How to get from Frankfurt Airport to Strasbourg by train

[ninaks]

We arrive July 10th at FRA and need to get to Strasbourg to start our Uniworld river cruise.  Since we are coming in the day before, Uniworld will not pick you up.  I see there are trains to take with one change of trains.  Has anyone done this and can give any information on where to buy tickets, where to pick up the train, how difficult to change trains, etc?  thank you for your help!

[rcaruso]

47 minutes ago, ninaks said:

We arrive July 10th at FRA and need to get to Strasbourg to start our Uniworld river cruise.  Since we are coming in the day before, Uniworld will not pick you up.  I see there are trains to take with one change of trains.  Has anyone done this and can give any information on where to buy tickets, where to pick up the train, how difficult to change trains, etc?  thank you for your help!

Download the DB Bahn App and you can play with it and pick from Frankfurt Flughafen (airport) not sure in Strasbourg where you want to end up, but most likey will want to take an ICE train (less stops).  Not sure how much luggage your are taking, but be prepared to handle it during train changes.  It is certainly do able.  Also decide if you want to go 2nd class or first class, and definetly pay to get seats.

[CastleCritic]

be aware the ships dock in an industrial port in Strasbourg not close to downtown, you are definitely looking at a taxi or uber or something similar to get from the train station or taxi to the port.

[ninaks]

35 minutes ago, rcaruso said:

Download the DB Bahn App and you can play with it and pick from Frankfurt Flughafen (airport) not sure in Strasbourg where you want to end up, but most likey will want to take an ICE train (less stops).  Not sure how much luggage your are taking, but be prepared to handle it during train changes.  It is certainly do able.  Also decide if you want to go 2nd class or first class, and definetly pay to get seats.

is it Frankfurt Main Hbf, SUD , West or Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbf for the station?   the app lists both?  Also which terminal or where do you get the train?  thank you

[rcaruso]

Just now, ninaks said:

is it Frankfurt Main Hbf, SUD , West or Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbf for the station?   the app lists both?  Also which terminal or where do you get the train?  thank you

Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbf--it is in the Terminal 1 (Lufthansa Terminal).  If coming into Terminal 2 take the sky link to Terminal one and look for the signs for Fernbahnhof.  Fern mean distance and the ICE trains are at that area.  Also gleis means the track, so gleis 12 is track 12--all are numbered. In that general area will be the regional (red) trains that stop at most towns along the way making the travel longer, also the s8 and s9 that take you to Frankfurt city (Hauptbahnhof--Main train station).  Also in the area of the train station in the airport will be DB Bahn ticket office, but if you buy your tickets on the app, you can get spar preis (savings price) by booking ahead as well as old age discount too--however on the ICE trains the spar peis is non refundable so if your plane comes in late, you need another ticket.  Also spar preis means you can't change your ticket to another train.

 

We used the old age price for a ICE train from Frankfurt airport to Wurzburg on June 1 this year and got a pretty good deal first class with seats, and our airplane actually came in early so we had a 3 hour wait, but not bad.

 

You might consider taking the train half way to strasbourg spend a night and then next day take the train the rest of the way.

[gnome12]

Hauptbahnhof means main train station. Flughafen means airport. You can adjust the transfer time since you will be moving luggage. Stick to options with only one connection.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend staying over anywhere; the whole trip is less than 3 hours, and the fastest connections are just over 2 hours. Staying somewhere along the way just increases the number of times you have to schlep your luggage. Stay in Strasbourg.

 

The Strasbourg train station is at the other side of the old town from where the cruise ships dock, so you will probably need a taxi to your hotel and another to the ship.

 

Just as an aside, I don't think that Uniworld would have picked you up in Frankfurt for a departure from Strasbourg.

 

It's a pity that you left this to the last minute; I just booked Strasbourg - Frankfurt (central station not the airport but it wouldn't make much difference in price) in October for under €60 for 2 seniors. Your fare looks like it will be at least €122 for 2 people.

[AnhaltER1960]

As an alternative to trains, Lufthansa are running a shuttle bus from Frankfurt to Strasbourg. No hassle with changing tracks, it goes nonstop between the airport and Strasbourg downtown. two and a half hours travelling time are competetive with trains. Look here: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/lufthansa-express-bus

 

They run only a few times a day, so you have to look, if the times fit in your timetable. Look at Lufthansa timetable, dep FRA, arr. XER for connections.

 

 

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

As an alternative to trains, Lufthansa are running a shuttle bus from Frankfurt to Strasbourg.

That is a highly interesting alternative. I did not know about this. Knowing the confusing stations at Frankfurt airport, this is a good idea I think to get round that problem.

