Getting to Strasbourg, France
Trains, Buses, and Flying to Alsace from London, Paris, and Germany
Jan 11, 2008
Strasbourg is in the far east of France in the province Alsace on the left side of the Rhine River that forms the border with Germany. Public transportation links to Strasbourg have not always been optimal – the French high-speed trains (TGV) only recently made it as far east while flights to (SXB) are relatively expensive and destinations limited.
French Trains to Strasbourg
- TGV Est
During 2007, the first phase of the new TGV Est railway network went into service and high-speed TGV trains finally made it all the way to Strasbourg. Journey times from Paris Gare de l'Est to Strasbourg declined from four hours to as little as 2h20. Eventually, traveling time between Paris and Strasbourg will fall to below two hours. Some TGV trains continue into Germany and reach Karlsruhe in 45 minutes and Stuttgart in 1h15.
The TGV Est is the first French high-speed railway lines also open to the German Inter-City-Express trains. TGV trains can operate at speeds faster than 300 km/h (180 mph) on these tracks.
- London St. Pancras International to Strasbourg on the Eurostar and TGV (transfer in Paris or Lille) takes around six hours.
- TGV Rhin-Rhôn
- Local Trains in Alsace
Two local trains from Strasbourg are of special note:
- Trains from Strasbourg to Bâle (Basel in Switzerland) via Sélestat, Colmar, Mulhouse, Saint-Louis take just less than 90 minutes. (The TGV on this route has fewer stops and is only marginally faster.)
- Trains from Strasbourg to Offenburg in Germany takes half an hour and allows connections to some ICE trains.
German Trains to Strasbourg
German Inter-City-Express trains currently do not run to Strasbourg itself. However, the railway line running on the German side of the Rhine (Frankfurt – Mannheim – Karlsruhe – Basel) is very busy. The closest ICE station to Strasbourg is Offenburg but not all ICE trains stop here.
Trains from Strasbourg to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) take just over two hours but always require transfers – usually at Karlsruhe if the TGV is used or Offenburg if local trains are used. Most, but not all, trains stop at Frankfurt Airport Fernbahnhof before continuing to Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof.
- Reservations are compulsory on all TGV trains but seldom required on German ICE trains.
By Bus to Strasbourg
Although trains are usually the most convenient way to get to Strasbourg, bus services are also available and often price, if not time, competitive with trains. Many bus services are not available daily.
Eurolines have bus services from many cities in Europe. Services to Strasbourg are available from amongst others Amsterdam (12 hours), Barcelona (15 hours), Berlin (9 hours), Brussels (7 hours), London (15 hours), Milan (8 hours), Stuttgart (2 hours), Venice (14 hours), and Vienna (10 hours).
- Eurolines buses can be reserved through National Express in the UK or Deutsche Touring in Germany.
Flying to Strasbourg
Strasbourg Airport (SXB) is just 10 km (6 miles) to the southwest of Strasbourg. However, the number of flights and destinations served are rather limited.
Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) in Germany is the closest major airport with intercontinental flights. Frequent trains from Frankfurt Airport to Strasbourg take just over two hours but always require a transfer (see German Trains above). Driving takes around two hours too – from Frankfurt follow the Autobahn A5 south towards Basel.
- An alternative is the Lufthansa Airport bus – it connects Strasbourg and Frankfurt Airport six times per day in 2h30. This service may be used independently of Lufthansa flights. Check-in for flights is done at Frankfurt Airport itself.
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