Germany’s Frankfurt Airport is one of the largest gateways to Europe, offering flights to over 300 destinations worldwide. On the surface, Frankfurt Airport (Flughafen Frankfurt Main) is a model of German efficiency, but how does Frankfurt (FRA) stack up against other primary European travel gateways?
Let’s see how Frankfurt (FRA) compares to Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) — one of my favourite airports, London Heathrow (LHR) and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in this guide to Frankfurt Airport.
Is Frankfurt airport one of the best, or possibly one of the most stress-inducing gateways to Europe?
About Frankfurt FRA Airport
If you are flying to Europe this travel season, chances are good you may be flying in or out of Frankfurt Airport. It’s home to Germany’s Lufthansa Airlines — the 70-year-old German flag carrier and its subsidiaries Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss International, and Eurowings.
Frankfurt is a major aviation hub for European travel, especially for Star Alliance partners of Lufthansa. The airport is now back to pre-COVID levels serving over 70 million passengers a year!
According to Skytrax, Frankfurt is a solid 4/5 star airport, which is a very good rating. The ranking process includes all aspects of customer service, cleanliness, shopping options and access to all other transport options. London Heathrow, Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle are also ranked 4/5 stars.
Airport Ambiance and Amenities
An expansive airport, Frankfurt is not unwelcoming, but visually it is rather cold and grey with a very Germanic ‘civil engineering feel’. There are no earth tones or touches of wood here. The airport is clearly designed for function: moving people.
There are, however, many lovely spots with great restaurants and places to catch a quick bite or sit down for a refreshing German beer. The airport is full of great amenities such as the Fraport Visitors Centre, the outdoor terrace, and Movie World where visitors can watch movies on semi-private theatre screens.
Something that strikes me odd at the airport are the Camel smoking lounges located throughout the terminals. These Small shopfront spaces allow smokers to light up inside the terminal. This stands to reason as there are a lot smokers in Germany compared to the rest of Eurpore.
Contrast this with Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, where there is plentiful use of wood flooring, colourful seating and extensive use of yellow, blue and the Dutch trade-mark Orange. Areas with live plants and trees are plentiful with features such as a library for passengers and a mini Rijksmuseum. All of this, in my opinion, offers a much more warm and comforting airport experience.
Charles de Gaulle keeps it warm with wood and a lot of red like in the Air France Terminal. I give the win to Amsterdam Schiphol for ambiance.
Frankfurt Airport Tip: Check out the updated Lufthansa lounges (for Staralinace Business and Gold passengers), they have a very fresh and vibrant aesthetic. Great Prezels and beer too!
What Are the Best Features and Amenities of Frankfurt Airport?
One of the most intriguing features of the airport is found upon check-in. Rather than arrays of LED Screens, the airport has an amazing analogue departures and arrivals board using old-time flip characters. It is almost hypnotic watching the display refresh.
Take a Culinary tour of Germany. Food services abound in the airport. There are plenty of locations to grab a healthy meal, a delicious fresh pretzel (a German specialty) or a beer for takeaway to drink within the airport (one of the 10 surprising facts of Germany). Quality restaurants, lounges and bakeries are found both airside and landside, such as those in Frankfurt’s Squaire.
Take a behind-the-scenes ‘Airport Experience Tour‘. Travel enthusiasts will enjoy a hands-on tour of the airport apron in a 45-minute airside bus tour (or try the extensive 120-minute tour) to get a real feel for what happens behind the scenes at one of the world’s busiest airports. Tours are offered hourly. Prices start at €9. Look for the signs for the Airport Experience Tour in Terminal 1 near the Fraport Visitors Centre.
Get Personal Assistance. Get directions and assistance face-to-face at the ‘Infogate service’ video kiosks. Ask directions from a real person on the other side of the screen with no AI here! Simply approach the kiosks and push the call button for a full-screen video call to support.
