Armored vehicles in Frankfurt

Frankfurt's skyline is its banking district: the towers of the major banks between the main station and the old town, with the leafy Westend and its law firms and family offices beside them. The European Central Bank stands apart in the Ostend, on the bank of the Main.

Meetings here are short and close together. The driver plans set-down points at each building and waits nearby, so a day of six meetings does not become a day of six searches for a taxi.

Investor days, annual general meetings and central bank meetings bring their own peaks of visitors to the financial district, often with the same set of people moving between the same few buildings over two or three days.

Messe Frankfurt, west of the centre, is one of the largest exhibition grounds in the world. During its major fairs, hotels fill across the region and the roads around the halls are congested from early morning.

For fair days we plan arrival slots, set-down points away from the main entrances and evening transfers to restaurants and hotels outside the city centre.

North of the city, the Taunus hills hold Kronberg, Königstein and Bad Homburg, with villas, golf clubs and hotels favoured by executives. Staying here means a drive into the city each morning.

Frankfurt sits at the crossing of Germany's main motorways. Basel, Munich and Brussels are within a day's drive, and the vehicle can travel with you on a planned route.

Wiesbaden and Mainz lie just to the west across the Main, and the Rheingau wine villages beyond them are easy to add to a private programme.