From Frankfurt (FRA) airport into Frankfurt city

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Frankfurt is the ideal airport for a layover. It only takes 20 minutes, by train, to travel from Frankfurt airport into the heart of Frankfurt and then spend the day sight-seeing, shopping and grabbing a bite to eat before heading back to the airport for your connecting flight.

Train station at the airport and buying a ticket

The train station for local trains into Frankfurt city centre is downstairs in Terminal 1 under Hall B. Once downstairs, the first thing to do is buy a ticket from one of the ticket machines. There are two banks of ticket machine - make sure you use a green machine (for local tickets) and not the red machines. You then have several choices of ticket:

  • single journey tickets which cost 5,80€ (a return = 11,60€).

  • a day travel card which costs 11,30€ (cheaper than buying a return ticket) This ticket permits you to travel on all the city transport for the whole day.

  • a group travel card which costs 19,10€ and permits up to 5 people to travel together on all the city transport for the whole day, and is excellent value if there are two or more of you.

You will need cash, or a credit/debit card with a PIN to purchase tickets from the ticket machines.

The video below shows you how to buy a ticket:

Which train?

S-bahn trains, S8 & S9, run every 15 minutes from Platform 1 and travel directly to Hauptwache and Konstablerwache, the two most central stations in Frankfurt.

After you have bought your ticket, head downstairs to Platform 1 and wait for an S8 or S9. Frankfurt has a barrier-free transport system so you just show your ticket to the inspector on the train during your journey.

It's six stops and 20 minutes to the centre of town. The stops on the way are: Gateway Gardens, Stadion, Niederrad, Hauptbahnhof, Taunusanlage, Hauptwache and Konstablerwache. Alight at Hauptwache or Konstablerwache for the centre Frankfurt.

If you need to get to another location, look up stations and tram-stops using local travel maps on the RMV local transport pages.

In Frankfurt city centre

Once in Frankfurt there is plenty to see and do. The old town is down by the river near the cathedral, museums are centrally located and there are plenty of restaurants, cafes and bakeries selling food and drinks. On a fine day you can take a Primus Line, local river cruise which only takes 110 minutes, or head up to the top of the Main Tower and enjoy the views across the whole of the Frankfurt and beyond. Click on this link indexing various blog pages offering detailed information on places to eat and more ideas.

Over the summer months there is usually an outdoor festival being hosted in the city centre and whatever the theme of the festival you can be sure to find bratwurst, beer and local wine.

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday the city has a Farmers' market (details in German listed here). Thursday and Saturday the market is on Konstablerwache, and on Friday it's on Schillerstraße, close to the Stock Exchange. These markets are a real slice of local Frankfurt life and are well worth a visit.   

Returning to the airport

For your return journey to the airport go to either Hauptwache or Konstablerwache station and follow signs for the S-bahn. Wait on platform 3 for the S8 or S9 train which run every 15 minutes.

 

 

How to download and use Voicemap for your Walk-Frankfurt audio tours

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How to...

download and use Voicemap

In conjunction with the Walk-Frankfurt audio guided tours, here is a how-to guide on downloading and using the voicemap app.

How does VoiceMap work?
VoiceMap uses your phone’s GPS to play commentary automatically. Once you have the Voicemap app and have downloaded an audio tour, plug in your earphones, press start , and put your phone away. A voice will tell you where to go, and the next part of the story will only play once you move on. You can walk at your own pace, and stop for pictures along the way. Just listen out for directions, and if you can’t remember where to go, take a look at the map on your screen.

 How do I install the app?
You can download the app for Android devices in the Google Play Store, and iPhone in the App Store. Just search “VoiceMap” and look out for the red headphones icon. Once it’s installed, sign up.

 Why do I have to sign up?
Once you download a VoiceMap tour, it’s yours forever. You need to have an account so that you can access your tours. 

Do I have to be near a WiFi network?
You can use WiFi or data to download the app and the tour. Wait for all the files to download, and then you can disconnect and turn off your mobile data. All the audio files and maps will work offline. Make sure you don’t put your phone on airplane mode. That turns your GPS off, so nothing will play.

 How much does the app cost?
The app is free to download. Frankfurt tours are individually priced, starting at $4.99.

 How do I play the audio tracks?
Don’t worry about it! VoiceMap will take care of all that. You don’t need to manually play, pause or skip to the next track. The app does all of that for you.

How do I start?
Once the tour has finished downloading, just press start and the tour will begin right away. If nothing is playing:
- check you are on the right tour,
- check you are close enough to the start point. Voicemap tells you how many meters to the start point and starts automatically once you arrive.

What's my password?
It’s the password you entered when you signed up to the Voicemap App. If you can’t remember, you can reset it at the website (voicemap.me) or in the app.

 Can I listen to a route I’ve downloaded more than once? Do routes expire?
Once you download a tour, it’s yours to keep. You can delete it from your phone, and still
re-download it at any time in the future.

 Nothing is playing! What do I do?
Check the following:

1. Is your GPS turned on? VoiceMap needs GPS to be enabled to play audio.
2. Is your phone on airplane mode? If yes, turn it off. Airplane mode disables your GPS.
3. Have you allowed VoiceMap to access your location? If not, go to your location settings and allow the app to use your location.
4. Did you allow all the tracks to download completely?
5. Is your volume turned up, and are your earphones working properly?

 Can I stop a tour?
You can stop whenever you like. The tour will resume automatically when you reach the next point of interest. Just make sure you don’t close the app, or you’ll have to start from the beginning. Remember that when you start walking again, it’ll carry on automatically, so put your earphones in before you get going.

Are there other tours?
As well as the Walk-Frankfurt walking tours, VoiceMap offers tours in over 45 cities, each one unique and created by passionate locals. You can browse the city list to see what’s available.