If you think 2026 was the year of Europe’s Railway Renaissance, wait until you hear about all the new services due to hit the tracks in 2027.
Just in from the rail gods, we’ve got confirmation that an SNCF service—that’s France’s national rail operator, mind you—will link Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport directly to two of Europe’s most beautiful underrated destinations:
- Strasbourg, a gorgeous cathedral city in eastern France itself
- Basel, a storybook medieval city in Switzerland, on the border with France and Germany
No need to brave the RER into central Paris, nor switch from Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est: the train will leave straight from CDG’s own rail terminal.
From CDG To 2 Of Europe’s Prettiest Medieval Gems
Here’s the full rundown of this new cross-border endeavor:
They’re in fact extending the already-existing high-speed TGV INOUI service starting from Brussels, in Belgium, and traveling all the way to Strasbourg via CDG Airport, through to Basel in Switzerland.
Strasbourg has no Transatlantic flights, while EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse has only limited seasonal service to Montreal, so the train will effectively act as an extension of CDG’s vast flight network for Americans heading for these secondary European destinations.
Without requiring train changes or internal European flights.
This comes hot on the heels of European Sleeper’s newly-launched Brussels-to-Milan overnight train via Zurich and Lake Como, and its recently-announced Brussels–Amsterdam–Copenhagen–Malmö sleeper.
If there’s one part of the world you should be watching for train launches in the near future, that’s Central Europe:
Brussels To Basel (Via CDG)—Full Train Summary
- What’s launching: a pilot extension of the existing Brussels–Strasbourg TGV INOUI service to Basel, Switzerland
- Operators: SNCF Voyageurs, Belgium’s SNCB, and Switzerland’s SBB/CFF
- Launch: early July 2027 (the announcements do not specify an exact first operating date)
- Frequency: one return trip on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays
- Tickets: expected to go on sale in spring 2027
- Prices: the announcements do not give launch fares or a CDG–Basel starting price yet
Southbound towards Basel:
- Around 7:00 a.m.: departure from Brussels-Midi, officially announced
- Around 9:00 a.m.: expected departure from CDG, based on the existing service rather than a confirmed 2027 timetable
- Around 11:00 a.m.: expected arrival in Strasbourg, again based on the existing service
- Around 12:30 p.m.: arrival at Basel SBB, officially announced
Northbound towards Brussels:
- Around 2:00 p.m.: departure from Basel SBB, officially announced
- Around 3:30 p.m.: estimated stop in Strasbourg
- Around 5:30 p.m.: estimated stop at CDG
- Around 7:00 p.m.: arrival in Brussels, officially announced
The Full Route
The announced stops are:
- Brussels-Midi
- Lille-Europe
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport TGV
- Champagne-Ardenne TGV
- Meuse TGV
- Lorraine TGV
- Strasbourg-Ville
- Basel SBB
Why This New Train Announcement Is A Big Deal For American Travelers
CDG is not a mere airport serving Paris. It’s one of Europe’s largest, most sprawling, best-connected, and busiest airports, up there with London Heathrow and Frankfurt.
Even if your regional Stateside hub only offers seasonal flights to CDG, if you can make it to the Parisian mega-hub, you can make it almost anywhere on the continent—and now, get on a single train heading straight to two stunning border cities.
For travelers landing at CDG, the appeal is boarding the Strasbourg- or Basel-bound train directly at the airport and staying on that same train to their final destination, avoiding a transfer in central Paris.
Of course, Brussels in Belgium is also roughly a 2-hour direct train hop away.
Visit 2 Of Europe’s Most Gorgeous Medieval Cities Straight From CDG
Strasbourg, France
The most beautiful cathedral city in France, Strasbourg is a history-packed gem on the River Ill, only a stone’s throw from the Rhine, known for an identity shaped over the centuries by both the French and German worlds.
In many ways, it feels like the perfect meeting point between the French and Germanic worlds.
At the heart of town, the soaring Notre-Dame de Strasbourg rises with a lace-like façade and an asymmetrical, 466-foot Gothic spire over a maze of timber-framed houses, winstubs, and narrow winding lanes.
If the Parisian Notre-Dame took your breath away merely for the fame and Victor Hugo lore alone, this one will knock you sideways by the sheer force of its scale.
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Annecy is the ‘French Venice‘, but there’s also something to be said about Strasbourg’s dreamy waterfront and winding canals:
La Petite France, a riverfront quarter dotted with medieval bridges and criss-crossed by narrow waterways, feels every bit as picturesque as Annecy, and if you ever fancy a plate of bratwurst with sauerkraut, the German town of Kehl is a short cross-border tram ride away.
Or you can even walk to Germany from downtown Strasbourg. It’s a pleasant, roughly 2-and-a-half stroll from the cathedral through riverside parks.
How Safe Is France Right Now?
U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory: Level 2. Exercise increased caution due to terrorism and unrest.
Travel Off Path Traveler Safety Index: 81/100, based on reports from recent visitors.
Basel, Switzerland
Located right by the triborder between France, Switzerland, and Germany, Basel may be entirely confined within the borders of Switzerland, but it’s deeply intertwined with its closest neighbours.
The tram network serves not only the city of Basel itself, but neighboring Saint-Louis in France and Weil am Rhein in Germany, with both reachable from Basel SBB in roughly half an hour.
This makes Basel the textbook example of a city at the crossroads of Europe, but that’s not the only fascinating thing about it.
Its medieval Altstadt is a force to be reckoned with, even though it rarely ever draws the same attention from American visitors to the Old World:
With the imposing, fairytale-like Spalentor, cobbled lanes winding past pastel buildings, a striking-red Rathaus, and that twin-spired, red-sandstone cathedral overlooking the Rhine, it checks every box for a European weekend getaway.
From Basel, travelers also enjoy smooth train transfers deeper into Switzerland: from here, it’s only 53 minutes to Zurich, the largest city and main financial hub in the country, and an almost equidistant 56 minutes to Bern, the charming medieval Swiss capital.
How Safe Is Switzerland Right Now?
U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory: Level 1. Exercise normal precautions.
Travel Off Path Traveler Safety Index: 85/100, based on reports from recent visitors.
Check Europe’s New Travel Rules Before Flying
Before you jet off to Europe, make sure you’re up to speed with the continent’s latest entry and stay regulations.
As of September 7, 2026, the final grace period allowing countries to pause biometric checks under Europe’s new Entry/Exit System technically expired.
In practice, however, several countries—including France and Switzerland—have since postponed full enforcement at certain border points to prevent operational chaos and unmanageable queues.
This doesn’t change the fact the system itself remains in force.
Americans arriving at an external Schengen border may therefore be required to provide fingerprints and a facial image when first registered, on top of presenting the usual passport and, if requested, evidence they will not remain in the Schengen Area for longer than 90 days out of any 180-day period.
Use the Entry Requirement Checker to find out exactly which rules apply at your destination.
Everything Else You Need To Know About The New CDG—Basel Train
If you’re planning on traveling from CDG to Strasbourg or Basel next summer, bear in mind the CDG train station is located in Terminal 2, between the 2C–2E and 2D–2F zones.
Passengers arriving at Terminals 1 or 3, which is quite common for inbound flights from America, can usually reach Terminal 2 using the free CDGVAL shuttle, a driverless airport train helping travelers commute between different parts of Charles de Gaulle Airport.
However, seeing that the Strasbourg and Basel-bound train could leave at around 9:00 a.m.—provided the current timetable is maintained—this may suit only really early arrivals or travelers staying at an airport hotel the night before.
If you’re connecting independently from a flight, allow at least three hours between your scheduled landing and train departure to cover immigration and possible EES registration.
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