Due to the seemingly large volume of questions that seem to come in regarding "What can I do for 12 hours at ___ airport, I've decided to put together a thread with some basic information on the main German airports. This is a live document and I would appreciate feedback by PM if you want me to change or update some information. Maybe a mod can make this a Sticky???

Note: For Berlin, I only posted info on TXL as it is the largest and most used airport in Berlin.


Frankfurt (FRA)
Hotel at airport: Sheraton on airport grounds, several others close via airport shuttles or S-bahn train.
Entertainment at FRA: Numerous bars, Starbucks and other coffee shops, numerous restaurants. Beate Uhse sex shop and casino on airport grounds. Airplane viewing terrace.
Train to center of town: 2 train stations; one long distance and one short. Trains to Frankfurt main station (15 minutes) and Mainz (30 minutes). Automatic ticket machines and manned ticket booths available. ICE train service to Cologne (approx. 50 minutes).
Lounges: Star Alliance is the major player with several lounges. Check with Skyteam or One World airlines for their lounges.
Terminal Map: http://www.airportcity-frankfurt.com...6.overview.htm
Other Stuff to do: http://www.airportcity-frankfurt.com...experience.htm

Munich (MUC)
Hotel at airport: Kempinski Hotel on site between terminals, several other close via shuttle or S-bahn.
Entertainment at MUC: Numerous bars and coffee shops. Hofbrauhaus has a restaurant in terminal 2 before security. Airbrau is a nice micro-brew beer garden with a main location between the terminals and in the non-Schengen (upstairs) portion of terminal 2. Both terminals have a small casino / gameroom. There is a visitors terrace above term. 2 and a MAGLEV train display between the terminals.
Train to downtown Munich: Two S-bahn lines (S1 / S8). S8 is more direct to downtown Munich and has frequent trains. Ride time to the main train station is approx. 40 minutes on the S8 and slightly longer on the S1. Automatic ticket machines and manned ticket booths are here. No ICE or long distance trains from MUC.
Lounges: Star Alliance has a lounge on each floor of T2 (Schengen / Non-Schengen). Check with other alliances for lounges.
Terminal Map: Can’t find one at the moment…stay tuned.
Other Stuff to do: http://www.munich-airport.de/EN/Area...nis/index.html

Stuttgart (STR)
Hotel at airport: Several on site, including Moevenpick. Numerous others, including Best Western and Mercure properties close.
Entertainment at STR: This is a much smaller and less of a layover airport. Bars, restaurants, airplane viewing patio, Beate Uhse sex shop, small casino, shopping and duty free.
Train to downtown Stuttgart: S-bahn (S2 / S3) trains run to downtown. Ride is approx. 30 minutes. Trains generally every 20 minutes or so. No ICE or long distance trains from airport. Automatic ticket machines are here.
Lounges: Yes, check with airline.
Terminal Map: http://www.stuttgart-airport.com/en/...0&submenu_id=2
Other Stuff to do: http://www.stuttgart-airport.com/en/...ubcat=shopping

Cologne (CGN)
Hotel at Airport: Holiday Inn closeby, several other small hotels within shuttle distance.
Entertainment at CGN: This is not really a big connection airport either. Numerous shops and restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Beate Uhse sex shop, bookstores and duty free.
Train to downtown Cologne: S-bahn (S13) trains run to Cologne main station. Ride is around 15 minutes and connects through Cologne-Deutz (the trade show area). Trains run every 15 minutes or so. In addition, RB and ICE lines serve CGN. Automatic ticket machines available.
Lounges: Lufthansa has a lounge (Star Alliance). Check with other airlines for their lounge access.
Terminal Map: http://www.airport-cgn.de/data/files...lwegweiser.pdf
Other Stuff to do: http://www.airport-cgn.de/main.php?lang=2&id=72

Berlin Tegel (TXL)
Hotel at Airport: Mercure within walking distance, but tricky. Others available by shuttle.
Entertainment at TXL: Souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping, Lufthansa worldshop.
Train to downtown Berlin: None. This airport is not linked by rail. However, there is bus service to numerous stations on the S-bahn and U-bahn line. The X9 and X109 buses go to the Berlin Zoobahnhof, which is somewhat central Berlin.
Lounges: Lufthansa has a lounge. Check with other airlines for lounge access.
Terminal Map: http://www.berlin-airport.de/EN/Reis...lplan/TXL.html
Other Stuff to do: http://www.boulevard-tegel.de/htm/set.htm (Sorry, all German)

