We want to take a train from the airport in Frankfurt to Cochem. We are arriving on Delta from the U.S. on a Sunday morning (7:45) in September. What's a safe guess on the time it takes to claim baggage, go through passport control and customs (nothing to declare) and getting to the trains at the the airport station? We are arriving in terminal 2. Someone is meeting us in Cochem and we need give them a realistic time to meet us which depends on which train we make.
Thanks!
EMIL
Emil, with all due respects, that is a nonsensical question. You can't predict this kind of thing. The last time I flew into FRA, my flight was over an hour late leaving this country and an hour late arriving in Frankfurt. I would say with certainty that if you were arriving at Terminal 1, and had no checked luggage, that you could catch a train an hour later, but with uncertainty about arrival time, time to get from Terminal 2, time to get through baggage claim and passport control, there is no way to predict it. Have you ever flown into FRA? Do you know your way to the Regionalbf?
If they watch the Internet and know what time you actually arrive, I would guess that you should allow 1½ to the first train.
Thanks Lee,
My question was how long (a safe guess) does it take to get from the gate to the train. No, I have not been there, thus the question.
I guess I wasn't clear enough on what I was asking. I know it would be impossible to determine the time we would board the train. Is that more sensible?
Emil
If everything goes smoothly and you find your way around quickly, you may make it from plane to train in less than an hour, but several things could throw your schedule off. For instance, since you are arriving early on a Sunday morning, your ATM card may not work right away, in which case you could find yourself stuck in a long, slow-moving line for currency exchange. Or you could face similar lines for ticket purchases or to report lost luggage. To be safe, I would plan for 90 minutes to two hours between arrival and departure. Either that or have a way to contact your friends if you are delayed.
Emil, we arrived in Frankfurt at 9:25am and I think we were to the train station about 1 hour later maybe a little more. I didn't realize that we'd have to get on a 10 minute bus ride to get to the station. I agree with Roy that you should allow about 1 - 1 1/2 hours to get there. The train that we were going to take to Prague got all messed up, and we had to figure out how to call Czech Republic because we were also meeting a van to transport us to our apartment. Big pain in the butt. Anyway, just make sure you have all phone numbers you need just in case your flight or train gets messed up and then you can contact your ride... Roy, I'm confused by your ATM comment. Why would an ATM not work on a Sunday morning?
Roy,
Yeah, what about the ATM early Sunday A.M. Is there a problem getting currency out when you first arrive in Europe?
Thanks
EMIL
When we arrived in Vienna on a Sunday morning last year, my ATM card would not work, even though I had notified the bank and it had notified Visa. I did not try again that afternoon, but it was working fine the next morning. However, we lost over an hour trying to round up enough euros to get us through the day. I have since heard from others who have had a similar problem. I have been told that banks in the U.S. do much of their computer maintenance and upgrades in post-midnight hours of Sunday morning. Whatever was the problem, it created a delay and a temporary hardship for us. My point was to budget a time cushion in case something does go wrong.
You know, everything may go smoothly. Your plane may land early, passport control goes quickly, your luggage is there, and you walk out the door and make your way to the train station. Perhaps I am just lucky, but this is how every arrival has been for me at Frankfurt. Lots of people have smooth arrivals. Yes, you can prepare for the worst, but you can also prepare for the best. I can easily see being at the train within 45 min. to an hour.
Your friends can either track your arrival time on the Frankfurt airport website, and therefore have a good idea of when you are landing. Or, they can call the airport. That is pretty easy. There are plenty of phones at the airport, you can call them before you get on your train. I assume you have more than one train you can take? Send them the list of possible trains.
If you actually arrive at the Frankfurt airport at 7:45, on a Sunday, and you can get through passport control, retrieve your bags, and find your way to the Regionalbahnhof by 8:38, 53 min, then you can proceed by S-Bahn and express trains to Cochem by 10:56, or by regional trains by 11:56. If you arrive early, maybe; if you arrive on time, I doubt that you can make it.
At 9:28 (1hr 43 min after sched. landing), there is another express connection starting from the Regionalbhf, getting to Cochem at 11:56. If you arrive on time, you should have no problem making that connection.
At 9:32, there is a regional connection leaving the Regionalbhf, getting to Cochem at 12:56.
If you have a railpass, or are willing to spring for a more expensive express ticket, you should tell them most likely 11:56. Otherwise, tell them 12:56.
Last time I flew into Frankfurt, we didn't check our bags we had no trouble getting out of there, but the non-EU passport control lines are pretty much ALWAYS a mess. Essentially, getting to the right train shouldn't be a problem, but I'd look up the train times on www.bahn.de and give your friend a call once you're past the passport control to give them a time estimate. You could luck out and only wait ten minutes at passport control, or another plane may have landed at the same time and you'll end up waiting around for half an hour or more. And that's outside the time it takes to get to passport control and get to the trains.
Well, if what Roy says is often accurate, than you can pay for your tickets with a credit card. Of course, you won't have money for any food... BUT, if you're concerned that this will occur, you could always spend about $8.00 and buy Euros from your bank before you leave. That's an often debated topic on here, but if there's a valid concern of ATMs not working, then that can be your backup.
With an airport the size of Frankfurt with over 1400 flights a day, believe me, there is more than one ATM here. I have never heard of someone not being able to get money here. If worse comes to worse, there is the money exchange there, which though a rip-off, one can use in emergencies. If you just need tickets, you can also go into the DB ticket office and they will sell you a ticket with your credit card.
This discussion is getting away from Emil's original question. I am not an authority on problems with ATMs, other than having had an occasional bad experience at home and one Sunday morning while traveling. The latter problem had to do with my bank rather than the individual machine, but I lost time standing in line at the AP currency exchange. As I said, I am no authority on ATM problems, but, since there seems to be so much interest here in the subject, I have posted a question in the General Travel section of the Traveler's Helpline site. Maybe someone there can offer some better information than I can.
