Hello everyone, my brother and I will be traveling to Frankfurt for 3 days. I’ve read the train station is adjacent to the airport so we can take the train directly into Frankfurt’s main hub, correct?
Any recommendations other than Frankfurt on Foot tour or day trips to Bacharach/St Goar/Heidelberg? We would like to take the train to those locations but are unsure about which specific train take.
Is there a local Frankfurt river cruise suggestion? Thank you everyone
When will you be here?
The Regional train station at the airport that goes into Frankfurt is right under Terminal 1. Just follow the signs to Regional Train Station. Which hotel are you staying in? That will help me figure out which station you should get off at in Frankfurt.
You can take day trips to all kinds of great towns, perhaps, Mainz, Büdingen, Limburg, Marburg, Bad Homburg, Seligenstadt, Idstein, Michelstadt, mostly only 1 hour or less from Frankfurt, etc. or you can spend time exploring Frankfurt too, like the many museums, the markets, some of the lovely neighborhoods, like Höchst. It kind of depends on your interests. The more you tell us, the more help we can give you.
The cruise on the Main is pretty low key. The ship goes one direction for 25 min. returns for 25 min. goes the other direction for 25 min. and returns. You get some nice views of the city, and it is relaxing to sit and have a drink, but it isn't a top tourist attraction in the city.
Month of year is essential for the best advice. For example day-boats on the scenic Middle Rhine.
I am not saying it's "easy", compared to driving to the mall near your home! But some posters here love the Deutsche Bahn site so much that they buy their tickets for all European trips there:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trains-rail-passes
You can easily make "dummy" bookings and just abandon them at the "Pay with card?" page. It's good practice. If you like living on your phone, that's even better for last-minute, unreserved local trains. Note that Frankfurt's public transit includes a huge S-Bahn network, something between a Subway and a Commuter Train. Maps are easy to download.
Thank you for the quick response. We fly out tomorrow will arrive Friday Nov 3 and leave. Monday Nov 6th. Initially planned to watch the Chiefs game but now we are planning to site see (day trips) and watch the game at a local bar or restaurant. Any recommendations would be great.
We are staying at the Holiday Inn - Atle Oper (Mainzer Landstraße 27)
We would really like to see some river towns such as Bacharach and St Goar on Saturday.
I really think you need to get familiar (quickly) with the transportation system in Frankfurt.
There is a station at the airport, for regional trains (RE/RB) and S-Bahn's, called the Regionalbahnhof. Although some people believe it is under Terminal 1, it is actually under the building across the access road from Terminal 1. You come up escalators from the Regionalbahnhof into the large rooms in T1 where the check-in counters are located, hence the misconception.
There is another station, the Fernbahnhof, for long distance trains (ICE/IC/EC). It's located beyond the building across from Terminal 1, and has a covered access bridge over the autobahn. Unless you go a ways from Frankfurt, you won't be needing the Fernbahnhof.
From the Regionalbahnhof, S-Bahns (and a few regional trains) go into the main station in downtown Frankfurt, the Hauptbahnhof (abbreviated Hbf), in about 13 minutes. Your hotel is just a few blocks from the Hbf.
So, if you are flying into FRA, you'll need to find the Regionalbahnhof and take one of the trains to the Frankfurt Hbf, then walk or take a taxi to your hotel. Regional trains arrive at the Hbf at ground level; most S-Bahn pass through the underground S-Bahn station.
For the rest of the time, until you fly out of Frankfurt, you won't need the airport stations. The Frankfurt Hbf is a hub for trains that go all over Germany, including, with a likely connection in Mainz Hbf, to Bacharach and St. Goar.
You can find the train you need on the bahn.com web site or use the DB Navigator app on your phone.
