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The Frankfurt banking towers lit at night, reflected in the river Main.
Layover guideFRA · Germany

Frankfurt

What crew need on the ground

Twelve minutes to the Hauptbahnhof, and one law that matters far more than the rest: drugs, explicitly including in transit.

Nicolas Scheuer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
FRAFrankfurt Airport
RegionEurope
CurrencyEUR
Based hereLufthansa
Getting out

The S8 or S9 from the station under Terminal 1 reaches Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof in about 12 minutes, and taxis wait around the clock outside both terminals.

Ride-hailing

Uber is the only ride-hailing service the airport names, and its pickup points are in a car park and a bus lane rather than at the arrivals kerb.


Right now · Frankfurt
Local timeLocal time
FRA now16°QNH 1004 · METAR 03:00ZNOAA Aviation Weather Center
Money0.895 EURper USD · ECB reference 2026-10-07ECB via Frankfurter
Next five days
15°8°Thu 8
13°6°Fri 9
17°11°Sat 10
15°9°Sun 11
14°6°Mon 12
MET Norway (Norwegian Meteorological Institute) · CC BY 4.0
Travel advisory · live

Germany travel advice

Updated information on European Entry-Exit System (EES) (‘Entry requirements’ page).

Read the full advice at UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office →

If you have

Comfortably one district, because the train takes twelve minutes.

  1. Deutsche Bahn gives the S8 or S9 from the regional station under Terminal 1 to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof as about 12 minutes, on average every 10 minutes, from platforms 103 and 104.
  2. There are two stations and mixing them up costs you the connection. The regional one is on Level 0 of Terminal 1; the long-distance station is separate, about five minutes' walk away.
  3. A taxi is 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic and runs around the clock at both terminals, which is what covers you outside the S-Bahn's hours.

Crew map
  1. FRAFrankfurt Airport
  2. HauptbahnhofS8 and S9 terminusIn the Bahnhofsviertel
S8 or S9
12 min
To Hauptbahnhof
20 to 30 min
By taxi, traffic depending
City destinations
Closer options
  • WestendQuieter, north-west of the centre
  • NordendCafes away from the business centre
Farther options
Schematic · not to scale

Neighbourhoods
  • Altstadt

    The rebuilt old town around the Roemer, and the short walk to the river.

  • Innenstadt and the Zeil

    The main shopping street and the Kleinmarkthalle, which closes on Sundays.

  • Bahnhofsviertel

    The station district: most of the airport-convenient hotels and the international eating on Kaiserstrasse.

  • Sachsenhausen

    South of the Main: the apple-wine tavern quarter and the museum embankment.

  • Westend

    Quieter residential district north-west of the centre, with the park.

  • Nordend

    Residential and cafe district north of the Zeil, away from the business centre.


What things cost
  • VAT refund, minimum per receiptOver 50 euros including VATFor residents of non-EU countries without a German residence permit over three months. Goods must leave the EU in your personal baggage within three months, and you need a customs stamp on the export certificate before claiming. Services such as hotels and restaurants are excluded, so only goods count.German Customs · Aug 2026
  • Where the refund gets stampedUp to 5,000 euros in Departure Hall C, above that in Transit Area BDeparture Hall C is in Terminal 1. For tax-free goods in checked bags, tell check-in staff first: the bag gets a label and comes back to you to present at customs before it goes.Fraport · Aug 2026
  • Mobile data cut-off protection50 eurosApplies at that level of additional consumption, or another limit you choose, so a long layover will not silently run up a bill.European Commission · Aug 2026
  • Tipping5 to 10% casual, about 10% in nicer placesVoluntary rather than an obligation, and service is usually not itemised as a separate charge. Rounding up is standard.Berlin.de · Aug 2026

Local laws that catch crew out

Germany is legally unremarkable for most crew with one exception that matters a great deal: drugs, cannabis included, are treated severely, and that explicitly covers transiting the airport.

  1. The FCDO states you should expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling illegal drugs, including when transiting through the airport. The transit clause is the one that catches crew out.

  2. The same advice says airports in Germany have excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items, and that this is also used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers. Cannabis acquired legally somewhere else is still your problem here.

  3. Carrying ID is not a legal requirement, but if you cannot show ID when asked, police can escort you to get your passport. They will ask for a passport and, if you are a resident, for your residence card as well.

  4. The FCDO safety and security advice for Germany sets out no specific rules on alcohol, dress, photography or vaping. If your last few layovers were in the Gulf, the constraints here are different in kind, not just in degree.

UK FCDOchecked Aug 2026

On the ground in Frankfurt

An ICE train at the platform of Frankfurt Airport's long-distance station.mike from New York, NY, US / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Getting out of the airport

There are two separate stations and mixing them up costs you a connection. The regional station is on the underground level of Terminal 1 (Level 0), reachable from all terminal areas by following signs for the train stations. The long-distance station, for ICE and IC services, is separate, about five minutes' walk from Terminal 1.

