Public
Transport
The
Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois – CTS (telephone
number: (03) 8877 7070) operates the bus and tram
systems in Strasbourg.
Trams
Trams run daily 0430-2430 hrs, approximately every 2 minutes in
rush hour. Line A links the northwest (Hautepierre)
with the south of the city (Illkirch-Graffenstaden) and passes through
the main train station, place Kléber and place de l’Etoile.
Line B links the southeast of Strasbourg (Elsau
district) to the communes in the north (Schiltigheim, Bischeim and
Hoenheim), while Line C links Elsau to the heart
of the university quarter, the Esplanade district. The lines meet
at place de l’Homme de Fer in central Strasbourg.
Bus
Buses run Monday to Friday 0430-2330 hrs, Saturday and Sunday 0530-2330
hrs. The main stops are at Baggersee, Hautepierre, Observatoire,
Montagne Verte and Pont Phario.
Tickets
Bus and tram tickets cost €1.10 and a carnet of 5 (Multipass)
costs €4.70. The Central Tourist Office, 17
place de la Cathédrale (telephone number: (03) 8852 2828),
sells carnets of bus tickets and provides a free bus map.
Tickets are also available from CTS bureaux located
at place Kléber and at the central station, as well as from
post offices, some newsagents (tabacs) and ticket machines at some
of the stops. Tickets must be stamped for validation before boarding
the tram or bus. There are machines at the stops for this purpose.
The TourPass, allowing unlimited bus and tram transport
for 24 hours, costs €3. These are also available from CTS
bureaux and the Office du Tourisme. A
Family Pass is also available, costing €3.80.
Information on transport in Strasbourg is available online (website:
www.transports-strasbourg.org
).
Rail
The
Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français
– SNCF (telephone number: (08) 9235 3535) operates the
national railway service. The main train station, located at 20
place de la Gare (telephone number: (03) 8875 4120), is France’s
sixth largest railway station.
There are good services to many European cities from Strasbourg
including:
Frankfurt in 2 hours 45 minutes
Brussels in 5 hours 15 minutes
London in 6 hours),
Paris in 4 hours 45 minutes,
Bordeaux in 8 hours 30 minutes and
Marseille via Lyon journey time approx 8 hours.
The new high-speed TGV-Est, currently under construction,
will run from Paris Est to Metz
and Strasbourg. This will greatly enhance the existing
service. Work began on the first stage at the beginning of 2002
and 2005 will see the first train trials. The first section of the
new line is expected to open during the summer in 2007.
Taxis
Taxis can be hailed at taxi ranks at the train station and place
de l’Homme de Fer. France Taxi (telephone
number: (03) 8822 1919) and Taxi 13 (tel: (03)
8836 1313) operate 24 hours. Taxis charge €1.20 per kilometre
during the day, rising to €1.80 at night and weekends. An extra
charge of €0.50 is made for each item of luggage. Many taxis
accept payment by credit card and tipping is not generally expected.
Limousines
AICS,
15 avenue Général de Gaulle (telephone number: (03)
8845 9191, fax number: (03) 8845 9190, e-mail: aics@noos.fr),
provides a chauffeured limousine service at a rate of €499.25
per day. Similar services are offered by American Limousine
Service, 5 rue Lyautey (telephone number: (03) 8819 6169),
and VIP Car Solutions, 58 rue de la Loire (telephone
number: (03) 8833 6366).
Driving
in the City
Almost the entire centre of Strasbourg is pedestrianised
and cars should be left at the large car parks on the fringes of
the city centre. The popularity of public transport (particularly
the trams) means that traffic congestion is rarely a problem. What
rush hour there is takes place Monday to Friday 0800-0900 hrs and
1630-1830 hrs.
In order to encourage drivers to use public transport, eight large
car parks outside the centre charge low rates of €2.70 per
day, which includes tram tickets for all passengers.
More central car parks charge about €1.10 per hour. Sainte-Marguerite-Petite
France, close to the Musée d’Art Moderne,
charges €2.30 for six hours and €0.80 for less than one
hour. Sainte Aurelie-Gare, just south of the station,
charges the same rate. Three large car parks cluster around the
place des Halles. Parking at the railway station, Serres,
Canal and Porte de l’Hopital
car parks is free for visits of less than 30 minutes.
The Bateliers Car Park, near the Cathedral, Austerlitz,
in the south of Strasbourg, near the place d’Austerlitz, and
Parking 2, at Centre Halles, are free 2000-0200
hrs and ideal for nights out. Further information is available from
Strasbourg’s online parking guide, Parcus (website: www.parcus.com
), as well as Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg (website:
www.transports-strasbourg.org
).
Car Hire
Providers include Avis
(telephone number: (03) 8832 3044) and Europcar
France (telephone number: (03) 8815 5566), both located near
the train station, and Hertz France, 10a boulevard
Metz (telephone number: (03) 8832 5762).
The minimum age for car hire varies from 21 to
25 years. A credit card is required and drivers must have
possessed a national driving licence for at least one year.
Hire rates are approximately €68 to €270 per day, with
insurance usually included in the price. Environmentally friendly
electric cars are available for hire at €15 for half a day
or €30 for a day, from the Sainte-Aurélie Car Park,
1 Boulevard de Metz. A deposit of €150 is required.
Bicycle Hire
Strasbourg has the largest cycle network in France. Bicycles are
available for hire from Vélocation, located
not far from the station, at 4 rue du Maire Kuss (telephone number:
(03) 8852 0101), 10 rue des Bouchers (telephone number: (03) 8835
1165), Sainte-Aurélie 1, boulevard de Metz
(telephone number: (03) 8832 2011), Petite France,
Tours des Ponts Couverts (telephone number: (03) 8822 5919), and
Place du Château (telephone number: (03)
8821 0638), as well as from Bus Vélocation,
at the European Parliament (telephone number: (06) 1449 4360).
A deposit of €45.70 is required, together with identification.
Bicycle hire costs €3.05 for a half day or €4.57, maps
of the cycling routes are on sale at the point of hire. |