 

As an aside: @CastleCritic is it always the industrial port for Uniworld or do they use Kehl in Germany as well?

 

notamermaid

 

[beesKate]

Ninaks, You may not have enough time to do this, but we worked around Uniworld only picking up on their scheduled day. If they are picking up at the Frankfurt Airport for the cruise starting in Strasbourg and you would be staying in Frankfurt overnight, you could find a flight with an arrival time that meets your needs and let Uniworld know this is your "arrival flight".  You go back to the airport at the appointed time and look for the Uniworld people around arrivals.  We did this a few years ago when we arrived a few days early for a cruise beginning in Passau.  They were picking up at the Munich airport, so we just took the train back to the Munich airport and found the Uniworld people.  They are not checking airline passenger lists to see if you're actually booked on the flight.  

[ninaks]

12 hours ago, gnome12 said:

Hauptbahnhof means main train station. Flughafen means airport. You can adjust the transfer time since you will be moving luggage. Stick to options with only one connection.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend staying over anywhere; the whole trip is less than 3 hours, and the fastest connections are just over 2 hours. Staying somewhere along the way just increases the number of times you have to schlep your luggage. Stay in Strasbourg.

 

The Strasbourg train station is at the other side of the old town from where the cruise ships dock, so you will probably need a taxi to your hotel and another to the ship.

 

Just as an aside, I don't think that Uniworld would have picked you up in Frankfurt for a departure from Strasbourg.

 

It's a pity that you left this to the last minute; I just booked Strasbourg - Frankfurt (central station not the airport but it wouldn't make much difference in price) in October for under €60 for 2 seniors. Your fare looks like it will be at least €122 for 2 people.

i choose not to book in advance because of all the plane delays,  but have been researching it for some time just so i know my options.  Uniworld will be taking us to Frankfort airport at the end of the cruise so that won't be an issue coming home thankfully.   thank you for your help!  i agree, we won't be staying the night during the train trip. Already have hotel book and dinner reservation made in Strasbourg

[CastleCritic]

6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

That is a highly interesting alternative. I did not know about this. Knowing the confusing stations at Frankfurt airport, this is a good idea I think to get round that problem.

 

As an aside: @CastleCritic is it always the industrial port for Uniworld or do they use Kehl in Germany as well?

 

notamermaid

 

Ive been there twice, both times on Amwaterways and I know that all the known brands were lined up with us at the same port (last year watching a barge unload containers the entire time).  This was on the France side. They use it as logistics port in fact (passengers off, trucks offloading every morning).

 

Here is where we docked last fall for sure, there is a viking ship in that exact spot (alone...must have been covid era)

 

 

[ninaks]

8 hours ago, AnhaltER1960 said:

As an alternative to trains, Lufthansa are running a shuttle bus from Frankfurt to Strasbourg. No hassle with changing tracks, it goes nonstop between the airport and Strasbourg downtown. two and a half hours travelling time are competetive with trains. Look here: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/lufthansa-express-bus

 

They run only a few times a day, so you have to look, if the times fit in your timetable. Look at Lufthansa timetable, dep FRA, arr. XER for connections.

 

 

thanks, i got the schedule so we will know how well it will work for us when we arrive.   We are coming in on different flights into FRA so more chances for things to be delayed.... fingers crossed this all works out for us.

 

[jpalbny]

2 hours ago, beesKate said:

Ninaks, You may not have enough time to do this, but we worked around Uniworld only picking up on their scheduled day. If they are picking up at the Frankfurt Airport for the cruise starting in Strasbourg and you would be staying in Frankfurt overnight, you could find a flight with an arrival time that meets your needs and let Uniworld know this is your "arrival flight".  You go back to the airport at the appointed time and look for the Uniworld people around arrivals.  We did this a few years ago when we arrived a few days early for a cruise beginning in Passau.  They were picking up at the Munich airport, so we just took the train back to the Munich airport and found the Uniworld people.  They are not checking airline passenger lists to see if you're actually booked on the flight.  

 

Haha, that was my trick too, in Basel!

 

Having visited both Frankfurt and Strasbourg, I'd probably rather stay in Strasbourg, though. So I'd probably take the train. 

[Second seating]

The trains are great!!!  When we have luggage we get a first class ticket (easier to watch your luggage for safety reasons).

 

Second seating

[rcaruso]

22 minutes ago, Second seating said:

The trains are great!!!  When we have luggage we get a first class ticket (easier to watch your luggage for safety reasons).

 

Second seating

Right now there is a special for regional trains second class, 9 euro per month.  That started in June and continues July and August.  The trains are pretty full right now due to the promotion, just FYI.