We arrive at Terminal 1 in Frankfurt around 8:40 AM on a Thursday in October and need to get to the Fernbf train station for a 10:02 train to Wurzburg. We are assuming this is enough time to get through customs, etc. What is the quickest way to get to the Fernbf station from Terminal 1 - is there a bus, tram etc or do you walk - and if so how long will this take? Can can anyone give us step by step instructions? We looked online but it's still a bit confusing. Are signs clearly marked?
Posted by
near San Francisco
5400 posts
Others will be able to give you good instructions, which I've been collecting for my own upcoming journey. (Thanks to all!)
I also found some great ( and some not so great) YouTube videos showing full headcam journeys of how to get from the terminals to the train stations, including the well marked signage. I'm going to the regional station - different than yours - you will likely find something similar.
Edit: this is one of the clearer videos. I didn't watch the entire thing but she's going to Fernbahnhof and you can clearly see the signs.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9224 posts
There is signage all over the place, often hanging from the ceiling, directing you to the Long-distance train station/Fernbahnhof. It is not difficult to find.
Customs is not a thing here. You will go through passport control, pick up your checked luggage if you have any, and walk out the doors that say "Nothing to Declare".
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
Are you going to use a Savings Fare Ticket for the ICE to Würzburg? If your flight is on time arriving, you should have enough time (1H22), even with checked baggage, to get to the Fernbahnhof. I usually make it in less than an hour with carryon. HOWEVER, you cannot rely on a trains-Atlantic flight arriving on time. I've been an hour late into Frankfurt on two occasions. If you have a train-specific, non-refundable ticket, and your flight is late, even by ½ hr, you could lose your ticket.
A way to get to Würzburg, a little slower, but without paying full fare or risking an advance purchase ticket, is to use regional tickets to Würzburg. An RE goes from the Frankfurt Hbf through Kahl am Main, which is the first station in Bavaria, so from Kahl you can use a Bayern-Ticket (€32 for two). To get to Kahl, you purchase a local RMV ticket from FRA to Kahl for €8,60 pP. You take the S-Bahn to the Hbf, then board the RE to Würzburg. The RMV ticket covers you to Kahl, from which you can use the Bayern-Ticket.
Posted by
Green Bay
21166 posts
On your other thread you state that you have a group or 4 and you are traveling directly to Rothenburg ob der Tauber after you land. As Lee stated, if you buy Sparpreis tickets now, you are taking a risk that if your flight get delayed and you miss that 10:02 to Wuerzburg, your tickets become worthless and you will have to buy new full fare tickets for 212 EUR total for 4 people. Looking at Thursdays in October, Super Sparpreis tickets are anywhere from 160 to 104 EUR if bought today.
An alternative is to travel with regional train to Wuerzburg from Frankfurt Hbf. The Quer durchs Land Ticket will cost 68 EUR (bought out of a ticket machine, or 2 EUR more from the ticket window) for 4 people and you can travel flexibly on any regional trains.
Then 10:02 train you are looking at now will get you to Rothenburg by 12:50. There is an S-Bahn from the Regionalbahnhof at the same time to Frankfurt Hbf that connects to a regional train to Wuerzburg, but you will get to Rothenburg 1 hour later at 13:50. If you get to the regionalbahnhof early, take the first available S-Bahn to Frankfurt Hbf, as the trains at 2 past the hour are barely enough to make the connection to Wuerzburg.
Anyway, something to think about.
PS, Thinking about it, if you did go ahead and buy Super Sparpreis tickets for the 10:02, and you did miss it, it would not cost you the full 212 EUR for a new ticket. The regional train connections from Wuerzburg to Rothenburg would still be valid for the rest of the day. You would just have to buy new tickets for the ICE train from Frankfurt Flughafen to Wuerzburg for 168 EUR. Hang on to the original tickets and use them for the Wuerzburg to Rothenburg legs. Deutsche Bahn ticket rules allow this.
Posted by
Germany
1117 posts
I agree that 1 hour and 20 minutes is feasible but only if there are no delays, which can easily happen at any point. Planes have been known to arrive late, or your suitcase might be the very last one to appear on the baggage carousel... things like that have all happened to us before.
So, if you haven't already bought your train tickets, don't - or choose tickets that will not confine you to one specific train connection.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
Depending on your airline, you might be able to add a Rail&Fly train ticket to you flight ticket. For about €33, it gives you a fully flexible ticket to anywhere in Germany. I think you have to specify the destination in advance, but it is an open ticket valid for any train (including an ICE) that day or the next; no risk of losing your ticket if the flight is late. Check with you airline to see if it is still possible to add it.
Posted by
1 posts
If you are arriving at the Frankfurt Airport before October 24, it is easy to follow the signage for Fernbahnhof. You need not worry.
However, construction will be happening on. the Regionalbahn platform (one level above Fernbahnhof) beginning on October 24. This will cause some local, S-Bahn trains to leave from the Fernbahnhof. Also, some of the long distance trains which normally stop at Fernbahnhof will bypass the Frankfurt Airport altogether.
Construction runs from October 24-December 14.
You can check out the Frankfurt Airport website.