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Our Guide to Frankfurt on a Budget
Our Guide to Frankfurt on a Budget
Research and Budgeting
Research and Budgeting
Welcome to planning your journey to Frankfurt! We believe in the importance of thorough preparation before embarking on our travels. It not only ensures a smoother, stress free experience when you get there but also helps you to feel excited about the upcoming highlights of your trip.
If you find the logistics of trip planning daunting, don’t worry, I've recorded all of the expenses for our Frankfurt adventure. This will provide you with a framework, which you can adjust according to your preferences and budget. Our total expenditure for the 5 days amounted to £383 per person, with a breakdown as follows:
Flights and Carbon Offsetting £61
Accommodation £110
Transport £28
Activities £58
Food £81
Airport transfers £45
£383
The prices shown in the budget include our flight costs to Frankfurt and then how much the flight back to London would cost at the end of a 5 day (5-night) trip at the time of booking, which we did 6 months in advance. Flights for those dates are £57.98. In reality we flew onwards to Thailand and didn’t return until after our Southeast Asia tour but we wanted to give an accurate price indication for a 5-day trip from the UK.
We chose to offset the carbon for our flights with a company called Sustainable Travel International and cost us £2.56 each.
Our airport transfer costs consisted of a £19.10 return train from Nottingham to Stansted Airport and £30 return coach from Frankfurt Airport to Frankfurt City.
Getting to Frankfurt
Getting to Frankfurt
Flights
For travellers departing from the UK, flying into Frankfurt is definitely the quickest and most direct route, with the flight only taking around 1.5hrs. With numerous airlines offering flights from many of the major UK airports, such as London, Birmingham and Manchester it’s also the most convenient way from your departure point to the heart of Frankfurt.
Prices for a return flight from London typically start at £50 without checked luggage and vary depending on the airline and time of booking. Flying from Manchester or Birmingham will cost from £200 for a return. It’s always worth looking at your local airport to see if travelling to London is worth the cost savings or if paying a bit more to depart localling to save yourself some travel time is the better option.
We paid £57.98 with Ryanair, departing from Stansted, and booked about 5 months in advance.
Bus
If you’re looking for a more eco-friendly option, FlixBus offers bus routes from the UK to Frankfurt. Most routes depart from London Victoria coach station and direct options start at £140 return and take 15hrs. Trips with layovers in Cologne or Paris are £80-100 return and take a total of around 20hrs.
With the long travel times and with bus tickets being at least double a direct flight from London, we wouldn’t recommend this option. Instead, you can take the cheaper and more efficient option of flying and still be environmentally friendly by carbon offsetting your flights with Sustainable Travel.
Train
If you’re after a leisurely journey through picturesque landscapes, then train travel might be the option for you! Departing from London's St Pancras International station, Eurostar services offer routes to Frankfurt's main railway station, Hauptbahnhof.
The train journey takes around 5.5hrs and requires a layover in Brussels. Prices for a return train journey start at £200 and may vary depending on the class of travel and time of booking (we recommend booking at least a month in advance). If you prefer to travel over-land and have more time (and cash!) to spare then this might be the route for you. Otherwise we would recommend flying as the more cost-effective option.
Ferry
If you’re looking for a really unique way to travel, and time and money are no object, then you could consider arriving in Frankfurt via a cruise along the scenic Rhine River. Begin your journey by taking a ferry from the UK to ports in Belgium or the Netherlands, such as Zeebrugge or Rotterdam. Upon arrival at the port, you can embark on a river cruise along the Rhine, which offers views of castles, vineyards, and riverside towns.
Getting Around Frankfurt
Getting Around Frankfurt
Airport Transfers
From Hahn:
Despite being listed as a Frankfurt airport, Hahn Airport is actually located about 1.5hrs drive from Frankfurt centre. If this is your arrival airport, then we recommend that you take a stress free coach transfer from Hahn to Frankfurt City to avoid the longer public transport route which involves changing at Mainz.
We bought our one-way coach transfer with flibco for €24 (£20.54). They have a kiosk outside the front of the airport terminal where we purchased our tickets. If you visit their website and book in advance you can save a bit of money as the online fare is only €20.
From Frankfurt International:
When we were returning to the UK, we ended up departing from the closer Frankfurt Airport, Frankfurt International. This airport has much better public transport links and we were able to take a bus there for just €6.30 (£5.45). There is also a direct train from Frankfurt Main train station if you’re not as keen on buses.
Walking
Walking is always one of our favourite ways to get around a city. You can wander at your leisure, allowing for spontaneous visits to cafes or shops that catch your eye. Walking not only offers a unique perspective of the city's architecture but also allows you to soak in the atmosphere in a way no other mode of transport can replicate.
