Please sign in to post.

Frankfurt to Budapest on the Train

Hi, I arrive at the airport in Frankfurt at 9:50 in the AM. Want to get to Budapest then to Komarno, then to a hotel in Slovakia which will pick me up at the station.

So... Where and when should I buy my tickets? Online or at the station. (I am in the US trip in 2.5 weeks) Then, where is the station in relation to the airport?

Thanks!

Posted by
8889 posts

shazzylynne, Look up train times on the German railways site: https://www.bahn.com/en
You can also buy tickets for trains within, to or from Germany on the same site, but not for trains totally outside Germany.
For long distance tickets buying in advance is cheaper, you get a print-at-home ticket e-mailed to you. BUT, once you buy, you are commited to the train listed on the ticket. No (or limited) refunds.

"where is the station in relation to the airport?" - there is a station at the airport (actually two), that is normally how you get from the airport into the city, a "main station" ("Frankfurt (Main) Hbf") in the city centre, and dozens of local stations called Frankfurt-xxx.

Most people recommend not to buy train tickets in advance after an intercontinental flight, because you cannot predict when you will exit the airport.
Are you flying to Frankfurt and travelling to Budapest the same day? If so, why not book a connecting flight to Budapest.

Edit: I have never heard of "Komarno", Wikipedia lists 5 places of that name:
* Komárno, a town in Slovakia
* Komarno, Lviv Oblast, a city in Ukraine
* Komarno, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, a village in south-west Poland
* Komarno, Lublin Voivodeship, a village in east Poland
* Komarno, a settlement in Crmnica, Montenegro

Posted by
4684 posts

Frankfurt Airport to Budapest by train is over ten hours. I would strongly recommend a flight connection instead.

Posted by
2308 posts

I'd recommend to look for a cheap flight too. It will be faster and probably cheaper than a walkup fare ticket. Just allow a time cushion of some hours to compensate for eventual delays of your transatlantic flight. BTW, the last day train to Budapest leaves FRA at 12:02. 2:12 would be enough to transfer from your flight to the train, but it's far from being certain whether your flight will be on time.

If you haven't booked your flight yet, you should look for a through ticket to Budapest.

I have never heard of "Komarno", Wikipedia lists 5 places of that name:
* Komárno, a town in Slovakia

That's it - hungarian Komárom, situated on the north bank of the Danube. Over 60% of the population is Hungarian.

Posted by
19637 posts

Does not look like you can get to Komarno until the next morning by train. Best option seems to be an ICE train to Dresden at 3:00 pm connecting to a night train heading toward Budapest. Get off at Nove Zamky then a local train to Komarno arriving at 7:22 am.

More reasonable might be an Austrian Airlines flight to Vienna, then train from there. Again, if separate tickets, you run the risk of not making the connection if your inbound flight is delayed and you will not be protected to get another flight.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks everyone... I know that for time's sake I should take a flight, and I love train travel and would love to see the countryside... :) I don't "need" to be where I am going until late afternoon on the 6th... So I still think I would love to take the train.... Looking for someplace to spend the night easy from the station... could be anyplace more than halfway on the line where I could hop on in the AM...

Posted by
2308 posts

You can make it easily to either Vienna or Bratislava, provided you won't leave FRA later than 14:02. Personally, I'd prefer Bratislava, where you could spend the better part of the day (you have to leave at 15:53 only to arrive in K. at 17:22 - check it at www.bahn.com). Seven hours or so in Bratislava would give a good impression of the capital of Slovacia, while seven hours in Vienna is not even scratching the surface.

Posted by
14481 posts

Hi,

I would only recommend the train Frankfurt to Budapest on the day after arrival at FRA, after you spend the arrival night in Frankfurt. You also after the night train option on the day of arrival. If I did that (I've had that under consideration), after clearing Border Control and baggage claim, and lunch, take the ICE to Munich, spend the hours there until the Munich Hbf- Budapest Keleti night train departs. You'll be in BP on the first full day in Europe.

Bottom line: If pressed for time, then fly from FRA. If not, then take the train which ever option , the day or night route. In 2009 I took the Frankfurt-Vienna EN night train after transferring from Paris on the ICE. .

Posted by
14481 posts

Hi,

Spending the night near Frankfurt Hbf, not pressed for time...great! There are 4 hotels on Poststraße two mins. across the street from the station. The Hbf Post Office is close to the Poststraße. Exit from Poststraße, there is a pay phone there too. It puts you conveniently in a position to take the ICE train from Frankfurt Hbf the next morning.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you soon much!!! I also found out I can take a local train from Wein to Komarno... just about an hour and a half... And I don't fly home until Friday, so I have several day's to explore the region and make my way back to Frankfurt. Does anyone know the average price increase buying a train ticket at the station instead of online? I'm thinking about waiting to purchase my ticket until my flight gets in, just before the train leaves in case my flight is delayed..

Posted by
19637 posts

The Flexpreis ticket is 148 EUR from Frankfurt airport to Vienna, Sparpreis (advance purchase nonrefundable) ticket is 80 EUR. There is a direct train at 12:02 that should be able to make if you land on time.
You can check prices at www.bahn.com.

Posted by
17636 posts

I see you changed your plans to stop in Vienna instead of Budapest, just the same, you are still going to spend 8 or 9 hours on a train to reach Vienna. I would still look for the flight.

The city on the Hungarian side of the border is Komárom. If you have time the fortress is worth a visit. There is a matching fortress across in Komarno on the Slovakian side which i suspect is equally as interesting, but I haven’t been there. Together the two controlled the Danube. The Hungarian half was used as late as the Soviet occupation times.

Your train from Frankfurt to Budapest will take 11 hours. You can fly in 2 hours for about $150 nonstop.

The train from Budapest to Komárom takes about an hour. I didn’t see service to Komarno.

All else fails contact this guy: Laszlo MARCUS http://www.silverwings.hu/

Posted by
19637 posts

It is a lot quicker to get to Komarno from Vienna through Bratislava, as well as cheaper I would imagine.