FRA is to me a business city - therefore, I have no clue what to do - Mrs BW and I have a 4:30 layover so we want to get out of the airport but we need to stay close to the rail lines for timing purposes - Any ideas??

There are some museums - can't remember names - take the train to town & go to one for an hour or so.

Train runs pretty reliable. I never found much to do in Frankfurt, not really such a nice touristy place.

www.frankfurt-tourismus.de

Mainz? It's on the Rhine, has a cathedral and shopping area, and is only about 20 mins from the airport on a nonstop train (8 euros each way). Depending on day of week there could be an outdoor market, too.

Rail schedules in English:
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e

Take a S-train to Frankfurt and go to Hauptwache or Konstablerwache (should be a 20 minute ride). Lots of shops, restaurants (on the Fre�gass) and the R�merberg and the cathedral for a bit of sightseeing. On top of the Zeilgalerie (a shopping mall at Hauptwache) is an IMAX if you like those kind of movies (and they are only 55 minutes long).

It's on the river called MAIN.

Here for more about Frankfurt:

http://www.steigenberger.de/servlet/PB/menu/1005322_l2/

I would simply rent a car and drive into the old section of the city. It's very easy to do and there are some charming yet ancient restaurants in the area.

I often overnight at FRA before flying home and if I have time, I always drive into the city. But if there is no time, the basement restaurant at the airport Sheraton is one of the best airport restaurants in the world, IMHO. It's called Taverna.

Hiring a car is the one thing I would definitely NOT recommend, especially not for a short visit. It's much quicker and easier to get into the centre of Frankfurt by train.

Just go down a couple of flights of stairs from the arrivals hall, buy a public transport day pass and away you go!

I second this!
The S-Bahn takes you direct to the center of Frankfurt (=Hauptwache).
From there you can walk WEST to "Fressgasse", Goethestrasse, Alte Oper.
Then go back. Go SOUTH via Goethe-Haus, Roemer/Roemerplatz, Schirn Museum, Dom and walk the pedestrian bridge over the MAIN RIVER ...

I just read this information on the Frankfurt airport website, dated March 23.

Because of intensified security all passenger of U.S., British, and Spanish airlines, are requested to arrive at the airport in plenty of time for their departure (about 3 hours before departure). This also applies to passenger of other airlines on flights to North America, Great Britain, and the Middle East ans especially for the airlines: Emirates, Gulf Air, Iberia, Span Air, Kuwait Airways, Qantas Airways, Qartar Airways und Saudi Arabian Airlines. We advise all passengers to contact their airline.

Good information and thank you - However, I tend to find that LH is very capable of providing streamlined processing for their F PAX

They had just started implementing this when I was there on 2 March - though I wasn't aware of it until I got there, some 90 minutes before my Buzz flight to STN. (Nothing had been said on my outbound flight earlier the same week). No problem with the "late" check-in, though - and I was by no means the last person to turn up. Nothing was said about any special measures at check-in, and it was more by accident that I noticed the unusually early boarding time on my boarding card - 1250 for a 1410 departure. I initially assumed that this was a mistake... until I heard a "final call" just after 1300! Having just gone through security I discovered that there was then another security check just 100 metres or so from the first one.

This must be peculiar to FRA, though... my mother was on a UK-bound flight from a different German airport the very next day, and she said that security was very much "as normal".

Maybe so, but most of this time is spent in check-in lines. If you already have boarding passes and luggage checked, your only delay is the security checkpoint, which surely can be done in less than an hour.

My ex once got an emergency tooth bonding at one of the two (count 'em , two!) dental offices at FRA. Saved our vacation, as the next stop was Nairobi. However, this is probably nothing to plan on doing.

I've taken the train to Wiesbaden and back -- nice town to walk around or visit the Bath. But check timing, it strikes me as marginally too far for 4 1/2 hours.