Planning to Visit More of Germany?
Planning to visit more of Germany? See all routes and airports in our guide to
cheap flights to Germany.
About Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
Frankfurt Airport (IATA: FRA) is Germany's largest and busiest airport, handling more than
60 million passengers annually. Located approximately 12 kilometres southwest of Frankfurt city
centre, it serves as Lufthansa's primary hub and one of the world's most important international
aviation gateways.
Frankfurt is also one of Europe's leading transit hubs, with millions of passengers connecting
between Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East every year.
Airport Terminals
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Terminal 1 (T1): Lufthansa's primary hub and home to Star Alliance airlines
including United Airlines, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, ANA, and Singapore Airlines. The terminal
provides direct access to regional and long-distance railway stations.
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Terminal 3 (T3): Frankfurt's newest terminal, opened in 2026. It serves
non-Star Alliance carriers including British Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines,
Air France, KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways, easyJet, and Ryanair.
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Lufthansa First Class Terminal: An exclusive facility offering premium
services for eligible Lufthansa First Class passengers.
Getting from Frankfurt Airport to the City Centre
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S-Bahn (S8 & S9): The fastest and most affordable option. Services reach
Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof in approximately 10–15 minutes.
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ICE & InterCity Trains: Direct high-speed rail connections from the airport
to Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, and other major German cities.
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Taxi & Rideshare: Available outside the terminals with journey times of
approximately 20–25 minutes depending on traffic.
What to Expect in Frankfurt
Frankfurt combines a modern financial skyline with centuries of history. Known as
"Mainhattan" due to its impressive skyscrapers, the city also features charming medieval
architecture centred around the historic Römerberg square.
Visitors can explore the Römer Town Hall, Frankfurt Cathedral, St. Paul's Church, and the
vibrant Sachsenhausen district, famous for traditional apple wine taverns and riverside cafés.
Frankfurt's Museumsufer (Museum Embankment) is one of Germany's most significant cultural
districts, featuring world-class museums covering art, film, design, architecture, and world
cultures along the banks of the Main River.
The city also serves as an excellent base for exploring the Rhine Valley, Heidelberg,
Cologne, and other destinations across central Germany.
Best Time to Fly to Frankfurt
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January – February: Typically the cheapest months for transatlantic flights,
with excellent value for budget-conscious travellers.
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March – May: Pleasant spring weather, blooming landscapes, and competitive
airfare prices.
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June – August: Peak summer season with festivals, outdoor events, and
increased tourism activity.
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October: One of the most attractive months to visit, thanks to autumn
colours, Rhine Valley excursions, and the world-famous Frankfurt Book Fair.
Pro Tip
Many Museumsufer museums offer discounted admission on selected weekends, making Frankfurt one
of Germany's best-value destinations for art and culture enthusiasts.
FAQs
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the most popular gateway into Germany, chosen by 27% more travellers than any other German city according to Momondo 2026 data, for three primary reasons: it is Germany's largest and best-connected hub with the most flights from the most origins; it is operated by Lufthansa's primary hub, meaning the widest onward connection network within Europe and Germany; and its integrated long-distance railway station allows passengers to continue onward by ICE high-speed train to Cologne (50 minutes), Stuttgart (1 hour), Munich (3 hours), or Hamburg (3.5 hours) without leaving the airport complex. For travellers planning to visit multiple German cities, Frankfurt is operationally the most practical entry point.
Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) officially opened on 22 April 2026, marking the most significant infrastructure development at the airport in decades. Located on the opposite side of the airfield from Terminal 1, it replaces the old Terminal 2 and has a designed annual capacity of approximately 19 million passengers — compared to the 15 million capacity of the Terminal 2 it replaced. All non-Star Alliance airlines — including British Airways, American Airlines, Delta, Air France, KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways, easyJet, and Ryanair — moved from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 in phases between 23 April and 9 June 2026. The two terminals are connected by the SkyLine automated people mover, which runs every 2-3 minutes with an 8-10 minute journey time. If you last flew Frankfurt before mid-2026, always verify your current terminal.
Frankfurt Airport offers the fastest airport-to-city-centre rail connection of any major German airport. S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 depart from the Regionalbahnhof station directly beneath Terminal 1 and reach Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (the main railway station) in just 10-15 minutes, continuing to Konstablerwache (the city's main shopping district) in approximately 15-20 minutes. Trains run every 15 minutes throughout the day. A single ticket costs approximately 5.65 EUR. In addition, the Fernbahnhof long-distance station beneath Terminal 1 offers direct ICE high-speed connections to Cologne in 50 minutes — making Frankfurt the only major European city reachable from its international airport by high-speed rail within 1 hour.
Both cities offer excellent first-visit experiences, but they appeal to different travel styles. Frankfurt is smaller, more internationally business-oriented, and has the fastest airport-to-city transfer in Germany (10-15 minutes by S-Bahn), excellent day-trip access to the Rhine Valley and Heidelberg, and the extraordinary Museumsufer museum embankment. Munich is larger, more traditionally Bavarian in character, has lower average airfares, exceptional Alpine proximity (Neuschwanstein and ski resorts within 1.5-2 hours), and the English Garden — one of the world's largest urban parks. For a first trip combining city culture with German landscapes, many travellers now fly into Frankfurt and out of Munich (or vice versa) using an open-jaw itinerary on the ICE high-speed rail corridor, covering both cities in one efficient trip.
Frankfurt Airport publishes official Minimum Connection Times (MCT) set by Lufthansa. The MCT for connections entirely within Terminal 1 between Schengen flights is 45 minutes — but this is the absolute minimum, not a comfortable target. For experienced travellers, adding 20-30 minutes to each MCT threshold is strongly advisable. For connections involving a terminal change between T1 and the new T3, the MCT is 75 minutes, reflecting the 8-10 minute SkyLine journey plus security re-screening at the destination terminal. For first-time Frankfurt transiting passengers, book connections with at least 90 minutes between scheduled arrival and departure for T1-only connections, and at least 2 hours for T1-T3 cross-terminal connections to avoid stress and the risk of missed flights.
