22 Hours in FRA
 

Is there a recommended activity if I have a 22-hour stay at FRA airport?

I am arriving at around noon on a Monday, then leaving around 10AM the next day.

I plan on staying at one of the hotels near the airport and on google maps, it looks like there are a bunch of them just 4km away. I plan on checking in very early the next day as I would like to hang out in the lounge. So basically, I have an afternoon and the early evening for a FRA 'stay'.

Any suggestions?

Hello Hikouki, do you have any particular interests such as art, histroy or anything ese? The first thought that comes to mind is to recommend you stay in Mainz instead of Frankfurt. mainz is only about 30 minutes by train from Frankfurt and is much more scenic. You could easily find a hotel there as well. But of course, in Frankfurt there are lots of museuam to visit, which Mainz doesn't have. Some more details from you would be helpful.

Thanks for the quick reply!

I just quickly googled Mainz and it is very scenic indeed! I do see on google maps that it is just under an hour by car (taxi) or less (train) from FRA. But I will have two check-in bags apart from a roll aboard so it may not be practical lugging all of those around for such a short stay.

Because it is a short stay, I am open to any suggested activity. But usually, I go for beautiful architecture, nature scenery, or the all-important culinary delights. LOL

I've actually stayed in Frankfurt over 15 years ago, and my dad and I just ended up spending most of the time touring places outside like Heidelberg, Rothenburg o.d. Tauber, etc. Not sure there has been many new attractions added to Frankfurt in that time that is worth seeing. So it doesn't have to be Frankfurt. Just places perhaps like Mainz which are close to FRA.

Thanks again!

Mainz has the Gutenburg museum a church with marc chagall windows and a nice old town to walk around.

With that much luggage, I'd be tempted to get a room at the Mariott, the Sheraton, the Hilton or the Hilton Garden Inn at the terminal, if the price is not excessive, leave the luggage, and be free to explore.

Hello Hikouki, I do not find Frankfurt to be very interesting for historic architecture or a strong feeling of being in Germany. It is mostly modern and focussed on business and banking. I do prefer Mainz for the "feeling"; you can also get good traditional food there. You might consider having one or two of your bags stored at the airport (a bit expensive), or if you can wrestle them onto the train, you will find 3-4 hotels in Mainz wjich are right across the plaza in front of the train station, less than 100 meters away. If you do go there, you might want to find a traditional "Weinstube": Mainz is right in the middle of the wine country.

If you do stay in Frankfurt, check the Restaurant Guru app for recommendation about where to eat; you don't want to end up at a place where only business people or tourists go...

Second that. I had a 20 hr connection in FRA recently and stayed at the Hilton. After dropping my bags in the room, I took the S-Bahn into Frankfurt. I have done Mainz before and loved the Gutenberg museum and the town overall is fun, but I would stay at the airport hotel. It’s really nice to be right there for a morning departure without having to rely on a train, especially with large bags.

Which hotels have rooms that have nice views of the apron?

I usually stay at an IHG property and there is a Holiday inn near T2. But since it will be only for one night, it may be more practical staying at the Marriott or Sheraton.

None of those have apron views, there's the terminal in between. The higher floors of the Marriott offer a glimpse over the airport or over the Northern runway, depending what side of the building your room is in.

AVOID the HI. I'm an IHG diamond ambassador and I despise that property, especially since COVID. Short staffed, rude, arrogant, an not at the terminal. You can walk to T2, but with your amount of luggage and/or in bad weather, it's a non starter. The shuttle is infrequent and expensive, otherwise it's one stop on the train to T1, or the public bus to T2.

Also you could checkin some of your luggage the day before, LH will gladly take it.

When will you arrive datewise and on which airline. The advantage of Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn are not so much of an advantage if you do not arrive with Star Alliance in Terminal 1. The Holiday Inn is closer to Terminal 2 and next to the S-Bahn Station Gateway Garden, which offers a direct connection to both Mainz and Frankfurt Downtown. None of them offer view towards tarmac, but you might ge views of planes approaching Frankfurt. If you are into planespotting, I suggest to have at least a drink at the rooftop of the B'Mine Hotel (belongs to Worldhotels).

Downtown Frankfurt has a lot of different Museum (Schirn Kunsthalle , Städel Museum, Jewish Museum). Depending on food, there are plenty of options in Sachsenhausen

I am arriving on a Sunday in mid-April, around noon-ish, on Air Dolomiti. Then I am connecting on LH the next day around 1030AM.

My original flight was Sunday, through connection - leaving Italy early AM and connecting to LH. But I found an opportunity to upgrade to First Class and experiencing the LH FCT is on my bucket list. So I am making the overnight. I plan on going to the FCT on opening the next day (530ish) to maximize my time. LOL.

Last time I was in Frankfurt was early 2000s and everything was just dead on a Sunday. Although I visited Berlin last year in August but made sure I left on a Sunday.

Museum will be open on Sunday, but shops will be closed resulting in indeed less crowded city centres. Great, if you want to walk around without being disturbed by shoppers, take pictures without too much people and have a more relaxed day. Sunday Mornings are the best days in my opinion.
Public transportation is running on Sundays though on a slightly reduced frequency, so heading to Mainz is not a problem either.

Regarding your flights, the Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn make more sens in this regard. Though I took the S-Bahn from Gateway Garden to Franfkurt Regionalbahnhof and walked over to FCT in August last year. If you loyalty to IHG is worth, it would be an option, though not the best one compared toe aforementioned four hotels.

Enjoy FCT.

While I like museums, I found the best highlight of Frankfurt to be a walking tour that I took -- couple of hours. Frankfurt has a history going back many centuries, like to the Romans. And there are things like the cobblestone markers in the sidewalk for people who were killed by the Nazis. And a little of the story of how Frankfurt came to be the financial capital of Germany. The tour was offered in English though might be tight timewise as I think it started like 1pm or so. But this was pre-COVID, so availability and timing may well have changed.

I booked my arriving flight into FRA and I arrive around 11:55 AM on Sunday, then leaving the next day at 10:40AM. Can I check in my bags at the main terminal after arrival, so I don't have to haul it to the hotel, then to the FCT the next day? Or would I need to take all of my luggage to the FCT to check in?