Strasbourg to Paris: Recommendations and train help

Reims has two stations, Reims and Champagne Ardenne. Some trains from Strasbourg to Paris stop at Champagne Ardenne, but none go straight to Reims: you want to book a train from Strasbourg to Champagne Ardenne TGV. The station has a tram link to central Reims, or you can take a cab for less than twenty euros.
Likewise there are direct trains from Champagne Ardenne TGV to CDG Airport, which are much more convenient that going via central Paris.
However, are you planning to leave Reims on the day of your flight? Unless you are flying fairly late in the day, it is not advisable. Safer to spend the last night in Paris or at CDG Airport.

Thank you! Our flight is at 2, but I admit we were completely up in the air about where to stay. We figure to get into Reims from Strasbourg about noon, so it seemed that we would stay into the evening in Reims and stay there, assuming we can get a morning train to the airport. But the train connections seemed more difficult than expected.

Is stopping at Reims from Strasbourg preferable to staying another day in Strasbourg and doing a completely different day trip from there? Reims vs, say Baden Baden or some such?

How lucky do you feel ? Personally, I would prefer to sleep at CDG or at least in Paris to avoid the stress of "are we gonna make it ?" on the day of a transatlantic (expensive) flight.

there's a non stop from Strasbourg to Paris, but obviously trains do stop at Reims, and this option costs a lot more.

Trains price like airlines, who they compete with on long haul routes. It costs less to fly A to C direct than to buy 2 airline tickets going from A to B, then B to C.

A flight at 2PM is too early to go there straight from Reims by train, alas. The risk of train delay, while low, is always there...
So I would spend a night in Strasbourg, and a night at CDG, arriving at CDG as late as possible. There's plenty to keep you busy in Strasbourg and thereabouts (e.g. Obernai) for 1.5 days.
You'd miss Reims. Not a big deal...

I would stay in Strasbourg and not bother with Reims. The TI in Strasbourg has a great audio walking tour available and the city has many interesting attractions. You could take a short day trip to Colmar or visit a vineyard near Strasbourg. I would then take the train to CDG either the night before or morning of your flight. I’m an optimist (risk taker???) and would take a morning train.

You don't say how much you love, and how often your have visited, Paris. But my inclination is to sleep in Paris and take the RER or a taxi to the airport. Strasbourg is nice enough, but it's too far from your flight. (We once almost missed our prepaid and un-changeable TGV from Paris CDG to Strasbourg because the CDG rail station was closed for a police sweep because of an abandoned piece of luggage.)

I would only consider a soul-less airport hotel for a flight before 10AM. But there certainly are such things as Metro strikes and overturned tractor-trailers on highways!

You could shorten your time in Strasbourg and spend two nights in Reims. I loved Strasbourg as much as I loved Reims, so my suggestion is not intended as a knock on Strasbourg. Then, you could take a late train from the Champagne-Ardenne TGV station to CDG the night before your flight and spend the night at an airport hotel. Sleep late on the morning of your flight, and allow yourself plenty of time to negotiate CDG. Make sure your hotel in Reims will hold your baggage for you after you check out.

Since you will ending your cruise in Strasbourg, your cruise may have already included many of the "must-see" items of Strasbourg in your itinerary. If that is the case, I would recommend Reims instead of remaining in Strasbourg. I agree strongly with other posts that your last night should be in vicinity of CDG for next day departure. Enjoy your cruise,

~Darrel

We'll be in Provence in a week.
At the end of our Provence stay, we're heading directly back to the USA.
Our flight is after 1 PM, so we had the same Q about staying in Provence until the day of the fight.

I don't feel that lucky.
So we are staying in Paris and then going to CDG. -> I'll pay a taxi if all else fails, but at least I'm nearby.

Since we were staying in Paris one night, we made if two nights and will just wander around (we have a few sights in mind+)

We are first-time everything, but we have 2 days between the end of our river cruise in Strasbourg and our flight leaving from Paris. So ... it SEEMS that we might make the best of our time seeing Strasbourg and the area for a half-day/night/morning, then going to Reims for a day/night and into the airport to catch the flight.

Less is more. Especially for first-time travellers that tend to underestimate the elapsed time in changing hotels. Every change is going to take about 1/2 your sightseeing day if you add up all the activities; you need to pack and check out, get to the train station in advance of your train, buy tickets, arrive in Reims, go to the new hotel and check in, go to the new room and perhaps freshen up a bit. And as first-time everything travellers you should plan for extra time to figure out how to use the ticket machines or to wait in line to buy them, read the signs and figure out how to find your train track, etc. By the time you are out and about in Reims it's going to be 2pm or later depending on what you mean by a morning in Strasbourg. It really isn't worth it, IMHO, but since you talk about "make the best of our time" perhaps a few hours sightseeing in 2 cities is right for you.

I'd suggest picking either Reims or Strasbourg for the 1st nite and then going either into Paris or to an airport near CDG the 2nd nite. If you leave early/mid afternoon the 2nd day then you have time to get to a hotel in Paris, walk around a while, have a nice dinner, and it will be easy to get to CDG for a 2pm flight. Given that you should be there 3 hours early and you should allow an hour or so to get to the airport, even though the flight is at 2pm you don't really have free time that morning to do any sightseeing. If you choose to stay for dinner that 1st nite then I'd just go to a CDG-area hotel; you could go to Paris instead but by the time you get to your hotel it will be pretty late.

We've been to both cities and like each. Both have a great Cathedral, pedestrian-only area, nice shops, etc. You'd have a few hours more time sightseeing if you stay in Strasbourg so that's what I'd do unless you have a great interest in champagne.

edit: for the TGV you save if you buy the train tix in advance, so one less thing to do on your travel days

Are your planned train trips on or after December 5 ?? Looks like a French train strike is in the offing.