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Strasbourg to Colmar by Train: Tickets and Arrival

By The Travel FieldbookPublished on Updated on 5 min read
A Fluo Grand Est TER Régiolis train at Strasbourg station.
A TER Grand Est train at Strasbourg station, the departure point for services to Colmar. (Kyah117 · CC BY 4.0 · Edited)

A direct train is the quicker daytime choice from central Strasbourg to Colmar’s old town. Start at Place Kléber, use Strasbourg-Ville station and finish at Place de l’Ancienne Douane, rather than treating arrival at Colmar station as the end of the journey.

Your ticket choice matters as much as the departure: a standard TER ticket allows more flexibility, while a discounted TER ticket or a TGV INOUI reservation ties you to a particular train. The coach is worth considering when its fare and departure suit you better.

Train or coach from centre to centre

Direct rail services
SNCF TER Grand Est and TGV INOUI; no change
TER station-to-station travel
about 33 minutes, including internal walking
Daytime TER frequency
Roughly every 30 minutes; up to three trains per hour
TER adult one-way starting fare
€4 with P’tits Prix (Little Prices); limited availability, selected train, price varies by train and destination
TGV INOUI adult one-way starting fare
€11 in second class; varies by train and availability

Choose rail for the shorter daytime journey between Place Kléber and Place de l’Ancienne Douane. TER and TGV INOUI have different ticket and reservation rules.

Rail versus the direct FlixBus coach

Pros

  • Rail travel components total just over an hour between the central endpoints, including both station walks. Add waiting for your departure and time to find the platform and board.
  • The coach components total about 1 hour 33 minutes at the published minimum: about 18 minutes on foot to Place de l’Étoile, at least 1 hour by coach, then about 15 minutes on foot from Colmar Place de la Gare to the old-town endpoint. Waiting and boarding are additional; longer coach journeys increase the total.
  • Rail offers frequent daytime departures, making it easier to fit the journey around your visit.

Cons

  • FlixBus adult one-way tickets start at €2.98; prices vary by date, departure time and booking lead time. An available coach fare may therefore cost less than rail.
  • FlixBus runs twice daily. If one of those departures suits you, the lower fare may outweigh the longer journey.

The coach boarding stop at Place de l’Étoile is about 1.3 km from the Strasbourg starting point, and its Colmar arrival stop leaves about 1.1 km to walk. Neither option delivers you straight into the old town, so include the walking approaches when deciding.

TER and TGV tickets

Choose a standard TER Fluo ticket if your departure time is uncertain. It is valid on the printed travel date, route and direction, allowing another TER departure that day subject to the fare’s conditions. This flexibility is useful if you want to leave Strasbourg when you are ready rather than organise your morning around one train.

P’tits Prix tickets are valid only on the selected train, and some event fares also have train-specific conditions. Ordinary Strasbourg–Colmar TER services do not offer seat reservations: a selected-train discount does not give you a reserved seat. Advance booking is not required for ordinary TER travel, but buying ahead can secure a limited discounted ticket.

TGV INOUI requires a reservation for a specific departure. Its ticket covers the designated train, date, class and journey, so choose it when you can commit to that departure.

Buy TER tickets through the TER Grand Est website or SNCF Connect’s website or app. SNCF Connect also sells TGV INOUI tickets. At Strasbourg-Ville, regional machines and the TER Fluo ticket office sell TER tickets, while the TGV sales and service areas handle TGV tickets.

Station sales channelRecurring availability
TER ticket machinesDaily 06:00–19:00
TER Fluo ticket officeMon–Fri 07:00–19:00; weekends/public holidays 08:30–19:00
TGV sales areaMon–Fri 07:00–19:00; Sat 08:00–19:00; Sun 09:00–17:00
TGV INOUI service areaAppointments Mon–Sat 13:00–19:00; walk-in self-service tablets

Buy online before reaching the station if you plan to travel outside the relevant sales window. This also lets you choose between a flexible TER ticket and a train-specific ticket before setting off for the station.

Reaching Strasbourg-Ville and boarding

With your ticket chosen, set off from Place Kléber for Strasbourg-Ville, Strasbourg’s main railway station. The walk is about 1 km and takes about 14 minutes. Keep that separate from time inside the station: allow an extra 10–15 minutes to find your platform and board, more if you need to buy a ticket. Any wait for your departure comes on top.

At Strasbourg-Ville, match the train number on your ticket or journey details to the departure display, then confirm that Colmar is a calling point. Colmar need not be the train’s final destination. A service continuing beyond Colmar still takes you there directly. Getting off at an intermediate stop is not a change of trains.

Paper TER tickets do not need stamping before boarding in Grand Est, and digital TER tickets require no activation. For the onboard inspection, present a legible printed A4 PDF or display the ticket’s QR code on your smartphone or tablet in the SNCF app. Have it ready to scan rather than relying on a purchase confirmation.

If using your phone, keep the ticket accessible and enough battery for inspection. Once aboard, pay attention to the approaching stops so you are ready to leave at Colmar even when the train continues farther south.

From the station to the old town

After getting off at Colmar station, you still have the final walk to Place de l’Ancienne Douane. The old-town endpoint is about 1.2 km away, a walk of about 16 minutes. The square takes you to the old customs house, a recognisable destination within the historic centre rather than the station district.

Colmar station’s entrance building and clock tower, with scaffolding around the tower.
The passenger building at Gare de Colmar, the station at the end of the Strasbourg–Colmar rail route.
Flocci Nivis · CC BY 4.0 · Edited

With rolling luggage or heavy bags, leave more time than the walking estimate and consider heading to your accommodation first. The square is the destination for this journey, not necessarily the most useful first stop if you need to put bags down before exploring.

Colmar is a practical day trip from Strasbourg by direct train. You can reach the old town without changing trains or taking a further bus, leaving the visit itself free of another transport connection. Include the walk back to the station when choosing your return departure, especially if your return ticket is tied to a specific train.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: services and fares and charges.

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