Every October and every April, Frankfurt Airport fills with new arrivals who share the same look: a trolley stacked with two or three suitcases, a backpack, a laptop bag and a phone open on a rail app showing a connection with three changes. If you are starting a degree in Germany, Frankfurt is very likely your point of entry — it has the most intercontinental connections in the country and sits in the middle of the university map. This guide explains how to get from the arrivals hall to your hall of residence without carrying 60 kg of luggage up and down station stairs, and lists more than 190 university cities with distances, approximate drive times and a link to the fixed-price transfer page for each.
When students arrive — and why the timing matters
German universities run two semesters. The winter semester begins on 1 October and the summer semester on 1 April, with orientation weeks and lectures typically starting a week or two later. That produces two very predictable arrival peaks: the last week of September into early October, and the second half of March. On those days the regional trains out of Frankfurt are full, the taxi rank at Terminal 1 has a queue, and every first-year student in the region is trying to do the same thing at the same time. If you book your ground transport before you fly, you take yourself out of that queue entirely.
The rail relay: honest about the problem
Germany's trains are good, and for a solo traveller with one carry-on the ICE from the airport's long-distance station is often the right answer. But a first-time arrival with the full luggage allowance is a different trip. A typical journey to a university town looks like this: airport station to a main hub by ICE, a change to a regional train, then a city bus or tram from the station to the hall of residence, then a walk with the cases. Each change means platforms, lifts that may be out of service, and a tight connection where you are hauling luggage while other passengers push past. Long-distance trains also need a separate ticket — the Deutschlandticket you will probably buy later does not cover the ICE — and if your flight lands late, a missed regional connection can leave you on a platform at 22:00 in a town you have never seen.
The train is cheap when you are one person with one bag. It stops being cheap the moment you are three people with nine bags and a 40-minute bus ride at the end.
What a fixed-price transfer actually does for a student
A private transfer is booked in advance for a price that is confirmed before you fly. Your driver tracks the flight, waits inside the arrivals hall with a name sign — at Terminal 1 or the new Terminal 3 — and takes the luggage from the trolley to the car. From there it is a single drive to the front door of your hall, host family or shared flat, with no changes and no stairs. A few details matter specifically for students:
- Luggage: a standard car carries up to 3 passengers with their suitcases. If you are travelling with the full airline allowance plus hand luggage, state the number of bags when you book so we allocate the right vehicle. The Business Van takes up to 8 passengers and is the right choice for two or more students each with several cases.
- Waiting time: 90 minutes of free waiting at the airport, so a slow immigration queue or a delayed bag does not cost you anything.
- Early and late flights: transfers run 24/7, including pickups from 4am and arrivals after midnight when public transport has stopped or thinned out.
- Cancellation: free, so you can book as soon as you have a flight and adjust if your visa appointment or room contract shifts.
- Address: give us the exact street address of the hall and, if you have it, the key-handover office — many halls hand over keys in a different building from the one you will live in.
Child seats are free but, for once, irrelevant. What is relevant is that the price is quoted per vehicle, not per person — which is the whole point of the next section.
Sharing a van: how three or four students split one fixed price
Because the fare is per car, the cost per person drops sharply the moment you share. Three students landing at Frankfurt on the same morning and heading to the same university can book one Business Van, split one fixed price three ways and each still bring all their luggage. Four sharing makes it cheaper again. In practice, the easiest way to find co-travellers is the international-student WhatsApp or Facebook group run by your university's welcome office, or the orientation-week chat — post your flight number and date, and you will usually find someone on the same or a nearby flight. Because we track every flight, the driver can also wait for a second arrival landing within the free waiting window. One booking, one name sign, one drive to campus.
University cities from Frankfurt Airport
Distances below are road kilometres from the airport; drive times are approximate and depend on traffic. Every link goes to the destination page, where the fixed price is shown for each vehicle class — we do not repeat prices here because the page is always current. If your city is not listed, use the destinations overview or ask us for a quote.
