Frankfurt airport is located tel kilometres (6.5 miles) southwest of the city centre. It handles 70% of intercontinental flights in Germany, carrying 150,000 travellers per day and is a major European transport hub alongside London, Paris and Amsterdam. Terminals one (concourses A, B and C) and two (D and E) are linked by Skyline shuttle trains.

Major airlines: The national airline is Lufthansa (tel: (069) 6960 (local); (01803) 803 803 (national); website: www.lufthansa.de). 110 airlines including Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, KLM, Qantas, SAS, South African Airways and Turkish Airlines serve 290 destinations in 109 countries worldwide.

Approximate flight times to Frankfurt: From London is 1 hour 30 minutes; from New York is 7 hours 15 minutes; from Los Angeles is 14 hours 50 minutes; from Toronto is 7 hours 20 minutes and from Sydney is 25 hours and 5 minutes.

Airport facilities: Numerous banks, bureaux de change and ATMs are available in both terminals and in the Frankfurt Airport Centre (FAC1). The airport facilities include travel agencies, shops, duty-free outlets, restaurants, bars, pharmacies and post offices (mostly located in terminal one). 3C Communications provide 24-hour credit card phones and faxes. Both terminals have an Airport Gallery featuring exhibitions on aviation, travel and art. Car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt offices in each terminal.

Business facilities: The Airport Conference Centre (tel: (069) 6907 0500; fax: (069) 6907 0515; e-mail: acc-reservierung@fraport.de; website: www.acc-frankfurt.de) in FAC1 offers 23 conference rooms (open Monday to Friday 0700-2130 and Saturday 0900-1800) with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, Internet access, secretarial services, interpreters and office supplies. There are also conference rooms available to rent in terminal two. Many of the major airlines have executive lounges.

Arrival/departure tax: Departure tax of approximately DM11/EUR5.50 is included in the price of the ticket.

Transport to the city: Deutsche Bahn (tel: (01805) 996 633; website: www.bahn.de) city trains S8, S14 and S15 run to the main station (Hauptbahnhof) every 15 minutes (DM6.10/EUR3) from platforms 1-3 of Frankfurt Airport station (journey time – approximately 10 minutes). There are also local trains to Mainz, Wiesbaden and other destinations. Night trains run after 0030. ICE, InterCity and EuroCity trains to national and international destinations depart from platforms 4-7, at the new AIRail Terminal (see Getting There By Rail). Information on rail services from the airport is available from the DB Travel Centre (tel: (069) 691 844); fax: (069) 69026 515523).

Most buses arrive and depart from outside the terminal one arrivals hall, including bus 61 for Frankfurt Südbahnhof. Taxis are readily available outside both terminals; the journey to the city centre costs about DM40/EUR20.50 (journey time – 20 minutes, in normal traffic).

Ferry services: Ferry services are available to other German cities, including Cologne, Dusseldorf, Mainz, Heidelberg, Wiesbaden and Rüdesheim. These mainly depart from the Eiserner Steg. Boats run between March and October, three to five times per day, costing approximately DM50/EUR25.50. These trips are offered by Frankfurter Personenschiffahrt (tel: (069) 281 884; fax: (069) 284 798; e-mail: mail@primus-linie.de; website: www.primus-linie.de) and Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt GmbH (tel: (0221) 208 8288; fax: (0221) 208 8245; e-mail: info@k-d.com; website: www.k-d.com).

Transport to the city: S-Bahn trains, buses and underground lines (see Public Transport) are all in close reach.

Rail services: There are IC and EC services to destinations throughout Germany and abroad. ICE destinations include Basel (journey time – 4 hours) and Berlin (journey time – 7 hours), as well as Bonn, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne, Mainz and Munich. There is a CityNightLine service from Vienna West (journey time – 9 hours). IR, local and S-Bahn trains serve regional destinations. The airport has its own long-distance train station in the new AIRail Terminal, with regular IC services (Hamburg–Basel, Dresden–Passau, Berlin–Nuremberg) and an ICE service (Hamburg–Stuttgart). A direct ICE service from Cologne and the Rhine region should be in place by 2002.

Transport to the city: The Hauptbahnhof is served by numerous underground, S-Bahn trains and buses on the city transport network. Taxis are available around the clock from the central issuing agency (tel: (069) 230 001 or 250 001).

Mitfahrzentrale are ‘car sharing’ agencies that link drivers with travellers heading to the same destination. In Frankfurt, these include CityNetz Mitfahrzentrale, Homburger Strasse 36 (tel: (069) 19444; e-mail: verband@citynetz-mitfahrzentrale.de; website: www.citynetz-mitfahrzentrale.de), Mitfahrgelegenheit (tel: (0931) 465 1232; e-mail: drive@mitfahrgelegenheid.de; website: www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de) and Unicum (website: www.unicum.de), which also works internationally and links most European countries.

General information on travelling by car in Germany can be obtained from the Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil Club – ADAC (tel: (0180) 510 1112; fax: (0180) 530 2928; website: www.adac.de), which also provides breakdown services throughout the country.

