By Harriet Baskas

On the Web Airport Web site Located about 8 miles from the city center and serving more than 48 million passengers a year, Frankfurt Airport features more 150 shops and restaurants, an outdoor beer garden, several children's play areas, a casino, two supermarkets, and several adult bookstores. If there's not enough to keep you entertained on site, downtown Frankfurt is just 10 minutes away by train.

Get oriented Take care of yourself Take care of business Explore the airport Go into town

Get oriented Frankfurt Airport (airport code: FRA) is made up of two terminals: Terminal 1, with departure halls A, B, and C; and Terminal 2, with departure halls D and E. A regional long-distance train station (the AIRail Terminal) is connected to the airport as well. Baggage note Free baggage carts are available in both terminals and the two adjoining train stations. Staffed baggage storage is available in Terminal 1, Arrivals Hall B, and in Terminal 2, Arrivals Area D. Lockers are available in the transit areas of both terminals. The airport is the home base and main hub airport of Lufthansa, which uses most of Terminal 1 along with its Star Alliance airline partners (United, SAS, Austrian Airlines, and dozens of others). All other airlines use Terminal 2. To help you find your way around, the airport has installed helpful electronic directories at numerous spots throughout the airport. You can also get directions from staffed information desks in the arrivals and departures halls of both terminals. Terminal 1 and 2 are physically linked, and it can take 10 to 15 minutes to walk from one to the other. You can move from one terminal to the other in about 5 minutes on a shuttle bus, but it takes just 2 minutes if you take the Sky Line shuttle train. Take care of yourself Eat: There are more than 50 bars and restaurants to choose from at Frankfurt Airport, ranging from 24-hour snack bars and fast-food outlets to restaurants serving sushi, pizza, pasta, seafood, hamburgers, or traditional German fare. Highlights in Terminal 1 include the outdoor Beer Garden (level 3, Hall C, pre-security); the Black Forest Restaurant (Departures Hall A, post-security); and restaurants serving authentic Black Forest and German cuisine, such as Schwarzwaldstube and Wirtshaus (lower level, areas B and C), and Käfer's Bistro (Sky Line Arcade, pre-security, Departures Hall B). Terminal 2 highlights include the 1950s American-diner menu at Laxx (Departures Hall D, post-security) and the Sushi Bar (Departures Hall D, post-security). Food note Best bet for a carry-on meal: Sandwiches or salads from Take Off, Terminal 1, Departures Hall A (pre-security); or sushi from the Sushi Bar, Terminal 2, Hall D (post-security). Best sinful snack: Ice cream from Eiscafé Piazzetta in the shopping arcade, Terminal 1, Hall B (post-security). Still hungry? There's a supermarket in both Terminal 1(lower level, Hall A) and in Terminal 2 (level 2, arrivals area, Hall E). Or, for more upscale dining, take the sky bridge from Terminal 1 over to the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel and Towers. There you'll find Taverne, serving regional specialties, and Flavors, which offers buffet meals and "Body Clock Cuisine," a line of meals specially designed to help you fight jet lag. The bar, called Lemons & Limes, has two areas—a sports bar, and a piano bar which sometimes screens classic films. Relax and refresh: Beyond plentiful seating areas in and around the airport's cafés and restaurants, Frankfurt Airport has a few special spots where you can relax and refresh: Most unusual is the Airport Forum, located in the connector building between the AIRrail Terminal and Terminal 1. Officially designed to inform the public about the history of the airport, the Airport Forum has 10 comfortable and inviting plastic "Bubble" chairs that gently sway over a floor map of the airport. Other out-of-the-way spots to relax include the Airport Galleries located in both terminals (see "Sightsee"), the airport chapel in Terminal 1 (Departures Hall B), or the three prayer rooms in Terminal 2 (Departures Hall D, Transit Area). Need to freshen up or work out? There are two hair salons in Terminal 1 (lower level/Area B and in the Laden Galerie shopping mall, Departures Hall B). Pay showers are available in the Terminal 1, Departures Hall B, but you can also take showers, swim, jog, or get a workout with a day pass at the recently upgraded fitness center at the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel and Towers. Tel. +011 (49) (69) 69-770. For fresh air head to the airport's outdoor Visitors' Terrace in Terminal 1, where you can get great views of the airfield. During the summer, you can