Hello
I would like to purchase a Bahn train ticket from Zurich to Strasbourg, France and it says I cannot buy online.
Is there around that?
If I use SNCF or other trains I would have to wait 3 hours and after 20 hours of flying I just want to get to Strasbourg quickly.
German Rail sells online tickets for routes entirely in Germany or for routes with one end in Germany. You'll have to make this two tickets, with one from Zurich to someplace in Germany and the other from that place to Strasbourg.
If you don't care about the fares, you could make one ticket from Zurich to Basel Bad Bhf (which is technically a part of Germany) and the other up the German side of the Rhein from Basel Bad Bhf to Strasbourg.
If you know German geography, you know that the town of Offenburg is a major rail station across the river from Strasbourg. I found advance purchase, online, Europa-Spezial fares from Zürich Hbf to Offenburg, mostly for €39 pP, but one (an IC/IC connection with a change in Singen) for €19 pP. In Offenburg you could buy a ticket to Strasbourg for €7,40 pP.
Even closer to Strasbourg is the town of Kehl. Kehl to Strasbourg is only €3,60 pP, but I was not able to find a €19 ticket, only a €39 ticket, to Kehl.
Thank you....thank you....
I see you are flying into Zürich (20 hrs). I would not recommend using a non-refundable, train specific ticket like a Europa-Spezial. So look in the column labeled "standard fare".
last March I flew from Tucson to Zurich and painfully waited 3 hours for my train to head to Strasbourg.
It was so painful to wait that I said "NEVER AGAIN"
Why did you have to wait for 3 hours? Had you purchased train specific discounted tickets from a national rail company, or just non-refundable tickets from Rail Europe?
If you don't want to wait for a train, purchase a standard fare (open) ticket from the Bahn, without a reservation. Just get on the next train. But pay attention to the route, you can't purchase a €46 open ticket for regional trains via Singen and then try to take an ICE down the Rhein. You could just wait and purchase your tickets in Zürich. There are lots of trains to Strasbourg. I see some via Singen for around €40 (+/-) to Offenburg. They'll probably ticket you through to Strasbourg for not much more. But Swiss Rail might charge more in Zürich than online from German Rail
We simply walk up to the ticket counter and buy a ticket or seat reservation if required. We have never not got the train we wanted. Never a problem buying at the ticket windows.