Getting out of the airport in full
Sources (4)
Staying connected

An EU or EEA SIM roams at domestic rates, and a German prepaid SIM requires an identity check against a document.

On an EU or EEA plan, roam-like-at-home applies: calls, texts and data are charged at domestic rates, and the same rule covers calls and texts you receive, so you are not charged extra to take a call while roaming. The regime also covers Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova and Ukraine.

Staying connected in full
Sources (2)
The European Central Bank tower and the Frankfurt skyline at dawn, seen along the Main.DXR / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Weather

Mild summers, frosty damp winters, rain possible in any month; no extreme-weather season.

DWD 1991-2020 normals for the Frankfurt/Main station: July is the warmest month at a 20.5 C monthly mean, August 20.0 C, January the coldest at 2.3 C, annual mean 11 C. Pack for cool evenings outside June-August.

Weather in full
Sources (4)
  • DWDchecked Aug 2026
  • DWDchecked Aug 2026
  • DWDchecked Aug 2026
  • DWDchecked Aug 2026
Tipping

Tipping is voluntary; round up or add 5-10% in restaurants, round taxis to the next euro.

Tipping (Trinkgeld) in Germany is a voluntary extra, not an obligation, and service is usually not itemised as a separate charge on the bill. Rounding up is standard; 5-10% is appropriate in casual restaurants and about 10% in nicer ones. Source is Berlin's official government visitor portal describing the German norm.

Tipping in full

Berlin.dechecked Aug 2026

Produce stalls inside the Kleinmarkthalle in Frankfurt.EvaK / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5

Out in Frankfurt

Eating near the crew hotels

Alt-Sachsenhausen for apple-wine taverns, Kleinmarkthalle for market food (closed Sundays), Fressgass for the deli-and-cafe strip.

Alt-Sachsenhausen, south of the Main, is the apple-wine tavern quarter. The city's tourism board calls it the hotspot of Frankfurt's Apfelwein culture: cider around 5.5% ABV poured from a Bembel jug into ribbed Gerippte glasses, served hot with spices in winter. Local staples at tavern level are Gruene Sosse (seven-herb green sauce) and Handkaes mit Musik.

Eating near the crew hotels in full
Sources (3)
What to buy

Zeil for mainstream, Goethestrasse for luxury; the local buy is a Bembel apple-wine jug; non-EU crew can reclaim VAT on purchases over EUR 50, stamped at FRA customs.

The Zeil is the main mainstream shopping street, one of the best known in Germany per the tourism board; Goethestrasse is the luxury row (designer fashion and jewellery); Berger Strasse (Bornheim) and Brueckenstrasse (Sachsenhausen) are the independent-boutique streets.

What to buy in full
Sources (3)

Before your pickup

Keep Frankfurt on your phone

Save the guide and its 8 sections now, and read them on the crew bus before you have a SIM.

Two guides side by side
Sources & practical information18 sources · checked Aug 2026
  • Berlin.deTipping Etiquette · TippingChecked Aug 2026
  • Bundesnetzagenturidentity verification procedures for prepaid mobileChecked Aug 2026
  • Deutsche BahnFrankfurt Hbf to Frankfurt AirportChecked Aug 2026
  • DWDOpen Data, multi-annual means 1991-2020, air temperature, station 1420 Frankfurt/MainChecked Aug 2026
  • DWDOpen Data, precipitation normals 1991-2020, station 1420Checked Aug 2026
  • DWDnormals 1991-2020, station 1420Checked Aug 2026
  • DWDOpen Data, frost days normals 1991-2020, station 1420Checked Aug 2026
  • European Commissionmobile roaming costs · Mobile data cut-off protectionChecked Aug 2026
  • Frankfurt Airporttravelling by trainChecked Aug 2026
  • Frankfurt Airporttaxis, ride services and car sharingChecked Aug 2026
  • Frankfurt Airportorientation and inter-terminal transferChecked Aug 2026
  • Frankfurt Airportride-hailing and car sharingChecked Aug 2026
  • FraportVAT refunds · Where the refund gets stampedChecked Aug 2026
  • German CustomsTax-free shopping · VAT refund, minimum per receiptChecked Aug 2026
  • Kleinmarkthalleoperator HFM Managementgesellschaft fuer Hafen und Markt mbHChecked Aug 2026
  • UK FCDOGermany travel advice, safety and securityChecked Aug 2026
  • Visit FrankfurtAlt-SachsenhausenChecked Aug 2026
  • Visit FrankfurtShopping in FrankfurtChecked Aug 2026

Fares, timetables and rules change. Where a figure matters to your plan, the publisher above is the one to check.