Hbf at Frankfurt & Munich airports

[timesharer]

Is the Hbf rail station at the Frankfurt and Munich airports?
Is the Hbf rail station within walking distance from the rental car counter at the airport? Or do we need to take taxi/bus?

Thanks!

 

[Ken555]

Is the Hbf rail station at the Frankfurt and Munich airports?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_Airport_long-distance_station

On the www.bahn.de site, search for "Frankfurt(Main)Flugh" and "MUC München Airport" as your origination to see the airport station and times, book tickets, etc.

Short answer: most German airports have direct connection to rail (with Frankfurt easier than most).

 

[Talent312]

IIRC, the Frankfurt rail station and car rental counters are in the main terminal.
It's a huge terminal, but you can literally, walk between planes, trains and automobiles.

If you rent a car w-GPS, be sure to ask them to change the voice to a language you understand.

 

[Carolinian]

In Munich, I have always taken the S-Bahn suburban train, which runs very often, into the main Munich station. There are two different lines running between those points, and if I remember correctly each one has two trains per hour. Returning to the airport, one of the S-Bahn trains splits enroute, and one segment goes on to the airport and the other somewhere else. If you take that one on the return to the airport, make sure you get on the right section of the train.

The Frankfurt airport is on the ICE main line between Cologne and Frankfurt, but there are lines going other places from Frankfurt and you may need to go into the main station in the city to catch one of those anyway. There are both mainline and S-Bahn trains frequently between the airport and the main station.

Both stations are right in the airport complex.

Between the two airports, I have always much preferred Munich, and I find that to be very much true also among the German expats I work with. A year of so ago, there was a long thread on FlyerTalk in response to a travel guidebook series naming the three worst airports in Europe based on a poll among their travel writers. While Frankfurt was not on their list, many on FlyerTalk thought it should have been. One described the Frankfurt airport as ''a cross between a maze and a dungeon''.

 

[timesharer]

When I chose "central rail station" for either Frankfurt or Munich at the renal car web sites to make reservation, they showed offices were not open at 9PM on Sat. I had to chose the "airport" location. So we will have to go to the airport to pick up the rental car. But it seems Bhf is at the airport. It is very confusing...

 

[Ken555]

When I chose "central rail station" for either Frankfurt or Munich at the renal car web sites to make reservation, they showed offices were not open at 9PM on Sat. I had to chose the "airport" location. So we will have to go to the airport to pick up the rental car. But it seems Bhf is at the airport. It is very confusing...

Just to clarify... Hbf is an abbreviation for the German word meaning Central Rail Station (hauptbahnhof). So when you see Hbf after the city name, it indicates that is the main station for that city.

Are you sure you need a car at 9pm? If your schedule permits, I'd suggest picking it up in the morning, and just take public transit or a cab to your hotel for the night.

 

[wasabinuki]

Of the two airports, I think that MUC is better. You can access everything you need from the airport (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, taxi's, rental car services, and a few hotels). Usually we take the train into Munich which takes about an hour, and either line is about the same. If you take the train into Munich, and have more than just yourself, you can buy a group ticket that will accommodate up to 4 riders, which will save you a few Euros.

Prost.

 

[timesharer]

Thank you for all of your help! We decided to get the rental car the next morning. We are thinking of picking up the rental car at Munich Hbf instead of the airport. Is it crowded and difficult to drive near Munich Hbf?