Going to need some help here, please.

My maiden name is Steinbach.

Going to be in Frankfurt for a few hours on a layover and found a town named Steinbach. If possible, I'd love to go see it. Just to say I've been there. I don't know how to read train schedules or even where to start. Can someone help me, please.

There are 75 Steinbach(s) as a town, as a district within a town or village or as part of a placename in my German gazetteer. Do you want any Steinbach, or the one relating to your ancestry?
A few hours won't be enough to leave the airport, travel there and come back in time for your next flight, unless it's only a short tram ride away. Whereabouts is this Steinbach?

I assume OP means Steinbach Taunus, which is on teh s-bahn it seems.


"Steinbach is distinguished by not having a direct road link to Frankfurt. Through Oberursel-Weißkirchen/Steinbach station, however, it is joined to the RMV S-Bahn
S-Bahn network. The bigger towns of Oberursel, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Frankfurt am Main can be reached on line S5. "

Have a look at the the RMV site http://tinyurl.com/yhdwnrl.

Sorry, yes Steinbach Taunus is it. Now I just need to figure it all out.

When I land in Germany (from Cairo) to I have to clear customs before leaving the airport? If so, how long does that process usually take.
Looking at Frankfurt main--how far is that, or how long ride is that from the airport to the station?

From plane to station--how long, about??

>>>When I land in Germany (from Cairo) to I have to clear customs before leaving the airport? If so, how long does that process usually take.<<<

About 30 seconds. However, you have to walk from your gate and you have to collect your baggage. Total time will be about 30 minutes.

>>>From plane to station--how long, about??<<<

You board the train IN the airport. From the baggage claim area, it is a 5-minute walk to the train station. There are ticket machines. The train to Oberursel-Weißkirchen/Steinbach takes 35 minutes and leaves every 15 minutes from Frankfurt Airport.

Yes, you have to clear customs before leaving the airport.

Steinbach is a 35 minute S-Bahn trip from the airport with a change at the Frankfurt main staation (Hauptbahnhof).

Go to this URL

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Enter as the Start point: Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Regionalbf

Enter as the Destination: OberurselWeißkirchen/Steinbach

This shows you what the schedule is like.

When you get to the airport train station, go to the Info desk and ask them to print for you a schedule of the next connection to OberurselWeißkirchen/Steinbach.

The town also has a web site:

http://www.stadt-steinbach.de

Thanks so much!!!

This may be a continental airline question. We are flying on Lufthansa from Cairo then CO from FRA to Houston. Both Lufthansa and CO are Star Alliance members, I think, so can I just check my luggage through in Cairo and pick it up in Houston?

Normally, yes. But allow extra time for secondary security for US-bound flight. In view of this, unless you have 5 hours+ layover, I wouldn't chance it.

I think it's only about 15km. Can I just take a cab?

If you have money to waste you can take a taxi. Expect a fare of 25+ Euros one way for a 15 kms distance. Taxis will be easy to find at the airport, but make sure to arrange pickup for the return trip with the driver or you may have a problem getting back to the airport from Steinbach.

Besides, you will need to obtain some Euro cash. Not all taxis take credit cards.

Hi koryandleslie,

a taxi may actually take longer; this is a huge city with massive traffic. Using trams and trains is really easy though it may seem intimidating at first. If you have any problems or questions, about 90% of the folks around you will speak English and will be very happy to help you out.

Have fun!

s

If you go to Steinbach, you do not have to go through the city as it is North of Frankfurt. Utilize the RMV website to figure out if it is feasable to use the trains or if a taxi will be better. The site switches to English and is easy to use.

http://rmv.de/

I used to ride through Steinbach all the time on my way to work in Oberursel. The train from the airport to the main train station takes 11 min. and the S-5 to Steinbach will run every 20 min. If is a Sunday or a holiday, the S bahns will run less frequently.

With your limited time, I think I would consider the taxi to be your best option. The usual amount of time it takes for people to walk out of the doors of the Frankfurt airport after landing averages 45 min. If you do not have to collect any luggage, then make it 30 min. All you have to do is go through passport control and you are done.

Ok, what am I missing? Going to the rmv web-site, entering Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1 as departure area and Steinbach as arrival, it says it takes over 2 hours and 3 changes. I thought it was only 15 km away?

Sorry, I just looked at and of course there are dozens of different stops. I think the one you want is the Oberursel (Taunus)Wießkirchen - Steinbach Bahnhof. This is where you would get off of the S-5. This will take you approx. 42 minutes. There are buses then that will take you into the town itself.

Seriously, with your short layover time, I would strongly consider taking that taxi unless I have misunderstood your timeframe. Do you have 5 hours between flights, or do you have 5 hours to use sight-seeing? If it is just the 5 between flights, then I really believe doing the train thing, though doable, is really risky time-wise. If you have just missed the S-bahn into the city, you have a 20 min. wait, then an 11 min. ride. Once you get into the city, if you have just missed that S-bahn, again, you have a 20 min. wait. The ride on the S-5 to Steinbach only takes about 13 min. but then when you return, you have the same thing going on, trying to catch each train on time. If you were wanting to go into the town center by bus, add that time in too as they probably do not run that often, probably every 20-30 min. depending on time of day.
Good luck.

I think we (2 of us) have decided on a cab. Any idea how much it would cost us to hire one for a few hours, ie. take us from the airport to Steinbach, maybe see a thing or two quickly and ride back to the airport? 3-hours max.

http://www.taxi-frankfurt.de/english/gb-index.html

A metered taxi will cost you a fortune, maybe up to 300€. Better order a limousine and negociate a fixed price.

i have found these ones in the yellow pages:
http://www.business-service-team.com/
http://www.main-taxi-frankfurt.de
http://www.shuttleservice-rhein-main.de

Hiring a taxi for 3 hours costs a fortune, and why would you want to. While you are in Steinbach, you can explore on foot. A bit of walking and fresh air is good in between long flights anyway.
The only way that makes sense is take a taxi to get to Steinbach and let it drop you off there, and book pickup for two hours or so later with the taxi driver for your return to the airport.