Public Transport
The public transport in Frankfurt is so easy to use. With just one ticket bought from the ticket kiosks found all over the city, you gain access to the buses, trams and the underground. There are two underground systems in Frankfurt, the S lines and the U lines, both of which are included in the public transport ticket.
For a single trip it costs €3.65, while a day ticket is €7.10. We choose to buy a day ticket each day because it proves to be the economical choice if you plan on making multiple journeys. We found that once we’d paid for a day ticket, we ended up hopping between activities more than planned, because you don’t have to worry about individual fares.
Hop-on Hop-off Bus
If you’re planning to do the hop-on hop-off bus tour as one of your activities, why not use it for your transport for the day? We recommend that you strategically align your itinerary with the bus route so you can transition between attractions with ease. Just keep an eye on the schedule, as buses arrive only once an hour. Try to coordinate your time spent at each location to synchronise with the bus timetable, so you’re not left waiting for ages for the next bus.
Accommodation
Accommodation
This trip was longer than our usual weekend tips and we had to find budget friendly accommodation for 5 nights. When we got to Frankfurt we were impressed with how extensive the public transport network was and we think you could stay almost anywhere in the city as long as you’re by a public transport stop. So don’t feel restricted to stay in the centre, we recommend considering the cheaper options that are slightly further out.
We compared various hotel and hostel websites and Airbnb to find the best option for us and are sharing our findings below.
Hotel
Hotel rooms with a kitchen varied from £250-£350 for our travel dates. This is a good option if you're a couple or don't mind sharing a bed as most of the rooms are doubles.
If you're happy to travel for 30mins on public transport you can get a hotel room with a kitchen for £190pp. But of course don't forget to consider the public transport costs and your time each day if you do this!
Hostel
The cheapest option was a bed in a shared dorm which came to £95pp for the 5 nights which is very good value for a city centre stay. This might also be a good option if you're visiting in a large group as you can book all the beds in a 6 or 12 bed dorm and have the whole room to yourselves and still only pay £95pp.
Airbnb
We found Airbnb was the most expensive option this time with most of the options being 1 bedroom apartments. These costs between £200-350pp for the 5 nights.
Our Choice
We stayed in a private room in a youth hostel and chose to pay a bit extra to have a private bathroom and kitchen. As we were visiting for a bit longer this time, it made sense to get a kitchen where we could cook some of our own meals and cut down on food costs. We paid £110pp for 5 nights and our hostel was a 30min walk to the central train station or just 10mins by tram.
Things to Do in Frankfurt
Things to Do in Frankfurt
For our top recommendations of things to do in Frankfurt, check out our Frankfurt Things to Do page!
Food in Frankfurt
Food in Frankfurt
One of the things we love most about travelling is trying new food and drink local to the area. Here are our top recommendations from our visit to Frankfurt:
German Sausages
German Sausages are famous world-wide and you’ll find them in various forms all around Frankfurt city. Whether you’re sitting down at a café or grabbing a quick bite on the go, these sausages are a must-try as a sample of traditional German culinary culture.
A classic sausage meal served with potatoes and a side salad in a local café will typically cost around €12.50. For a cheaper option or lunch on the go, you can pick up a takeaway sausage from one of the many stands for just €5 - a perfect snack while you explore the city.
Green Sauce (Grüne Soße)
No one can talk about Frankfurt’s cuisine without mentioning its Green Sauce. This traditional sauce is made from a mixture of fresh herbs, and is usually served with boiled eggs and potatoes. The herbaceous flavours of the green sauce are a local favourite, and works really well with the mild flavour of the potatoes and eggs.
We paid €13.50 for this dish, but you can opt for a side of the sauce on its own to share among your table for €5.
Sauerkraut
Another famous German dish you must try whilst in Frankfurt is sauerkraut. This fermented cabbage dish is commonly served with sausages and other main dishes. The sour, crunchy texture of sauerkraut is not for everyone, but can add a zingy kick to your meal! We had ours with a classic German sausage meal for €14.20.
Apple Wine (Apfelwein)
No visit to Frankfurt is complete without trying apple wine, or Apfelwein, the city’s signature drink. A local alternative to beer, this traditional beverage is made from fermented apples and has a unique, crisp taste. A small glass of 0.2l typically costs around €5.
Our favourite part of trying Apple Wine was the experience of visiting a traditional Apfelwein tavern. You can find these taverns scattered around the city and popping in for a glass of Apple Wine is a great way to quench your thirst while soaking in the atmosphere of the city.
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