Frankfurt aeroport

It depends on what kind of a Bahn ticket. If you buy a standard fare ticket, it will be valid for travel to the specified destination on any train of that class for some period of time (a month?) Any reservations will only be valid for the specific train and lost if you don't catch that train, but reservations are not that expensive (€4,50-5,50 at the counter). HOWEVER, if you purchase a discounted Sparpreis ticket in advance, those tickets can only be used on that specific train and will be lost if you miss it. I assume you will be taking an express train (ICE, IC, EC). Those trains use the Fernbahnhof, which is on the other side of the building across the street from Terminal 1. In the past, I have been out at the Fernbahnhof within an hour of landing (but I carry on). I wouldn't recommend buying a ticket until you get to the station since flights can be late. Trains usually have plenty of seats. You can ensure that by making a reservation when you get the ticket.

Thank you, I am planing to buy the discounted ticket on line and this is almost twice less than the regular one. Our tickets about 50euros. So, maybe has sence to give yourself about 3hrs. Do you know how long takes go thr custom?

"Customs" is a walk-through, you don't stop unless you have something to declare. Immigration is a separate line. It really depends on what time you arrive, but I don't think I've ever waited longer than 10 minutes. Existing through immigration at Frankfurt, however, can take much longer.

I might be able to. But it would help first to know to where you are going. A Länder-Ticket is an on/off unlimited pass for 2nd class travel on regional trains in a single German state, or Land (pl. Länder). They are valid all day (after 9 AM on workdays). They don't sell out and advance purchase is not necessary. You can always buy them just before you travel from one of the ticket automats in every station. For Bavaria, the Bayern-Ticket is €29 for up to five people. It's €2 more from a ticket counter, for personal service.

Thank you Lee, our first city will be Nurenberg.and then will be in Prague and back to Germany. I looked only for DB train and Bus ( from Nurenberg to Prague) The train price discounted was very reasonable, I think. But I do not any experience traveling by train

thank you very much

Are you planning to spend a night in Nürnberg before going on to Prague? Anyway, from FRA to Nürnberg: in the Regionalbahnhof, which is under the building across the road from Terminal 1, purchase an RMV (Frankfurt transit authority) point-point ticket from the airport to Kahl am Main (should be €7,30 per adult). Also, from the red/white/blue Bahn ticket automat, with the touch screen, purchase your Bayern-Ticket for €29 (€31 from the counter). Take the first regional train or S-Bahn to Frankfurt Hbf, and there catch the Regional Express to Würzburg. In Würzburg catch another regional train to Nürnberg. As long as you can count on catching a specific bus to Prague the next day, the bus specific, advance purchase tickets are as low as €19 per person. Just in case you are planning to go to Prague for the first night, there is a direct regional train leaving Nürnberg at 14:05, getting to Prague at 18:54. If, instead of the Bayern-Ticket, you purchase a Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket for €33, it's not only valid for travel in Bavaria, but also in a border area of the Czech Repubic up to Pilsen. Before you get to Pilsen, purchase from the Czech conductor a Czech ticket from Pilsen to Prague for about €6. Up to now, I have just shown you an overview of the possiblilities. When you know for sure what you want to do, I'll fill in the details.

On what day of the week are you arriving and to where are you going. There could be some other inexpensive options on regional trains (using Länder Tickets) which would allow you to leave immediately.

Wednesday, arrival time 7:30am. I was looking for ticket on DB site. Can you help me with other options?

Miriam, we arrived in Frankfurt Xmas Eve morning at 7 and caught an ICE train to Mannheim/switching to a local to Kaiserslautern. Passport control etc was a breeze, and since our train wasn't until 9:30 we had time to catch our breaths and get a bite to eat (you really must try one of the McCafe's; they are sooo different than our McDonalds. I can't believe I just said that!!). Brace yourself; the Frankfurt airport is huge and you will have to walk the length of a mall before even getting to the train station.