Frankfurt’s ‘The Squaire’ Dining, Shopping and Hotel Complex
One of the best landside amenities at Frankfurt Airport is the cruiseship-shaped building The Squaire. Located directly next to Terminal 1, you will find the railway station below, great hotels, shops and eateries in this unique building.
What Hotels are at the Squaire & Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1?
Hotels directly accessible from the airport include The Hilton Garden Inn, the Frankfurt Hilton Airport and the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel and Conference Center housing a Sheraton-branded hotel and Marriott.
Hotel Lounges: All four of these hotels offer excellent accommodations, with the Hilton and Sheraton both offering access to the excellent Executive Louge (Hilton) and Club Lounges (Sheraton) for those with access.
Excellent Eateries: The Sheraton and Marriott are especially packed with excellent eateries, bars and cafés to enjoy. My Personal favourite is “The Bar” at the Sheraton, and for cigar lovers, there is the exclusive Davidoff Lounge Cigar bar.
What restaurants are at the Squaire Frankfurt Airport?
- The Fifth Lounge and Bar
- ALEX Frankfurt The Squaire
- Little Italy Lounge and Kitchen
- Paulaner Biergarten (has a nice indoor terrace)
- 1889 Cantine (food court takeout)
- Starbucks Coffee
What are the Best Shops at Frankfurt Airport?
Duty-free shopping at Frankfurt is very good with large duty-free shops located throughout Terminals 1 and 2. The shops sell an array of food, perfumes and an extensive selection of clothing and alcohol.
In addition, there are shops featuring many German designers such as Hugo Boss, Porsche, and Lamy to name a few. As well, all of the luxury design boutiques like Gucci, Hermes, and Burberry can be found in the airside terminals.
discover GERMANY has a unique selection of German souvenirs and snacks. Pick up your lederhosen here between flights! Located at Terminal 1 – Hall B – Gate B24.
Porsche Design features the famous German brand’s exclusive line of luxury briefcases, watches, pens and more. Located at Terminal 1, Area A, Level 2.
Germany’s Best features famous German brand names in electronics and personal items like Braun, Sennheiser and more. I personally love the extensive selection of Lamy Pens. Located at Terminal 1, Area B, Level 2.
The Best Airline Lounge Experiences in Frankfurt
Frankfurt Airport has an extensive selection of world-class luxury lounges to select from while waiting for your outbound connecting flight. I’ve often used the lounges when connecting to Amsterdam or when heading home from one of my favourite German cities Würzburg!
Lufthansa Business Class and First Class lounges: As Frankfurt is home to Lufthansa, it stands to reason they would have their best lounge offerings located in their home airport. There are specific Lufthansa Business Class and First Class lounges for Lufthansa and Star Alliance passengers dotted throughout the airport.
The recently updated Lufthansa Business Class Lounges are really pleasant, they are bright and have good food and drink options. As a Star Alliance passenger, you can use the Lufthansa lounges if you are in Business Class or have Star Alliance Gold status.
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge is located in Terminal 1, Concourse B (Level 3). I use this lounge frequently, it has good food and beverage offerings as well as complimentary showers.
Prime Class Lounge at Frankfurt Airport is a pay-per-entry lounge with all of the amenities you’d expect. Well decorated and billed as a luxury lounge, entry is €45. You will find the lounge in Terminal 2 behind the passport check in Concourse E. More info can be found here.
LUXX Lounge (Priority Pass, Lounge Key, Lounge Pass) is located in Terminal 1, between concourses B and C.
How Frankfurt Fits Into the European Aviation Landscape
The largest in Germany, Frankfurt Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world serving 70 million passengers a year. This mega-airport serves at peak an astonishing 240,000 passengers daily with over 1600 aircraft movements. It is also the largest airport cargo hub in the European Union.
Germany is also served by three other major airports, Munich International Airport (Munich Franz Josef Strauss Airport), Berlin Brandenburg Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport.
