Leaving for an epic trip to visit the Christmas Markets in Austria, Germany (Black Forest), Alsace Region and flying home from Basel. I am looking for advice on traveling between cities--mainly, do I need to book train tickets in advance or should we be able to book a train immediately before? If it matters, some of our routes will be Salzburg-Stuttgart, Stuttgart-Strasbourg, Strasbourg-Colmar, Strasbourg to Baden Baden, Baden Baden to Hinterzarten and Hinterzarten to Basel. My concern is availability on busy Christmas Market weekends (12/6-8). Any advice you can provide is much appreciated! Thank you.
Salzburg to Stuttgart is best with RJ and ICE trains (with a connection at Munich Hbf), and Stuttgart to Strasbourg is best with an ICE or TGV direct train. These trains have seat reservations available to purchase at 5.20 EUR each journey.
Strasbourg to Colmar is a regional train that has no seat reservations and frequent service. Think commuter train. Strasbourg to Baden-Baden is also by regional trains (connection in Appenweir).
Baden-Baden to Hinterzarten can be done with all regional trains, as well as Hinterzarten to Basel. These are regional day tickets available for these trips as the are all in the state of Baden-Wuerttemburg. Basel Badischer Bahnhof is considered a German station even though it is in Switzerland.
Great info. Thank you. Do the regional trains ever fill up on busy weekends? I'm most concerned about making it to Hinterzarten for our torch walk :)
Regional trains do get crowded when there's a major local event. Usually the trains are larger to accommodate the added expected load. Using the train app (DB in Germany) shows the expected volume of passengers. Concerts, football games, Christmas markets, etc.; the trains can be standing room only. Don't try hauling a lot of luggage around.
I will join the chorus to get the seat reservation unless you enjoy standing. There were plenty of people standing last year on the first weekend of December. I had to remove people from my reserved seats.
Exactly what I need to know. Thank you!!!