Hello, Kim. Thank you for your information. We should arive by American about 7:25am if everything will be in time. So, You think that about 2hrs will be ok so we will not miss our train. I want to buy ticket(discounted) on line(much cheeper). We will defanatly follow your advise for Mc Caffe.

One of the nicer places to grab a bite to eat, especially in the morning is the Marche' Cafe. They make all their own breads there, they offer lots of fresh fruit, as well as other items. It is located by Arrival Gate B-1, which is the same area as the escalator that goes down to the Regional Train station. Once you catch a whiff of the fresh breads baking, you will be hooked as well as happy you didn't go to McD's. If you are flying Lufthansa, they offer a Rail and Fly special, which includes your train ticket and it isn't time specific. I never see anyone mention this on here and it is one of those items that would relieve a lot of stress from travel. If your flight is delayed at all, then you don't have to worry about that ICE train ticket you bought on sale 3 months ago.

Ooh! Those fresh morning breads in France and Germany..... no mcCafes for me when i have that choice

Jo, the last time I checked into the Rail and Fly option it seemed to apply only for flights originating in Germany, not for ones that are booked overseas. Has that changed?

Jo, the last time I checked into the Rail and Fly option it seemed to apply only for flights originating in Germany, not for ones that are booked overseas. Has that changed?

hm, never looked, but that is a good point. Still, for those folks flying around over here, say from Berlin to Munich, etc. it might be helpful. Thanks for pointing that out, as it is something that completely slipped past me. EDIT: Just checked the Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn website and it says that the Rail and Fly tickets are only available in conjunction with International flights. So, not good for flights from one city in Germany to the next. It also is not good for some popular trains, like Frankfurt to Paris for example. If flying Lufthansa, this could be an exellent ticket to have. Here is the PDF with the FAQ
http://www.bahn.de/p/view/mdb/pv/pdf/diverse/rail___fly/MDB81747-20100928_reisendeninfo_eticketrailandfly_en.pdf

Miriam, nothing is guaranteed. In eight trips to Germany since 2000, I have been at least an hour late arriving on two occasions. Right after I made reservations in 2007, I started tracking flights on the airline's (USAir) website. In the first week, they were 9 and 10 hours late on two days. Nine and ten hours is undoubtedly rare, but it does happen. If you have time to think about this, start tracking that flight's arrivals. Kim, there are actually two train stations at FRA. The one to which you walk "the length of a mall" is the Fernbahnhof, which services express trains. It's on the other side of the building across the access road from Terminal 1 and across the Autobahn from there. The Regionalbahnhof, which services mostly regional trains and the S-Bahn, is under that building across the street, and you access it via stairs just inside of Terminal 1. It's much closer. For €3,90 each, you buy local tickets to Mainz (an S-Bahn leaves every ½ hr). From Mainz, a Rhineland-Pfalz-Ticket (€24 for 2P) will cover your travel to Kaiserslautern. That's <€32 for 2, the trip is usually not any slower, and the tickets are valid on any regional train.

As for Rail&Fly. Nowhere do I see anything that says that their tickets are discounted, just included with your flight coupons. Any full fare Bahn tickets are open tickets, valid for any train. I haven't checked for a few years, but when I did, the US office of Lufthansa knew nothing about Rail&Fly. I thought at the time it said to contact your travel agent. Maybe it's only available if you book through a travel agent. My local travel agent charges $50 to write a flight ticket, so that would offset any savings on the rail part, if there are any.

Thank you everyone. With all this information, I am sure we will be ok

I like to do what Lee suggests. Don't make reservations and just catch a regional bahn. When I'm through customs, I head for the rail station in the airport, buy a ticket from the machine and go. This is an inexpensive option. Your travel will be a little slower but for relatively short distances there isn't much difference (especially if your intercity train includes changes). The problem with cheap tickets, booked well in advance, is they are very inflexible. If you are late or delayed in customs for any reason and miss your train, you will have to purchase a new ticket. Some try to avoid this problem by giving themselves plenty of lag time. IMO this eliminates any advantage of taking a faster train and leaves you sitting in an airport when you could be on the move.

Miriam, the touch screen ticket automats have an English option.