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City Guide - Frankfurt - Getting Around | ||
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Getting Around Public Transport Public transport within Frankfurt is run by the Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt-am-Main (VGF) - a partner in the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), and consists of seven underground (U-Bahn), eight tram (Strassenbahn) and 44 bus lines, supplemented by an extensive network of city trains (S-Bahnen) run by Deutsche Bahn. The system is in operation 0400-0200 daily; four night bus routes operate 0100-0500. The network is divided into zones, which determine the price of tickets. Within the city, a single-zone ticket costs DM3.70 (Monday to Friday 0600-0900 and 1600-1830) or DM3 (other times). A short trip (Kurzstrecke) of up to two kilometres costs DM2.20. A day pass (DM8.20) allows unlimited travel during a 24-hour period; a seven-day ticket costs DM21.50. Single, short-journey, group and day tickets can all be bought from automated ticket machines (card-o-maten), or from bus drivers. Weekly, monthly and yearly passes should be bought from VGF and DB sales points. For further information contact VGF, Kundenzentrum, Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse 10 (tel: (069) 19449; fax: (069) 2132 2727; e-mail: info@vgf-ffm.de; website: www.vgf-ffm.de) or RMV (tel: (069) 273 0762; website: www.rmv.de). The Congress Ticket is available in advance from Frankfurt Tourist+Congress Board and entitles the holder to one full day's travel throughout Frankfurt including the airport. It is only available for those attending a conference or similar event. Taxis Taxis are usually beige Mercedes and can be safely hailed on the street. They also can be ordered from the central issuing agency (tel: (069) 230 001) or from Taxiruf (tel: (069) 230 033). The flat rate is DM3.80 if ordered by telephone plus DM2.30 per km. Limousines Limousine Travel Service GmbH (tel: (069) 2304 9295; fax: (069) 235 695) offers a range of services, including chauffered limousines, sightseeing tours and luxury coaches. Top-Alliance, Rudolf-Diesel-Strasse 18, Eschborn (tel: (06173) 934 950; fax: (06173) 934 960; e-mail: top_alliance@limousines.de), offers limousine and flight services. Rates start from DM100 per hour for a standard Mercedes E class including 25km, with a charge of DM2,80 for each additional kilometre applicable A minimum booking of three hours is required. Driving in the City Driving in the centre of Frankfurt can be stressful as it requires a good knowledge of the newly introduced one way system. Especially during rush hours (between 0800 and 0900 and 1700 and 1800) it can be heavily congested and even more confusing as German drivers are not known for their patience. The Strassenverkehrsbehörde (tel: (069) 79190) provides up-to-date information on the traffic situation in the city. Drivers should note that trams always have priority in the city, although driving on their tracks is permissable and usually unavoidable. Buses have priority when leaving stops. There are 19 covered car parks in Frankfurt. The following are open 24 hours: Hauptwache, Kornmarkt 10; Schiller-Passage, Taubenstrasse 11; Junghofstrasse, Junghofstrasse 16; Börse, Meisengasse; Alte Oper, Opernplatz; Alt-Sachsenhausen, Walter-Kolb-Strasse 16; Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse, Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse 15; Nordwestzentrum, Erich-Ollenhauer-Ring, Mousonturm, Waldschmidtstrasse 6 and Westend, Savignystrasse 58. Car Hire Regulations vary depending on the company, but generally drivers must be at least 19 years old and have held a full driving licence for at least one year (an international driving permit is needed if the national licence is not in roman script). The average price for a category one car is DM90 per day plus DM40 per day insurance. Providers include Avis, Schmidtstrasse 39 (tel: (069) 730 111) and Sixt, Allerheiligenstrasse 52 (tel: (069) 138 7080). Bicycle Hire Bicycles can be hired from L&H Bicycles, Borsigstrasse 7, Heusenstamm (tel: (06104) 669440) or Fahrrad Bottgen, Berger Strasse 262 (tel: (069) 945108-88). Citybikes are available for DM15, trekking bikes for DM20 and mountainbikes from DM25 per day. |