Karlsruhe is the third largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, located in the North-West part of the state, on the banks of the Rhein river close to French border.
Carsten Naber, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The city is connected via roads and rail system, with autobahn and Intercity Express (ICE) connections to major cities in Germany and Europe.
For arrivals via train, we recommend looking up the connections on the Deutsche Bahn website.
Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA)
Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA), Germany's largest and busiest airport, is located about 130 km north from Karlsruhe and serves as the main access point to Germany from overseas. Frankfurt Airport also features the Frankfurt Airport long-distance train station (Frankfurt am Main Flughafen Fernbahnhof), connecting it directly to a number of cities in Germany, including Karlsruhe, via Intercity Express (ICE) high speed rail.
Direct connections between Karlsruhe Main Station (Karlsruhe Hbf) and Frankfurt Airport long-distance train station are available throughout the day, with frequency depending on the time of the day and day of the week. Larger number of connections are also available via change at the Mannheim Main Station (Mannheim Hbf). It is recommended to book the train tickets well in advance, as the price increases significantly while availability decreases closer to the departure.
Due to potential delays of the flight arrivals and delays on the border crossings, Deutsche Bahn Flexpreis ticket is a safer option as it allows one to use any train on the chosen day.
Munich Airport (MUC)
Munich Airport (MUC) is the second busiest airport in the country, located about 300 km south east from Karlsruhe, and provides an alternative to Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA). It connects Bavaria to most European and overseas destinations.
Munich Airport is connected to the Munich main station via S-bahn system (lines S1 and S8), duration of which is about 40-45 minutes. From the Munich main station (München Hbf) Intercity Express (ICE) connections to Karlsruhe main station are available throughout the day (usually via Stuttgart Hbf or Mannheim Hbf, with travel duration of 3 to 4 hours).
Stuttgart Airport (STR)
Stuttgart Airport (STR) is the largest airport in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and is located about 80 km south-east of Karlsruhe. Although smaller than Frankfurt and Munich Airports, Stuttgart Airport still offers a large number of connections from Europe destinations.
S-bahn system connects the airport to Stuttgart city and Stuttgart main station (lines S2, S3 and STB U6), from where direct train connections to Karlsruhe Main Station can be taken. Connection from the airport to the Stuttgart main station usually takes about 30-40 minutes, and the train ride from Stuttgart main station to Karlsruhe main station takes between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the train in question.
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (BSL, MLH, EAP)
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (BSL, MLH, EAP) is an international airport located in the French Alsace part of the Trinational Eurodistrict of Basel. 3.5 km north-west of city of Basel (Switzerland). The airport is operated jointly by France and Switzerland, and therefore features both Swiss and French customs borders. The airport offers many flights to mostly European destinations. Distance from Karlsruhe to Basel is about 170 km, and several train connections are available from Basel SBB (Bahnhof Basel SBB) train station to Karlsruhe Main station throughout the day. Duration of the trip is usually 1:30 to 2:00 hours. To get from the airport to Basel SBB train station, direct bus connections (bus number 50) are available every 10 minutes between 04:30 and midnight every day. Duration of the bus ride is about 20 minutes. Information on the buses can be found on the EuroAirport web site.
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (FKB)
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (FKB) is a smaller regional airport, located half way between Karlsruhe and Strasbourg, close to the city of Baden-Baden.
Although small, it is the closest airport to Karlsruhe and offers several connections to different destinations in Europe.
The airport is located about 35 km from Karlsruhe, and although the airport serves Karlsruhe as well as Baden-Baden, there is no direct connection between Karlsruhe city and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport. From the airport there are direct bus connections to either Baden-Baden or Rastatt, from where direct train connections can be taken to Karlsruhe main station. Recommended connection is via Rastatt (25 minute bus ride to Rastatt, and further 15 minutes by train to Karlsruhe main station). Connections can be booked via Baden-Airpark web site.
