Ticketing:

  Note: 

-at the slot machine/ vending machine, the tickets are 2 Euros cheaper.

-You can buy the Baden- Württemberg ticket only in the state of Baden Württemberg (not in Frankfurt/Frankfurt-Hahn). You can order it from the internet!

At Airport Stuttgart: 

After your arrival, you should buy the "Baden- Württemberg Ticket" for 27 Euros, which is good for 5 persons! (information I / information II (German) )

From the aiport, you should take the tram to "Hauptbahnhof".

Every hour there is a train to Karlsruhe.  

With the "Baden- Württemberg Ticket" you cannot use ICE/ IC/ EC trains to Karlsruhe!

The regional trains (IRE/RE) need maximum 10 more minutes, but you can use the "Baden- Württemberg Ticket".

Frankfurt Main Airport (not Frankfurt Hahn):

At the airport, you can take the ICE trains to Karlsruhe (1hour, 35 Euros for each person).

You can buy the "Hessen Ticket" for 30 Euros, good for 5 persons, and the "Baden- Württemberg Ticket" (27 Euros, 5 persons), for only the use of IRE, RE and S-Bahn.  From airport Frankfurt, you use S 8 till Frankfurt Niederrad, from there to Mannhein and then Karlsruhe. This will take you 2,5 hours. You have to order the "Baden- Württemberg Ticket" from the internet at least one week before!!! You cannot buy it in the train, but maybe if you get off in Baden Württemberg.

But you need to have both tickets before entering a train, and you might not be able to buy "Baden- Württemberg Ticket" in the train (and on the airport).

More information will be here on Monday.

Airport Frankfurt Hahn:

Better: There is a bus to Karlsruhe, which is called HahnExpress (see http://www.hahn-express.de/).  You take the HahnExpress till Heidelberg. That bus might continue till Karlsruhe (ask the bus driver). If so, you would pay totally 28 Euros (each person) for the whole trip from Frankfurt- Hahn. If the bus ends in Heidelberg, you have to take the "S-Bahn" or any other regional trains to Karlsruhe. For this, you would pay 18 Euros for the HahnExpress and 27 Euros ("Baden- Württemberg Ticket for 5 person, no good for ICE/IC/EC) for the train.

There is a group discount for the Hahnexpress, but you need to contact them via internet at least 3 days before. 

Another option: From Terminal A you take the Bus to Frankfurt Main Airport (Terminal 1). This will take 1,5 hours and cost 12 Euros for each person. From the bus stop at Terminal 1 you walk ca. 10 minutes to the airport train station (german: Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf). The further rout is the same as "Frankfurt Main Airport".