Getting Around Strasbourg
Strasbourg is most easily explored on foot, and the historic city centre can comfortably be covered in a day or two. If you want to range further, consider hiring a bike or using the public transport network, which is run by the Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois (CTS).
Walking
The compact historic core, centred on the Grande Île, is the best place to start on foot. The main train station, the Gare de Strasbourg, sits a short walk west of the town centre, so you can arrive by rail and be in the old city within minutes. Note that a few streets in the old city are off limits to cars, which makes walking all the more pleasant.
Trams and Buses
Buses and trams are operated by CTS and share a single ticketing system, so one ticket covers both. The network includes a few dozen numbered bus lines, six tram lines (named A to F), and two bus rapid transit lines (named G and H).
- Where to buy tickets: tickets are sold in tabacs (newsagents), tourist offices, CTS boutiques, or from vending machines at tram stops.
- Validation: tickets — even those from vending machines — should be validated before use, either in the machines on tram station platforms or in the machine by the driver when you board a bus.
- Fares: a single one-way ticket, a round-trip ticket, a pack of ten single tickets, a 24-hour individual ticket, and a one-day ticket for up to three people are all available. Prices are slightly lower if loaded onto a Badgéo card, the CTS app, or a topped-up contactless ticket. The CTS app works only with French SIM cards.
- Passes: if you plan to use buses and trams a lot, Europass tickets are available from all automatic ticket machines for either 24 hours or seven days. The Europass Mini is valid on all local tram, bus and train services, including those that cross the border to Kehl. The full Europass ticket also covers local transport in the Ortenau Tarifverbund in Germany, including Offenburg.
Bikes are allowed on trams except during peak hours.
Crossing into Germany by Tram
The German town of Kehl, just across the border, is linked to the Strasbourg tram network. This is one of only a handful of places worldwide where you can hop on an urban rail service and let it take you across an international border. Both sides are within the Schengen Area, so you don't need a passport. There are fare inspectors, so don't forget to get a ticket.
Bikes
Strasbourg is ideal for cycling: the city centre is flat and there are plenty of bike lanes and bike paths. You can rent bikes at the automatic or manned bike sharing stations run by vélhop, including locations on rue du Maire Kuss in front of the train station and on rue des Bouchers on the south bank of the Ill river, near the rue d'Austerlitz and the Porte de l'Hôpital tramway station.
Taxis
Many taxis wait outside the main train station, to the left of the station forecourt. This is the most convenient place to pick one up on arrival by rail.
Parking and Park & Ride
Driving into Strasbourg's old city is relatively easy, though a few streets are off limits to cars. Many large garages surround the old city if your hotel does not have its own parking. Some carparks are more expensive than others, especially for longer stays.
Park & Ride (P+R) schemes combine parking with a tram ticket and are a good option if you're arriving by car. Several P+R sites are dotted around the city, each with a tram or bus connection into the centre. A P+R ticket covers parking for the day plus return fare on the tram for up to seven passengers in the car.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Strasbourg International Airport (SXB) lies southwest of the city at Entzheim and handles domestic and international flights, with Air France the principal operator. Destinations include Casablanca, Istanbul, Madrid Barajas, Brussels and Amsterdam Schiphol, among others.
- By train: a train runs from the airport to the town centre. The travel time is about 9 minutes and the frequency is roughly every 15 minutes. A ticket including a tram connection is valid for 90 minutes. If you only need to get to the central station, buy your ticket not from the machines in the arrivals hall but on the train platform directly, where it costs less.
Other airports in the region offer a wider range of destinations:
- Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport (BSL): a short bus connection links the airport to the railway station of Saint-Louis, from where trains run to the main Strasbourg train station.
- Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (FKB): located in Germany. The best way to reach Strasbourg is by bus from the airport to Baden-Baden Hauptbahnhof (Main Station), from where trains run to Strasbourg, normally with one change. Flibco operates buses from the airport and on to Strasbourg.
- Stuttgart Airport (STR): also in Germany. Driving by car takes about 2 hours in normal traffic. There are direct buses connecting the city to Stuttgart airport, and travelling by train will most likely require one or two changes.
- Paris Charles de Gaulle: due to the excellent train connection to Paris, it may make sense to fly into Charles de Gaulle airport and take the TGV from there. Air France and some of its partners offer combined tickets in an air rail alliance.
Arriving by Train
The main train station, the Gare de Strasbourg on Place de la Gare, has been impressively renovated with a new glass cocoon frontage. It has connections to the tram system and buses, with many taxis waiting outside. Luggage lockers are located on platform 1; you need to put your luggage through an x-ray first, and the machines accept exact change only. The station is served by regional, national and international train services, predominantly by SNCF (French Railways) but also by Deutsche Bahn (German Railways).
Arriving by Long-Distance Bus
Flixbus, ALSA and BlaBlaCar Bus drop off at the bus station at Parc de l'Étoile. To get there, take the A or D trams.