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Traditional timbered houses, Frankfurt

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Germany

Travel to Frankfurt

Flying to Frankfurt

Frankfurt Airport is Germany's major air travel hub, with flights serving more than 300 destinations in more than 100 countries. Major operators from the UK include Lufthansa, British Airways and Flybe. As it is such a popular business destination, prices are more or less consistent year-round, but increased demand over major holidays such as Christmas and Easter influence fares if tickets aren't bought well in advance.

Flight times: 

From London - 1 hour 30 minutes; New York - 7 hours 15 minutes; Los Angeles - 14 hours 50 minutes; Toronto - 7 hours 20 minutes; Sydney - 25 hours.

Travel by road

Summary:

Germany has an excellent network of roads and motorways. Generally, there are no speed limits on much of the motorway network, but individually marked speed limits appear on a large percentage of motorway miles. A maximum of 130kph (81mph) is recommended. On normal roads, speed limits are 100kph (62mph) outside built-up areas, and 50kph (31mph) or 30kph (19mph) in built-up areas. Traffic drives on the right. The minimum age for driving is 18 years. Foreign drivers require their national driving licence and proof of insurance – third-party insurance is mandatory, but a green card is strongly recommended. A country identification sticker or national licence plate must be displayed on the vehicle.

Mitfahrzentrale are car sharing agencies that link drivers with travellers heading to the same destination. In Frankfurt, these include CityNetz Mitfahrzentralen, Am Hauptbahnhof 4 (tel: 01805 19444; www.citynetz-mitfahrzentrale.de), and the online company Mitfahrgelegenheit (www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de).

General information on travelling by car in Germany can be obtained from the Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil-Club (ADAC) (tel: 0180 510 1112; www.adac.de).

Emergency breakdown service:

ADAC (tel: 0180 222 2222); ACE (tel: 01802 343 536).

Routes:

The Frankfurter Kreuz (near the airport, to the south of the city) is the most important junction in the German Autobahn network, where the A5 and A3 motorways connect. The A5 is the motorway to Frankfurt from the north (Hanover and Berlin) and the south (Karlsruhe and from across the border in Basel). The A3 connects Frankfurt with the east (Nürnberg) and west (Düsseldorf and Cologne).

Driving times:

From Munich - 4 hours 15 minutes; Hanover - 3 hours 40 minutes; Berlin - 5 hours 30 minutes.

Coaches:

Deutsche Touring GmbH, Am Römerhof 17 (tel: (069) 790 3501; www.touring.de), operates international services between Frankfurt and numerous destinations, including London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Copenhagen and Budapest. It also operates regional services, including destinations on the 'Romantic Road' route from Frankfurt include Munich, Würzburg, Augsburg and Schwangau. All buses depart from the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof Omnibusbahnof, at the main railway station. Tickets can be purchased at the station or on the bus.

Travel by rail

Services:

The rail network in Germany is modern, extensive and highly efficient. The high-speed TGV/ICE connection links Frankfurt with Paris Gare de l'Est in less than four hours, while there are other IC and EC services to destinations throughout Germany and abroad.

ICE trains serve a number of cities, including Basel, Bonn, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin. The ICE Cologne-Frankfurt link is the fastest on the network, at just 70 minutes (58 minutes to Frankfurt airport). There are also night trains on some routes, including the CityNightLine service (tel: 01805 141 514; www.citynightline.ch) from Vienna West, Basel and Zurich. IR, IRE, RE (Regional Express) RB (Regional Bahn) and S-Bahn trains serve regional and city destinations.

Frankfurt Airport has its own station, with regular ICE services to Basel, Cologne, Hanover, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Stuttgart, Copenhagen and Munich.

Frankfurt’s Hauptbahnhof (main railway station), Am Hauptbahnhof Strasse, is the busiest in Germany. Facilities include tourist information, a bank, ATMs, a chemist and many other shops and eating outlets.


Operators:

Deutsche Bahn - DB (tel: 11861, in Germany only or 01805 996 633; www.bahn.de) is the national railway provider.

Journey times:

From Berlin - 4 hours 8 minutes, Cologne – 1 hour 10 minutes, Munich - 3 hours 11 minutes, Hamburg - 3 hours 55 minutes, Paris - 4 hours 30 minutes, and Brussels - 3 hours.

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