Emergency breakdown services:
ADAC (0180) 222 2222
ACE (0180) 234 3536

Routes to the city: The Frankfurter Kreuz (near the airport, to the south of the city) is the most important junction in the German Autobahn network. Motorways from Hamburg to Basel and from the Ruhr Valley to Munich cross here. The A5 is the motorway to Frankfurt, if travelling from the north (Hanover and Berlin) or the South. The A3 connects Frankfurt with the east and west of the country.

Driving times to Frankfurt: from Munich – 2 hours 45 minutes; Hanover – 4 hours 30 minutes; and Berlin – 5 hours 15 minutes.

Coach services: Deutsche Touring GmbH (tel: (01805) 250 254; fax: (01805) 790 3219; e-mail: service@deutsche-touring.com; website: www.deutsche-touring.com) runs international services between Frankfurt and numerous destinations. The bus station is located at Am Römerhof 17 (tel: (069) 790 350; fax: (069) 790 3219). Tickets can be purchased at the station or on the bus.

The network is divided into zones, which determine the price of tickets. Within the city, a single-zone ticket costs DM3.70/EUR2 (Monday to Friday 0600-0900 and 1600-1830) or DM3.10/EUR1.50 (other times). A short trip (Kurzstrecke) of up to two kilometres costs DM2.20/EUR1. A DM8.50/EUR4.50 day pass allows unlimited travel during a 24-hour period, while a seven-day ticket costs DM32.60/EUR16.50. Single, short-journey, group and day tickets can all be bought from automated ticket machines (card-o-maten) or from bus drivers. Weekly, monthly and yearly passes should be bought from VGF and DB sales points. The Congress Ticket is available in advance from Frankfurt Tourist+Congress Board and entitles the holder to one full day’s travel throughout Frankfurt, including the airport. It is only available for those attending a conference or similar event.

Taxis
Taxis are usually beige Mercedes and can be safely hailed on the street. They also can be ordered from the central issuing agency (tel: (069) 230 or 250 001), from Taxiruf (tel: (069) 230 033), or on the Internet (website: www.taxi-frankfurt.de). The flat rate is DM3.80/EUR2 if ordered by telephone, plus DM2.20/EUR1 per kilometre from 1100 to 1500, DM2.40/EUR1 from 0600 to 1100 and 1500 to 2200, and DM2.70/EUR1.50 all other times. A tip between 5% and 10% is normally expected.

Limousines
Limousine Travel Service GmbH (tel: (069) 2304 9295; fax: (069) 235 695) offers a range of services, including chauffered limousines, sightseeing tours and luxury coaches. Top–Alliance, Rudolf-Diesel-Strasse 18, Eschborn (tel: (06173) 934 950; fax: (06173) 934 960; e-mail: top_alliance@limousines.de; website: www.limousines.de), offers limousine and flight services. Rates start from DM110/EUR56 per hour for a standard Mercedes E class including 25km (15.5 miles), with a charge of DM2.90/EUR1.50 for each additional kilometre applicable. A minimum booking of three hours is required.

Driving in the City
Driving in the centre of Frankfurt can be stressful as it requires a good knowledge of the one way system. It can be heavily congested, especially during rush hours (between 0800 and 0900 and 1700 and 1800), and even more confusing as German drivers are not known for their patience. The Strassenverkehrsbehörde (tel: (069) 79190) provides up-to-date information on the traffic situation in the city.

Drivers should note that trams always have priority in the city, although driving on their tracks is permissable and usually unavoidable. Buses have priority when leaving stops.

Parking on the street is rarely available and being towed away can cost between DM235/EUR120 and DM500/EUR255.50. Car parks are expensive (between DM6/EUR3 and DM12/EUR6 per hour) and get congested very quickly. There are 19 covered car parks in Frankfurt. The following are open 24 hours: Hauptwache, Kornmarkt 10; Schiller-Passage, Taubenstrasse 11; Junghofstrasse, Junghofstrasse 16; Börse, Meisengasse; Alte Oper, Opernplatz; Alt-Sachsenhausen, Walter-Kolb-Strasse 16; Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse, Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse 15; Nordwestzentrum, Erich-Ollenhauer-Ring, Mousonturm, Waldschmidtstrasse 6 and Westend, Savignystrasse 58.

Car Hire
Regulations vary depending on the company but drivers generally must be at least 19 years old and have held a full driving licence for at least one year (an international driving permit is needed if the national licence is not in roman script). The average price for a category one car is DM100/EUR51 per day, plus DM40/EUR20.50 per day for insurance. Providers include Avis, Schmidtstrasse 39 (tel: (069) 730 111; website: www.avis.de), and Sixt, Allerheiligenstrasse 52 (tel: (069) 138 7080; website: www.e-sixt.de). All major car hire companies (Alamo, Budget, Europcar and Hertz) are based at the airport (tel: (069) 6900).

Bicycle Hire
Bicycles can be hired from Theo Intra, Westerbachstrasse 273 (tel: (069) 342780), Rebicycle, Gewinnerstrasse 38 (tel: (069) 40807436), or Per Velo, Königsteiner Strasse 91 (tel: (069) 312132). City bikes are available for DM15/EUR7.50, trekking bikes for DM20/EUR10 and mountain bikes from DM25/EUR13 per day. Bicycle tours are organised by the German Bicycle Club (tel: (069) 9441 0196; fax: (069) 9441 0193; website: www.adfc-frankfurt.de).