If you want to combine a trip to the airport with a visit to Frankfurt or the surrounding cities, use the local public transport services in the form of S-Bahn trains or buses.
| Type of transport | Destinations | Price | Travel time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-Bahn S8 + S9 Trains RE2, RE3 |
Frankfurt Hbf | 5,80 eur | 12 minutes | 10-15 minutes |
| Trains RB58, RB59 | Frankfurt Süd | 5,80 eur | 12 minutes | 20-40 minutes |
| Bus 61 + X61 | Frankfurt Süd | 5,80 eur | 22-35 minutes | 15 minutes |
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S-Bahn trains
The most convenient way of transport is the city's S-Bahn - lines S8 and S9. In addition to the "S" lines, you can also use the regional lines marked "RE" or "RB" without any worries.
Trains run every 10-20 minutes, with the journey time to Frankfurt Airport taking no longer than 10 minutes. You are practically able to get around the entire Frankfurt area with a transfer within 30 minutes.
The station is located at Terminal 1 on the ground floor, which is connected to it by a short corridor and very clearly signposted. Follow the "Regionalbahnhof" signs. From Terminal 2, you can take the free yellow shuttle buses or the free SkyLine automatic train to Terminal 1.
Tickets for 5,80 eur can be purchased at the ticket machine outside the platform entrance and can be paid with either card or cash. Both the Deutsche Bahn red machine and the RMV green machine can be used.
Tickets can also be purchased via the RMVGo mobile app (available on Google Play / App Store).
For information on transport, connection planning, maps and timetables, visit rmw.de; timetables can also be found on the German Railways website: bahn.de.
Directions Frankfurt Hbf and city centre
All S-Bahn and regional trains RE2, RE3, RB58 and RB59 go to Frankfurt Central Station, while lines S8 and S9 continue through the centre of Frankfurt.
- Frequency: 10-15 minutes (at night the interval is 30-60 minutes)
- Journey time: 12 minutes to the main station
- Fares: 5,80 eur, day tickets for all types of transport in Frankfurt for 11,30 eur
Trains run to the airport 24 hours a day without a night break.
The trains run 24 hours a day, 24 hours a day, every day of the week.
The historic cities of Mainz and Wiesbaden are also easily accessible from the airport. Use the S-Bahn trains S8 + S9 and the regional lines RE2 + RE3.
- Mainz - lines S8, RE2, RE3 (price 5,80 eur)
- Wiesbaden - lines S8, S9 (price 5,80 eur)
- Rüsselsheim - lines S8, S9, RE2, RE3, RB58 (price 3,80 eur)
Directions Frankfurt Süd, Ost and Hanau
Direct trains to Frankfurt's Südbahnhof and Ostbahnhof stations and onwards to Hanau are provided by the RB58 and RB59 lines, running approximately once every 20 minutes.
The S-Bahn S8 + S9 also go directly to Hanau without a change, but they go through the centre and with more stops.
The fare on these services is city fare, i.e. 5,80 eur to Südahnhof and Ostbahnhof and 9,75 eur to Hanau.
Public transport buses
Bus lines also stop at Terminal 1, providing an alternative means of direct transport to southern Frankfurt. They can also be used to the surrounding villages, for example if you find cheap accommodation near the airport.
Only lines 61 and 62 stop in front of Terminal 2.
A bus ticket to Frankfurt Süd or Frankfurt Höchst Station costs the same as a train ticket, i.e. 5,80 eur. Tickets to nearby villages (Kelsterbach, Neu-Isenburg, Mörfelden-Walldorf, Rüsselsheim, etc.) cost only 3,80 eur.
Bus tickets can be purchased at the RMV green machine near the bus stops, located in front of both Terminal 1 and 2, or via the RMVGo mobile app (available on Google Play / App Store).
You can use the following bus routes to Frankfurt Airport in the following directions:
- Frankfurt Südbahnhof - line 61 (operating 24/7, 15 minutes interval during the day or 30 minutes at night, journey time 40 minutes), line X61 (operating 4:15-0:39, 30 minutes interval, journey time 21 minutes)
- Frankfurt Höchst - lines 58, X53 and X58
- Kelsterbach - lines 72, 73, 82
- Alt-Schwanheim - line 62
- Neu-Isenburg - line X17
- Rüsselsheim - lines 68, 82
- Mörfelden-Walldorf - line 68
- Raunheim - line 82
You can find timetables on the rmv.de website.
Night transport
Most routes run between roughly 4:30 and 0:00, but a few routes connect the airport with the surrounding area 24 hours a day. The following routes operate all night:
- S-Bahn line S8
- Bus line 58
- Bus line 62
Buses to Darmstadt
There are direct bus services to the large city of Darmstadt, 24 km south of the airport.
All lines to Darmstadt run only from Terminal 1. You can use the following services:
- Line X15 - runs once an hour from approx. 4:45 to 0:20, journey time 65 minutes, ticket price 5,80 eur - buy from a ticket machine or the RMVGo mobile app (available on Google Play / App Store)
- AirLiner - runs twice per hour from approx. 4:00 to 23:59, journey time 41 minutes, ticket price 9,60 eur - purchase from the bus driver (can also be paid by card)
The timetable for the X15 line can be found at rmv.de, while information about the AirLiner line can be found at heagmobibus.de/de/airliner
Map of routes to/from the airport
A detailed map of all train and bus routes can be found here:
Long-distance trains
There is also a station for long-distance trains and ICE express trains called "Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnof" in the underground of Terminal 1.
Deutsche Bahn trains run directly from the airport to literally every corner of Germany, but also to Amsterdam, Basel and Paris.
Ideally, you should buy your long-distance tickets as far in advance as possible on the Deutsche Bahn website.
- Find connections and buy tickets at bahn.de
The most frequent services run to Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Koblenz, Mannheim, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, but direct trains also run from Frankfurt Airport to the most remote parts of Germany, such as Berlin, Hamburg and the island of Sylt.
Long-distance buses
There is also a long-distance bus stop at the bus station between the terminals (see location on google.com/maps). Most of the lines are operated by Flixbus, which runs directly from the airport to literally every corner of Europe.
Frequent connections are mainly to German destinations, the Netherlands, France, Austria and the Czech Republic.
- Find connections and buy tickets at flixbus.com