Underground, S-Bahn, Tram, Bus
The best way to travel around Frankfurt is the Underground, tram and bus. For connections to the suburbs use the S-Bahn. You can get individual, group, day and week tickets. The metro stations are signed with a white capital "U" on a blue background. To go to the suburbs or airport use the S-Bahn, signed with a white "S" on green background. All lines come together in a tunnel Citytunnel in central Frankfurt beside line S7, which ends at Central Station.
Fares tend to be average— €5.40 for a ticket for one day for one adult. You don't want to get caught without a ticket, as the conductors will charge you €40 and you can get into considerable trouble, especially if you have no ID card or passport on you. Subway trains and trams are checked quite seldom, the S-Bahn trains quite often. It is not possible to buy tickets in an S-Bahn, tram or subway. The ticket machines can be a little confusing if you do not know how to use them. Basically, you have to press Einzelfahrt Frankfurt for a single trip in the city and Tageskarte Frankfurt for a day ticket in the city. If you want to ride to airport, you have to press Einzelfahrt Frankfurt Flughafen or Tageskarte Frankfurt Flughafen.If your destination is outside Frankfurt, you have to look up your destination on the list provided at the machine, enter this number with the numeric keypad, then press the button for the type of ticket you want Einzelfahrt - single trip; Tageskarte - day ticket. Also, every station has some stations listed as "short distance" destinations Kurzstrecke, code "97"; tickets to those are cheaper.
If you have the opportunity, ask a bystander to explain the vending machines to you the first time you want to buy a ticket. Unlike in other German cities, tickets purchased are valid immediately. You cannot purchase tickets in advance, to be validated just before travel.
Consider buying a Frankfurt Card (http://www.frankfurt-tour...). It allows unlimited travel on Frankfurt's public transport system including airport and discounts in many museums. The Frankfurt Card is available as a one day and two day ticket, and for a single person or a group of up to five 1 person 1 day, €8.90; group 1 day, €18.00. It is not sold at the vending machines though. You can buy the Frankfurt Card at the airport arrival gate B, terminal 1, at travel agencies, rail way stations, at the tourist information desk at Hauptbahnhof or at the tourist information desk at Römer.
The RMV (http://www.rmv.de/coremed...) site has basic information and timetable information available in English and other languages.
The S-Bahn, run by the German train company, is notorious for its delays. If you need to get somewhere on time, allow for some buffer time. In the morning rush-hour, delays of 10-15 minutes are common. If you are catching a plane or have another similar time-critical appointment, allow an extra 30 minutes to be on the safe side.
Other services subway, tram and bus are usually more punctual.
By bike
Frankfurt is bike-friendly, featuring an expansive network of bike lanes. While there are various rental-bike companies in Frankfurt, they are relatively rare and situated in inconvenient areas of the city for travellers. A more convenient source of rental bikes may be Deutsche Bahn. Look out for their rental bikes, marked in the colors red and white and the letters "DB."
These bikes are available from April to December and can be found pretty much anywhere in the city - especially at street corners, which are the major pick-up and drop-off points. You can rent these bikes 24/7 just using your cell-phone and your credit card. German citizens can also sign-up for direct debit from their checking account. For instructions on how to use this service, call the number on the bike or go their website.
Call-a-bike service (http://www.callabike-inte...)
GoetheRad Bike Rental and Repair at the Goethe Tower in Sachsenhausen, top of the Hill. Contact : Andreas Horst Telephone :0176 505 28 599 Adress: Sachsenhäuser Landwehrweg 1 60594 Frankfurt/Goetheturm. Open on Tuesday to Sunday from midday to 6PM
By taxi
Frankfurt has plenty of taxi drivers to service the many business travellers. The city is not too big, though fares tend to be expensive. Watch out for taxi drivers that take detours if they notice that you do not know the city. Still, for door-to-door transportation, taxis are a way to go.
Most taxi drivers love to drive to the airport because it's longer than inner-city fares, but not all taxi drivers are actually licensed to go there. They tend to drive very fast because most German business travellers expect them to do this. If you feel uncomfortable just let the driver know and he will slow down.
In the main tourist areas downtown there are also human-powered "bike taxis" that convey one or two passengers. For those not too keen on walking this may be a convenient way of seeing the sights.
By car
Avoid using your car in the city, especially in the tourist "hot spots" like Sachsenhausen especially on a Saturday because of parking space. It's very limited, and people tend to park in places they're not supposed to. This ends up costing a fair bit if your car gets towed, which it often will. If you want to enter the city, your best bet is to use a Parkhaus parking garage which charges a fee of â¬1 per hour or â¬8 for the whole day and then either walk, or take public transportation.
Many areas are reserved for local residents, in and outside the city. You will see the areas marked by parking signs that indicate a local permit is needed during certain hours during the day. The wording to be aware of is "Parkausweis Nr.X" where X is a number. If you park in these spaces you risk a fine.
Also remember that Germany has strict DUI driving under the influence of alcohol driving laws, only allowing 0.5 milligrams of alcohol per milliliter of blood. That is just about one beer or glass of wine. And although there are Autobahns without speed limits, when there are speed limits, these are enforced rigorously. Radar traps are frequent. Heavy on-the-spot fines can be levied. Recently the laws and fines pertaining to tailgating have been sharpened, and the fines have gotten larger.