How to get from Frankfurt Airport to the city

It's easy to get from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) into the city on public transport, and here's how. I guide you to the railway stations, which ticket you'll need, and explain how to find the S-Bahn trains to take you to the Hauptbahnhof and the shopping district, and how to use the U-Bahn to get to the historic centre, the Altstadt.

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to Frankfurt!
00:38 Finding the train stations
01:25 Tickets
02:23 Getting the right train
02:48 The Hauptbahnhof
03:15 To the historic centre
03:32 To the shopping district
03:45 Back to the airport
04:32 Closing remarks

Music:
"Hot Swing"
Creative Commons Attribution licence

Maps created with data from

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[xwolpertinger]

Frankfuhrt-Hahn Airport and London Ashford Airport should become best friends since they are both closer to France than their respective cities

[blumenmupfel]

I know this is for people arriving by plane, but if your ICE only goes via the airport, and not the central station and you need to change to regional services, plan at least 5 minutes for the interchange, since it is a bit of a walk between the stations. Plan more time if you have heavy luggage and/or need a ticket for the RMV.
sincerely, someone with a Bahncard 100 who sometimes gets home faster by not being stuck in a broken ICE at the airport, and instead taking the S-Bahn :D

[johnnybravo]

With all this information in your hands, it's still fun and ecstatic to stand there like clueless like an idiot and figuring things out all by yourself as a newbie 😅
That's what I did.😊

[mattlv]

Im an experienced traveler but heading to frankfurt for the first time this week. This video is outstanding, just the right length and right amount of info. Thank you.

[MrBorgcube]

And if the S-Bahn is not running, which may happen regularly, take the U-Bahn to Südbahnhof and the X61 express bus to the Airport. U-Bahn trains to Südbahnhof come every 3 minutes and the bus leaves every 30 minutes. Takes you to terminal 1 in about 20-30 minutes.

[hothotheat]

I cannot thank you enough for this video. Just landed, put in my earbuds, and let you guide me. Your directions were perfect and saved me from chickening out and getting a cab.

[WilliamStahl-qpvm]

I was stationed in Frankfurt while in the Army (1968-69) and Mainz (1978-80) Both times I flew into Rhine Main Air Base, adjacent to the Frankfurt International Airport both times. It was an exciting time. Frankfurt certainly has been completely redone. It looks magnificent. I do hope to return. Many good memories. Thank you for the video tour.

[pamelagartner]

Thank you for an informative video. Frankfurt’s public transport is excellent

[robertjarman]

You could also take other means like the Lorax machine, a plane, a train, a jetpack, the Saturn V rocket, you could sailor teleport, you could take a zeppelin, or you could even take a space elevator and then skydive.

[jonaskerkhoff]

As of today Google Maps finally includes Frankfurts S-Bahn, U-Bahn, Tram Lines.
A lot of bus lines are still missing or have mistakes but this shouldn't affect the average tourists and will hopefully be fixed in due time.

[panzwes]

Thanks rewboss! I'm thinking of a short trip to Frankfurt and this video is really helpful to find the way from the airport to the city (having visuals of what to expect helps me a lot).

[miabeia]

Thanks so much for this great video! We are staying at the airport over night and I’m glad to see that you can take a train to the city.❤

[comandanteej]

Hi rewboss, this video was more complicated than getting to the city in reality :)
I departed from Hahn once, the bus was 1, 5 hours late and I almost missed the plane. Never again...

[tom_wuba]

POV: The best video guide tour through Frankfurt Am Main, even if you don't plan to go there in near future

[chutsam]

02:05 It's quite the opposite in China railway and subways - they all have ticket gates and luggage security checks. The exception is the Hong Kong subway.

[Itsjustme-Justme]

The way down to the S Bahn station under Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is a bit confusing. There are signs that lead you in the two directions the S Bahn is travelling. This is needed because they use different platforms. One sign ins written "City", the other is "Messe". This is rather confusing because the Messe actually is pretty much inside the city.

[brucequinnplayground]

I once was invited to a business meeting held on site at Frankfurt Airport in November or so. I flew in a couple days early and spent two days in MAINZ. Among other things, MAINZ has an incredible church with Marc Chagall windows and an incredible Gutenberg museum. I also made a local train side trip to Weisbaden which was quaint.
Once you've landed in Frankfurt and made it downtown to Hbf, you'll want to directly take the subway U5 in direction Preungesheim to Hauptfriedhof where you can visit Prof Dr Alzheimer's grave on the south side of the cemetery. If you're up for more tourism, there is a big cinema museum on the south bank.

[jensschroder]

I recommend to take a day ticket or group ticket. Then you can drive back and forth all day and don't have to worry about zones and transfers. The mobile app is good too. Above all, this shows the transfer options and necessary trains.
If you have a car, I recommend looking for a P+R parking lot in the outer area and then using public transport.

[susanwolfla]

Thank you for this! I was anxious about our upcoming trip because we made a sow's ear out of getting from the Munich airport into town. I feel like I know the pitfalls now.

[WhereIsDustin]

Excellent advice video on Frankfurt transportation! Thank you 🙏