FRA Passport Control - Train Times

Just download the DB app, [DB Navigator}, as you'll need to access it throughout your trip. I've been playing with the app, and it's fairly friendly. Safe travels!

I do have the app, but would like to pre-purchase the tickets (we're doing 1st class to make sure we have seats) to save money.

You should be able to purchase tickets through the app if you set up an account.

Yep, I can purchase - I'm just curious how much time to give ourselves to get through passport control, hit the ATM, and grab a snack/drink before the train. I don't want to book the 10:43 if passport control is taking longer but I also don't want to wait around the airport for hours.

If your intention is to buy flexible tickets, you don't really need to book until you are out of passport control and have your luggage. Then just book the next ICE from the Fernbahnhof.

For a little less money and a bit more time, you could take an IC train from Mainz after a regional train connection from the Regional bahnhof and take the scenic route along the Rhine. The ICE is fast, but basically travels in the median of the Autobahn.

We aren't wanting to book flexible tickets, which is why I'm curious as to how long it's taking to get through passport control. Right now, first-class non-flexible is €53 for 2 people - the flexible ones are €243, which is a huge difference (and not worth it).

Honestly, coming from a plane, and with train connections to Cologne going three or four times an hour, IMO it doesn't make any sense to book ahead of time. Your plane might be delayed, you might take a little longer collecting your luggage, there might be a line at passport control, you might enjoy your snack so much that you want another one, whatever. There's no saying which train you will be able to catch, and a million things can happen that will cause you to miss the one you booked, none of which will entitle you for a refund. And your seat reservations are not worth anything on the next train. So why bother if you can just comfortably take the next train anyway?

FYI-
Perhaps check your flight on Flight Aware to see if it's currently flying, and its dependability across time.
Good luck!

If your worried about getting a seat, you can ride 2nd class and buy seat reservations for 4 EUR per person. 1st class seems like a waste for a 50 minute ride. Of course, a Super Sparpreis 1st class for 2 at 53.80 is a heck of a deal. You could cover yourself in the event that your flight gets cancelled before departure by buying a Sparpreis ticket which can be cancelled up to the day before for a 10 EUR fee. If you are on Delta going through Atlanta, as seems with an 8:40 am scheduled arrival time, you could cancel right up to scheduled departure time, which will be just before midnight C.E.T.

I have done this before myself, leaving a few hours slack time and buying a Sparpreis ticket. So here is how I would do it:
Buy 2 1st class Sparpreis tickets for the 11:09 am departure for 64.60 EUR. Now, if I did miss my flight and was able to cancel before the deadline, I am out 10 EUR. If the flight is severely delayed after the deadline, I am out 64.60 EUR. Now I would have to buy full fare tickets to get to Cologne, but I would buy 2nd class tickets for 151.60 EUR plus 8 EUR for seat reservations.

BTW, the Sparpreis ticket includes a City Ticket, so you could use public transportation to your final destination in Cologne.

If everything goes as normal, you should be through passport control and have your luggage by 9:15 am, leaving you 1 1/2 hours to cool your heals in FRA.

I went through FRA passport control less than a month ago. I landed on time at about 12 noon on United and did not check any bags. So this might be an apples and oranges comparison, but it was my experience. I was sitting close to the front of the plane so I got off as quick as I could, walked as fast as I could, did not have to get luggage, and was about #10 or so in line for the passport control. There were only two agents working so it moved very slow. Very quickly the line behind me began to get extremely long. Eventually other agents came to help, out but it still took longer than I thought it would being so close to the front of the line. I think it it might have been because they were checking the CDC card and the Germany tracking form so that part was a little bit longer with the agent. I probably waited in line 20-30 minutes to get through. The people further back in the line probably waited more than an hour.
Factor in it was a pretty long walk from my gate to the passport control and it is a little bit of a walk from there to the train station, I would give yourself at least two hours for all of that. As has been mentioned above, the frequency of the trains would make me want to just walk up and buy a ticket the day of but if you are determined to buy in advance in 1st class then I would give yourself at least three hours to have time to get your snack. You might want to ask Ms. Jo who is an expert of this airport for her opinion. Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

I flew into Frankfurt on Aug 27 from Atlanta on Delta. My flight arrived nearly 2 hours late at 10:40 am. I was in business class (frequent flyer miles!), so I had an early exit from the plane, but I made a stop at the men's room. By the time I reached the immigration queue, there were around 40 people in it with 5 immigration officers working. I made it through in around 15 minutes and was out the baggage claim doors by 11:15 am (no bags to claim). If I wanted to hit an ATM and grab a snack, an 11:43 am train time would have been rushed for my 8:55 am arrival time.

