I’m writing this with broken and scratched finger nails, plasters covering places where skin is missing and aching arms. Yes, I have been trying out bouldering in Frankfurt today. 

I’ve been told to have a go at bouldering a few times now, but it never really caught my imagination. I wasn’t too impressed by what looked like children’s colourful climbing walls that never normally go higher than 5-6 metres. It turns out though that this is more than enough lange me until my arms couldn’t take any more. The main attraction of bouldering is that you can climb without the hassle of ropes and other miscellaneous equipment. The walls are covered in colour-coded handholds with different levels of difficulty and different routes. 

There are three places to go bouldering in Frankfurt, and after checking them out today, I opted to try out Dynochrom in Ostend which is ten minutes walk from Schäfflestrasse on the U4/U7 lines. The two other options are both in the same place in Nordend within ten minutes walk of Preungesheim station on the end of the U5 line. These are Boulderwelt and Frankfurt Kletterzentrum. 

Dynochrom and Boulderwelt are very similar in offering, but Boulderwelt offers more organised course and clubs (especially for children) as well as larger competitions. Dynochrom is slightly cheaper (€0.50) but feels more relaxed and open. The ceiling is higher and all the walls are in one large converted warehouse. There is also a comfortable lounge area and cafe beside the walls so you can go from the walls to a soft seat with ease :-). They also have a children’s wall in one corner as well as a long table for children’s parties. A great option if you are looking for a birthday idea. 

The Kletterzentrum (climbing centre) is more than just bouldering and it’s bouldering room is therefore a little smaller and more claustrophobic. However it is owned by the DAV (Deutsche Alpen Vereine) which means members get 50% discount. If you are into other mountain activities, this is really worth exploring as membership is only €112 for a family and comes with many discounts and mountain sports insurance.