Paul

Hi there,

I need some info re Frankfurt rail connections and hope someone on the
group can help.

We arrive at Frankfurt Main Airport on a flight in the early morning
and wish to travel to Heidelberg by train. A week later we are
returning to Frankfurt (from Heidelberg) to take the ICE train to
Cologne and on to Brussels. The Frankfurt - Heidleberg trip will be a
return one, but the Frankfurt - Brussels trip the following week is
one way.

I can't determine from the many websites I've looked at if the railway
station at the airport is simply a short distance connection to
another "mainline" station in Frankfurt which we take in order to
change to a "main line" train to go to Heidelberg, or if we can get
the Heidelberg train directly from the airport? To add further
confusion, if we can get the Heidleberg train directly from the
airport, do I buy a return ticket to take us back there to get the ICE
train the following week, or do we get onto that at a different
station, perhaps in the centre of Frankfurt? If the latter is the
case, what's my best option with the ticketing? A one way Airport ot
Frankfurt perhaps, then a return rankfurt to Heidelberg? I don;t
understand which trains go to which stations etc.

It's the ticketing issue which I'm particularly interested in, as I
don't know if I should buy a return from the airport to Heidelberg, or
a return from another station in Frankfurt so that we can travel back
to the correct station for the ICE train the following week.

Any help from those familiar with the arrangements will be most
appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Paul
New Zealand.

Not the Karl Orff

In article <>,
(Paul) wrote:

    > Hi there,
    >
    > I need some info re Frankfurt rail connections and hope someone on the
    > group can help.
    >
    > We arrive at Frankfurt Main Airport on a flight in the early morning
    > and wish to travel to Heidelberg by train. A week later we are
    > returning to Frankfurt (from Heidelberg) to take the ICE train to
    > Cologne and on to Brussels. The Frankfurt - Heidleberg trip will be a
    > return one, but the Frankfurt - Brussels trip the following week is
    > one way.
    >
    > I can't determine from the many websites I've looked at if the railway
    > station at the airport is simply a short distance connection to]

FRA (flughafen) has 2 rail stations connected by walkway to terminal 1.
The S-bahn goes to Frankfurt, Mainz and Wiesbaden. The long distance
rail station will take you to Heidelberg, up along the Rhein to Koeln,
Dusseldorf, and to other points (something via Frankfurt hauptbahnhof).
I've travelled to Koeln (Cologne) and Nuernberg (Nuremberg) directly
from the flughafen station.

Have a look at www.bahn.de for schedules.

    > another "mainline" station in Frankfurt which we take in order to
    > change to a "main line" train to go to Heidelberg, or if we can get
    > the Heidelberg train directly from the airport? To add further

Looks like no direct trains from Frankfurt flughafen to Heidelberg.
Need to change either in Mannheim or Frankfurt hauptbahnhof (main
station)

    > confusion, if we can get the Heidleberg train directly from the
    > airport, do I buy a return ticket to take us back there to get the ICE
    > train the following week, or do we get onto that at a different
    > station, perhaps in the centre of Frankfurt? If the latter is the
    > case, what's my best option with the ticketing? A one way Airport ot
    > Frankfurt perhaps, then a return rankfurt to Heidelberg? I don;t
    > understand which trains go to which stations etc.

Looks like a series of OW fares wouldbe simplest

    > It's the ticketing issue which I'm particularly interested in, as I
    > don't know if I should buy a return from the airport to Heidelberg, or
    > a return from another station in Frankfurt so that we can travel back
    > to the correct station for the ICE train the following week.

Devil

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 20:20:51 -0700, Paul wrote:

    > Hi there,
    >
    > I need some info re Frankfurt rail connections and hope someone on the
    > group can help.
    >
    > We arrive at Frankfurt Main Airport on a flight in the early morning
    > and wish to travel to Heidelberg by train. A week later we are
    > returning to Frankfurt (from Heidelberg) to take the ICE train to
    > Cologne and on to Brussels. The Frankfurt - Heidleberg trip will be a
    > return one, but the Frankfurt - Brussels trip the following week is
    > one way.

That's just one possible configuration. Fare issue more than anything
else, really.

On going to Heidelberg, you should be aware that there is a Lufthansa bus
from the airport to Heidelberg, which is not unattractive. When I looked,
the info was on the LH web page.


    > I can't determine from the many websites I've looked at if the railway
    > station at the airport is simply a short distance connection to another
    > "mainline" station in Frankfurt which we take in order to change to a
    > "main line" train to go to Heidelberg, or if we can get the Heidelberg
    > train directly from the airport?