Duesseldorf (DUS)
Hotel at Airport: Sheraton on site, several others nearby via shuttle.
Entertainment at DUS: Numerous shops, restaurants and bars.
Train to downtown Duesseldorf: This is one of the best parts. DUS is connected to its train station via an Airtrain that is very futuristic and fun to ride. From the train station, numerous S-bahn and RE mainline trains connect to the main train station. The ride is about 15 minutes. For a really long layover, Essen and Dortmund, as well as Cologne are also reachable from the airport train station. Automatic ticket machines as well as a live ticket booth are here.
Lounges: Lufthansa lounge on site. Check with other airlines for lounge access.
Terminal Map: Not available at the moment. Check in later.
Other Stuff to do: http://www.dus-int.de/dus/shops_restaurants/ (German)

Hamburg (HAM)
Hotel at Airport: Courtyard by Marriot within walking distance (I’ve done it). Several others including Mercure and Ibis within shuttle distance.
Entertainment at HAM: Observation deck, restaurants, shops, bars and coffee shops. This is not a big transit airport either.
Train to downtown Hamburg: No rail link. There is, however, an express bus that will take you to a U-bahn station for the U1, which goes into downtown Hamburg. There is also an express bus service from the airport to downtown (Jasper Express, 5 EUR).
Lounges: Lufthansa lounge for Star Alliance and a separate lounge for all others. Both lounges are upstairs past security.
Terminal Map: http://www.ham.airport.de/en/lageplaene_t1.html (T1) and... http://www.ham.airport.de/en/lageplaene_t2.html (T2).
Other Stuff to do: http://www.ham.airport.de/en/downloa...ing_plaza_.pdf (Scroll down quite a ways to the bottom).

Leipzig / Halle (LEJ):
Hotel at the Airport: I am not aware of an on site hotel.
Entertainment at LEJ: Duty free, restaurants and bars. This is a smaller airport.
Train to downtown Leipzig: Trains to both Leipzig (15 minute ride) and Halle run frequently. In addition, long distance trains stop here as well. Automatic ticket kiosks are on site. The train station is connected to the airport.
Lounges: 3 lounges, including one Lufthansa lounge.
Terminal Map: I couldn’t find a terminal map. I’ll keep looking. The airport is very well marked, though.
Other Stuff to do: http://www.leipzig-halle-airport.de/en/2_6/index.html. Like I said, this is a very small airport.


Thanks for all the input on this thread.

Impressive list - but Leipzig is LEJ, not LEG. @:-)

Very impressive work. Slight remark: There are several regional RB and RE as well as ICE trains (the latter bound for Berlin) calling at CGN and also a few early morning and late evening ICEs to FRA.

well done - great job by the OP ^^

if the OP agrees, I'd like to add this info to the Germany Master thread and close this thread. please contact me or my new co-moderator on this issue

regards

chrissxb
co-moderator
Germany forum

Hamburg has something called Jasper Express which will take you for 5 Euros directly without stop to Hamburg train mainstation (8 Euro return ticket). You can go through the hassle of doing the longer but cheaper trip but in the end you have to go for your preference time over money.

The airport express basically leaves around every 15 min, they do have a website in english
http://www.jasper-hamburg.de/index.php?id=6&L=1

There is to be build a direct connection (finally ...) but I think it opens up like 2008 or so.

From there it is a short stroll into the city and shopping street with some nice cafes and such. Near the Airport is nothing to write home about. You do have a little bit of shopping possiblity inside of the airport

What's up with all the sex shops at German airports? That is hilarious.

I do think they rack up considerable sales volumes. Airports are anonymous and especially travellers from more puritan countries and continents can buy stuff without having to worry about "losing their face".

At least until they get home and customs makes them open up their bags for inspection.

The local Cologne paper has an update on train connections to FRA, DUS and CGN

http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1193144124034.shtml

- Starting from December travellers from the Ruhr area and Cologne/Messe Deutz will gain 10 minutes on the trip to FRA when Deutz Tief station is re-opened

- All ICEs between Dusseldorf and Berlin will stop at DUS Regional/Fern station from December after a year long break

- CGN will only have six daily ICE connections down from the previous eight due to low demand

And on related news, the fast "Sprinter" ICEs Cologne - Frankfurt - Munich will be terminated also due to unsufficient demand.

Just remember that all electronic devices need to be turned off on take off and landing.

That doesn't surprise me at all... Deutsche Bahn is still not an alternative to flying. I am sad to see those flights CGN-FRA being terminated as well