Getting There

Overview

Frankfurt is the mother of all transport hubs. Flughafen Frankfurt-am-Main is Germany's main gateway and continental Europe's busiest airport.

Frankfurt's Hauptbahnhof is Germany's busiest main train station, and 90 long-distance trains also stop daily at the airport's train station. Long-distance buses connect Frankfurt with most eastern and western European countries, as well as North Africa. With most of Germany's Autobahnen converging on the city, cars can often seem to outnumber people in Frankfurt. The city hosts the country's biggest Los Angeles-style spaghetti junction, Frankfurter Kreuz, and parking is a nightmare proposition.

Air

Flughafen Frankfurt-am-Main airport is a mini-city of two massive terminals linked by the Sky Line elevated railway, and just about every major airline flies here from around the world. You can get to central Frankfurt via bus to Sudbahnhof from Terminal 1, level 1, but the fastest and cheapest route is via the S8 commuter train and selected suburban trains from Terminal 1 to Hauptbahnhof. Taxis are also an easy, albeit expensive, option. Departure tax is included in the price of an airline ticket purchased in Germany.

Bus

Long-distance buses leave from the south side of the Hauptbahnhof, where there's a Eurolines office (tel: 230 331) catering for most European destinations; an interesting domestic option is the Romantic Road bus. German Eurolines services are operated by Deutsche Touring (tel: 790 350; Am Römerhof 17).

Train

The Hauptbahnhof west of the centre handles more departures and arrivals than any other station in Germany. The information office for connections and tickets is at the head of platform 9; for train information call 01805-996 633.

Road

Frankfurt features the Frankfurter Kreuz, Germany's biggest autobahn intersection – modelled, it would seem, after the kind you might find in Los Angeles. All major (and some minor) car-rental companies have offices in the Hauptbahnhof and at the airport.