Tag: Germany travel

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Easy Day Trips from Frankfurt: Architecture and More in Darmstadt

May 30, 2013 at 5:16 PM | by | Comments (0)

Running out of things to do while in Frankfurt or have a super long layover at FRA? No problem. There are plenty of other places to explore thanks to the wonderful transit system of Germany. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn branch outwards from Frankfurt's Hauptbahnhof, making it very easy to get out of the big city for a day.

During our recent long, long layover in Frankfurt, we wanted to go somewhere different. So we simply hopped on a train and got off at the last stop, Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof.

Darmstadt is located about 18 miles south of Frankfurt and is mainly known for its contributions to modern chemical science. It is not the kind of town that would be on the “to-do list” for many travelers, however, we think that makes it worth visiting. If you want to see what it is like to spend a day in a normal German city practically void of foreign tourists, this is the place.

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Easy Day Trips from Frankfurt: Good Bier und Gutenberg in Mainz

Where: Mainz, Germany
May 28, 2013 at 3:52 PM | by | Comments (0)

Running out of things to do while in Frankfurt or have a super long layover at FRA? No problem. There are plenty of other places to explore thanks to the wonderful transit system of Germany. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn branch outwards from Frankfurt's Hauptbahnhof, making it very easy to get out of the big city for a day.

Stuck in a similar situation, we headed to Mainz with some friends for a quick and easy trip to see something different.

Mainz is a town located southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It is straight south of Wiesbaden, on the opposite side of the Rhine River. The city has a very long history behind it, both good and bad. Remnants of the Roman Empire are still visible, such as parts of the Aqueduct and theater. The majority of Mainz was leveled during some of the heaviest bombing of WWII, which led to large scale rebuilding predominantly in Bauhaus style.

Mainz is also known as the home of publishing, since it was here Johannes Gutenberg invented his printing press (and the city won't let you forget it).

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How Heidi Klum Keeps Cozy, Even in Economy

Where: Germany
May 28, 2013 at 11:10 AM | by | Comment (1)

There is something refreshing about seeing even the hottest celebrities squeeze into an economy seat when jet-setting off to tropical locations or even on their way to shooting a new movie. That's why we sat up and took note when German supermodel extraordinaire, Heidi Klum, tweeted a photo of herself while waiting to take-off to Berlin for a press conference.

The Project Runway star also does double duty as the host of Germany's Next Top Model, a position which necessitated her presence at the presser regarding the model search. In true social media celeb fashion, snapping a selfie in transit was in order, which she then tweeted.

Using our aviation sleuth skills, we surmised Fräulein Klum decided to fly on Lufthansa's service between the two cities.

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Four Fun and Cheap Things to Do During a Long Layover in Frankfurt

May 14, 2013 at 5:06 PM | by | Comments (2)


Typical Frankfurt skyline

Don’t complain while in Frankfurt am Main!

Do you have a few days to kill in Frankfurt or perhaps just a few hours? Whether you're stuck with an extra-long layover or find yourself with spare hours between business in town, contrary to popular opinion Frankfurt does actually have interesting things for you to do.

Here are our easiest and cheapest suggestions within spitting distance of the Hauptbahnhof:

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Can David Hasselhoff Save the Berlin Wall from a Wrecking Ball?

Where: Berlin, Germany
March 18, 2013 at 4:32 PM | by | Comments (0)

David Hasselhoff not only feels partially responsible for the fall of the Berlin Wall, but now feels like he has to save what's left of it, too.

In 1989, the Baywatch star (who is probably better known as the old drunk guy eating a burger to anyone under 25) performed "Looking for Freedom" on top of the Berlin Wall and the song became an instant hit in Germany.

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Macht Schnell! How to Drive Germany's Famous Nürburgring Race Track

February 5, 2013 at 9:38 AM | by | Comments (0)

Although there are many great driving roads in the world, perhaps the most famous is the Nürburgring. Built and completed in 1927 around the medieval castle city of Nürburg, it lies about 75 miles northwest of Frankfurt and 50 miles south of Cologne. Easy day trip distance, which is exactly our focus.

Though the Nürburgring is used mainly by car companies for testing and sanctioned races, examples of the latter being DTM (German Touring Car) and Formula 1, it is open to the public...if you can handle it. Nürburgring is widely regarded as the toughest and most demanding race track in the world due to its long length and sheer number of corners. Public access is typically on the weekends, and all road-legal vehicles can pay to drive on this historic road. Sports cars and motorcycles are the of course the most common sights, but even RVs and tour buses are allowed to have their turn.

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New Lie-flat Seats on Air Berlin Coming Soon to an A330 Near You

Where: Germany
January 9, 2013 at 12:06 PM | by | Comments (0)

Now, when stepping on-aboard an Air Berlin flight, those sexy red leather gloves may point your to the newest business class seats the airline has to offer. Just last week, the second largest German airline introduced its brand spanking new premium look on a flight from Düsseldorf to Abu Dhabi.

The flashy lie-flat seats are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to upgrades to the long-haul A330 business-class cabin for the carrier. Each of the 19 seats in the biz cabin will offer a 15-inch personal television loaded up with about 200 hours of on-demand programming and a USB port to keep those devices charged up.