There are a lot of 'Best of Frankfurt' videos on youtube. Also on the 'Frankfurt on Foot' youtube site:
https://www.youtube.com/@frankfurtonfoottours2361/videos
Despite the hotel's name, you are much closer to the redlight district than the Old Opera house. I would check with your hotel if you plan to wander around the area at night. The area is also known for its drug use. Today the city instituted a weapons-free zone for the area due to crime levels.
https://www.frankfurt-tipp.de/en/index/news/s/ugc/new-gun-ban-zone-for-frankfurts-station-district.html
https://www.thelocal.de/20231101/frankfurt-introduces-weapons-free-zone-around-main-train-station
Any suggestions for hotels?
I stay some distance away in the Taunus hills so can't help with hotels in town.
I will just caution that you make sure that the rain clothing gets in the suitcases because of the string of storms we have seen. This weekend the major storms will miss Frankfurt and area, but each day of your trip is expecting rain.
Any suggestions for hotels?
A lot of the hotels in downtown Frankfurt are in this area, near the main train station. In my experience, at night the area is more sketchy & creepy than it is dangerous. But I haven't been there in several years. Just be mindful of your environment and I suspect you'll be fine.
So you arrive FRA on Friday and plan to visit nearby Bacharach or St. Goar on Saturday?
Instead of using the train to FRANKFURT (which takes you away from Bacharach/St. Goar) take the train to MAINZ - which shares the Rhine River with Bacharach - and stay there.
Map: https://www.rhine.apartment-listings.com/bilder-fotos/map/lageplan-bacharach-600-7.gif
It's only 25 minutes to Mainz and the trains are direct. You can stay by the rail station without safety concerns. The Mercure Mainz, the B&B Hotel, the Schottenhof, the AC, and the Hammer are all right near Mainz station (a nice enough area) and show availability with decent rates. (Just DON'T stay at the Terminus hotel.)
If you stay in Frankfurt, you will have to double-back by train to Bacharach. For the morning train that arrives there at 10:20, you'd need to board at 9:08 in Frankfurt. From Mainz, you board at 9:51, so the trip is just under 30 minutes that morning. And if you won't be staying near Frankfurt's central station, you'll need to add transport time to reach it as well.
Mainz is a college town of a little under 1/4 million inhabitants, has a huge pedestrians-only zone, and offers lots too see and do and lots of bars and restaurants, no doubt some with sports enthusiasts and TVs.
Frankfurt > Bacharach > Frankfurt by train = RMV group day ticket €48
Mainz > Bacharach > Mainz by train = RNN group day ticket €28
Mainz > Bacharach > St. Goar > Koblenz > and any other nearby Rhine towns: Rheinland-Pfalz ticket day pass, €32/day.
Buy these day passes from a ticket machine at the station.
A Rhine town you didn't mention is Rüdesheim The Rheinland-Pfalz ticket will get you there by train from Mainz - or from St. Goar, use the ferry crossing and take the train south to Rüdesheim.
Marksburg Castle in Braubach is open for daily tours. It's on the Rüdesheim side of the river and is open for tours.
Area map with railways, towns, ferry crossings shown:
http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/walking-hiking.php
Don't worry about your hotel. You are only 1 block away from the Alte Oper. I have met people there a number of times and though the RLD is a few blocks away, you will never know it unless you walk through there. Coming in from the airport, you might want to get off at Taunusanlage. It is a pleasant walk, next to the Wallanlage, which is a park that surrounds the city. There are festivities going on in Frankfurt that will give you a great party atmosphere. They are putting up all kinds of things downtown, stages, speakers, and stands, so you should have a good time.
Sorry, Lee, but I choose to not confuse people with the Regional train station at the airport. From B-1, you take 2 escalators down to the platform. Easy peasy. Same thing from A-1 or A-2. You take escalators straight down to the station. The airport is big enough and confusing for many people. I try and make it easy for them. Since I am there all the time and hear how and why people get lost, I try and give them the easiest directions to where ever it is they want to go.
If you want to go to Rüdesheim this weekend, you can use a group ticket from RMV to get there. It is still in Hessen.
My hotel is just outside the SE corner of the weapon free zone. Should I be concernced? I'm normally not out late at night. And if I was, I'd probably take a taxi back to my hotel.
