Thinking of Flying from Frankfurt to Amsterdam
 

The original plan was to train from Mainz to Amsterdam.

I'm just trying to find out if flying might be a better idea. Or not.

How far in advance of the flight would we have to be at Frankfurt Airport.

How long does it take to get from Schiphol Airport to Amsterdam Centraal station.

Interesting.

I just called Lufthansa and they said 3 hours.

KLM wasn't sure but thought it was 2 hours.

Kind of souring on that idea.

Planes can be late - much more so than trains. collecting bags takes time.

Train takes what about 4.5 hours from Mainz to Amsterdam (change at Frankfurt Flughafen for high-speed train to Amsterdam. Book well in advance and fares of 39 euros each. With flying you still have to pay for train to airport and from Schiphol to Amsterdam C.S.

4.5 hours city center to city center is about as quick as flying all in all and you see the nice countryside in between - not that scenic but to an American interesting. Book at www.bahn.de/en - German Railways site - www.seat61.com has lots on booking your own tickets online -general train info BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Talk about waffling. My wife is not an early person. If we flew we'd probably take a 12:40 flight. So we wouldn't get to Amsterdam any earlier than if we took an 8:20 train from Mainz, change in Cologne and arrive around 1:30.

I figure if we're sitting on a train for 5 hours we might as well sit in 1st class.

OK. So for now assuming it's the train and 1st class.

I don't see a luggage area in the cars.

We will be travelling with a 25" suitcase each and a carry-on bag. Any idea where the luggage goes? Overhead? lying down, on end behind seat? other?

>>> I'm just trying to find out if flying might be a better idea. Or not.
This depends on what you mean by "better." If cost is the only criterion, you just need to compare the prices.
If the travel time is the concern, you need to actually compute travel time based on when you are traveling. The trip duration is not a single number. It is a range of numbers depending on when you are leaving.
If you try to do this after 8pm, train trips require very fragmented itineraries. A train would get you to Amsterdam Centraal. However, if there is a delay and you missed a connection, you have to figure out how to continue your trip. Flights between FRA and AMS are mostly non-stop.

>>> I just called Lufthansa and they said 3 hours.
>>> KLM wasn't sure but thought it was 2 hours.
These are one-size-fit-all answer. Always correct yet useless.It depends on when you are leaving and the terminal used by the flight.
I have departed from FRA many time. When it was a 6am depature, it didn't take even half an hour to get to the deaprture lounge. When it was mid morning, one really bad time it took more than one hour with long queues everywhere. It is also quick late in the evening.

However, if there is a delay and you missed a connection, you have to figure out how to continue your trip.>

The only change is at the nearby airport and trains go all the time from Mainz - just take an earlier train to airport. There are overhead luggage racks and space under seats - and places for large items at entrances to train car. There are no luggage cars for passengers to use.

I see you decided on a train route.
>>> We will be travelling with a 25" suitcase each and a carry-on bag. Any idea where the luggage goes? Overhead? lying down, on end behind seat? other?
This is an IC to ICE connection.
I don't know the type of IC carriage they use on this. If this is an open carriage, try to find seats at the ends of each carriage. If it is an older compartment type, you need to drag them into your compartment. Kind of tough if all seats are occupied. On ICE, there are dedicated luggage area at the ends. However, one time, I got stuck in the same 1st class carriage as a tour group each carrying a 26" and a carry-on. They overflew luggage area and all the nooks and crannies between the seat. The only space availabe to us were the overhead racks suitable for carry-on size luggages only.

From Man in Seat 61 - this is apparently the train used between Frankfurt and Amsterdam. There are places near the entrance where you can leave your bag and also racks above the seats for smaller bags.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mtfynn9ig1...3-406.pdf?dl=0

Lavandula

I sure wouldn't schlepp big bags on the trains when I could fly and not have to touch them between check in and arrivals. (If it was a city center to city center train with no connections, I'd usually take the train)

Have you changed trains in Europe with large suitcases?

The '3 hours' and '2 hours' in advance are boiler plate that all airlines publish. Whether flying domestic entirely within Schengen, or flying international/transatlantic. That's just what they tell everyone. Even at my small local airport with about 20 gates divided between two terminals . . . they still say 3 hours. Not necessary.

There are no compartments in these cars. Both trains have two side by side seats on one side and single seats on the other. We would reserve facing seats on the single side (both with window obviously).

In Koln the time between trains is 36 min and the change is from track 4 to 5 which I believe is on the same platform.

On the negative side we are not at the point of origin on either train. On the positive side not a lot of seats in the car of either train.

Which brings up another question.
Rather than take the train from Mainz to Koln and change going to Amsterdam would I be better off going from Mainz to Frankfurt (MAIN) hbf and take that same ICE train at the point of origin and go directly to Amsterdam with no additional changes?

>>> Rather than take the train from Mainz to Koln and change going to Amsterdam would I be better off going from Mainz to Frankfurt (MAIN) hbf and take that same ICE train at the point of origin and go directly to Amsterdam with no additional changes?
I don't know which day of the week you are thinking of doing this. If this is a weekday, you are heading to the work center during the rush hour.

It would be on a Wednesday.

There is no way I would be at FRA airport 3 hours in advance for a short flight FRA-AMS. An hour and a half max, maybe at a push 2 hours if at peak times, the check in is done online, you need to drop bags at bag drop which can be time consuming at peak times and get thru security, again this can be time consuming. The airlines just spout out 3 or 2 hours as a standard response. Given the choice of train or plane, plane would be what I would go with.

Same here; max 1,5 hours with check-in luggage, 1 hour with handluggage for a Schengen flight. With 2 suitcases and a change of trains, I would opt for flying.

We just had a management discussion and now we're leaning toward flying.

Stay tuned

Rather than take the train from Mainz to Koln and change going to Amsterdam would I be better off going from Mainz to Frankfurt (MAIN) hbf and take that same ICE train at the point of origin and go directly to Amsterdam with no additional changes??

Yes and leave plenty of time between trains at the airport but there are luggage carts everywhere - carry a euro coin to put in them to disengage them and you'll get the coin back when returning cart to a rack at the train station - you would come into the Regional bahnhof and have to walk about 10 minutes to the Fernbahnhof or long-distance station - again luggage carts make that so easy - total fare 39 euros if book in advance - planes will take about 4 hrs all told or if delayed more - total train time here is 4 h 28 to Amsterdam C.S. Can you fly for 39 euros? Train seems no-brainer to me and again you see some countryside in between.

Take the 8:20 link via Cologne would give you a chance to break your journey in Cologne to see the famous Cologne cathedral right next to the station.

OP will have no problems once they get on ICE train to Amsterdam as it terminates there.