I will arrive at the Frankfurt airport around 11:35am on June 19th. I need to head to Stuttgart right away. Looking on the DB rail site I see tickets varying in price form 29E to 39E for travel around 2 hours after I arrive. Is there a way to purchase tickets at the airport for a cheaper price? I don't know if I should purchase tickets now not knowing how long it will take to go through customs. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Posted by
Germany, Germany
813 posts
You can take the train, but you can also fly. Getting a hopper may be faster. We've made connections in Frankfurt in under an hour, one time last summer, we had a 75 min connection and were still standing in the customs line well beyond that, but picked up the next hopper no problem.
Posted by
OP
Stuttgart, Germany
51 posts
Do you know some airline names? The ones I have checked are expensive- EasyJet, RyanAir. I just need to get to Stuttgart that day..not necessarily in a hurry. Is there some local airline, like SW Airlines here in the states, that offers deals to smaller airports?
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Trains run very frequently between Frankfurt and Stuttgart. If in doubt, buy your ticket for a train a few hours after landing. Immigration at Frankfurt is usually fairly efficient. I don't think I've ever waited longer than 15 minutes.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
If you already booked your airline tickets, there's no reason to fly to Stuttgart from Frankfurt. It will always be more expensive to fly, and will actually take longer door-to-door (yes, I've done it, took a transaltantic flight from SFO that connected in Frankfurt on to Stuttgart.) Buy your tickets in advance, but give yourself plenty of time to get off the plane, through customs, and to the train station at the airport. It's convienently located and easy to get to from the airport, but your plane might be late and you don't know how long it will take to get through customs (and get your luggage if you're checking something) so I'd give yourself at LEAST 2 hours from arrival time. That said, it will NOT be cheaper to buy your tickets once you arrive. It would be cheapest to buy your tickets ASAP. The price will only go up. You'll pay 59 Euro if you wait to buy them once you arrive. It's a popular commuter route so direct trains aren't cheap - 29 euro is a good deal.
Posted by
South Bend, WA, US
14 posts
My last trip to FRA arrived 3 hours late, so having a saver ticket would have been a loss. It is a gamble. We have a trip in October and will have a German rail pass so we will not have to worry whether late or not.
Saverfare: Exchange/refund, EUR 15; not permitted on or after the 1st day of validity
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
That's true that if your plane is significantly late, you'll end up having to pay full fare plus the cost of your saver fare. However, extreme cases of lateness like that are less likely than being on time/within 30 minutes of your scheduled arrival time. So it's a gamble but the odds are distinctly in your favor. For me, it would be worth saving 60 euros on odds like that, for others it may not be.