We'll be in Amsterdam and want to follow it up with a trip to Alsace. Our first thought was to go to Paris for a few days, then take a train to Strasbourg. But now we're considering skipping Paris altogether and just heading to Alsace, instead. If we do that, what would be the best way to travel? What's a good way to go from Amsterdam to Strasbourg? Should we take a train or fly? Our ultimate destination is Colmar, but we'd be happy arriving in Strasbourg; I know it's pretty easy to get to Colmar from there.
Posted by
Ohio
188 posts
I am by no means an expert, so hopefully others will chime in. I see no direct flights from Amsterdam to Strasbourg. There is a direct KLM flight to Basel-Mulhouse airport. It's 35-40 mins on the train from there to Colmar. You'll take a 10-15 minute bus ride to the SNCF station in Saint Louis from the airport.
Train routes seem to go through Paris, which a change from Paris Nord to Paris Est, then a change in Strasbourg. Which would work if you did keep your Paris stopover or if you just transited through.
You'll have to look at schedules/prices for your dates of travel and weigh which version seems like less work to you.
Posted by
Chicago
1509 posts
OP, any info you can add on schedule, cost constraints, etc, will help people give you
more tailored inputs.
Train or bus is a long day (8-10 hours).
Lufthansa probably has the most efficient connection through Frankfurt.
Low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet may have nonstops, but their schedule varies
by day, and more input from you would assist in the search being efficient.
I'd also check out rental car costs, just to be certain. It's not that long a drive, although
the dropoff charge in a different country could be pricey.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1665 posts
There is a high-speed TGV train from Brussels to Strasbourg, and a Eurostar between Brussels and Amsterdam.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
4024 posts
The post from bethb nailed it.
The quickest and least expensive option is to fly from Amsterdam Schipol (AMS) to Basel Switzerland’s (BSL) Airport and then take the train from Basel to Colmar. The flights take from 75 minutes to 90 minutes and are operated by KLM Cityhopper and German Airways. Trains from Basel to Colmar, your ultimate destination, take less than one hour. Trains between Colmar and Strasbourg take about 30 minutes.
I took a direct flight years ago from Strasbourg to Amsterdam which was extremely convenient. Unfortunately, there no longer appear to be any direct flights on that route.
You can see your flight options at www.Skyscanner.com. Just buy the train tickets at the Basel train station when you arrive.
Posted by
London, England
404 posts
Note that as bethb said there is no rail service to Basel airport. The most effective way is to take a bus from the French side exit from the airport terminal (the airport straddles the French-Swiss border) to St Louis railway station, and train from there to Colmar. Most trains serving St Louis are Basel-Strasbourg regional trains that stop at Colmar and do not require pre-booking.
Posted by
Paris 🇫🇷
11642 posts
There is a high-speed TGV train from Brussels to Strasbourg, and a Eurostar between Brussels and Amsterdam
Just remember, you don't need a Eurostar to get between Brussels and Amsterdam.
Posted by
Wengen
4240 posts
Fastest Amsterdam - Strasbourg by train is 5h40, and that is actually via Germany. But it involves a few transfers. Going via Paris is 6 1/2 hours, and involves a change of stations. But getting from Nord to Est is just a 10 minute walk, and soon there will even be wan underground passage between the two. There are a few direct TGV from Paris Est all the way to Colmar.
Flying to Basel and then backtracking by train is not going to make it a lot faster, nor easier, nor cheaper...