Next month I have a 7 hour layover at FRA. I am flying ORD-FRA arriving at ~9am and am departing at ~4pm FRA-CPT.
I would like to take the S-bahn into the city for a few hours to check it out.
I've never been to Germany before.
Any suggestions on the best S-bahn stop to get off at and what I should do/eat/drink/see?

Thanks in advance :)

What day of the week (that makes considerable difference)?
I would take the S-bahn in the opposite direction to either Mainz or Wiesbaden, these are charming small towns on the Rhine (Weisbaden is more upscale and touristy, Mainz is more of a working town) and much more pleasant than the big city of Frankfurt. They have more than enough cultural attractions (e.g. Mainz has a museum to Gutenburg as he was from there, Weisbaden has the historic casino), but more importantly great beer and decent food. More pleasant walking than in the big city. Unless you have something specific that you want to see in Frankfurt, this is the better way to go.

I think the advice from nummer sechs is safe and sound. Frankfurt is a difficult city to fall in love with and requires time, Mainz and Wiesbaden are much "easier" for a first time visitor to savour.

In January, I would try some hot soup ( peas, lentils etc. ) with meat/sausage and mustard or winter veggies with a Frikadelle ( minced meat steak ) for a hearty lunch.

Thanks very much for the replies.
Any idea how long it would take to get to either Mainz or Wiesbaden? And cost?
Really appreciate the advice! Thanks :)

Frankfurt does have its pretty corners though, and it has many great museums. Plus, it is way more cosmopolitan than Mainz or Wiesbaden. Downtown is also very easy to get to from the airport (15 to 20 mins with frequent service on the S-Bahn - every 10 minutes or so). You could get off at 'Hauptwache' ('Main Guard House' - the 5th stop from the airport), and walk along the Zeil (main shopping street). Then turn right to get to the main square with city hall, and the cathedral not far away. The Schirn gallery of art is right there too. Then you could retrace your steps to the Zeil, and continue on to 'Konstablerwache' (where you can hop on the train back to the airport).

Thanks very much for the replies.
Any idea how long it would take to get to either Mainz or Wiesbaden? And cost?
Really appreciate the advice! Thanks :)

About a half hour, but it also depends on when the train is. In theory, you could wait a while for a train heading in that direction, too. Cost is not too bad, maybe 10 euros for the R/T.

Hi y'all


Been to FRA several times before, but in February I have 5 hours between flights.

I'm traveling with someone who's not used to travel, so maybe a trip to the city would be a bit too much with 5 hours? Is there anything you can actually do at the airport - besides sitting in the lounge and drink beer - if you are not a keen shopper?

Is there anything worth experiencing? Or maybe somewhere to sleep - besides a chair at the aforementioned lounge - before our long flight to the US?

Thanks

...Been to FRA several times before, but in February I have 5 hours between flights.

I'm traveling with someone who's not used to travel, so maybe a trip to the city would be a bit too much with 5 hours? Is there anything you can actually do at the airport - besides sitting in the lounge and drink beer - if you are not a keen shopper?

Is there anything worth experiencing? Or maybe somewhere to sleep - besides a chair at the aforementioned lounge - before our long flight to the US?US bound flights require check-in up to 3 hours prior to departure time (depending on the airline), and the security lines can be quite bad (over an hour is not unusual). So you really cannot leave the airport. There is a lot of somewhat interesting shopping at FRA (it is more like a town for shopping than an airport, for example there is a supermarket by the train station). Lots of other stores that most airports don't have, everything from a casino to x-rated movies. Lounges are generally poor quality though no matter which airline you are flying (except for the LH F terminal, but obviously you aren't using that as you wouldn't be asking here if you were). Some of the lounges are landside, so you have to allow a lot of time to clear security for the US-bound flights (even the F security line often takes 15 minutes at peak times!). The problem is that many US flights leave within a few minutes of each other in the morning (less bad in the afternoon).