Stop Over in Frankfurt

Hi: I will be stopping in Frankfurt for 6 hours in early Feb. I would like to leave the airport and experience the City. Is there enough time for me to go by train and where should I go? One important factor is that I arrive at 6:30am, so may need to find a coffee shop until everything opens.

Finally, I heard it is extremely smokey inside the Frankfurt airport. Is this true? I have problems with cigerette smoke and am quite concerned.

Thanks.

|||

You should have plenty of time to visit Frankfurt. Just catch the local train (S-bahn) and take it to the main train station. Get a map and some tourist information there and wander around downtown until it%26#39;s time to go back.

Frankfurt airport certainly isn%26#39;t smoke-free, but some areas are smokier than others and some fairly smoke-free although most of the airport is supposedly no smoking. This would be a good reason to visit the city.

|||

Thank you for the info!

|||

Is there a place/locker at the airport to store carry-on luggage while I venture into the City? Also, can you suggest what part of the airport might be less smokey? Thanks.

|||

We arrived on a Saturday at 10:00 from Chicago. The first thing I noticed was how smoky it was. There were people at the breakfast/coffee bar at our terminal smoking a cigarette and drinking their coffee. From the International terminal to Terminal 1 and 2 - all I noticed how smoky it was. We spent a little over an hour there going through customs and getting our baggage, bathroom breaks, bringing luggage to our friends car for transfer to their house etc.... And my eyes started to get a little watery/red - not exaggerating. I do have mild asthma and use a rescue inhaler on occassion - but I did not get that bad.

However, when we left for home the smoke cleared up. We left on a Saturday as well. I don%26#39;t know why it wasn%26#39;t as smoky, but did appreciate the difference.

Baggage Storage-

%26gt;%26gt;Terminal 1: Area B, Level 1, open 24 hours, and Area B/C, Level 2 daily from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M.

%26gt;%26gt;Terminal 2: Area D, Level 2, daily from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M.

Baggage lockers-

1 euro-2euro/2hrs. up to a storage time of 72 hours. Terminal 1: Area B, Level 2(Transit); Terminal 2: Area D, Level 2

There are 2 platforms for train arrivals/departures at the Frankfurt Main Airport - the fernbahnhof and the regional bahnhof.

Take the S-bahn train(direct train, 16 min trip) from the regional bahnhof to Frankfurt Hauptwache and you will be right in the middle of the tourist area. If you take the train to the Frankfurt hauptbahnhof(main station), you have a little walk(15 mins or so) to get the Hauptwache/Römerberg area. There is a tourist info office at the hauptbahnhof where you can get a Frankfurt map for .50 euro cents, not sure of the Hauptwache stop though. The sightseeing area is compact and can be covered in a few hours.

A few sites to see in your time there would be the Dom(old church), Römer and Römerberg(half timbered houses and city hall) area (across from each other), the iron bridge - Eiserner Steg, and the riverwalk by there. If you take the train to Häuptwache, Katharinenkirche(a yellow church) is right there.

|||

The less likely to be smokey areas of the airport in my experience are the areas after security controls when leaving. An unoccuped departure lounge is probably about as good as it gets (there is a nice area in which you can even stretch out and sleep if not being used, I believe in Terminal 2 that used to be used by El Al flights but now is used for flights to the US). I imagine when morning long distance over night flights arrive that this would be one of the smokiest times as smokers have been deprived from smoking on the flights and will want to get a nicotine fix.

|||

Thanks for the great tips!

|||

Maybe %26quot;marcopolko%26quot; is right because when we left for Chicago it was on a Saturday afternoon as oppose to our morning arrival.

The S-bahn trains that go to Frankfurt hauptbahnhof and Hauptwache are the S8 or S9 from the regionalbahnhof station at the airport. I believe they depart from platform 1. You can buy your tickets at the ticket machines, some have English as an option or go to the ticket agent and ask.

|||

Of course I arrive on a Sat morning on one of those overnight atlantic flights :)

Its good to know what to expect. I%26#39;m hoping there might be less traffic in this off-season. Escaping to the city sounds like the perfect plan--I%26#39;m traveling solo on this trip, so I really appreciate all the info and am feeling good about the plan!

I may even bring a mask in case I start to feel sick--just hate wearing it because, as you can imagine, everyone stares.