Hessen and the Rhine-Main area
- Frankfurt am Main (Goethe University, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Frankfurt UAS) — 15 km, about 25 minutes
- Offenbach (HfG Offenbach University of Art and Design) — 20 km, about 20 minutes
- Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt, h_da) — 30 km, about 30 minutes
- Mainz (Johannes Gutenberg University) — 30 km, about 30 minutes
- Wiesbaden (RheinMain University of Applied Sciences) — 30 km, about 25 minutes
- Idstein (Hochschule Fresenius) — 37 km, about 30 minutes
- Friedberg (Hessen) (THM, Friedberg campus) — 40 km, about 35 minutes
- Oestrich-Winkel (EBS University) — 45 km, about 45 minutes
- Geisenheim (Hochschule Geisenheim University) — 48 km, about 38 minutes
- Gießen (JLU Gießen, THM) — 70 km, about 50 minutes
- Marburg (Philipps University) — 100 km, about 1 h 10 min
- Fulda (Fulda University of Applied Sciences) — 110 km, about 1 h 10 min
- Kassel (University of Kassel) — 200 km, about 2 h
Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland
- Bingen am Rhein (TH Bingen) — 60 km, about 40 minutes
- Worms (Hochschule Worms) — 65 km, about 50 minutes
- Speyer (German University of Administrative Sciences) — 100 km, about 1 h
- Vallendar (WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management) — 107 km, about 1 h 15 min
- Kaiserslautern (RPTU Kaiserslautern) — 110 km, about 1 h 15 min
- Koblenz (University of Koblenz) — 115 km, about 1 h 15 min
- Germersheim (Faculty of Translation, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) — 120 km, about 1 h 15 min
- Landau (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau) — 124 km, about 1 h 20 min
- Remagen (RheinAhrCampus, Koblenz University of Applied Sciences) — 140 km, about 1 h 35 min
- Homburg (Saar) (Saarland University Faculty of Medicine) — 145 km, about 1 h 40 min
- Pirmasens (Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, Pirmasens campus) — 155 km, about 1 h 45 min
- Zweibrücken (Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, Zweibrücken campus) — 158 km, about 1 h 40 min
- Birkenfeld (Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld, Trier University of Applied Sciences) — 162 km, about 1 h 40 min
- Trier (University of Trier) — 185 km, about 2 h
- Saarbrücken (Saarland University) — 185 km, about 2 h
Baden-Württemberg
- Mannheim (University of Mannheim) — 80 km, about 1 h
- Heidelberg (Heidelberg University) — 85 km, about 1 h
- Karlsruhe (KIT) — 145 km, about 1.5 h
- Mosbach (DHBW Mosbach) — 148 km, about 1 h 50 min
- Heilbronn (Heilbronn University, TUM Campus Heilbronn) — 150 km, about 1 h 30 min
- Pforzheim (Pforzheim University) — 155 km, about 1 h 45 min
- Ludwigsburg (Ludwigsburg University of Education, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg) — 183 km, about 2 h
- Stuttgart (University of Stuttgart, Hohenheim) — 205 km, about 2 h
- Kehl (University of Applied Sciences Kehl) — 206 km, about 2 h 10 min
- Offenburg (Offenburg University) — 208 km, about 2 h 15 min
- Esslingen (Esslingen University) — 209 km, about 2 h 20 min
- Nürtingen (HfWU Nürtingen-Geislingen) — 222 km, about 2 h 25 min
- Reutlingen (Reutlingen University) — 230 km, about 2 h 30 min
- Tübingen (University of Tübingen) — 235 km, about 2.5 h
- Schwäbisch Gmünd (University of Education and HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd) — 239 km, about 2 h 40 min
- Aalen (Aalen University) — 269 km, about 2 h 55 min
- Freiburg (University of Freiburg) — 270 km, about 3 h
- Ulm (University of Ulm) — 290 km, about 3 h
- Heidenheim (DHBW Heidenheim) — 290 km, about 3 h 5 min
