Using Public Transportation in Frankfurt

By Hannah Johnson

Navigating Frankfurt’s subways, trains, trams and buses can be an extra learning process that many fairgoers don’t have time to deal with. But we’ve done that for you. Here is our quick guide to getting around Frankfurt with public transportation.

All exhibitor and trade visitor badges are valid on U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains, trams and buses during the days of the Fair, which means you use the you can use subways, buses and trams for free. So we can skip lessons on how to buy tickets!

There are several types of trains that run through Frankfurt, the U-Bahn (local underground subway lines), S-Bahn (local subway/train lines that run further outside the city), as well as RE and RB trains (see our post on the train system in Germany).

Getting to the Fair

The Frankfurt fairgrounds are serviced by the following stops:

Festhalle/Messe on the U4
Messe on the S3, S4, S5 and S6
Festhalle/Messe on tram lines 16 and 17
Festhalle/Messe on bus lines 32 and 50

The S-Bahn stops on the Torhaus on the west side of the fairgrounds between Halls 8 and 6. The U4, trams and buses stop on the east side of the fairgrounds at the main entrance closer Halls 3 and 5.

At the Airport

From the Frankfurt airport (called Flughafen in German), you have access to the S8 and S9 which run into the city every 10 minutes or so, as well as ICE and IC trains to destinations further away.

Maps

Here is a list of handy, downloadable maps of Frankfurt’s local transportation. Print them out and take them with you, because not every platform and stop has a map of the entire transportation network.

U-Bahn and S-Bahn inside the city of Frankfurt
Regional trains serving Frankfurt and surrounding areas
Tram and bus lines inside the city of Frankfurt (trams are marked in orange, buses in pink)

The local transportation system, called the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), has an online route planner that you can try as well.

Hannah Johnson

QUESTIONS? Contact Hannah if you still have questions about using public transportation in Frankfurt or if you have a tip you’d like to share.

Publishing Perspectives’ “Frankfurt Tips” series offers tips and tricks from Frankfurt Book Fair veterans, insiders and newbies over the next weeks leading up to the Fair. Grab the RSS feed so you don’t miss any helpful hints!

About the Author

Hannah Johnson

Hannah Johnson is the publisher of international book industry magazine Publishing Perspectives, which provides daily information and news about book markets around the world. In addition to building partnerships with international cultural and trade organizations, she works with the Frankfurt Book Fair to organize and support a number of its overseas initiatives. Hannah has also worked as the managing editor for an online media company, The Hooch Life, focused on craft distillers and cocktail experts. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office, managing various business and marketing activities.