Frankfurt Airport

Not sure what kind of advice you need other than just follow the signs to where ever you want to go. Passport control, luggage, exit, train station. You need to decide whether you want to take the fast, but unscenic and boring ICE train to Cologne or the slower, cheaper, and scenic Regional train. With the Regional train, you can buy the tickets any time, so as soon as you land, you can hop on the 1st train going to Cologne. The ICE tickets are only cheap if you buy them way ahead of time and then you are bound to take that specific train, so you would have to figure in a good cushion of time, in case your flight is delayed, etc. My recomendation is to get off your flight, go to Arrival gate B-1, take the escalator downstairs to the Regional train station and buy your ticket for the Regional train going to Cologne. The train runs along the Rhine, so you get great views of the vineyards and castles. Time difference? About an hour and half more to take the Regional train. Well worth it IMHO.

Hi, The airport is very organized. Not sure exactly what advice you are looking for but there are ATMs, lots of signs directing you to various services/exits/etc. I took the train into the city when I landed there and returned a rental car when I was leaving. Both experiences were painless. There is a train information shop where you can buy tickets, get your railpass validated, and get info. Rick's guidebook has a good description of the airport in it.

Sharon, I seem to use the Frankfurt Airport at some point in my trips every year (including last year). As the others have said, it's relatively easy to get around, but you might have a look at Their Website ("Transportation" on the left side) for further information. There should be a Map of the airport somewhere on the site. Based on my experiences, I'd suggest using the faster ICE trains from the airport to Cologne. Although the distance is short, some of the Regional trains take somewhat longer on that route (eg: 0H:49M for ICE and 1H:14M to 2H:07M for slower Regional). I find that when I'm tired, jet-lagged and irritable, I want to get out of the airport and to my Hotel as quickly as possible! There's a ticket office in the airport so you can easily purchase tickets there. There's often a queue to buy tickets from an agent, but as I recall there are some ticket machines in that area as well. The fares currently shown on the DB website indicate a "Savers Fare" of €34, but I'm not sure what the difference is between that type of fare and the regular fares. Lee or one of the others will be able to provide more information on that. I probably wouldn't pre-purchase tickets (unless you choose a Regional Train) as tickets with reserved seats will likely be specific to one train. If your flight is delayed, that will prolong the trip to your Hotel and be somewhat annoying to deal with when jet lagged. Given the way I usually feel after a long flight, I'd gladly pay the €61 regular fare! Happy travels!

Thank you both. Any information is extremely helpful. If we're not too tired, we will take the slower regional train as you suggest, Jo. Sounds like something we would enjoy and appreciate.

It's a big airport but the signage is good and logical. I had no problem following the signage to the train station in the terminal. My advice, relax. Some things may take a bit of figuring out but it all makes sense once you get the hang of it. Virtually anyone you ask will be able to give good directions in English.

Since you are coming in on United, you'll be coming into Terminal 1. The Regionalbahnhof is right there, under the building across the street from Terminal 1, accessible via stairs right inside the outside wall. If you want to use the high speed trains, you have to go up to the mezzanine and take the pedestrian bridge to the building across the street and through it to the Fernbahnhof. You probably won't see "Cologne" written anywhere. In German it's "Köln". I have a page on my website devoted to navigating through FRA to the train stations. The €34 Savings fare that Ken mentions is an advance purchase train specific discount fare with limited refundability. I wouldn't suggest using that kind of a ticket considering the uncertainty of arrival time. If you take a high speed train, you might want a reservation. The only SRO ICE I've ever been on was out of FRA and that route to Köln is popular. If you buy your ticket at the counter, a reservation will be €4,50. If you buy your ticket online, it's an open ticket, valid on any train. With an online ticket, the reservation is only €2,50. If you buy the reservation online for €2,50 and miss the train, you're only out the €2,50 and will have to buy a €4,50 reservation at the counter anyway, but if you think you have a better than 50-50 chance of making the train, it's probably worth the risk.

I tend to agree with Jo (amazing). The trip down the Rhein takes a little longer, but if you've never been to that area, you should. It is scenic, with the castles and vineyards. Full regional fare is only €33,40, so you save almost €30 per person vs the ICE. If you like beating the system, like I do, you could put together a pair of FRA to Mainz local tickets at €7,80 for two, a Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket for two at €24, and two local tickets from Bonn to Köln for €13,60. That's €45,40, a saving of €20 vs regional tickets for the same route or €76,60 vs the ICE.

The regional (slow) train ride along the Rhine is delightful. (Only 1 to 2 hours per above postings). A great way to enjoy the sxcenery and decompress form your plane flight and the minor stress of getting through customs, immigration etc

Thanks to everyone for your help!