Frankfurt Layover: Into the Old Town and Back from the Airport
Frankfurt is one of the few hub airports where the city is close enough to visit between flights: 20 minutes on the S-Bahn puts you under the Zeil, and the Römer, the rebuilt Old Town, the cathedral and the river are within a ten-minute walk of the station. This guide works out how many hours you need, what to see in a two-hour loop, the rules on leaving the airport, and which hotels make an overnight layover painless.
The clock
Count backwards from your departure. For a Terminal 1 Schengen flight, be back at the terminal 90 minutes before departure; for a non-Schengen flight from a Z gate, two hours; for Terminal 3, add the 30-minute SkyLine crossing on top. Arriving, allow an hour from the aircraft door to the S-Bahn platform if you have passport control and no checked bag to collect, longer with one. The S-Bahn ride to Hauptwache is about 20 minutes each way. That leaves a six-hour layover with two hours in the city, an eight-hour layover with four. Anything under five hours is better spent in a lounge or a napcab, as our lounges guide and sleeping in the airport guide explain.
Who can leave the airport
Passengers with EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian, Japanese and other visa-free passports clear German passport control on arrival and again on departure; the stamp takes a minute each way outside the peaks. Passengers who need a Schengen visa cannot leave the transit area and should plan the layover inside Terminal 1 (the MY CLOUD Transit Hotel and the airside lounges exist for exactly this). Checked luggage tagged to your final destination stays in the system; if it was only checked to Frankfurt, collect it and leave it at the left-luggage counters in Terminal 1 or take it with you.
The two-hour loop
Take the S8 or S9 from the regional station under Terminal 1 to Hauptwache. Walk south along Neue Kräme to the Römerberg, the medieval market square with the Römer town hall and its half-timbered houses, then east through the Neue Altstadt, the block of Old Town rebuilt between 2012 and 2018 on its original street plan, to the cathedral (Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus), where German emperors were crowned. Drop south to the Main riverbank and the Eiserner Steg footbridge for the skyline view, and if you have 30 minutes and a clear day, go up the Main Tower on Neue Mainzer Strasse (about 200 m, the only skyscraper with a public platform) before walking back to Hauptwache or Taunusanlage for the train. Eat an Apfelwein and a Handkäs at one of the Old Town taverns, or cross the river to Sachsenhausen if you have the extra hour.
Overnight layovers
For a layover that includes a night, the hotels on the Terminal 1 walkway let you sleep late: the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport and Frankfurt Airport Marriott Hotel five minutes from the terminal, the Hilton Frankfurt Airport and Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport above the ICE station. If you want an evening in the city as well, Gateway Gardens is the same 20 minutes from the centre and cheaper: the Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport, Hampton by Hilton Frankfurt Airport and b’mine Frankfurt Airport, which has its own rooftop for the evening. For a Terminal 3 departure the next morning, the IntercityHotel Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 removes the SkyLine from the equation, though it is further from the city.
Tips
Buy a return S-Bahn ticket at the airport machine, or a day ticket if you will use the U-Bahn in the city; the airport fare level applies both ways, as our airport to city centre guide explains. Keep your boarding pass and passport on you, not in a locker. Check the Old Town’s museum hours if the loop includes one; most close on Mondays. And set the return alarm for the train, not for the flight: missing the 15:04 to the airport costs a quarter of an hour that a Terminal 3 connection may not have.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long a layover do I need to see Frankfurt?
Six hours is the working minimum: an hour to clear arrivals and reach the S-Bahn, 20 minutes to Hauptwache, two hours in the Old Town, 20 minutes back and two hours for security and the gate, more for Terminal 3 or a non-Schengen departure with passport control. With four hours or less, stay in the terminal.
Can I leave the airport on a layover?
If you are a citizen of the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and most visa-free countries, yes; you clear passport control into Germany and back. Passengers who need a Schengen visa cannot leave the transit area without one. Luggage checked through to your final destination stays in the system; hand luggage goes with you or into a locker.
Where can I leave luggage at Frankfurt Airport?
Left-luggage counters and lockers are in Terminal 1 on the landside, charged per piece per day. Check the current location on arrival, because the counters moved during the Terminal 3 works. The Old Town itself has few lockers, so leave bags at the airport or the main station.
Information last verified: September 11, 2026
