Frankfurt Short Layover Guide: How to do it in 7 hours

This post contains affiliate links, If you make a purchase through these links I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Whenever I have a long layover, the first thing I do is check if I have to spend the whole time at the airport. Frankfurt is often presented as a business destination and doesn’t end up on a lot of itineraries other than as an airport.  Despite this, I still wanted to get out and see what Frankfurt had to offer for the few hours I had free. Lucky for me, Frankfurt has fantastic transit links into the city from the airport and is easy to navigate.

Frankfurt is a great city to spend a few hours in and this guide has everything you need for your layover.

The Logistics

In Frankfurt, I had 6 hours and 40 minutes between flights. My flight arrived just before 8 am so I was there quite early. I didn’t have to pick up luggage as it was checked in through to my end destination, so I only had to deal with my carry-on. If your carry-on is a suitcase, you can find luggage lockers at the airport train station and the main train station in Frankfurt. This isn’t a lot of time and I made sure I was at the airport again with plenty of time to go through security and make it to my gate.

How to Get from Frankfurt Airport to Sightseeing the City

Navigating to Frankfurt Airport Train Station

Frankfurt Airport is easy to navigate. I just kept following signs that lead me to the train station (Bahnhöfe) and travel center (Reisezentrum). It was a bit of a long walk, like most walks in airports. If you want to figure out the layout of the airport, you can check out Frankfurt’s terminal map here.

Buying a Train Ticket from Frankfurt Airport to City

Once you find the transit area, there are machines where you can buy yourself a roundtrip ticket into Frankfurt city. The machines are touchscreen and they do have an English option. The cost of a roundtrip ticket (day ticket) for an adult is 9.55 euros. For a group of up to 5 people, the cost for an all-day ticket is 16.60 euros. For the group ticket, you must write the names of the people using that ticket on the ticket. I was able to purchase my ticket using a Canadian credit card. I have read that American credit cards will not work here so if this is you, prepare to pay using cash or go to the DB help desk to pay using your credit card.

Afterward, figure out which platform your train is on. There is actually an information desk here where you can confirm the train to take and which stop to get off of to see the main tourist area of the city.  You can also get tourist maps here.

Train to Take from Frankfurt Airport to Frankfurt City

As of right now, the train you are looking for is S-Bahn S8 or S9 train in the direction of Offenbach or Hanau. You can check out a map of the train routes here. The trains are frequent, about every 15 minutes or so. To get closest to the old part of Frankfurt, you can get off at Hauptwache. You can also get off the train at the main station, Hauptbahnhof, if you want to see the train station. I did find Hauptwache to be more convenient for me. It took about 20 minutes from the airport to Hauptwache.

What to Do in Frankfurt on a 7 Hour Layover

If you are visiting Frankfurt in the afternoon, there are short tours you can join to learn more about the city. You could join this hour-long boat cruise or this 90-minute walking tour of the main sights of Frankfurt. If you’re going to be visiting during winter or maybe just have heavy carry-on luggage, this hop-on hop-off bus tour is a good option as you can see the highlights of Frankfurt in only 1 hour.

Hauptwache

When you emerge from Hauptwache, you can see the Hauptwache building on the square above. It’s a baroque building constructed in 1730 and originally used as a prison. Next to the Hauptwache is St. Catherine’s Church, the largest Protestant church in Frankfurt.

A slight detour either from or to Hauptwache will take you to Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). It has a decorative window on the side of it that looks like a door made up of broken bits of glass.

St. Paul’s Church

Walking from Hauptwache train station at just after 8 am, the streets are fairly deserted and shops are still closed. There were some interesting buildings on the way to the Altstadt (old town) though and it was easy to navigate where I wanted using the map as well as signs pointing you in the right direction.

Before seeing the Römer (city hall), you can see St. Paul’s Church. Right across from the red sandstone building that is St. Paul’s Church is the back of City Hall. This Neo-Baroque complex has an arch bridge over the street and is quite decorative.

Römerberg and Frankfurt’s City Hall

Walking into the old town area, the first stop will likely be the Römer. Here you can find the 9 houses that make up Frankfurt’s city hall, or Rathaus. This is the pink and sandstone coloured building in the Römerberg square. Across from it are timbered buildings of multiple colours that are located on the Römerberg. On one side of the square is the Old Nikolai Church.

During WW2 most of these buildings were destroyed in bombings. The houses on the Römerberg were reconstructed after the war. To get an idea of how much damage Frankfurt took, many of the tourist shops sell prints and postcards of Frankfurt after World War Two.

Frankfurt’s St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral

After taking in Römerberg, head towards Frankfurt Cathedral. Built in the Gothic style in the 14th and 15th centuries, St. Bartholomew’s church was partially destroyed in WW2. It has since been reconstructed and has a tower of 66 metres that you can go up to view the city from above. This is one of the easiest buildings to find in the Aldstadt because the spire is 95m high and prominent in the skyline.

Stop for a Bite to Eat

While walking around there are multiple bakeries to grab a huge pretzel, a sausage, or other snacks from.  Germany definitely has some of the best portable foods don’t skip out on trying some German cuisine.

If you are looking for a sit-down meal in Frankfurt’s Altstadt, I can recommend Mainkai Cafe. It is located with a view of the Main River and has delicious food and fast service. It’s the perfect place to people watch. I had a wonderful omelette and hot chocolate here for brunch.

River Main and Eisener Steg

After having some food, I wandered along the river to see the Eisener Steg (Iron Bridge).  This green pedestrian bridge over the Main River has fantastic views of the downtown skyline. If you cross the bridge you will find yourself on the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment). If you have time, you can check out the museums Frankfurt has to offer.

Eisener Steg was built in 1869 and rebuilt in 1946 after being dynamited in WW2. There is a Greek phrase on the top of the bridge from Homer’s Odyssey. It translates to: “While sailing over the wine-dark sea to men of strange speech.”  And of course, being that it is a steel bridge, there are locks covering it.

Frankfurt City is Worth the Trip from the Airport

Frankfurt was a lovely city to visit on a layover. With my almost 7 hour layover, I had just enough time for a meal and a quick look around some of the main sights of the city. You would be able to do this with a 6-hour layover if you cut out the sit-down meal.  Make sure you give yourself enough time to go through security.  I always plan on needing to go to the furthest point in the airport for my departure gate.

If you are short on time, the airport is full of things to explore, including a mall, restaurants, and an airport tour. The airport tour is one of the more unique things about the airport, I don’t think I’ve heard of such a thing anywhere else. You can check out the different tour offerings and prices here.

Quick Recap

Train Cost: All Day Pass 9.55€, Group All Day Pass 16.60€
Train Time from Airport: 20 minutes Train Frequency: Every 15 minutes
Amount of Time Needed Between Flights: 6 hours minimum
Main Sights: Römer, Römerberg, St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral, River Main, Eisener Steg Bridge

Like it? Pin it for Later!