General FRA Questions
 

Hi. I'm making my first visit to Germany in two weeks. I have several questions. I've been searching all over Flyertalk for a few hours now, but figured I'm just going to ask.

1) I'm staying at a 25 Hours hotel. Any thoughts on the quality of this hotel?
2) Looks like train is the easiest way to get into the center of town? What does a taxi cost?
3) I get in early in the day - 7:30am. Any suggestions to help me beat jet lag for the day? Looking for things to do until I can get into my hotel room.
4) I have 2 days of free time before work. What should be on my must-see sightseeing tour?
5) Is there a fast-pass lane for American Airlines customers in business class going into FRA, so I can clear customs?

Thanks in advance!

Just some of my ideas:

2) Catching a train would be the easiest option in my opinion. At FRA there are two train stations:
1. regional train station: local trains (RB, RE, S-Bahn), should cost you 5-6 € and 20-25min to get into town (tickets need to be bought before getting on the train)
2. "Fernbahnhof" / long distance train station: I would recommend taking an ICE train to FRA central station, takes you 9 minutes into town (11,50 €) (tickets can be purchased on the train using cash or MC/VISA)
Taxi would cost you about 30 Euros and would certainly take longer (between 7 - 9 a.m. there might also be some heavy traffic on the motorways)

3) Try to catch some sleep (3 - 4 hours minimum) on the plane and try to stay up all day till at least 8 p.m. (At least that´s what I always do and up to now I have never suffered from any jetlag:))

4) I must admit I don´t know much about Frankfurt City itself, but there are many places / cities nearby you might be interested in: plenty of little vineyards, castles, the river Rhine, Heidelberg (max. 1h on the train)
Don´t know how long you will be staying and how much time you have to travel around, but other options would include: going to Cologne (1h on the ICE) or Munich (3,5h on the ICE), going across to France, catching a plane to Berlin etc. Basically Germany isn´t that large so depending on your interest there are plenty of options that are doable for a one or two day trip

5) Not sure about AA, I just know that when I last arrived at 7.00 a.m. at FRA (travelling in J on AC) I was told there was no fast lane I could use, but customs generally doesn´t tend to be that bad at FRA (at least from my personal experience, I´ve never waited more than 15min) For more details there also is a section on FRA in the Germany Master thread

Hope that was any help to you. Enjoy your time in Germany!

Instead of the ICE that on the FRA - Frankfurt main station route often has standing room only, I would take 1st class on a RB/RE train. The short hop is not long enough to enjoy the comfort of the ICE and the 1st section on the regional trains is almost never crowded.

Generally when travelling local distances with luggage I'll gladly pay the few extra euros for the RB/RE 1st section. There is storage room in front of the cabin.

There is not a lot in FRA re: sightseeing. It is the financial centre for Germany and specialises in exhibitions and expositions so there are loads of hotels.

I know many of my Germany colleagues commute to FRA during the week. It may be worthwhile taking a day trip to somewhere like Hiedelberg which will have more traditional character.

A taxi into town is about 20 euros and relatively hassle free. The airport is not too far from town. Road infrastructure is good.

No immigration fast track in FRA T2. Not sure about T1.

There is no need to take the expansive ICE from Frankfurt Airport to Frankfurt Main Station. The S-Bahn from the Airport regional train station needs about 15 to 20 minutes and runs every 15 minutes.

No Fast Track at immigration but since immigration is pretty simple and painless in Europe you really don't need it.

In Frankfurt you should visit the Römer-Square, take a walk over the "Eisernen Steg" to Sachsenhausen on the other side of the river. Nice cities around Frankfurt are Heidelberg, Mainz and Wiesbaden. Just browse this forum and you will find older post with a lot of tips regarding Frankfurt.

If you like museums, you should go to the Automobile and technical museum Sinsheim/Speyer. Lots of aircrafts... get on Concorde, Tupolev... ^

Getting to town between 7 and 9 am by Taxi is usually the best option for some traffic jam related hassles. I strongly recommend to go by public transportation - even if you have to wait at the train station. The odds that the Autobahn and the streets are stuck is rather high at this time of the day.

I'm arriving on a Sunday, so I'm assuming that like the US, Sundays are dead anyway re: traffic. No?

I plan to take the train, so it may be a moot point. But I like to have a backup plan.

I like museums, I like planes and I like cars. This is a great suggestion!

Hi,

there are two 25Hours hotels in FRA. Where are you?
http://www.25hours-hotels.com/frankf...ex.php?lang=en
or
http://www.25hours-hotels.com/frankfurt2/

If you like museums, you can spend days in Frankfurt just going from one to the next. Check out this link.

Generally motorways tend to be less busy on Sundays (no trucks) than during the week, but many "Bundesländer" (states/provinces) will be starting their summer school holidays at the end of June, which regularly causes terrible traffic jams especially in the FRA region, as many families would be heading south. So I would also definitely advise you to take a train.

Concerning the museum at Sinsheim: I visited it a couple of years ago and I can also highly recommend it to you. It´s really worth a visit!

I'm staying at the second link.... 25 Hours by Levi's.

Don't know if you'll be there on a Saturday but when I am, I start my day off with a walk through the flea market along the river to beat jet lag. It's on the opposite side of the river from main Frankfurt. Get a beer, a sausage, walk, then take in one of the many museums that line the street...or get another beer and sausage!

You may wish to consider the Frankfurt Card for the first two days for travel and other benefits. And I second the others here that the S-Bahn is just fine for travel to the city.:



Where can I buy the Frankfurt Card?

The "Frankfurt Card" is available at the following tourist information centres in Frankfurt am Main:

Tourist Information Hauptbahnhof [main railway station]: Monday to Friday from 8.00 hrs. to 21.00 hrs., Saturday, Sunday, public holidays from 9.00 hrs. to 18.00 hrs.

Tourist Information Römer, Römerberg 27: Monday to Friday from 9.30 hrs. to 17.30 hrs., Saturday, Sunday, public holidays from 10.00 hrs. to 16.00 hrs.

VERKEHRSINSEL Mobility Centre, An der Hauptwache: Monday to Friday from 9.00 hrs. to 20.00 hrs., Saturday from 9.30 hrs. to 18.00 hrs.

“Reiseland” DB travel agency at the main railway station: Monday to Friday from 8.00 hrs. to 19.30 hrs., Saturday from 8.00 hrs. to 16.00 hrs.

Frankfurt / Main Airport Fraport AG, hotel reservations/travel agency, Terminal 1, Arrivals Hall B: Daily from 7.00 hrs. to 22.00 hrs.
See http://www.rmv.de/coremedia/generato...tCard__en.html

Note that it is not sold at the train station, so buy it before you go there.