What is FRAPORT? Unlike most airports, which are government owned and operated, Frankfurt is owned and operated by a publically traded company Fraport (FWB: FRA) which also has holdings in a number of other airports.
What is security like at Frankfurt Airport?
Security and wait times are the ire of Frankfurt passengers. Security is rigorous and depending on the country you arrive from you may have to go through security again when making a Schengen (EU) connection. This can add 30 mins to your connection time.
From my many experiences with this airport, Germans are very strict with rules, if they tell you to take all of the electronics out of your bag they mean it. Power bricks, iPads, everything! Don’t exceed the under 100ml and under 1 Litre of liquids limit. Expect a stern scolding if you don’t follow the rules.
Comparing Security at Frankfurt to London Heathrow, the security process in Frankfurt was actually much better, in my opinion. Far less chaotic and more tolerable.
How to Get to the City of Frankfurt from the Airport
The regional train station is located on the lower level of Terminal 1. Catch the S-Bahn trains S8 or S9 to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof or “HBF” – this is the central station in Frankfurt.
Car Rentals at Frankfurt Airport
Renting a car in Frankfurt is straightforward. Car rentals are available in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. You will require a valid driver’s license, be over the age of 18 and have a credit card. An International Drivers Permit or IDP is not required in Germany.
Car rentals are located in Terminal 1 — used primarily by Lufthansa and Star Alliance Partners — The Car Rental Center is located in Hall ‘A’, in the Airport City Mall above the regional train station.
In Terminal 2, the Car Rental Centre is located in Hall D – Arrivals level.
Good to know: For North Americans renting cars in Germany, it may come as a surprise that rental cars are equipped with manual transmissions. You will have to indicate if you have a preference for an Automatic.
Can You Get VAT Refunds at Frankfurt?
If you live outside of the European Union, you can get a refund of the VAT paid in the EU, including Frankfurt Airport shops, but not including the Duty-Free Shops for purchases over €50. Any of the stores in the airport will provide you with more information during your purchase.
Plane spotting at Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt is an A380 Super-Jumbo hub. If you are into plane-watching you’ll love Frankfurt, it is one of the top ten airports with A380 flights. The following carriers — Lufthansa, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Asiana all service the airport with A380 double-decker aircraft in 2023.
If you love A380 aircraft, read my review of the Qatar Airways A380 Business Class experience!
One of the worst features of the airport may also be the best for airplane lovers. The frequent use of airstairs puts you face-to-face with aircraft on the ramp. The bus ride to the terminal provides a lot of unique opportunities to get up close with A380s, 747s and a plethora of other aircraft.
How much time do you need to make a connection at Frankfurt Airport?
One of the most popular questions that causes fear and absolute panic for European travellers: Is one hour enough time for an international connection in Frankfurt?
Travel agents and their booking systems often book international connections with only one hour, or less, of connection time (the minimum required connection is 45mins) when connecting through Frankfurt (FRA) airport. One hour can be long enough of a connection time in Frankfurt when your connecting flight is coming from another EU country. However, International connections should allow for 90 minutes to re-clear security and make it through passport control.
I personally have always made my 1-hour connections in Frankfurt, but usually, they have caused a lot of panic trying to get through long lines.
Conclusion
Should you use Frankfurt International Airport for your European Connection and does it compare to the other major hubs?
Yes, I’ve travelled through this airport from Canada to Amsterdam as well as to many Eastern destinations such as Thailand and Singapore countless times and I think it is a capable airport.
While not my favourite, it does have great train connections to nearly everywhere in Europe. This can really simplify your travel plans and eliminate additional flights.
Do prepare for longer than usual queues, sometimes stricter security protocols, and long distances between terminals. My biggest frustration when making connections is that many flights use airstairs and busses to the terminal adding 20-30 mins to your connection. Hopefully, that will improve when their Terminal 3 expansion is complete in 2026.
Have you travelled through Frankfurt Airport? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!