also relax in the rooftop beer garden ("Biergarten") in Terminal 1. Smoking is generally prohibited at Frankfurt Airport, but throughout the terminals you'll find plenty of spots designated as smoking areas. Some restaurants also have smoking sections. Take care of business Airline club members will find business lounges for American Airlines, Diner's Club, Lufthansa, and United Airlines in Terminal 1. Terminal 2 has lounges for Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, and Delta, Iberia, Japan, and Malaysia airlines. For 16 euros (about US$15), non-club members can buy a day pass for one of the airport's two Europe City Club (ECC) lounges, which offer complimentary snacks, comfortable seating, and self-service business machines. The lounges are located in the Transit B area and in Terminal 1, Departures Hall B, above the Skyline Arcade. Tel. +011 (49) (69) 6907-0515. The Frankfurt Airport Center (FAC) is connected to Terminal 1 via an enclosed pedestrian bridge. There you'll find the Airport Communication Center, which offers cell phone rentals and computer stations with Internet access. The FAC also houses the Airport Conference Center (ACC), where you can rent office equipment and hold meetings. Tel. +011 (49) (69) 6907-0500; Web site: http://www.acc-frankfurt.de Explore the airport Shopping note Best souvenir under $10: A tote bag or T-shirt adorned with "Fluggi," the airport's mascot, available at the Fluggi shop in Terminal 1. Shop: Frankfurt Airport has more than 130 shops offering fine arts and crafts items, books, gift foods, clothing, jewelry, electronics, leather goods, and more. The airport also has three adult bookstores, selling erotica and adult movies. Street pricing is in effect here, which means airport stores may not price their wares above what they charge at their outlets in-town, so you can confidently shop around for German wines, Steiff bears, Hummel figurines, beer steins, and other specialties. Highlights in Terminal 1 include Harrods of Knightsbridge, the Caviar House, Bally, Boss, the Art & More International Museum shop (also in Terminal 2), the Porsche Design shop, and Behaghel, which stocks Hummels and other gift items. In Terminal 2, look for Boss and Zimmerman (costumes, toys, games, etc.). If you're at the airport in December, you're in for a treat. While less elaborate than Frankfurt's in-town Christmas Market, a nonetheless gift-filled market is held at the airport in December (including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Look for it in the Airport Gallery 1, on the mezzanine level above Departure Hall B. An annual Easter Festival is held in the gallery as well. Sightsee: Art and history exhibitions, often with an aviation theme, are held throughout the year in the Airport Galleries located in both terminals 1 and 2. The gallery in Terminal 1 is on the mezzanine in Hall B and offers a nice view of the bustling departures level below. The gallery in Terminal 2 is near the escalator that leads to the Sky-Line station. Lookout: The outdoor Visitors' Terrace in Terminal 1 offers great opportunities for views of the airfield and even to inspect airplane parts up close. A small admission fee is charged. Play around: Adults will enjoy a visit to the airport's casino, located in Terminal 1 (level 3, Transit B, near Gates B22–28), while kids will enjoy the Visitors' Terrace in Terminal 1, where they can climb on miniature aircraft and watch the airfield activity (admission is charged). There are also free children's play areas in Terminal 1 (in the corridor between Halls B and C) and in Terminal 2 (Transit Area D and E). At the Food Plaza in Terminal 2, McDonald's provides a large play area with a slide and a bin filled with hundreds of plastic balls. Go into town More information For additional information about Frankfurt International Airport, call +011 (49) (69) 6900. It will cost about 20 euros (about US$18) and will take 15 minutes to a half-hour to make the 8-mile trip to downtown Frankfurt. A train, the S-Bahn (the S8 or S9 lines), makes the trip directly from the airport rail terminal to the Frankfurt Central Station in about 10 minutes for about 3 euros (about US$2.90). Buy your ticket from the blue ticket machines. City buses also make the trip downtown and will pick you up at the bus station in front of the arrivals halls on level 1, Terminal 1, and at the bus bay in front of the arrivals/departures halls on level 2, Terminal 2. Buy your ticket on the bus.  Guides to more than 65 airports are available online from Expedia's Airport Information page, or buy the whole book, Stuck at the Airport: A Traveler's Survival Guide, at Amazon.com.

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