We are ending our Viking Rhone River Cruise in Avignon then going to the train station in Frankfort to rent a car and travel to Wertheim am Main.
What is the fastest and most direct train to Frankfort?
Also, please share any advice on car rentals at Frankfort Train Station.
Tausend dank!
Depending on the date and day, there may be an early morning direct train. Otherwise you'll need to make at least one change. Without knowing your dates, it may be too early to book tickets. Look at the Deutsche Bahn website for info and booking.
And again, it's spelled Frankfurt.
Looking at SNCF Connect there is a TGV Inoui from Avignon TGV station at 0848 direct to Frankfurt, arrive 1559. There is a connection at 0814 from Avignon Centre.
Next Sunday fares are 81.1 Euro 2nd class or 97.1 Euro 1st class.
Presumably even cheaper if you book well ahead.
EDIT- Looking at your other thread, as you are travelling in May next year it is far too early to book, and the exact times of that train will need to be confirmed after the December timetable change.
There are two train stations in Avignon:
There are regular trains (about every half hour) between Avignon Centre and Avignon TGV.
You can purchase a ticket to Frankfurt on SNCF Connect. I’d suggest that you download the app. Make sure you spell Frankfurt correctly (with a ”u” rather than an ”o”). The main train station in Frankfurt is Frankfurt Haubtbahnhof (Hbf). Make sure you know the Avignon station from which your train departs.
I would suggest trying SNCF Connect first when you buy tickets. This will give you a price with no additional fees. I used it recently with no issues. However, if you run into problems you can try Trainline. Trainline is a reseller with an easy to use interface; they charge an additional fee if you buy through them.
If you do not like the train timings, Viking probably offers a transfer to Marseille airport, which has flights to Frankfurt. This would probably allow you to reach Frankfurt earlier and rent a car at the airport to go to Wertheim am Main.
The 8.48 train from Avignon TGV to Frankfurt runs daily and is the only direct train between the cities. That would be my suggestion.
But i do not agree with the advice that you should buy the tickets from SNCF. Buy them from DB instead, their website is much easier to use, www.bahn.de
Since your eventual destination is Werthheim, why are you so set on stopping at Frankfurt? You could book a train straight through to Würzburg (with a change from the TGV in Frankfurt). There are car rental offices in the Würzburg Hbf. You could rent your car there and drive about an hour to Werthheim.
Or, get off the TGV in Karlsruhe and take an IC to Stuttgart (faster than going to Frankfurt), then rent a car in Stuttgart and drive to Werthheim.
While I agree the Bahn.de website is easy to use, I had no problem using the SNCF Connect App (I had the app for Iphone). It was very easy to use AND I got updates about which track the trains were arriving to and delays. I found it very useful on my recent trip.
Or, get off the TGV in Karlsruhe and take an IC to Stuttgart (faster than going to Frankfurt), then rent a car in Stuttgart
The connecting train arrives in Stuttgart at 1602 (a few minutes later than direct to Frankfurt), and would the rental office still be open at 4pm on a Sunday?, especially if the connection was late for any reason.
Sixt has a location inside Frankfurt Hbf open 6 am to 9 pm M-Sun.
If you do not like the train timings, Viking probably offers a transfer to Marseille airport, which has flights to Frankfurt. This would probably allow you to reach Frankfurt earlier and rent a car at the airport to go to Wertheim am Main.
The Marseilles to Frankfurt flights are currently at 0645, 1035 and 1835. It is over an hours drive to Marseilles airport from Avignon. You would have to leave the ship far sooner to make the 1035 flight than to make the direct train.
ViaMichelin gives a significantly longer drive time to Wertheim from Stuttgart than from Frankfurt, so the direct train to Frankfurt, given what Sam says about the car rental office at Frankfurt HbF is by far the most sensible route.
While I agree the Bahn.de website is easy to use, I had no problem
using the SNCF Connect App (I had the app for Iphone). It was very
easy to use AND I got updates about which track the trains were
arriving to and delays. I found it very useful on my recent trip.
Those who prefer apps can of course also use the DB app.
The Marseilles to Frankfurt flights are currently at 0645, 1035 and 1835. It is over an hours drive to Marseilles airport from Avignon. You would have to leave the ship far sooner to make the 1035 flight than to make the direct train.
Yeah you're right, with such flight times, the train is the way to go!
