Travelling around Frankfurt/Stuttgart area...

hey everyone I am trying to plan a trip around Stuttgart, Heidelburg, kaiserslatuern, and Frankfurt to visit the cities in case I ever get a job at one of the US bases out there.

As such, i need some travel advice:
1)I am flying into the Stuttgart area from Rome and the option of going to Baden Baden on Ryan Air for 33 EUR then catching a train to Stuttgart HBF for another 24 EUR or flying directly into Stuttgart airport for 70 EUR... Is there a way for me to get cheaper transportation from Baden baden to Stuttgart? and how much is it from Stuttgart airport to the main city?

2) After I get to Stuttgart, i am planning on travelling to all those cities I wrote about above, what is my cheapest option to get around? The trains seem very expensive (ie Stuttgart to Heidelburg is 24 EUR one way!!)... I am amazed at how expensive the trains are!

Also, I will be on my own so take that into account.
thanks!!

maybe, via german carpooling networking. people offer rides to each other in their private cars for 5€ per 100km, in general. i have friends who do this all the time. of course you have no flexibility here. a train will cost 21€ (the local/slow trains). but you'd have to get from the baden-baden airport to the train station first. from stuttgart aiport to city center you can take the S-bahn (s1 i think). it's probably 2 or 3 Euro.

Yes, train travel in Germany is quite expensive, but it is damn efficient and is more affordable than having a car. The public transport network is extensive so folks like me usually use this form of travel exclusively. Put together your itinerary by train, then compare to a rental car. A rental will probably be the cheapest and most flexible option for you.

A "slow" train from Stuttgart to Heidelberg is 19,50 Euro, takes 1 1/2 hours, btw.

thanks.
the only problem with the carpooling thing is i cannot read german...

i guess i will just have to bite the bullet as far as german trains though.

If I were you I'd pay the 70 Euro to fly into Stuttgart airport. The airport to city center is only a few Euro and the Train stops right in the airport. See the Stuttgart transportation web site for a journey planner at http://www2.vvs.de/vvs/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

i went ahead and booked that flight..... its not worth the extra time to goto baden baden.

thanks everyone!

if you have time and want to save some money, then look for the cheapest route via train. you are lucky. all the places you want to visit can be done via regional trains.

• stuttgart to heidelberg: 1 1/2 hrs @ 19€
• heidelberg to frankfurt: 1 1/2 hrs @ 15€
• frankfurt to kaiserslautern: 2 hrs @ 21€

how do i look for the cheapest route by train?

also should i pre book these trains or can i book the day of travel or the day before?
i would like some flexibility

thanks!

DB website check the box "Local transport", deselect box "fast"

at every train station, there are these machines where you can buy and print out tixs. change language settings. you can buy them right up until the time you travel.

what i mean is, the prices differ significantly from buying a week before to the day before?

no unless you take advantage of one of DBs super-duper special deals, but you'd have to book those weeks, if no months in advance and for your destinations and the distances in between you won't save any money anyhow. most train specials start at 29€ so really worth it if you're traveling a few hundred kms one way.