Hello. I have been checking train routes from strasbourg, France to Basel Switzerland, departing on Saturday, June 28. It is such a mystery! There are tons of departure times on both Trainline & Rail Europe, most all of them at very reasonable prices. However, when I put in the dates of both June 28 & June 29, the message comes back that basically says that there are no trains available , & I am given the option of booking my tickets for Monday, June 30. I have checked schedules both before these dates and after, & all other dates have availability to purchase tickets at numerous times of the day. I have emailed the train companies about this, but their responses don’t really offer an explanation. Does anyone know why trains are not going from strasbourg to Basel on the particular date of Saturday, June 28? My family has no room for flexibility in terms of going on another day, so I am really getting nervous about this strange problem. Thank you for any input you can give me.
Posted by
Green Bay
22275 posts
These are TER (French regional trains). Think commuter train. Every half hour for the most part, with no seat reservations. Just buy a ticket at the station. Please do not use either Trianline or Rail Europe as you will get charged extra with no benefits.
When I look at the site of the people who operate the trains, SNCF, they say Saturday and Sunday, tickets will be available soon. That tells me there may be some weekend track work planned, and they have not yet decided what trains will run. You can put in your email to be notified when tickets will be available.
Posted by
SF Bay Area
1055 posts
We did the same trip last June. We bought our tickets at the Strasbourg train station the night before. Or you could use the SNCF app. As noted above, the trains run frequently. No need to buy far in advance.
Posted by
Green Bay
22275 posts
There is an alternate way to Basel that takes a bit longer, but is cheaper for a family. How many in your family?
You can take a train from Strasbourg across the Rhine to Offenburg, then change to a regional train to Basel Badischer Bahnhof on the north side of Basel. For a family of 4, it would cost 74 EUR. 20 EUR for the train as far as Kehl, then a Baden-Wuertemberg ticket for 4 costing 54 EUR total. If you need to get to Basel SBB station, you can take the tram. If you are staying in Basel, the tram will be free as you get a Basel Guest Card beginning your arrival day with free local public transportation. Nothing has to be booked in advance, so you have a back-up plan if SNCF does not come through with trains on Saturday.
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
35173 posts
or for more money, the same German alternative outlined by Sam but faster you can get an ICE InterCity Express from Offenburg to Basel. Takes about 1h02 with just one intermediate stop at Freiburg(Breisgau) Hbf, fom 30€ pp on your date.
The Regional 1h26 (11 stops along the way) to 1h44 (26 stops).
Posted by
London, England
284 posts
Yes, I suspect that there is engineering work on the track that weekend. Rather than worry about alternative train routes, there will probably be a replacement bus service.