport, and buy your ticket before boarding: an airport fare costs more than a city one.
To the main gate
U4, U6 or U7 to Bockenheimer Warte, then a few minutes on foot to Palmengartenstraße. Buses M36, 50 and 75 stop at Palmengartenstraße, and tram 16 runs close by.
To the Siesmayerstraße gate
U6 or U7 to Westend, or bus 75 to Siesmayerstraße.
Driving
An hourly-charged garage sits under the Siesmayerstraße 63 entrance, useful for families with small children and anyone with limited mobility. Otherwise the U-Bahn is quicker when the whole crowd leaves at closing time.
Weather and what to pack
December and January in Frankfurt are cold and often damp. Average highs are about 5°C and lows around 0°C, with roughly 45 to 55 mm of rain or sleet a month (1991-2020 normals).
Paths can be wet or icy after dark, so footwear matters more than an umbrella.
Worth packing
- A warm coat, hat and gloves
- Waterproof boots with grip
- A phone with your timed ticket
- A thermos if you prefer your own hot drink
Car hire in Frankfurt
Airport transfer to Winterlichter at the Palmengarten, Frankfurt
Met at arrivals at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and driven door to door to Palmengarten.
- Frankfurt Airport (FRA) → Palmengarten
- 20 km · 30 min
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Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Timing & weather
No date has been published yet, so watch the Palmengarten's own website for the announcement. Recent editions have opened between late November and mid-December and closed in the second week of January.
Allow at least an hour for the loop, more if you stop for a drink or go round twice. Entry closes at 20:00 and the trail shuts at 21:00, so arriving after half past seven leaves little time.
No. The garden stays dark on 24 and 31 December. Every other evening of the season is open, including Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Families & accessibility
Under-18s enter the garden free on day tickets, but the evening light trail has its own ticketing. Check the child and family rates on Frankfurt Ticket when the season goes on sale.
General
Wolfgang Flammersfeld and his company World of Lights. They plan, transport and install the whole show, and they change the line-up of pieces each winter.
No. The Palmengarten bans dogs at all times, including the Winterlichter evenings. Only certified assistance dogs with their ID card are admitted, and they must stay on a lead.
Either gate works. Siesmayerstraße has the ticket office and the underground garage; Palmengartenstraße is closer to the Bockenheimer Warte U-Bahn stop.
A torch tour through the Tropicarium glasshouses after dark, offered on selected evenings in recent seasons. Check the garden's winter programme for dates and booking.
Not on one ticket. In winter the garden closes at 16:00 and the light trail opens at 17:00 with separate admission, so a day visit and an evening visit mean two trips through the gate.
Stay & facilities
Yes. Recent seasons have had hot drinks and snacks at several points along the trail, plus a café inside the garden, so you can warm up halfway round.
Cancellations & changes
Normally not. The trail runs in rain and cold, so bring waterproofs. An umbrella and good boots are all you need.