It really comes down to... how big of a gambler are you?

Honestly, unless there is a good reason you have to be in Cologne that day, I would just stay overnight in Frankfurt, spend the day sightseeing and book your ICE train for early the next morning. Then you have zero stress and you can buy the cheap tickets, plus enjoy your time. Who wants to sit around the airport for hours, waiting on a train that you booked with enough cushion to not be stressful? Do you allow for delays or not? What if your flight is delayed for hours and you miss your train? You are out the train ticket and you still have to buy another one at the steeper price? Alternative is to build in a 5-hour cushion and then you sit at the airport for 5 hours after a trans-Atlantic flight. How fun will that be? Seriously? You could be enjoying a good meal, a shower or a nap, and seeing one of the top cities in Germany!

Here's the Frankfurt "Lokalpatriotismus" speaking! :-)

As a non-Frankfurter, I wouldn't have come up with that idea... especially not with that early scheduled arrival time and the high frequency of trains going to Cologne. But it is certainly an option to just stay in Frankfurt for a night unless you are very rushed.

Frankly, it doesn't matter to me if they stay here or not, it is just that this is not the first time this kind of topic has been discussed.
People get all stressed about their flight being on time, when can they get a cheap train ticket, how long of a cushion of time.

When I land after flying all night, I do not want to sit around in an airport, I do not want to wait on trains, I do not even want to ride on a train and I love trains. I want to rest, shower, and go take a walk, have a good meal, and go to sleep. That cheap train is available tomorrow and I saved a ton of stress.

Good morning,

Jo of Frankfurt on Foot (great walking tours) has done a walk through video of arrival at Frankfurt airport. It might help you to understand what snack and toilet options you'll have. It helps me to picture what will happen. She goes all the way to the train station.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YusNOPo46Zw

@Ms. Jo, don't get me wrong, I totally agree with you! I see absolutely no reason for getting stressed out about booking ahead of time or even about getting seats on the train.

(And I'm all for a bit of Lokalpatriotismus. :-) )

Jennifer, Ms. Jo's first reply makes a great deal of sense. Rarely have our flights to Europe arrived on time -- sometimes they are two or three hours late. In addition, going through passport control is a strickly a crap shoot. Sometimes it goes quickly, but usually not. Also, we always have some Euros in hand upon landing. It cost a little more to get some at home, but it eliminates the problem of finding an ATM, hoping it works (they do malfunction on occasion), and doing so while somewhat jet lagged. Hope this helps. Have a good trip.

Welcome to hell :)! j/k. I did this today and it was dreadful.

Our plane from LAX was late (by about 50 minutes) and we ended up missing our train (it was booked not on our own, but through Lufthansa). They allotted 1 hour this was not sufficient. We walked to and fro the airport (which is huge btw). Thankfully the elevators were working. However, it was really unpleasant and we arrived in cologne about 2 hours later than anticipated.

I would give yourself at least 2.5 hours in the event your plane is delayed in any fashion, and also enough time to walk all the way to the train area. Its a LOT of walking.

Passport control was a good 45 minutes with around 25 people in line, I can't imagine if it was any more crowded.

Thanks everyone!

We've decided to just buy the train ticket when we get there. We try to travel as cheaply as possible (for the most part) so it's a bummer to miss out on the saver fare, but it's only about €30, so we'll survive. We can at least get the saver fares for the rest of our trip.

Ms. Jo - not to worry, we'll be spending a few nights in Frankfurt at the end of our trip. I haven't even started planning what to do, just have a hotel room. I'd love some suggestions of what shouldn't be missed!

Hi,

Given the times you listed, I would take the 11:43 departure or later. Whenever I landed at FRA after a non-stop flight of close 11 hours from SFO, it was usually ca. 10 am. (Only one time (2013) was the flight one hour late in arriving but then I was staying that night in Frankfurt anyway. )

By 2 pm or a bit later or so I was ion the train to Düsseldorf after having had a leisurely lunch at Frankfurt Hbf.

I usually gave myself at least three hours after landing before boarding the ICE train to Düsseldorf or Berlin to stay the first night.

As you say you can get the train to Cologne at the airport too, which obviously saves you a ride to Frankfurt Hbf.

Have you given any serious thought to taking the Regional trains instead of the ICE? Pretty view, cheap and you could leave right away. You could be sitting on a train, admiring the Rhein and the castles on your way to Cologne instead of sitting in the airport.

not to worry, we'll be spending a few nights in Frankfurt at the end
of our trip. I haven't even started planning what to do, just have a
hotel room. I'd love some suggestions of what shouldn't be missed!

Have recently done a tour, I would recommend a walking tour with Frankfurt on Foot!