Car rental in Frankfurt

Frankfurt by car

Frankfurt packs banking towers and a rebuilt medieval quarter onto a tight stretch of the Main, which makes it feel denser than its size suggests. The Taunus hills, the Rheingau vineyards and half of western Germany are quick to reach from here.

Driving in Frankfurt

Frankfurt is reached by A 3, A 5, A 66 and A 661. Parking in the centre is paid and marked by zone.

Where to park

Kerbside spaces in central Frankfurt are scarce, so drivers heading downtown generally use a Parkhaus (multi-storey garage) or the park-and-ride system on the edge of the city. Many streets are reserved for residents during set hours, signposted with the word Parkausweis and a zone number, and parking there without a permit risks a fine.

Arriving by road

Frankfurt’s inner districts are encircled by the A5, A3 and A661, and this ring marks the Umweltzone, which cars, foreign-registered ones included, may enter only with a low-emission sticker. The short A648 gives a direct link from the A66 to the Frankfurt Trade Fair. Downtown streets clog at rush hour, and cars are barred from the Zeil, Goethestraße and Freßgass shopping streets.

From the airport without a car

Frankfurt Airport’s regional station sits on the lowest level of Terminal 1, where S8 and S9 trains towards Offenbach Ost or Hanau run via the Hauptbahnhof to Hauptwache downtown. Passengers arriving at Terminal 2 first switch over by Skytrain or shuttle bus. Bus 61 heads to the Südbahnhof, and IC and ICE services from the separate long-distance station also reach the Hauptbahnhof.