Frankfurt Airport Stopover Guide
From FRA by Train to Frankfurt am Main, Mainz, Wiesbaden and Cologne
Wondering what to do on a stopover at Frankfurt Airport, Germany? Excellent trains make trips to downtown Frankfurt am Main, Mainz, Wiesbaden, and even Cologne possible.
Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), the busiest in continental Europe, is slick and modern with good facilities but when on a stopover with a couple of hours between flights, Germany’s reliable public transportation system allows for far more interesting excursions than hanging around in duty-free shops and departure lounges.
Train Stations at Frankfurt Airport
Trains are generally the fastest, most reliable, and cheapest way to get from Frankfurt Airport to nearby destinations. Always factor in waiting time and possible delays – a 10-minute journey can easily become 20 minutes due to some delays or 30 minutes if you missed the train by a whisker.
Frankfurt Airport has two train stations. From the airport terminal, follow the covered walkways and signs “Zu den Züge” (To the Trains).
- The Regionalbahnhof station is closest to the airport terminal and used by regional and S-Bahn trains. The most useful are S-Bahn trains S8 and S9 that connects Wiesbaden and Hanau via Mainz (only S8), Frankfurt Airport (Flughafen), Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, and Hauptwache amongst others. Around 4 trains per hour run on this route from 4 am to 9 pm, less frequent at night and on Sundays.
- Slightly further away is the Fernbahnhof for long-distance trains – although many of these also go to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, these high-speed trains are much more expensive and actually over this short distance.
Frankfurt Airport to Frankfurt am Main Downtown
From Frankfurt Airport, take any S-Bahn train in the direction of the Hauptbahnhof (Main Station). All S-Bahn trains also continue to Hauptwache, two stations further, which are in a more pleasant environment and closer to the old town than the main station. Frankfurt am Main is a modern city with a small old town, good museums, and parks to stroll in. Traveling times from the Airport to Hauptbahnhof are 11 minutes, and 4 minutes more to Hauptwache. A taxi to downtown Frankfurt is around €20 and takes around 20 minutes in light traffic.
Frankfurt Airport to Mainz and Wiesbaden
Frankfurt am Main offers an excellent quality of life but for many visitors this city is simply too modern and without a romantic old-town feel. Many visitors therefore prefer to spend some time in Mainz or Wiesbaden, which are only minutes further from the airport than Frankfurt is.
- Mainz, with a history dating back to Roman times, is particularly attractive with an old cathedral, a few old town streets, Roman museums, and fantastic Chagall church windows. (The Gutenberg Museum is somewhat sterile and disappointing.) Mainz is located at the confluence of the Main River and the Rhine.
- Wiesbaden is an elegant provincial capital with mostly low-key sights. It is less modern than Frankfurt with lovely parks, a casino (jacket and tie required but available at reception!), and spa baths.
From Frankfurt Airport, take S-Bahn train S8 towards Mainz (26 minutes). (ICE, IC, and RB trains do the journey in less than 20 minutes but at a significant surcharge.) To Wiesbaden, S8 takes 38 minutes and S9 takes 34 minutes – same price.
With the ICE to More German Cities
On the super-fast Intercity-Express (ICE) trains, Limburg, Cologne (Köln), and Heidelberg can be reached in less than an hour from Frankfurt Airport. Due to the price of ICE tickets, these cities are best reserved for full-day or multiple-day trips while on longer stopovers.
Online German Railways Schedules
German Railways, Deutsche Bahn (DB), allows all schedules to be checked online in several languages including English. Use the abbreviation FRA as departure station for Frankfurt Airport (FRM for the Hauptbahnhof). S-Bahn tickets can only be bought from platform vending machines (English available).
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