Double checking my Germany train ticket from Cologne to Frankfurt airport

[TikiIslandGirl]

Hello, I just want to double check that I'm booking the correct train. I will finish my river cruise on Uniworld on 5/28/17 (sunday). We will be docking in Cologne. On a previous post I was told that I would be very close to the main train station in Cologne. I need to get to the frankfurt airport station. So here is what I believe is the correct train. Thanks for your help.

 

Köln Hbf Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf

Su, 28.05.17, 07:55 - 08:49, Changes: 0, ICE

[jpalbny]

Looks right to me, but hopefully someone more local can confirm. Frankfurt (M) means Frankfurt am Main so it's the right Frankfurt. Flughafen is the airport station. The Fernbf is a subdivision thereof where the ICE trains go (as opposed to the regional trains). This is the train that I'd book if I were doing this...

 

RE: the docking station in Cologne, make sure that you discuss with your CD during the cruise, and check for updates the night before. Docking positions can and do change at the last minute. When we were in Cologne in 2014, we docked about 1/2km from the main station. However, others have docked elsewhere. Sometimes, ships dock in less convenient locations when embarking/disembarking because there is better bus parking.

 

So, you may be within walking distance; maybe not. This is not meant to discourage you from taking the train, but just a reminder to double check.

[jpalbny]

Here's a map screenshot. The Hbf is starred, as is our approximate docking location.

 

 

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[TikiIslandGirl]

Thanks jpalbny!!! Even if we don't dock close to the main station in cologne-I just catch a cab.

[notamermaid]

Nothing much to add really, great job, jpalbny. :) The map is really helpful. Just here to say that the star in Cologne is at the back entrance of the station which I find more convenient for taxis. Just be vigilant as you would at any hotspot for so many travellers. The platforms are easy to reach, elevators are there, too. Check your correct platform when you get there, last minute changes are announced on digital boards and also via loud speakers.

 

notamermaid

[TikiIslandGirl]

Ok all booked!!! I ended up booking 1st class since it was only 12 euros more total for 2 tickets. I told my mother the other day we are taking the train to the airport. You should have seen the smile on her face. A european river cruise and a train ride :D. My grandfather was a railroader his whole adult working life. Started from selling tickets to having to go to work in a suit and tie. Mom has had a love of trains her whole life. Glad I was able to get some checks on her bucket list. Thanks everyone for all the help these boards have given me!!!!

[jpalbny]

Sounds like a great plan! Have fun and enjoy your cruise.

 

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[notamermaid]

Your mother sounds like the kind of person I would very much love to meet, I could talk about trains for hours... :D

 

Not sure about your exact itinerary but if you have some time in Nuremberg, remember there is the German railway museum: https://www.dbmuseum.de/museum_en/home_en/

 

A small branch of the museum with the emphasis on old electrical engines is in Koblenz-L?tzel: https://www.dbmuseum.de/museum_en/Other_branches/dbmuseum_koblenz/ Cruisecritic cannot show the "umlauts" it seems, the question mark stands for "ue", i.e. "u umlaut".

 

 

If neither works out for you, you can still of course see different types of trains along the banks of the river Rhine while watching the castles. :)

 

The old train station in Cologne was destroyed but the railway platforms are still covered by the old spans of the vaulted roof. Not exactly Grand Central but quite nice. A bit of the old station can be seen to the right of the modern frontage, it is the "Alte Wartesaal", the old waiting rooms in Art Nouveau Style. These days the place is a restaurant.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

notamermaid

[laverendrye]

Notamermaid. Funny about the umlauts. They show up in the preview, but not in the final post.

[jpalbny]

Hm. I've used umlauts before to spell Sch?nbrunn. Test. And now they don't work... Must be the new upgrade...I went back to some old posts and they don't show correctly there either.

 

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[steamboats]

Do you have an overnight in Cologne? Otherwise a 7:55 am train wouldn?t be my first choice.

 

steamboats

[TikiIslandGirl]

Thanks steamboats. Yes we dock the day before and have choice of excursions in cologne. I want to get to the Frankfurt airport with more than amble time since its a huge airport and its a hike from the train station. And the fact that we will be flying on stand by and wanted to have multiple choices of planes to get us back home. :D

[notamermaid]

The Umlauts are definitely causing a problem in the new format. I do not like to replace with the alternative to avoid confusion when spelling place names. I have reported it as a new thread under the "glitches" section.

 

notamermaid

[bellemere]

We have taken the train from Koln to Frankfurt. The train station is right beside the Cathedral. In fact you look out at the cathedral through the huge glass windows at the train station's entrance. We stayed at a Marriott very close to the train station's exit next to the McDonalds in the station.

We visited the train station the day before we boarded the train to figure out which track and how to find everything. There is a ticket office there that was very helpful in answering all of our questions about the train. We flew into Koln to have a few extra days to visit the Christmas markets. We took the train to meet our Viking cruise for the Heart of Germany cruise.