Frankfurt Airport Train Station: ICE, Rail&Fly and Lufthansa Express Rail
Frankfurt Airport is the only German airport with a full long-distance railway station, and for many passengers the train is the second leg of the journey. Two stations serve the airport: the long-distance station under The Squaire for ICE and IC trains, and the regional station under Terminal 1 for the S-Bahn and regional services. This guide explains which is which, how Rail&Fly and Lufthansa Express Rail work, and where the hotels stand in relation to the platforms.
Two stations, 300 m apart
The regional station (Regionalbahnhof) is directly under Terminal 1, reached by escalators from the arrivals level. S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, Mainz and Wiesbaden leave from here, along with regional trains to Hanau, Darmstadt, Koblenz and the Rhine valley. Our airport to city centre guide covers the S-Bahn.
The long-distance station (Fernbahnhof, also signed AIRail Terminal) is a separate building 300 m from Terminal 1, joined to it by a covered bridge with moving walkways and topped by The Squaire office and hotel building. ICE trains from here run on the high-speed line to Cologne in under an hour and on to Düsseldorf, and in other directions to Stuttgart in about 75 minutes, Munich in about three hours, Basel in about three and Hamburg in about four. Some trains also stop at the regional station, but the long-distance station is where the timetable assumes you are.
Terminal 3 has no station. From either station to Terminal 3, walk to the SkyLine at the Terminal 1 end of the walkway and allow 30 minutes in total, as our Terminal 3 guide explains.
Rail&Fly
Rail&Fly is the Deutsche Bahn product bundled with many airline tickets, from Lufthansa, Condor and the charter airlines to most long-haul carriers: a train ticket from any German station to the airport and back, valid on ICE, IC and regional trains, usually for the day before and the day of the flight. It is sold with the flight or added afterwards through the airline, and it comes as a voucher you convert into a ticket online or at a DB machine. The catch is that it is a normal ticket with no seat reservation and no flight protection: if the train is late and you miss the plane, the airline owes you nothing. Book an earlier train than you think you need.
Lufthansa Express Rail
Lufthansa Express Rail is different: selected ICE trains between Frankfurt Airport and Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Munich, Hamburg, Nuremberg and a dozen other cities are sold as Lufthansa flights with an LH flight number. You get a boarding pass for the train, through-ticketing, protection if the train is delayed, and seat reservation in the Lufthansa quota. Luggage stays with you on the train; at the airport there are Rail&Fly and Express Rail check-in counters in the long-distance station and Terminal 1 where you drop it. Express Rail trains use the long-distance station.
Walking times
From the long-distance platforms to a Terminal 1 check-in desk in hall A or B: about ten minutes by lift, bridge and moving walkway. To Terminal 3: about 30 minutes via the SkyLine, or 40 when the replacement bus is running. From the regional platforms to hall A: five minutes. Lufthansa’s minimum connection time for Express Rail is set with these walks in mind, but a connection under an hour is tight with bags.
Hotels at the station
The Hilton Frankfurt Airport is directly above the long-distance platforms in the middle of The Squaire, with lifts down to the station, and the Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport is at the western end of the same building. The Sheraton Frankfurt Airport and Frankfurt Airport Marriott Hotel stand between the station and Terminal 1 on the covered walkway. For an early ICE, any of the four lets you leave the room 15 minutes before departure. From Gateway Gardens the S-Bahn reaches the regional station in two minutes, and from there the long-distance station is a ten-minute walk, which makes the Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport or Hampton by Hilton Frankfurt Airport workable for a mid-morning train.
Tips
Check which station your train uses; DB apps show “Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf” for the long-distance station and “Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Regionalbf” for the regional one. Convert your Rail&Fly voucher the day before, not at the platform machine with a queue behind you. And if you are catching a Terminal 3 flight after a train, add 30 minutes for the SkyLine before you trust any connection time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the ICE station at Frankfurt Airport?
In the long-distance station (Fernbahnhof, or AIRail Terminal) beside Terminal 1, under The Squaire building, about 300 m from the terminal by covered bridge and moving walkways. Allow ten minutes from the platforms to a Terminal 1 check-in desk, and 30 to a Terminal 3 desk via the SkyLine.
What is Lufthansa Express Rail?
Deutsche Bahn ICE trains sold as Lufthansa flights with an LH flight number, connecting Frankfurt Airport with Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Munich, Hamburg and other cities. You check in for the train like a flight, get through-ticketing and protection if the train is late, and you take your bags on the train and check them in at the airport.
Which hotels are closest to the Frankfurt Airport train station?
The Hilton Frankfurt Airport and Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport are inside The Squaire, directly above the long-distance platforms. The Sheraton and Marriott are a few minutes along the covered walkway. For the regional S-Bahn station under Terminal 1, all four are five to ten minutes away.
Information last verified: September 11, 2026
