Layovers can either be beneficial or a pain, depending on several factors including the length of the layover, the location of the airport, and whether you have access to a lounge. In the case of Frankfurt, the location is an advantage. The airport is just a 15 minute subway ride from the old city center, or about 30 minutes from Mainz. Either of these can easily entertain and enrich you more than staring out the window at taxiing airplanes at the airport.
Why go?
- If your layover is at least 4.5 hours or so, and you have (or don’t need) a visa for Germany, then make the most of your layover and head into town.
- Old-town Frankfurt is a beautiful old German city, with pedestrian walkways, fachwerk houses, churches, a townhall square and enough history and culture to while away you otherwise wasted hours.
What you need to know:
- Remember that you will be exiting security, so factor the time to get back through security into your schedule.
- The Frankfurt airport has luggage storage facilities in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. They are both outside of security. The cost is about 7 Euros for each “Ordinary” suitcase to be held between 2 and 24 hours.
- Once you have left your luggage behind, purchase a full day ticket (“Tageskarte”) for about 9.35 Euros. You can purchase single tickets, but since they are about 4.80 Euros, you won’t save any money, and the Tageskarte allows you to take as many trips within the city center as you choose.
- If you want to go to the center of the old town, then head to “Dom/Römer”. This will get you within a couple minutes walk from the Frankfurt Cathedral and the town hall.
My Layover going to Lebanon:
8:15am: I’m waiting for the next train into Frankfurt HBF, which is very close to the old part of town. This is more of a test run for my layover on the way back, where I will have 8 hours to experience my German roots.
So, Frankfurt was nice. I ended up taking two metro trains to save me some time walking to the old square/Catherdral/Rathaus. I wandered around a bit, had a butter pretzel, a wurst and a Spetzi (half German Fanta and half Coke)… oh, so good. Yes, it sounds strange, but that’s because you are thinking of American Orange Fanta… a totally different drink. The old square is a charming, irregular shaped open area surrounded by old Fachwerk houses, nicely maintained and painted. It was early on a Sunday morning, so most things were closed, but memory serves to remind me that it can be quite lively on a sunny afternoon. Then I took a few pictures and headed back by metro to the airport.
10:44am: I’m back at the airport sitting in the Lufthansa lounge, having another pretzel (can you have too many Germany pretzels… uh, no), waiting for my flight to Beirut.
Germany seems confusing to me these days. On the one hand, it seems comfortable, accessible and familiar… but in a far off kind of way. Like I’m viewing it from a distance; or through 3D glasses. I see it right in front of my face, but if I reach out to touch it, my hand goes right through it. As if it… or perhaps me… isn’t really there. Bits and pieces spark memories, but nowadays these memories are more likely to be from my many trips over the last thirty years, rather than from the 20 years I lived here. I’m also bummed that my look and/or dress brings an American to mind, as most Germans I engage immediately speak to me in English. I reply in Germany, however, to assert my identity, and to prove a point… although, I’m not quite sure which point that is.
My Layover on the way back from Lebanon:
Today I ate my way across Frankfurt. With my 8 hour layover, I plotted out a few things to see (that I hadn’t seen yet), including Goethe’s House and the StuwwelPeter Museum. Remembering all of the food related memories of my childhood, I traipsed around trying to enjoy as many as I could, including: Gelbwurst (baloney), frankfurters (long thin wurst), Bratwurst (thicker, white wurst), Bienenstich (“Bee sting” a sweet pastry), Spezi (Fanta/Coke), pretzels with butter. I became wonderfully sated.
Minerva-Brunnen (Minerva fountain) in the Römerberg in the old town of Frankfurt.
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Picture Taken: 11/2017
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Enjoying yet another Pretzel at the Lufthansa lounge at the Frankfurt airport (with just the right amount of salt).
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf .
Picture Taken: 11/2017
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The Römerberg platz in Frankfurt, with the Alte Nicolaikirche (Lutheran Church) to the right.
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf .
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Picture Taken: 11/2017
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The Römer (town hall) in the Frankfurt old town in the Christmas season.
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf .
Picture Taken: 11/2017
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Thanks for your tips on Frankfurt Layover. I will be transiting through Frankfurt in a few months and have about seven hour layover. I will definitely try german sausages along with Spezi. Happy travel!
Hi Asiana747, Thank you for the nice comment. You sound like an adventurous traveler. Do you know what you want to do with your time in Frankfurt yet? There are so many possibilities. If you let me know your interests, I’m happy to offer some suggestions.
– Davis