Sleeping in Frankfurt Airport

Whether you are an experienced airport sleeper or new to the game, this sleep guide will give you the essential information to better prepare you for sleeping in Frankfurt Airport.

Our guide is updated with the help of airport sleepers who tell us about their experiences at Frankfurt Airport. If you have a tip to share, write a review to help us keep this sleep guide up-to-date!

Read the latest traveller reviews.

Sleeping in Frankfurt Airport

Locations & Seating

The seating in this large airport is generally sufficient for the many travellers, but the type and quality varies on your location. If you’re inside Security, the seating options at Gates are often metal and equipped with armrests, particularly in Terminal 1. Specific Leisure Zones do have more comfortable seating options. Travellers report that the pre-Secure area of Terminal 2 has some armrest-free seating, which you could turn into a makeshift bed by pushing two together.

Here are good sleep spots that travellers have reported:

Movie World in Terminal 1 (3 locations) has comfortable chairs and plays free movies and documentaries.
Terminal 1, behind Gate A20, there are several rows of seats without armrests. The area is walled-off on three sides, providing some privacy and peace.
In Terminal 1, the Bistrot Frankfurt Airport is a 24-hour eatery that seems to be very popular with overnight travellers looking to sleep, but it fills up quickly.
Terminal 2’s McDonald’s, which is open 24-hours, has plenty of seating and even some benches and flat surfaces where travellers have managed some shuteye.

Rest Zones

Frankfurt Airport offers Leisure Zones, cozy lounges with padded seats and lounge chairs with footrests. Perfect for travellers in transit can relax and enjoy some stress-free time before their flight. Locations:

Terminal 1, inside Security, where Concourses A, B, and C meet, and near Gates A26, A50, B43 and Gate Z11.
Terminal 2, inside Security, near Gates D1-4, D24 and E24.

Temperature

The temperature varies throughout the airport, with travellers reporting some areas as too cold and others as stuffy and warm.

Pro-tip: Arrive prepared with a blanket or even a sleeping bag. A hoodie provides extra warmth if the terminal gets even colder.

Lighting

At the time of this update, we have not received reports from travellers related to terminal brightness.

Pro-tip: Arrive prepared with eye-shades or something else to cover your eyes, such as a shirt or towel.

Noise

The noise levels here are about normal for an airport of this size. During the day, expect to hear plenty of announcements on the loudspeakers. At night, it can quiet down a lot, though you’ll likely hear a cleaning crew pass by. As a precaution, bring along earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.

Pro-tip: If you chose a spot near any eateries, keep in mind that the staff arrive early and they can get pretty loud in the kitchen.

Weather Delays

When rare mass cancellations happen at Frankfurt Airport, due to things like extreme bad weather or union strikes, cots are available for stranded passengers who opt against getting a hotel room. To find them, ask an airline or airport employee or use a courtesy phone to reach someone who has access to this information.

Importantly, cots cannot be reserved in advance and they are only put out in rare instances, not simply because you are choosing to stay in the airport before your flight.

Showers

Freshen up (and loosen those stiff muscles) with a shower before your flight. Shower facilities are open daily from 6:00AM – 11:00PM (except the B locations which are open 5:00AM – 11:00PM). Rate: €6/US$ 8, which includes towels, floor mat, shower gel and hair dryer. Locations:

Terminal 1, Landside, B Departures, Shopping Boulevard across from the Virgin store and the pharmacy.
Terminal 1, Airside, Transit B, Level 3 opposite the “Lufthansa Senator Lounge”, to the left of Kuffler and Bucher.
Terminal 1, Airside, Concourse A, Level 2, across from Gate A 50.
Terminal 1, Airside, Concourse Z, Level 3, across from the children’s playground
Terminal 2, Airside, Concourse D, Level 3, opposite security controls D 5-8.

Several pay-to-use lounges also have shower facilities. See our Frankfurt Airport Guide for details.

Food & Drink

When you get the midnight munchies or give up trying to sleep and need a coffee to stay awake, many 24-hour food concessions are available. Check out these vendors:

Terminal 1, pre-Security: Scoom I (Area A, Level 2), Scoom II (Area B, Level 0), Mondo (Area B, Level 1), Mondo Bianco (Area A, Level 2), and Quicker’s (Area B, Level 2)
Terminal 1, inside Security: Bistrot Frankfurt Airport (Concourse B), Hermanns’ Mobil (Area Z, Level 3), HUB/Convenience store (Area B, Level 3), HUB/Convenience store (Area C, Level 2, 2 locations), Mayer’s Bar (3 locations in Area C, Level 2), McCafe 4 (Area Z, Level 3), Mondo Caffe Bar (Area 2, Level 2), Mondo Mobil (Area C, Level 2), and Natural Mobil (Area Z)
Terminal 2, pre-Security: Quicker’s 3 (Area E, Level 2)
Terminal 2, inside Security: McDonald’s 1 (Area D, Level 4)

Hotels

Prefer some privacy and comfort? If you would like a good solid sleep between flights without the stress of going through security, there is a transit hotel. Importantly, you must be flying to or from a country outside of the Schengen zone to access the My Cloud Transit Hotel, located in Terminal 1, at Gate Z25. This transit hotel offers private rooms equipped with a bed, desk, WiFi, and private bathroom with shower. Rooms are available to rent in blocks of 3-24 hours.

Three more hotels (Sheraton, Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn) are located at the airport, connected to Terminal 1 by a pedestrian skywalk. Day rooms are available, though you will need to exit the Secure area to access these. See the hotel section in our Airport Guide for locations or visit Tripadvisor to find hotels deals at Frankfurt Airport.

Lounges

While Frankfurt Airport has several lounges, none have designated sleep rooms or rest areas. If you just want to relax in a comfortable seat, check out this list of lounges in our Frankfurt Airport Guide that you can pay to access.

Security & Safety

The airport security presence at Frankfurt Airport is high, so they may wake you to check your ID and boarding pass. The staff tolerates the overnight sleepers, but they may relocate you to specific areas. For instance, in Terminal 1, only Concourse B may stay open all night, with the other concourses closing to travellers.

A couple people reported seeing homeless people and other vagrants wandering about the pre-Secure, public areas during the night, but let a security guard know if you see something and aren’t feeling safe.

As a precaution, here are a few tips to ensure you have a safe airport sleeping experience:

Know Where Security is Located. Whether you are sleeping in the airport by yourself or with friends, it is good to know where security is. Know where their office is located and look for video cameras in the spot you decide to stay the night. Ask security where it is safe to spend the night. They’ve probably seen many airport sleepers before you and they will direct you to a safe spot.
Don’t Seclude Yourself. If you are travelling alone we recommend that you sleep near other travellers or close to security.
Hide Your Valuables. Don’t leave all your mobile devices out in plain view. We have received reports from people who woke up with earphones and no ipod and a laptop bag strap and no laptop bag (or laptop). Same goes with important documents and money. Keep these secure on your body, so that no one can get them without waking you up.
Secure Your Bags. If you are a deep sleeper, you may want to padlock your bag to something. If your bags have zippers turn the bag upside down (zippers to the floor) or sleep with your bag up against the wall, so that it would be hard for someone to access.
Choose to Stay Alert. If you don’t feel safe, drink coffee and stay awake and be alert. You can always sleep on the plane!

Pro-tip: If you are sleeping in the public zone, don’t be surprised if you receive an early morning wake-up call. Security is known to make the rounds waking people up as travellers begin to arrive for morning flights.