walking time needed to catch Long distance train from Frankfurt airport

Buying the cheap fare makes sense, but you only have an hour to make your train. If your flight is even 15 min. late, you will have a tough time to make that train. With those super saver tickets, you cannot switch trains.

Just for an idea, why not stay in Frankfurt or Mainz overnight and take the early morning train the next day to Paris. I think there is one that leaves at 6 or so and you end up in Paris at 10 or 11. Especially coming off of a long flight from L.A. it will be nice not to plop your self in another seat for 4 more hours, and then also expect to sightsee in Paris the very same day. You will be so exhausted and jetlagged. I don't think you will lose that much time in the end, but you will be alot more rested and less stressed out about making that train. If you really want to go that same day, I would go for the 11:50 train. You still get to Paris by 1700.

As Jo mentioned the question is not how much time it takes you to walk from your arrival gate to the train track but the uncertainty of delays in your flight. Do you have to make reservations for the train? Can you make a decision when you arrive? If your flight is on time you can make it for the first train (don't check your luggage so you don't have to wait for it). Have a back-up plan ready in case your flight is delayed. And in that case Jo's suggestion is great. Why not spend a day in Frankfurt rather than 5 extra hours travelling?

However you choose to do it. If you buy tickets ahead of time, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get there. You will have to buy another ticket, at a much higher price, if you miss your train.

Frankfurt has always been smooth but it still takes time. Here's some (erring on the safe side) guesses based on my experience in Frankfurt. From wheels on the ground add 15 minutes for the plane to get to the gate. Add another 15 minutes to get off the plane and into the airport (depends a lot on where you sit). No luggage, perfect, head to customs. I don't think I've ever had anything other than a brief line in Frankfurt, maybe add another 10-20 minutes to walk there and get through. Remember although most people get through customs quickly and easily, it's not something you can guarantee. The line could be longer or they could choose to look through your stuff. From customs, add another 20 minute walk to the train (including a quick stop at an ATM). For checked luggage add 30-45 minutes (just a guess because I haven't checked luggage in years but I don't know any backpacks that meet carry-on size requirements).

In your case, even with carry-on only, it's probably cutting it too close to risk. Either take the next train or plan something in Frankfurt area for your first day as Jo suggests.

Last time I flew to Frankfurt, the flight was an hour late getting into FRA. It was a non-stop flight from Denver, but I think the outbound flight from Frankfurt to Denver was several hours late leaving Frankfurt and several hours late getting into Denver. They did a great job of turning the plane around in Denver and made up some time on the flight back, but we were still late.

These things happen all the time. A year earlier, I booked a USAir flight to Munich and started to track arrival times. In the first two weeks after I booked, the flight was 9 hours late (one day) & 10 hours late (another day) getting into Munich.

I agree with Jo. I would never plan on using a train-specific, non-refundable Savings Fare on the day of arrival.

This whole thing really begs the question, "If you want to go to Paris, why are you flying to Frankfurt?"

You wrote that you're on a budget and I can certainly understand that from my own experience. However, sometimes you can end up beeing penny-wise and pound foolish. I also prefer to pre-book my train tickets if it can save me money. But I don't like doing it for a train ride from the airport as the risk of either loosing that money or waiting "forever" for a safely booked train is too high.

I was thinking of that just yesterday when a friend of mine talked about a travel experience with her friend some years back. They had both bought Eurorail tickets valid for 30 days. However, 4 days into the trip after arriving in London one of them lost her ticket. She thought she couldn't afford to buy a new one and so they decided to stay in London and explore the city. However, it turned out that London is a very expensive city to stay in and they ran out of money within 2 weeks and had to return home. In hindsight, it would have been "cheaper" to buy a new ticket and head of to Spain as originally planned where cost of living would have been much lower than in London.

It will definitely take longer to reach the Fernbahnhof from Terminal 2 than from Terminal 1. The Skyline is one way, but you have to go up several flights of escalators to the top of Terminal 2, then down several flights to the hall of Terminal 1. The cars on the Skyline are small, but they run one right after the other, so I wouldn't anticipate a long wait to get on one. Still, I think I would allow a half hour just to get to Terminal 1. Then, it is still a good 10-15 minutes out to the Fernbahnhof, assuming you know right where you are going.

There is also a shuttle bus that runs from the access road outside Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. It makes a CCW loop. T1 to T2 takes a couple of minutes, but to get from T2 to T1 it goes way out and around, almost out of the airport, and takes a lot longer. The bus runs about every 15 minutes, so it you get to the sidewalk right after one leaves, you have a long wait for the next one.

I think the shuttle bus is potentially faster, but the Skyline probably more predictable.

Update: I just checked the Bahn website. They claim that from T2 to the Fernbf takes 17 minutes, 7 for the bus, 10 to walk about 300 yds from T1 to the station. There are two buses every half hour, but they are not evenly spaced; half are 7 min apart, others are 23 min apart. So it could take you up to 40 minutes.

I must have good luck as my flights always arrive early, the last one came in an hour early, but, I certainly would not count on it. Riding the skyline monorail is fun and easy. Used to take my kids out to the airport on rainy days and we would ride it back and forth and they would play at McD's in Terminal 2, but, I digress.

It isn't really much of a hassle taking the Skytrain. One comes every 3 min. and they only take a min. or two to get to Terminal 1. It is walking through the airport that takes up so much time as it is so large.

Jo, it's Murphy's law. Your flights always arrive early because you live there and don't depend on them arriving on time.

A few years ago I flew from Atlanta to Stuttgart, and we were delayed leaving Atlanta due to thunderstorms. We arrived in Stuttgart an hour late. I had intended to use Baden-Württemburg- and Bayern-Tickets to get to Rothenburg with an RE to Ansbach, but the train an hour later was an IR (not regional), so I had to buy full fare tickets.

I don't think Brad mentioned passport control. The last time we went through passport control in Frankfurt, it was a royal mess. It amazes me that Germans are so methodical in their driving, but can't stand in line to save their lives.

Do you have to buy the tickets ahead of time? Can you get them at the station that day?

"The last time we went through passport control in Frankfurt, it was a royal mess. It amazes me that Germans are so methodical in their driving, but can't stand in line to save their lives.
"

If "they" really were Germans, they would have been in the EU passport lines and wouldn't have bothered you. If "they" were really messing up your line, then they were non-EU citizens, probably Americans.

The reason she wants to get the tickets aheard of time instead of at the airport, is that it is the only way that she can get Europa-Spezial Frankreich tickets for as low as €39 instead of having to pay full fare of €107-117.