Strasbourg to Heidelberg

By rail, it depends on what time you leave. Connections to Heidelberg will run through either Karlsruhe or Mannheim. From Mannheim, you can continue on either a regional train, or the Straßenbahn that connects the two cities. Be aware that if you're staying in the Altstadt section of Heidelberg, the walk from the main train station with luggage is a little far. You'll probably need to take a bus, taxi or continue on the Straßenbahn if you took it from Mannheim.

Ok, thanks. Should I buy the rail ticket at the Strasbourg station, or do you know if discount rail fares are available ahead of time?

Are you traveling alone? If you get a discounted Europa-Spezial ticket online from the Bahn website, not at the station, you could do Strasbourg to Heidelberg Bahnhof for as low as €19 depending on how early you purchase, including part way on the TGV. On the other hand, you could purchase a €3,80 local ticket to Kehl and buy a €21 Baden-Württemberg single ticket in Kehl that would cover you by regional train to Heidelberg. For two it would be €38 with the Europa-Spezial or two x 3,80 plus €29 for the B-W ticket.

I'm meeting a friend in heidelberg, so i will be travelling alone from Strasbourg to Heidelberg. Where did you get a rail fare as low as 19Euros? I checked a couple different sites, the lowest I got for an afternoon trip was on the Db Bahn website for 39 Euros ?
Thanks for your input.

Those discounted fares are like air fares. The lowest, €19 fares sell out and then they go up. The discounted fares on the Bahn website are in the column labeled "Savings fares". If the Savings fare is €39 and you click on "Purchase" under it, it should have a line for the €19 fare and say "Single ride no longer available". All of the €19 tickets have already been sold. Those Europa-Spezial fares go on sale 92 days in advance and have to be purchase three days in advance, at the latest. A Baden-Württemberg ( Länder) ticket is valid for unlimited rides on regional trains all day long (after 9 AM workdays) in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. They do not sell out; they are always available and can be purchased immediately before travel. You could use one for regional trains from Kehl to Heidelberg, which are almost as fast as the express trains you could use with the €19 ticket. They cost €21 for one person at an automat €29 for up to 5.

I don't know if you can purchase the B-W ticket in Strasbourg at the French Rail station, but I doubt it, although it would be worth the try. Otherwise, you'll have to buy a French Rail ticket to a station in Baden-Württemberg, get off there, and buy your B-W tickets there. Get it from an automat; it's €2 more if you go to the counter. The closest German station to Strasbourg is Kehl, right across the river. A ticket to Kehl, at least from German Rail, is €3,90. Combined with the B-W ticket at €21, that's €24,90. According to the Bahn website, a regional ticket from Strasbourg to Heidelberg is €26,20, so it might be worth 1,30 to avoid the complication. That is, unless you plan on a lot of travel in B-W with your friend that day, in which case a ticket to Germany and a full 5 person B-W ticket for €29 might be in order.

I have just returned to Heidelberg by rail from Strasbourg. Buying the single ticket that connects the two cities would have been much better than the route I took to Kehl, then the several connecting rails to Heidelberg. The direct route would have been worth twice the price, rather than losing several more hours on a round-robin route to Heidelberg. Hopefully, someone gains from my experience. There really is no comparison, especially if you are unfamiliar with the rail system in France and Germany.

Robert, From Strasbourg to Heidelberg I would have gone to Offenburg first, early in the morning, then take the train to Heidelberg. Depending on what time you had to be in Heidelberg, you could choose the direct connection or transfer in Mannheim, which I know a bit better than Karlsruhe, from which to continue to Heidelberg.

Robert Thanks for reporting back. Good to get real life reactions

Fred, It's interesting that you mention Offenburg. After I bought the first ticket to kehl, I couldn't find the departure location for Kehl displayed on any of the rail screens. I finally realized after talking to a few random people that kehl and Offenburg are the same, although the French rail official who sold me the ticket didn't mention to look for Offenburg, rather than Kehl.

The same? If these people told you that this place goes by two names, Kehl and Offenburg, they misinformed you. Kehl is right across the Rhine and is north of Offenburg. I know it can be confusing if you don't know the proximity of towns between Alsace (Elsaß) and Germany. What I would have done: take the OSB from Strasbourg to Offenburg, a very frequent connection. From Offenburg you can catch the ICE or IC to major cities in Germany. This way you avoid having to make the mandatory reservations since you're already across the border. At Offenburg you could go directly to Heidelberg or transfer at Mannheim on the ICE to proceed to Heidelberg. Strasbourg is key as point of departure for going into Germany, northern France, especially to the Pas-de-Calais region, and Paris.

I've spent time in that part of Germany. My great-grandfather was born there, I have relatives there that I have visited. Kehl and Offenburg are not the same place. I could have suggested to you to travel from Stasbourg to Offenburg, but it would have only increased your travel cost vs. Kehl.

I have to believe you both about Kehl and Offenberg being close in distance but not the same place. I do still have my rail ticket printed with a Strasbourg "Depart" and Kehl "Arrivee". It was most confusing because Kehl wasn't displayed on any terminal screen and the various people I spoke with me told me to take Offenberg.
I still would have to strongly recommend spending a couple Euros more for the direct Strasbourg-Heidelberg ticket. Being in Heidleberg was a great experience; much better than spending the extra hours in mutilple rail stations trying to connect with several trains.

Offenburg is a fairly large station on the line connecting Mannheim to Freiburg. Kehl is a small station on the line that connects the main, Mannheim-Freiburg line with Strasbourg, across the Rhein. The Ortenau S-Bahn (OSB) runs just from Strasbourg to Offenburg, so going in that direction it would have shown Offenburg as the final destination.