Frankfurt to Strasbourg

Easier and faster? Maybe. Depends on schedule. In the past, when I have taken an express train (ICE) out of FRA Fernbahnhof, I've always been on the train within an hour. I don't know how often the flights are from FRA to Strasbourg, but there are probably hourly trains up the Rhein toward Basel, and you can get off in Offenburg and take the local train across the river to Strasbourg. You might even be able to catch an international train all the way to Strasbourg at Karlsruhe, but the TGV from Stuttgart only runs about 3 times during the day. The main thing is you don't have to worry about your flight to Frankfurt being late and missing the connecting flight.

Lufthansa runs a bus service from Frankfurt airport to Strasbourg (next to the railway station). These buses have normal flight numbers and appear in many but not all reservation systems as flights. This is probably what you have seen. If you reserve the entire journey to Strasbourg including the bus, you will often pay the same ticket price as for the trip to Frankfurt, thus getting the bus ride for free. You can also pay the bus driver for the bus ride on arrival at Frankfurt Airport. I have tried these buses, they are nice loang-distance buses which do not stop en route.

Yes, FRA to Strasbourg on Lufthansa or any other Star Alliance flight number is a bus. There are no flights. The best rail connection is to take a Switzerland-bound ICE from FRA airport long distance train station to Karlsruhe, then change onto the Paris-bound TGV and get off at Strasbourg, the next stop. BUT if you have the time consider at least driving one way (rental car pick up from Kehl, the "German" side of Strasbourg so your drop off at FRA airport is free). The French and German Wine Roads are on your way, the Black Forrest, the town of Baden Baden, Deidesheim... you could easily fill an entire day with just beautiful and centuries-old historic sights, great shopping if desired, and magnificent old-world landscapes...

If you book the LH bus with the flight to Frankfurt, it might not cost much more than the flight itself. However, it takes a little longer than the train and only runs every 2½ hrs vs at least every hour for the train. Of course, that might not be a problem depending on when the flight arrives. If you have already booked the flight, you probably have to add the bus separately; if so, it's about $100 vs. about $75 (€52,20) for the train.

As for driving, on the day you arrive, with jet lag and with insufficient sleep, I would not recommend it. I have fallen asleep on the train the first day. I hate to think what might have happened if I were driving.

Thanks, everyone, especially for pointing out that the "flight" from FRA to XER is actually a bus. The train it is. And to Andreas, don't worry, we have sight-seeing time on the back end of the trip. Lovely country, to be sure.

I don't get it! The airport in Strasbourg is SXB. Is XER another designation for the airport, or is it the bus stop at the airport?

Jacqueline, on what airline do you arrive at FRA?

Lee, that was a typo. I meant SXB. Too many acronyms from the previous posts.

Haven't made the plans yet, but probably traveling United, for lots of reasons.

Thanks, Jacqueline.

The schedule for the Lufthansa bus says it goes to "XER", but sometimes that shows up as the airport in Strasbourg and sometime as a bus stop on an avenue in Strasbourg, so I don't know what it is.

A lot of United flights into FRA are actually operated by Lufthansa (code sharing), but I think I have also seen United flights into FRA (I might even have been on one, once). All seem to go to Terminal 1 (Concourses A, B, or C). A few American airlines use these concourses also, but many use D or E, which are in Terminal 2. It's much easier to get to the Fernbahnhof, and an ICE to Offenburg, from Terminal 1.

XER is the bus stop in Strasbourg. The bus stop is located opposite the train station, not at the airport.