Frankfurt Airport - connecting to the train
 

Hi everyone, a quck question on connecting at Frankfurt Airport. I am planning to take a flight from the US and then connect to the ICE train going to Stuttgart. The flight I am considering lands at 7:40 am on a Thursday. It seems like the best option is to take the ICE train that leaves at 8:54 am. Is an hour fifteen connection time ample? I ask because I heard the airport is huge and I will have to go thru passport control then head to the airport station stop. I will have only carry-on so no issues there.

Also - I can buy an ICE ticket from the DB website at a discount. I know there are restrictions on the fare (train-specific), but what happens in case my incoming flight is delayed and I end up missing my train? Would they agree to put me on a later train for a small fee or do I end up losing the whole ticket? Thanks much for any suggestions you can offer.

Personally I would be ok with an 8:54 departure. The train station is easy to get to.

The wildcard is the on-time arrival of your incoming flight.

I don't know about what happens if you miss the train.

Having just gone through the Frankfurt airport a few weeks ago at the same time you'll be landing, I can tell you that it took awhile for us to get through Passport Control (and by the way, when you get there, stay left and look for the signs that say something like, "Non EU Passports"). If you can get a slightly later train to Stuttgart, I would recommend that. And then if you arrive in time for the 8:45, you can always ask a Deutsche Bahn employee if you can go on that train. Good luck.

If you miss your train because the plane is delayed, it's bad luck if you have a train-specific discount ticket. The ticket is lost. No change, no refund. You will have to buy a new, now standard fare, ticket.
If you buy a standard fare ticket from the beginning, you can take any later train during that and the following day.

There is an IC train leaving at 9:20. The fare is 41 Euros. Not a bad deal. And it is direct to Stuttgart in 1:14 hrs, the same as the ICEs.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I am glad I asked the question before booking the train! I think I will opt for the 9:20.

Another question - if I am done earlier with immigration, can I ask to take the earlier train? That would be the ICE train vs. the IC train - does that make a difference?

Not really except for the price.

Go to wwww.bahn.de and at the top of the page, choose English. Then enter your information and you will see all of the alternatives.

>Another question - if I am done earlier with immigration, can I ask to take the earlier train?

With a standard ticket you don't need to ask - you just take an earlier or later train of the same or lower category.
If you have a savings ticket, you cannot take another train - your ticket is only valid for the one connection.

>That would be the ICE train vs. the IC train - does that make a difference?

Yes, as ICE is a higher category than IC - you have to pay the price difference (you can do so on the train)

Having gone through the Frankfurt airport recently, I would advise that you leave 2-3 hours between the scheduled landing and the train, especially if you get a discounted non-refundable train ticket. If you get there early, relax and drink a beer- and use the ATM for the German bank (not the money exchanges with people) for the best exchange rates. Have a good time...

Hi

I was browsing these types of questions and am glad I ran across this one. Your trip is over now, and I was wondering how long it took you to get to the Fernbahnhof? I am doing the same thing in May. I am also going to Stuttgart. did you land in Terminal 2? Thanks for any help you can give me.

Fernbahnhof is about a 15-minute walk at normal speed I would say - just follow the pictograms of a train engine and Fernbahnhof, passing by first the Lokalbahnhof or whatever they call the Regionalbahnhof that has local trains only.

Thanks PalenQ.....so you think I can walk and won't have to take a shuttle?