bus versus train at Frankfurt airport to Trier

I can't see any information on the Frankfurt Airport website about buses direct to Trier. If you are flying into that one, you can find rail schedules at www.bahn.de. You can also book cheap advance train fares 92 days in advance, but since these are strictly limited to specific trains it's not a good idea to do so immediately after a flight. There is a long-distance rail station within the airport.

The direct airport buses to Trier you may have heard of are from Frankfurt Hahn Airport, which is a notoriously long distance from Frankfurt but is actually quite close to Trier. It doesn't have transatlantic flights though, but is served by various European budget airlines. (If you decide to use one of these, be very sure you know what you are paying for in terms of baggage entitlements, and be aware that you will probably be required to check in online and print your own boarding pass.)

You can't fail to go the right way at the airport. It is all signposted, and the security system won't let you go the wrong way.

I would recommend train over bus. Simpler and more comfortable. The railway station is directly under terminal 1. Just get the first train when you land.

The Bahn runs IC buses from Frankfurt airport to Hahn and from Hahn to Trier, so you can go from FRA to Trier with a connection in Hahn. The trip by bus takes about 2¾ hours and runs every two hours. Use the Bahn website for information.

With advance purchase, bus specific, non-refundable tickets start at 14€ for the trip including a seat reservation. Full fare is 41€ per person; reserve early, buses do sell out. If you miss your reserved bus, the full fare ticket is usable for available seats on the next bus, but you will have to buy a new reservation.

There are train connections that take only a little longer. You can get train specific. non-refundable advance purchase train tickets for as low as 29€ for two people. There is a 2h 51m connection leaving every 2 hours. It's an IC to Koblenz and a regional train to Trier.

Due to the uncertainty with arrival times, I would opt of a regional pass, which can be used on any regional train all day long. There are connections by Regional Express (RE) every two hours with a change in Koblenz. That trip also costs 41€ per person full fare, but you can take the S-Bahn to Mainz for 4,55€ per person, then go from Mainz to Trier using a Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket for 28€ for two people, about 37€ for two.

You'll go through passport control right off the plane, before you retrieve any checked luggage and go through customs. Everybody will be going there; just follow the herd. There are passport kiosks for EU residents and passport kiosks for all others. They are well marked.

Barbaraoneill,
I took the GAS tour last summer and flew into Frankfurt. I detoured to Bacharach for a few days. You will have to make a transfer but someone like Lee or Ken will come by this post and show you what the train kiosks look like in the Frankfurt airport. There is also a You Tube video which will walk you through the airport to the TRAIN STATION :) Basically you will go up the Rhine River to Koblenz then transfer to a train which will take you down the Mosel River.
Ask questions as you go. On the trains you want to face forward. As you leave one station, there is a scrolling monitor which tells you the next station. If I remember correctly, the next stop is announced in German and English.
Once you get to Trier you just follow the directions in the RS guidebook. You could take a taxi. I took a bus (I knew the hotel am Zuckerburg was near the Karl Marx House so I took bus 13) The bus said Karl Marx House.
The "hotel" is lovely. By the way, GAS was my fifth RS Tour, and I found the hotels to be the best of five tours. You're gonna LOVE it.
Pam from Bath

Take the train. The train station is right in the airport. Yes you will have to change. Go to the ticket office at the train station and an English-speaking agent will get you the tickets and direct you to the right track. There are several combinations of trains (regional and long-distance) that will get you there, so the agent can get you on track without having to pre-plan. Go to the Deutsche Bahn website (click the British Flag for English) and if you poke around you will find a map of the rail station at the airport, as well as any other one where you might have to change trains. Or, I believe the Frankfurt Airport website also has a map that shows you where the train station is in relation to your terminal. Like any major airport in Europe, there is signage in English that makes it easy.

" someone like Lee or Ken will come by this post and show you what the train kiosks look like in the Frankfurt airport."

By ticket "kiosk" I assume you mean the ticket machine (automat). The one for the Bahn at the airport will be exactly like Bahn ticket automats everywhere. There should also be a local, RMV, ticket automat at the airport.

The German Rail website, www.bahn.de, has a tutorial for using Bahn automats. It's in German, but it has some views of the automat with several screens. Good luck.

The IC Bus leaves from in front of Terminal 2 (the non-Lufthansa terminal). I would expect them to sell tickets, if you haven't purchased them in advance, on the bus.

There is one direct bus at 12:45 on Mondays from airport Terminal 2, which you'll find reflected on the train schedules, however that's probably too early for you to count on. (Timing is different on other days of the week, so may work for other tour members.) The next two most attractive departures on the train schedule are trains with one connection, departing 13:24 from the Regionalbahnhof or 13:58 from the Fernbahnhof (both near Terminal 1).

Our tour department's document with first and last hotels includes some directions for navigating to the airport train station, similar to info on p.435 of Germany guidebook you will receive.

Thanks so much for all your help. I believe we will most likely take the train. I didn't realize the bus wasn't right there at the Frankfurt airport! Lots of good suggestions. We are supposed to get in at 12 noon, so might make one of those two trains you mentioned. Wish us luck!!

barbara,

I'd also suggest using the train as it will be easier, especially after a long international flight. As you haven't travelled much by train, a few points to mention regarding your trip......

• There are two rail stations at Frankfurt Airport, a Fernbahnhof (long distance trains) and a Regionalbahnhof. Both stations have departures to Trier and which one you'll use will depend on which train you'll be able to connect with. You could take a printout of the bahn.de website for the same day-of-the-week that you'll be travelling. After you've disembarked from the flight, gone through Passport control and collected your luggage, look at the printout to see which station the next train to Trier is departing from.
• The trip from Frankfurt airport to Trier will have one or two changes and you may be more "comfortable" choosing a trip that only has one change. For example, if you're arriving at about noon, the most likely train you'll be able to connect with will be a departure from the Regionalbahnhof at 13:24, arriving Trier at 16:30 (time 3H:06M, one change at Koblenz). This one should be an easy one, as the platform numbers are specified. Have a look at the Bahn.de website for all the details.
• FRA is a HUGE airport, but as others have mentioned, it's well signposted. If you have problems finding the rail station, ask an airport official (there are also "Help" desks in some parts of the airport). THIS MAP shows the layout (click for a larger copy).

I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time on the GAS tour! Happy travels!

Thanks again for the great information. I had actually looked at a train schedule and thought the one just mentioned looked like a good fit. I have copied off the map of the airport (enlarged) so that is great too. My husband and I feel much better knowing we should be able to find our way to the trains and can get help at a desk too. A lot of good suggestions which we plan to use!