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Germany Adds Yet Another Christmas Market, Right at Munich Airport

Where: Germany
December 14, 2012 at 3:29 PM | by | Comments (0)


The nicely canopied entrance to Munich Airport Center

Sure, airports across the country and the globe get into the holiday spirit with lights, trees, and decorations, but that’s usually it. There is at least one airport over in Germany that takes it to the next level, as one of the country’s famous Christmas markets makes an appearance outside the terminals.

All the holiday stuff goes down at the Munich Airport Center, as they’ve been enjoying their own version of a Christmas market amidst the arrivals and departures. Holiday stuff includes at least 50 different vendors, 400 Christmas trees, Bavarian curling, and even an ice skating rink—with free skate rentals.

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Berlin's Giant New Airport Will Open (Maybe Possibly Hopefully)

Where: Berlin, Germany
December 3, 2012 at 11:27 AM | by | Comments (0)

Ach! Was ist denn los?

Not great news this month as Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is rumored to throw out yet another delay on top of the many they've already delivered. As it stands, BER is scheduled to debut in late October 2013, but some news of late may throw that date into the trash pile with the other four opening dates they've previously teased.

The fresh estimate is—Gott im Himmel—sometime in 2014 after fire safety experts recently reported more problems with the facility’s security system. On top of this bad news, already the airport finds itself on the receiving end of legal action from Air Berlin, who claim damages to their business on account of the massive delays. It's beyond a waiting game now; the situation has gotten ugly.

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Inside the Newest (and Largest) Lufthansa Lounges at Frankfurt Airport

Where: Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt, Germany
November 28, 2012 at 5:42 PM | by | Comments (0)

What do you do when you've just built an airport addition that, in itself, is the size of a whole other airport? Well, if you're Lufthansa at Frankfurt International, you fill it with some superlatives like, say, the largest lounge in the entire system.

This is the case at FRA's brand new A-Plus Concourse, where the LH Senator Lounge on the non-Schengen departures level takes top spot. Its 23,000 square feet easily beats the 19,400 square feet of the airline's next largest lounge, which just happens to be next door in Terminal 1 proper. In total, A-Plus adds five sparkling new, sprawlingly spacious lounges to the roster: a First Class Lounge, a Senator Lounge and a Business Lounge on the EU Departures and Arrivals level and, on the non-European area (Non-Schengen area), there is a Senator Lounge and a Business Lounge.

Now that we've shown you around the rest of the A-Plus Concourse, it's time to have our boarding pass checked, grab a Frankfurter Allgemeine and a tall, cold glass of Franziskaner beer and have a good look around a couple of these spaces.

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Frankfurt Airport's New A-Plus Concourse: A Super Home for Superjumbos

Where: Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt, Germany
November 19, 2012 at 11:04 AM | by | Comments (0)

Last month, Lufthansa opened the brand-spanking-new A-Plus Concourse at Germany's Frankfurt International Airport. Why's it so special? Well, among other things, it's directly designed for the biggest, baddest airplanes out there. We're talking A340s, 747s, 747-8is, and the almighty A380. This week, we'll take you inside and all around this place through which some 6 million travelers will journey each year.

If you're an airport whose tarmac is already crawling with superjumbos and you're about to add another 6 million passengers per year, what do you need? The answer: Lots and lots of space. German efficiency. An airline with enough mega planes and super long routes to keep the place hopping. So there you go. The answer is Frankfurt and its hometown airline, Lufthansa.

Speaking of German efficiency, let's talk tech. For passengers, Pier A-Plus boasts self-scan boarding gates, which are awesome if you hate waiting in lines. For operations, the addition of A-Plus means Frankfurt International has the world's largest airport baggage handling system. All of this becomes more and more important with each day, as Frankfurt looks to have a whopping 90 million travelers annually by 2020, up from 56 million in 2011. And those flyers will be stepping into FRA from more and more superjumbo aircraft.

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Inside Frankfurt Airport's Completely New A-Plus Concourse: Six Million Travelers Can't Be Wrong

Where: Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt, Germany
November 16, 2012 at 1:42 PM | by | Comment (1)

Last month, Lufthansa opened the brand-spanking-new A-Plus Concourse at Germany's Frankfurt International Airport. Why's it so special? Well, among other things, it's directly designed for the biggest, baddest airplanes out there. We're talking A340s, 747s, 747-8is, and the almighty A380. This week, we'll take you inside and all around this place through which some 6 million travelers will journey each year.

0500 hours.

The seatbelt sign is on and traytables are up and locked. The Lufthansa Airbus A380 named "Tokio" is on final approach to Frankfurt International and we're inside.

Seat 15K.

It's a window, upper deck, right over the hulking wing of this superjumbo. Looking out, the airport on the horizon glows with the fluorescence of its millions of lights, pre-dawn. Usually we're not super anxious to leave a plane to experience the airport, but Frankfurt is an exception.

Wheels down.

Turning off onto the taxiway, we can already spot the many Lufthansa crane logos that adorn each Star Alliance gate. It's pretty obvious who rules this coop.

Rounding a corner, the A380 aims for its new home on the ground—a long, sleek concourse with gates and facilities designed for its massive dimensions. Whereas the plane squeezes itself into other airports, like buttoning pants two sizes too small, here it finds Frankfurt's just-opened A-Plus Concourse is tailor-made with breathing room. Once we've parked, three jetbridges stretch out to welcome over 500 passengers into these fresh digs.

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