The airport is a short hop to downtown. This said, it's conceivable that
some of the trains which stop there might actually continue to Heidelberg.

Tim

"Paul" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > Hi there,

    > It's the ticketing issue which I'm particularly interested in, as I
    > don't know if I should buy a return from the airport to Heidelberg, or
    > a return from another station in Frankfurt so that we can travel back
    > to the correct station for the ICE train the following week.

Frakfurt to Heidleberg is too short a distance for you to benefit
much by buying a discount return ticket (which are only available
if you nominate a specific train).

Buy a single to Heidleberg and a single Heidleberg to Brussels.

tim


    > Any help from those familiar with the arrangements will be most
    > appreciated.
    > Thanks in advance,
    > Paul
    > New Zealand.

Kristian

(Paul) wrote:
    >Hi there,
    >I need some info re Frankfurt rail connections and hope someone on the
    >group can help.
    >We arrive at Frankfurt Main Airport on a flight in the early morning
    >and wish to travel to Heidelberg by train. A week later we are
    >returning to Frankfurt (from Heidelberg) to take the ICE train to
    >Cologne and on to Brussels. The Frankfurt - Heidleberg trip will be a
    >return one, but the Frankfurt - Brussels trip the following week is
    >one way.
    >Paul
    >New Zealand.
--------------
There is a train from the airport (Fehrbahnhof) every hour at the
minute count 53. Its a swift 30 min ride on the ICE train to Mannheim,
where you change to the local humble bumble train towards Heidelberg.
Typically you have to wait only 5-10 mins, for the last 15 min ride.
Price 22 euro.
On your way to Cologne and Brussels there are direct ICE trains
from Mannheim to Cologne .Total travel time to Brussels about 4 hours.
At the train stations they often have small printed timetables you
can take.


Kristian

Thomas Peel

Paul schrieb:
    >
    > Hi there,
    >
    > I need some info re Frankfurt rail connections and hope someone on the
    > group can help.
    >
    > We arrive at Frankfurt Main Airport on a flight in the early morning
    > and wish to travel to Heidelberg by train. A week later we are
    > returning to Frankfurt (from Heidelberg) to take the ICE train to
    > Cologne and on to Brussels. The Frankfurt - Heidleberg trip will be a
    > return one, but the Frankfurt - Brussels trip the following week is
    > one way.
    >
Just get oneway tickets and stop worrying.
T.

Tim

"Kristian" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > (Paul) wrote:
    > >Hi there,
    > >I need some info re Frankfurt rail connections and hope someone on the
    > >group can help.
    > >We arrive at Frankfurt Main Airport on a flight in the early morning
    > >and wish to travel to Heidelberg by train. A week later we are
    > >returning to Frankfurt (from Heidelberg) to take the ICE train to
    > >Cologne and on to Brussels. The Frankfurt - Heidleberg trip will be a
    > >return one, but the Frankfurt - Brussels trip the following week is
    > >one way.
    > >Paul
    > >New Zealand.
    > --------------
    > There is a train from the airport (Fehrbahnhof) every hour at the
    > minute count 53. Its a swift 30 min ride on the ICE train to Mannheim,
    > where you change to the local humble bumble train towards Heidelberg.
    > Typically you have to wait only 5-10 mins, for the last 15 min ride.
    > Price 22 euro.

or you can use the direct bus to Darmstadt and change into the train
there.

Every two hours for 12.80 and only 20 minutes longer

IMHO the ICE supplement does not seem a good use of 10 Euro
for such a short journey, but it seems that there are no other reasonable
options on this route anymore (I'm not counting the S-bahn into
Frankfurt tunnelbahnhof and out again from the Hbf as reasonable,
even without luggage)

tim


    > On your way to Cologne and Brussels there are direct ICE trains
    > from Mannheim to Cologne .Total travel time to Brussels about 4 hours.
    > At the train stations they often have small printed timetables you
    > can take.
    > Kristian

Wolfgang Schwanke

(Paul) wrote in
news::

    > I can't determine from the many websites I've looked at if the railway
    > station at the airport is simply a short distance connection to
    > another "mainline" station in Frankfurt which we take in order to
    > change to a "main line" train to go to Heidelberg, or if we can get
    > the Heidelberg train directly from the airport?

Frankfurt Airport station has both commuter trains (S-Bahn) into Frankfurt
city as well as long distance trains. You can query the connections
yourself: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

    > To add further
    > confusion, if we can get the Heidleberg train directly from the
    > airport,

Apparently you need to change trains in Mannheim, the first leg being ICE,
the second leg a local train of the Mannheim S-Bahn system. You don't go
through Frankfurt main station.

