I'm looking at train schedules from Frankfurt International Airport to Paris (Nord or Est). I'm traveling with 7 adults. We'll arrive at 13:00 on a weekday, Terminal 2 Concourse E. It appears that there is a train #14 (is this ICE?) from Frankfurt Flug FE to Paris Nord (via Koeln) that departs Frankfurt Flug FE at 13:44 - arriving in Koeln at 14:40. Then there is a Thalys 9448 departing Koeln at 15:14 - arriving Paris Nord at 19:05.
Can we reasonably hope to make the first train at Frankfurt Flug FE? Do any of you have experience with this type of transport from point to point and any other suggestions?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Even if your plane is on time, you have virtually no chance of catching that train. You will have to retrieve your luggage, go through passport control/immigration, and walk to the station. That could easily take an hour.
You could take the 14:54 train to Mannheim; change trains there and at Offenburg and Strasbourg; and arrive at Paris Est at 19:34. However, unless it's important for you to get to Paris ASAP, a better choice would be to wait and take the 16:54 ICE 611 to Mannheim and the 16:58 ICE 9552 from there directly to Paris Est, arriving at 20:53. While the standard 2nd class fare for this route is €107, if you book well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.bahn.de, you can get a Europa-Spezial Frankreich fare as low as €39. That fare is non-refundable and non-exchangeable, but you will have nearly four hours to make the transfer, plenty of margin in case your flight is delayed.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9221 posts
After flying all night long from Minnesota, you will be dead tired. Do you really want to go jumping around looking for trains, and then sit in a train again for another 4 hours or so? Have you perhaps thought about just staying the night in Frankfurt, as it is only 11 min. away from the airport and then catch the train to Paris early the next morning.? This way, you don't have to worry about delays, you get a chance to sleep, and you arrive in Paris, a whole lot fresher and awake then the way you are planning it now. Contending with jetlag can be bad enough, but through in absolute exhaustion too, and your vacation does not have the very best start. Rooms in Frankfurt can be very reasonable, and frankly, the city does offer some wonderful historical sights along with great food.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Julie, "Frankfurt Flug FE" is "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof". It is the "long distance train" station at the airport (Flughafen) in Frankfurt. The Fernbahnhof is a considerable distance from Terminal 1; you have to go up to the 2nd floor mezzanine, across a pedestrian bridge, through a hallway in the building across the street, and across another pedestrian bridge over the Autobahn. That route starts in the great hall of Terminal 1, but you are arriving at Terminal 2. You either have to take a periodic bus to Terminal 1 or go to the upper level of Terminal 2, and take the Skyline (people mover) to the roof of Terminal 1 and get down to the great hall from there. Even if your plane arrives on time, you won't make it.
BTW, Paris also has airports. Why not fly directly there?