- Villingen-Schwenningen (Furtwangen University, Schwenningen campus) — 296 km, about 3 h 15 min
- Furtwangen (Furtwangen University) — 297 km, about 3 h 20 min
- Sigmaringen (Albstadt-Sigmaringen University) — 304 km, about 3 h 35 min
- Biberach an der Riß (Biberach University of Applied Sciences) — 331 km, about 3 h 40 min
- Konstanz (University of Konstanz) — 354 km, about 3.5 h
- Ravensburg (RWU Ravensburg-Weingarten University) — 368 km, about 4 h 5 min
- Friedrichshafen (Zeppelin University) — 382 km, about 4 h
Bavaria
- Aschaffenburg (TH Aschaffenburg) — 45 km, about 35 minutes
- Würzburg (University of Würzburg) — 130 km, about 1 h 25 min
- Schweinfurt (THWS Würzburg-Schweinfurt) — 162 km, about 1 h 45 min
- Ansbach (Ansbach University) — 209 km, about 2 h 20 min
- Erlangen (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg) — 219 km, about 2 h
- Nuremberg (University of Technology Nuremberg, TH Nürnberg, FAU) — 225 km, about 2 h 20 min
- Bamberg (University of Bamberg) — 230 km, about 2.5 h
- Coburg (Coburg University) — 235 km, about 2 h 45 min
- Bayreuth (University of Bayreuth) — 274 km, about 3 h
- Amberg (OTH Amberg-Weiden) — 290 km, about 3 h
- Eichstätt (Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) — 316 km, about 3 h 20 min
- Hof (Saale) (Hof University) — 317 km, about 3 h 25 min
- Ingolstadt (THI, KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) — 324 km, about 3.5 h
- Regensburg (University of Regensburg, OTH) — 330 km, about 3.5 h
- Weiden in der Oberpfalz (OTH Amberg-Weiden, Weiden campus) — 340 km, about 3 h 25 min
- Augsburg (University of Augsburg) — 354 km, about 3.5 h
- Freising (TUM Weihenstephan, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University) — 376 km, about 3 h 55 min
- Garching bei München (Technical University of Munich (TUM) research campus) — 384 km, about 3 h 55 min
- Landshut (Landshut University) — 384 km, about 3 h 55 min
- Munich (LMU, TUM) — 390 km, about 4 h
- Kempten (Allgäu) (Kempten University) — 394 km, about 3 h 55 min
- Deggendorf (Deggendorf Institute of Technology) — 402 km, about 4 h
- Neubiberg (University of the Bundeswehr Munich) — 414 km, about 4 h 20 min
- Passau (University of Passau) — 446 km, about 4.5 h
- Rosenheim (TH Rosenheim) — 471 km, about 4 h 45 min
North Rhine-Westphalia
- Siegen (University of Siegen) — 135 km, about 1.5 h
- Bonn (University of Bonn) — 165 km, about 1 h 45 min
- Cologne (University of Cologne, TH Köln) — 190 km, about 2 h
- Hagen (FernUniversität in Hagen) — 205 km, about 2 h
- Dortmund (TU Dortmund) — 225 km, about 2.5 h
- Düsseldorf (Heinrich Heine University) — 230 km, about 2.5 h
- Wuppertal (University of Wuppertal) — 230 km, about 2 h 20 min
- Witten (Witten/Herdecke University) — 232 km, about 2.5 h
- Bochum (Ruhr University Bochum) — 243 km, about 2.5 h
- Aachen (RWTH Aachen) — 250 km, about 2.5 h
- Duisburg (University of Duisburg-Essen) — 250 km, about 2.5 h
- Essen (University of Duisburg-Essen, Folkwang) — 250 km, about 2.5 h
- Paderborn (Paderborn University) — 254 km, about 2.5 h
- Mönchengladbach (Hochschule Niederrhein) — 265 km, about 2 h 40 min
- Detmold (Detmold University of Music, TH OWL) — 276 km, about 3 h 10 min
- Münster (University of Münster) — 310 km, about 3 h
- Bielefeld (Bielefeld University) — 330 km, about 3.5 h
Northern Germany
- Göttingen (University of Göttingen) — 250 km, about 2.5 h
- Clausthal-Zellerfeld (TU Clausthal) — 298 km, about 3 h
- Hildesheim (University of Hildesheim) — 315 km, about 3 h 15 min
- Osnabrück (Osnabrück University) — 336 km, about 3 h 45 min
- Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig) — 337 km, about 3.5 h
- Hanover (Leibniz University Hannover) — 350 km, about 3.5 h
- Wolfsburg (Ostfalia University, Wolfsburg campus) — 361 km, about 3 h 45 min
- Vechta (University of Vechta) — 394 km, about 4 h
- Oldenburg (University of Oldenburg) — 440 km, about 4.5 h
- Bremen (University of Bremen, Constructor University) — 445 km, about 4 h 15 min
- Lüneburg (Leuphana University) — 455 km, about 4 h 30 min
- Emden (Hochschule Emden/Leer) — 490 km, about 4 h 55 min
- Wilhelmshaven (Jade University of Applied Sciences) — 491 km, about 5 h
- Hamburg (University of Hamburg, TUHH) — 500 km, about 5 h
- Lübeck (University of Lübeck) — 551 km, about 5.5 h
- Kiel (Kiel University) — 588 km, about 6 h
- Wismar (Hochschule Wismar) — 609 km, about 6 h 10 min
- Flensburg (Europa-Universität Flensburg) — 650 km, about 6 h 35 min
- Rostock (University of Rostock) — 666 km, about 6.5 h
- Neubrandenburg (Hochschule Neubrandenburg) — 673 km, about 7 h 20 min
- Greifswald (University of Greifswald) — 748 km, about 7.5 h
- Stralsund (Hochschule Stralsund) — 757 km, about 7 h 30 min
Eastern Germany
- Schmalkalden (Hochschule Schmalkalden) — 195 km, about 2 h 30 min
- Ilmenau (TU Ilmenau) — 243 km, about 2.5 h
- Erfurt (University of Erfurt) — 255 km, about 2 h 30 min
- Weimar (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Liszt School of Music) — 281 km, about 3 h
- Nordhausen (Hochschule Nordhausen) — 295 km, about 3 h
- Jena (Friedrich Schiller University) — 308 km, about 3 h
- Gera (DHGE Gera-Eisenach) — 338 km, about 3 h 30 min
- Wernigerode (Harz University of Applied Sciences) — 341 km, about 3 h 40 min
- Zwickau (Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau) — 379 km, about 4 h
- Merseburg (Hochschule Merseburg) — 387 km, about 4 h
- Halle (Saale) (Martin Luther University) — 390 km, about 4 h
- Leipzig (Leipzig University, HHL) — 395 km, about 4 h
- Chemnitz (TU Chemnitz) — 409 km, about 4 h
- Mittweida (Hochschule Mittweida) — 422 km, about 4 h 20 min
- Magdeburg (Otto von Guericke University) — 425 km, about 4.5 h
- Freiberg (TU Bergakademie Freiberg) — 445 km, about 4.5 h
- Dessau (Anhalt University of Applied Sciences) — 449 km, about 4 h 40 min
- Dresden (TU Dresden) — 455 km, about 4.5 h
- Brandenburg an der Havel (TH Brandenburg) — 492 km, about 5 h
- Potsdam (University of Potsdam) — 532 km, about 5.5 h
- Berlin (HU, FU, TU Berlin) — 545 km, about 5.5 h
- Wildau (TH Wildau) — 562 km, about 5 h 35 min
- Cottbus (BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg) — 575 km, about 6 h
- Görlitz (Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz) — 577 km, about 5 h 50 min
- Zittau (Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz) — 592 km, about 6 h 5 min
- Eberswalde (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development) — 629 km, about 6 h 20 min
- Frankfurt (Oder) (European University Viadrina) — 629 km, about 6 h 15 min
Switzerland and Austria
- Basel (University of Basel) — 320 km, about 3.5 h
- St. Gallen (University of St. Gallen) — 393 km, about 4 h
- Zurich (ETH Zurich, University of Zurich) — 410 km, about 4 h
- Bern (University of Bern) — 435 km, about 4 h 20 min
- Fribourg (University of Fribourg) — 452 km, about 4.5 h
- Innsbruck (University of Innsbruck) — 500 km, about 5 h
- Lausanne (EPFL, University of Lausanne) — 545 km, about 5 h 15 min
- Linz (JKU Linz) — 562 km, about 5.5 h
- Lugano (Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)) — 575 km, about 5 h 35 min
- Salzburg (University of Salzburg) — 585 km, about 5 h 25 min
