BACK TO AIRPORTS

Location: The airport is located 12km southwest of the downtown area.

TAKE A BREAK: There are showers in Terminal 1 just before departure gates A,B and C. There are children play areas near the showers and in Terminal 2. There is a newly-renovated hotel linked to the airport and day rooms are available (expensive). There are also more moderate hotels nearby with free transfers to the airport.

QUICK LOOK AT FRANKFURT: Take a train into the city and do a two hour city tour. English speaking guides take you through the old town centre to the house of the famous literary figure, Goethe. You could also do a stopover for one night and take the seven hour Rheingau tour through the winelands, visiting the Niederwald Memorial and the medieval Eberbach monastery. South African passport holders may need a visa.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Rail: Train: Frankfurt airport has two passenger railway facilities: The Regional Train Station (platforms 1-3), which is open 24 hours a day, is located beneath Terminal 1, below level 0 (Area B). From here, S-Bahn commuter trains (lines S8 and S9) depart every 15 minutes (between 0429-0044) eastbound to central Frankfurt central station (journey time: 11 minutes), Offenbach and Hanau, and westbound to Rüsselsheim, Mainz and Wiesbadn. S9 line bypasses Mainz. RegionalExpress (RE) and StadtExpress (SE) trains serve many other destinations. The new Fernbahnof long-distance train station (platforms 4-7) is open 0500-0030 and is located at the AIRail Terminal. It is linked via a connector building to Terminal 1. From here, a number of high-speed trains (ICE, InterCity and Eurocity) depart to national and international destinations. Road: Taxi: Taxis are readily available outside both terminals; the journey to the city centre takes 20 minutes in normal traffic. Bus: Regular buses stop at the bus station in front of the Arrivals hall on level 1, Terminal 1 (including bus no. 61 for Frankfurt Südbahnhof), and at the bus bay in front of the Arrivals/Departures halls on level 2, Terminal 2. There are also Lufthansa bus lines to Heilbronn, Heidelberg, Mannheim and Strasbourg, stopping in front of Arrivals Hall B, Terminal 1.
Number of terminals: 2

TRANSFER BETWEEN TERMINALS: Shuttle trains, running on an elevated track, are available free of charge and are wheelchair-accessible, with lifts at each station. There is also a free shuttle bus which can be found by the roadside of each terminal.

INFORMATION AND HELP DESKS: Airport information desks are located in the Arrivals and Departures halls of both terminals. They are staffed 24 hours a day.

AIRPORT FACILITIES: Money and communications: Numerous banks, bureaux de change and cash dispensers are available in Terminals 1 and 2. A number of major German banks offer a comprehensive range of domestic and international banking services at their branches in the Frankfurt Airport Center (FAC1) opposite Terminal 1. Post offices can be found in Terminal 1, Departures Hall B (open daily 0700-2100) and in transit area B. A self-service post office with fax and dispensers for stamp and telephone cards is located in Terminal 2, Check-in Hall E. 3C Communications provide 24-hour credit card phones and faxes, plus Internet access. Deutsche Telekom also provides Internet ports at some gates. Eating and drinking: Restaurants, bars and cafés can be found in all terminals. Shopping: There are over 130 shops selling leather goods, clothing and accessories, souvenirs, jewellery, electronics and optics, and gourmet specialities. There are also six duty-free shops for international passengers and six travel value shops for intra-european union passengers. Other facilities: The airport has pharmacies, a medical clinic and a dentist. Both terminals have an Airport Gallery featuring exhibitions on aviation, travel and art.

DISABLED FACILITIES: Facilities for disabled passengers include automatic doors, adapted telephones and toilets. The Fraport arrival service provides waiting rooms for disabled passengers. The airport's porter service (operated by GSL) provides a paid porter service for wheelchair users and requests that porters are booked at least one hour in advance (tel: (0)69 6906 6666). The passenger transport company Behinderten - und Krankentransport Kaster offers transport services for disabled travellers to and from the airport for a fee (tel: (0)60 7481 4554). Reserved parking is available on the P31 parking garage, adjacent to Terminal 1 and can be accessed via road signs marked Ankunft (arrivals). From here, a wheelchair accessible passageway provides a direct link to the Departures halls. In Terminal 2, disabled spaces are available on level U4, row 17 (follow signs for P8), with good lift/level access to the Terminals.

CONFERENCE AND BUSINESS FACILITIES: The airport conference centre (tel: (0)69 6907 0500) in FAC1 offers 28 conference rooms for 2-200 people, audiovisual equipment, Internet access, secretarial services, interpreters and office supplies. There are also conference rooms for hire in Terminal 2, on level 4 next to the restaurants in the food plaza. Many of the major airlines have executive lounges and the airport's ECC Lounge, located beneath the Sky Line station at Terminal 1, is open to all for a fee (credit card payment only).

CAR HIRE: Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Europcar-Interent, Hertz, National and Sixt offices located in Terminal 1 in Arrivals hall A and in Terminal 2 on level 3 (from the central area below the Sky Line station).

CAR PARKING: Each of the terminals has a multi-storey car park and/or an underground garage providing direct access to the terminal. Passengers should follow P signs. There are also reserved parking spaces for women drivers.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: The airport is directly linked to the A3 (Cologne - Munich) and A5 (Hanover - Basel) motorways which border the airport's eastern and northern boundaries and meet up at the Frankfurter Kreuz junction.