    > do I buy a return ticket to take us back there to get the ICE
    > train the following week, or do we get onto that at a different
    > station, perhaps in the centre of Frankfurt?

As a general rule, buy single through tickets all the time. There's no
point splitting up your tickets just because you might go through a station
you've been in before.

    > If the latter is the
    > case, what's my best option with the ticketing? A one way Airport ot
    > Frankfurt perhaps, then a return rankfurt to Heidelberg?

1. Frankfurt Airport -> Heidelberg
2. Heidelberg -> Brussels

    > I don;t understand which trains go to which stations etc.

You don't have to. Tickets include whatever interchanges are necessary.

Regards

Martin Stock

DB timetable
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/english.html
From: FRA (for Frankfurt Airport)
To: HD (for Heidelberg Hbf = Hauptbahnhof = main railway station)

and
From: HD
To: Buxelles-Midi (this is the main railway station in Brussels)

As you wrote "we" - don't forget to increase the number of travellers at the
DB timetable to get the correct prices.

Frankfurt Airport - Heidelberg: buy a single ticket when you arrive at
Frankfurt Airport
Heidelberg - Brussels: buy this ticket in Frankfurt or Heidelberg - here a
seat reservation might be useful (compulsory if you use a Thalys train from
Cologne to Brussels).

A normal return ticket costs 2 times of a normal single ticket. Only if you
buy in advance and for fixed trains you can get a discounted ticket - if
available (restricted in numbers). For Frankfurt Airport to Heidelberg and
back this makes definitly no sense.

Here a tip to save some money:
Add at the DB timetable "Koblenz" as a "Via" station for Heidelberg -
Brussels. Thus you'll get slower (~ + 1 hour) but also cheaper (~ EUR 20-25
for 2 persons) connections through the Middle Rhine Valley
http://www.talderloreley.de/index.en.php

If you have still some time left, you could interrupt your journey in Colgne
for 2-3 hours and visit e.g. the cathedral (Germany's most visited building;
UNESCO world heritage; was even once the highest building on the planet).

The fastest route from Frankfurt Airport to Heidelberg is via Mannheim Hbf.
No need to travel to Frankfurt Hbf.
There are direct IC trains from Heidelberg to Cologne through the Rhine
valley. These trains go actually neither through Frankfurt Airport or
Frankfurt Hbf, but via Mainz Hbf.

Best is just to follow the route advices of the DB timetable.

Basically there are 3 parallel major railway lines running 5-15 kms from
each other here in South-North direction.

(this attempt of an outline will be only correct with fixed size font like
Courier)
Mainz Hbf --- Frankfurt Airport --- Frankfurt Hbf
| | |
| | |
Ludwigshafen Hbf --- Mannheim Hbf --- Heidelberg Hbf

Paul

Thank you to all the people who replied to my questions. It's all a
lot clearer now and I'll book the fares shortly.

This is a great newsgroup. I'm very grateful for your help.

Regards
Paul
New Zealand.


(Paul) wrote in message news:<>...
    > Hi there,
    >
    > I need some info re Frankfurt rail connections and hope someone on the
    > group can help.
    >
    > We arrive at Frankfurt Main Airport on a flight in the early morning
    > and wish to travel to Heidelberg by train. A week later we are
    > returning to Frankfurt (from Heidelberg) to take the ICE train to
    > Cologne and on to Brussels. The Frankfurt - Heidleberg trip will be a
    > return one, but the Frankfurt - Brussels trip the following week is
    > one way.
    >
    > I can't determine from the many websites I've looked at if the railway
    > station at the airport is simply a short distance connection to
    > another "mainline" station in Frankfurt which we take in order to
    > change to a "main line" train to go to Heidelberg, or if we can get
    > the Heidelberg train directly from the airport? To add further
    > confusion, if we can get the Heidleberg train directly from the
    > airport, do I buy a return ticket to take us back there to get the ICE
    > train the following week, or do we get onto that at a different
    > station, perhaps in the centre of Frankfurt? If the latter is the
    > case, what's my best option with the ticketing? A one way Airport ot
    > Frankfurt perhaps, then a return rankfurt to Heidelberg? I don;t
    > understand which trains go to which stations etc.
    >
    > It's the ticketing issue which I'm particularly interested in, as I
    > don't know if I should buy a return from the airport to Heidelberg, or
    > a return from another station in Frankfurt so that we can travel back
    > to the correct station for the ICE train the following week.
    >
    > Any help from those familiar with the arrangements will be most
    > appreciated.
    > Thanks in advance,
    > Paul
    > New Zealand.