Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt am Main is a major city in Hessen, Germany. It is an air, rail and road transport hub, so you will find many people travelling out of the city in many different directions.
All directions
Perhaps the best spot for getting rides out of every direction in Frankfurt is on the B8, on the start of the Theodor-Heuss Allee near the centre of the city.
Underneath the "Messeturm" skyscraper is a roundabout connecting Theodor-Heuss Allee, Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage and Senkenberganlage. Take U-Bahn underground line U4, or Straßenbahn tram lines 16 or 17, and get off at the stop "Festhalle/Messe". The roundabout should be easily visible.
The spot is a bus stop on the Theodor-Heuss Allee (see image), about 20 metres after the roundabout. Theodor-Heuss Allee is the main road without a Straßenbahn tram line following along it. It is the road in the direction A86/A3 (among others), and the bus stop is under a tall hotel.
Traffic is very busy here every day from 0700 to 2000. The traffic moves slowly. Although this looks like an almost-perfect hitchhiking spot, it is still in the centre of a large city and so expect a waiting time of 30-60 minutes. There is a reasonable chance of finding other hitchhikers at this spot.
If you prefer not to take public transport, then from the "Hauptbahnhof" central train station walk north for approx. 15 minutes. Look for the dark red Messeturm skyscraper (nickname "The Pencil", which gives a clue to it's appearance) and walk towards it along the main road. From there, look for the roundabout.
If you're a Frankfurt university student...
...then you probably have a Semesterticket giving you free rides on RMV transport. If you're going long distances, then use your Semesterticket to get yourself as far on your journey as possible! This also applies to anyone with a hessenticket.
- For all destinations North eg. Niedersachsen, Hamburg, Bremen, Denmark, and East eg. Thuringen, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Berlin, Poland, first take a train to Alsfeld, and use the service station near there (journey time 90-120 minutes from Frankfurt, but can be well worth it).
- For all destinations South eg. Baden-Württemberg, Strasbourg, Switzerland, first take a train to Bickenbach, and use the service station near there (journey time also 90-120 minutes from Frankfurt, not such a wonderful place as Alsfeld but it can still help).
Around the city
- Take U-Bahn line U6 or U7 to "Leipziger Straße" to find a cheap selection of market stalls, restaurants, fast food, supermarkets, international callshops, and shops selling small but useful items like knives or umbrellas.
- Nearby (also U-Bahn line U6 or U7, and Straßenbahn line 16 or 17) is "Bockenheimer Warte". Here is the university - ask students at the library ("Uni Bibliothek") to give you free internet access. The university cafés serve cheap, healthy food and are open to everyone - look young, confident and busy, and you won't have to show a pass to get a student discount.
- Probably the cheapest 24hr internet point in town is inside the "Stay and Learn" youth hostel. The price varies with the time of day, and is from €0.80 to €2.00 per hour. The internet point is on the Kaiserstraße, just 50m from the central train station.
- Standing at the station looking towards the city, the main street going away from you is the Kaiserstraße. Cross over the tram lines and start walking down the street. Keep looking up and you should see the "Stay and Learn" sign high up on the left. It is very close.
- Under the sign is a brown door. Press the buzzer and the door will open. Climb the stairs or use the lift to find the reception (on the 3rd floor).
- Turn left immediately before the reception, then there is an easyInternetcafe on the right. It is for guests only, but keep quiet about this and you will be fine.
- You can almost always use the U-Bahn and Straßenbahn without a ticket - the chance of being checked is very rare (rarer than in most other German cities). But if you travel on the buses or S-Bahn, you will almost always have to pay.
