My husband and I are traveling from Basel where our Viking tour ends to Frankfurt to catch a flight home. I just saw on a sight that there are no e tickets and that tickets for trains need to be mailed to you...HELP! we are leaving in two days for our cruise. How can we book transportation from the Basel train station to the Frankfurt airport area and receive confirmation before we leave? Also are the train prices different for each train line? We really appreciate any help on this topic.
Cheryl
Posted by
Green Bay
21153 posts
Relax, you can print the tickets at home and get Sparpreis discounts if you book the trip to Frankfurt from Basel Bad Bahnhof at www.bahn.com. Basel Bad station is considered a domestic German train station.
Basel Bad station may actually be closer to the Viking Cruise disembarkation point than the main SBB station. In the past they have stopped on the west bank of the Rhine north (down river) of the city center. There is really no telling where you will dock as it is at the direction of the Basel port authority.
I'm seeing a price of 29 euro for two on Monday July 6 if you take a slower EC/IC connection through Mainz.
Are you going direct to Frankfurt airport or the city?
Posted by
OP
3 posts
This is the first time I have used this Rick Steves site but I have told so many people about it and your help since your response came in! Thank you so very much! We are only going to be in Frankfurt overnight as our flight back to the States leaves at 10:55 in the morning. We are going to try to find an inexpensive hotel which will be easy to get to the airport by 9 in the morning. You truly have saved me from so much worry.... :) Thanks!
Posted by
Green Bay
21153 posts
There appear to be plenty of ICE direct trains from Basel Bad Bf to Frankfurt Hbf for 29 euro for 2. Remember that these tickets are nonrefundable, so you must make that particular train. The standard price is 162 euro for 2, which is what you would pay just walking up to the ticket window.
There are lots of hotels walking distance of the Frankfurt Hbf at reasonable prices, and you can get an S-bahn to the airport the next morning in 10 minutes. The S-bahns go every 15 minutes or so.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Sam, I am having difficulty determining which train destination is closest to the Frankfurt Airport; (main) Hbf, (Main) Sud, or Hbf (tief) ? Also, we'll be using the train on July 10th after we disembark. These fares are considerably more than 29 euros. Can't seem to find the Sparpreis discounts you mentioned. Again, thanks for your help.
Cheryl
Posted by
Green Bay
21153 posts
Yes, its a Friday so 101 euro looks like the best price available for 2 people. I'd pick the Hauptbahnhof (Hbf), since it is center city and you can visit the city easily during the evening. With a 10 minute train ride to the airport, it is just as good or better than Frankfurt Sued. "Tief" just indicates that it is the lower track level at Hauptbahnhof.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33838 posts
Both the airport in Frankfurt am Main and the centre of the city are served by 2 main stations.
In the centre of Frankfurt is the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) (abbreviated Hbf) which is a big and traditional dead end station from which you can get to all parts of the central city on foot, by U-Bahn and by S-Bahn.
Under the Hbf is the Hbf stop of the S-Bahn, easily reached by escalator from the Hbf main floor.
International, long and medium distance trains, and short distance commuter trains will arrive and depart from the Hbf; S-Bahns will arrive downstairs at the Hbf stop of the S-Bahn at Hbf (tief).
There are two train stations at the airport, the Fernbahnhof (known to the DBahn as "Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf") for the long distance trains and the Regionalbahnhof (know to the DBahn as "Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Regionalbf") for the local trains and S-Bahns.
It is only less than 15 minutes between the Hbf and the airport stations.