Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [470]
BUS
Long-distance buses leave from the south side of the Hauptbahnhof, where you’ll find Eurolines ( 790 3253; www.eurolines.eu; Mannheimer Strasse 15; Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof; 7.30am-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 7.30am-2pm Sat, 7.30am-1pm Sun), with services to most European destinations.
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
All major (and some minor) car-rental companies have offices in the Hauptbahnhof and at the airport.
ADAC ( 01805-101 112; www.adac.de, in German; Schillerstrasse 12; Hauptwache; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat), Germany’s automobile association, provides free maps and route advice to members of partner automobile clubs, including the AAA in the US, the AA in the UK and eight state AAA groups in Australia.
The Mitfahrzentrale ( 194 40; Baselerplatz; Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof; 9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) matches travellers with drivers going to the same destination. Typical all-up fares, including fees: Berlin (€30), Cologne (€17), London (€35), Munich (€15), Paris (€35) and Stuttgart (€10). It’s best to make reservations (by phone or in person) two or three days ahead, but last-minute bookings are often possible. Drivers meet passengers at the office.
TRAIN
The Hauptbahnhof, west of the centre, handles more departures and arrivals than any other station in Germany, which means that there are convenient trains to pretty much anywhere, including Berlin (€111, four hours). The Reisezentrum (information office; 7am-10pm) faces platform 9. For train information call 01805-996 633.
Long-haul services from Frankfurt Airport include ICE trains to Hamburg (€107, four hours), Hanover (€81, 2½ hours) and Stuttgart (€56, 1¼ hours) every two hours; to Cologne (€60, one hour) and Dortmund (€81, 2¼ hours) two or three times an hour; and south towards Basel (€70, three hours, hourly).
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Getting Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 shuttle between the airport and the city centre (one-way €3.70, 15 minutes), stopping at Hauptbahnhof, Hauptwache and Konstablerwache, as well as Wiesbaden and Mainz. See right for details on other ticket types.
Bus 61 links the Südbahnhof in Sachsenhausen with Terminal 1 every half-hour.
For travel between the airport and the city centre, the taxi fare is €25 to €30 (a bit more from 10pm to 6am).
BICYCLE
Cycling is a great way to get around Frankfurt, which is well endowed with designated bike lanes.
With Deutsche Bahn’s Call-a-Bike ( 07000-522 5522, without a German ID number 0345-2798 4907; www.callabike-interaktiv.de), you register by phone (€5, returned to you as a credit) and then, each time you want a bicycle, you go to a Call-a-Bike Station, which can be found all over the city centre, and phone to get the lock code. Costs are €0.08 a minute, €9 for 24 hours and €36 for four to seven days.
Next Bike ( 030-6920 5046; www.nextbike.de, in German; per 1hr/24hr €1/5) works in a similar manner. After you register using your credit card, you go to a pick-up point (eg next to the Römer tourist office or at Hauptwache) and phone to get the lock code; phone again when you return the bike.
In some parts of the Altstadt and Innenstadt, you can flag down (or reserve by phone) a pedal-powered, three-wheel Velotaxi ( 7158 8855; www.0700velotaxi.de, in German; per person 1st km €2.50, subsequent km €1.50, 30min €7.50; noon-8pm late Mar-Oct).
CAR & MOTORCYCLE
Traffic flows smoothly in central Frankfurt, but if you’re behind the wheel the one-way system may drive you to distraction. To preserve your sanity, you may be better off parking your vehicle in a Parkhaus (parking garage; www.parkhaus-frankfurt.de, in German; per hr €2, overnight €3-5) and proceeding on foot. Throughout the centre you’ll see signs with directions to the nearest garage and the number of places left.
City centre street parking costs €1 per 30 minutes and is generally limited