- Geneva (University of Geneva) — 605 km, about 5 h 45 min
- Graz (University of Graz, TU Graz) — 725 km, about 7 h
- Vienna (University of Vienna, TU Wien) — 755 km, about 7.5 h
Benelux and France
- Strasbourg (University of Strasbourg) — 220 km, about 2.5 h
- Luxembourg (University of Luxembourg) — 225 km, about 2.5 h
- Metz (University of Lorraine, Metz) — 240 km, about 2 h 15 min
- Nancy (University of Lorraine) — 285 km, about 2 h 50 min
- Mulhouse (University of Upper Alsace) — 305 km, about 2 h 55 min
- Maastricht (Maastricht University) — 315 km, about 3 h
- Hasselt (Hasselt University) — 325 km, about 3 h 15 min
- Nijmegen (Radboud University) — 340 km, about 3.5 h
- Liège (University of Liège) — 340 km, about 3 h 20 min
- Enschede (University of Twente) — 344 km, about 3.5 h
- Eindhoven (Eindhoven University of Technology) — 355 km, about 3 h 30 min
- Wageningen (Wageningen University) — 356 km, about 3.5 h
- Tilburg (Tilburg University) — 372 km, about 4 h
- Louvain-la-Neuve (UCLouvain) — 388 km, about 4 h
- Brussels (ULB and VUB) — 390 km, about 3 h 50 min
- Leuven (KU Leuven) — 400 km, about 4 h
- Utrecht (Utrecht University) — 415 km, about 3 h 55 min
- Reims (University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne) — 420 km, about 4 h
- Antwerp (University of Antwerp) — 430 km, about 4 h 15 min
- Amsterdam (University of Amsterdam, VU Amsterdam) — 440 km, about 4 h 30 min
- Leiden (Leiden University) — 443 km, about 4.5 h
- Besançon (University of Franche-Comté) — 446 km, about 4 h 30 min
- Delft (TU Delft) — 454 km, about 4.5 h
- Rotterdam (Erasmus University Rotterdam) — 460 km, about 4 h 25 min
- Ghent (Ghent University) — 480 km, about 4 h 40 min
- Groningen (University of Groningen) — 481 km, about 5 h
- Dijon (University of Burgundy) — 490 km, about 4 h 40 min
- Lille (University of Lille, Catholic University of Lille) — 508 km, about 5 h 25 min
- Paris (Sorbonne, PSL and the Paris universities) — 560 km, about 5 h 45 min
Northern Italy
- Bolzano (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano) — 605 km, about 5 h 50 min
- Milan (Politecnico di Milano, Bocconi University) — 660 km, about 6 h 25 min
- Verona (University of Verona) — 700 km, about 6 h 45 min
- Trento (University of Trento) — 742 km, about 7 h 50 min
Czech Republic
- Plzeň (University of West Bohemia) — 425 km, about 4 h 20 min
- Prague (Charles University, CTU) — 530 km, about 5.5 h
- Brno (Masaryk University, BUT) — 722 km, about 7 h
Booking tips for a first arrival
- Book as soon as your flight is ticketed; cancellation is free, so there is no reason to wait.
- Enter the flight number — that is what we track, and it is why a delay does not cost you.
- Give a mobile number that works on landing, or a WhatsApp number on your home SIM; the driver messages you on approach and, if needed, to find you in the hall.
- Landing on a Sunday or after office hours? Check when your hall hands over keys. If it is the next morning, we can drop you at a hotel or a friend's address instead — the destination is yours to choose.
- Payment is by secure link before travel or in cash to the driver; no card-terminal surprises and no meter.
Our recommendation
One person, one bag, a daytime landing and a campus next to the main station: take the train. Anything else — the full luggage allowance, a group, an early or late flight, or a hall that is a bus ride from the station — is exactly what a fixed-price transfer is for. Find your city above, check the price on its page and book your transfer before you fly. For the wider picture see our Germany transfers and cross-border transfers overviews.
