Is this an area where you can do a train starting in Strasborg down to Basel Switzerland or do you need a car? Would rather do trains. Looking into flying into Frankfurt doing Germany Rhine and down to Baden Baden then over to Strasborg down to Basel and on to Lauterbrunnen? Thank you.
Posted by
86 posts
Check on Rome2Rio.com. It will give train and bus possibilities for your route.
Posted by
Washington DC
27198 posts
The local trains (TERs) from Strasbourg to Basel stop at Colmar and Selestat. The little wine towns don't seem to have train stations. Some have bus service (probably from Colmar), but it may be infrequent, and it may not be possible to link multiple small towns in an efficient manner. Some of the distances are short, so it might be possible to make use of an occasional taxi to link towns not served frequently by buses. However, I've never attempted that and don't know how available taxis are in the small towns.
You may be able to use Rome2Rio.com to identify which towns are connected and by which bus. Don't trust the fares, travel times or frequencies Rome2Rio provides; go to the website of the company operating the bus you're interested in. Usually Rome2Rio will provide a link if you keep clicking through the website.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15593 posts
The villages are nearest to Colmar. No trains to them. Without a car, you will be dependent on bus schedules. My guess is that if you are there during the school year there will be more buses Mon-Fri in/out of Colmar. I have no idea how well connected the villages are to each other. If you want to spend several days visiting the villages, you'll have more rental options in Strasbourg - there's only one rental company in Colmar AFAIK. It's an hour's drive from Strasbourg to the villages. Stay in one of them rather than in Colmar.
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
You don't need a car, but it would be better to have one. There is not much train service in the routes des vins towns, although there is bus service. We spent a week in Riquiwihr w/o a car, and made do with some bus service and a lot of walking. It was easy to walk from our gite to several wine villages, and then either walk back or take a bus. If you do want to rely on buses, you have to be aware of their schedules, as there are generally long gaps during mid-day, and an early end to the day.