What won't be obvious when looking up the train journey from Paris to Frankfurt (Main) is that the trains between the two cities take two different routes.
But it makes little difference to the journey times or ticket prices.
The route via Kaiserslautern involves travelling through valleys in a forest to the east of the city, but aside from that it isn't more scenic than the route via Strasbourg.
The route via Strasbourg is longer in terms of distance travelled, but the train travels further on the high speed line.
What gives this journey its wow factor is the speed, the trains will travel at more than 300 km/h on the fastest high speed line in France.
Final Destination: Frankfurt (Main)
All trains also call at: Mannheim
Some trains also call at: Kaiserslautern
Some trains also call at: Karlsruhe
Note that these trains depart from Gare de l'Est in Paris.
Until 2016 all trains between Paris and Frankfurt (Main) travelled via Kaiserslautern, but now the high speed line from Paris has been extended to Strasbourg, some trains take that route.
Whether the train travels via Kaiserlautern or Strasbourg, doesn’t make such a significant difference to journey times to make it worthwhile to choose one departure over another – particularly if the cheapest possible price is a factor.
The trains via Strasbourg also call at Karlsruhe.
Mon to Friday: 6 x trains per day
Sat/Sun: 5 x trains per day
These trains now take one of two routes; (1) via Kaiserlautern, (2) via Strasbourg - but that doesn't tend to impact on ticket prices, what matters more is the departure time and how popular a train is likely to be.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
On the DB booking site look for journeys that have 0 in the Chg. column
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB | from €39 | |
SNCF Connect | from €39 | |
Trainline | from €39 | |
Save A Train | from €39 | |
Happy rail | from €39 |
The morning departures are scheduled to be TGV trains, while the afternoon/evening departures SHOULD be ICE trains.
Via: Kaiserslautern
This is a journey of four distinct phases.
Via: Strasbourg
This is a journey of three distinct phases.
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