Strasbourg

France·Europe

Currency

EUR

Language

French

Timezone

Paris

Continent

Europe

Our guide

Discover Strasbourg

Strasbourg sits on an island. The Grande Île, ringed by the arms of the Ill, is UNESCO-listed and crosses on foot in twenty minutes. At its centre, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in pink Vosges sandstone was the tallest building in the world until 1874, and its nineteenth-century astronomical clock still runs its procession of apostles every day at half past twelve. West of it, La Petite France lines its half-timbered tanners' houses above the canals — the most photographed quarter in Alsace, and it keeps its promise early in the morning. The Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame holds the cathedral's original sculptures, replaced outside by copies. The Église Saint-Thomas has a Silbermann organ that Mozart played. North-east, the Parc de l'Orangerie is the city's oldest.

When to go

May, June and September are best: twenty-two degrees, terraces along the quays, and La Petite France without the crush. December is a season apart — the Christmas market, held since 1570, fills the city and pushes hotel prices up by half; book in summer or choose another time. July and August are hot and heavy in the Rhine basin. Winter outside December is cold, damp and quiet.

Getting around

Six tram lines cover everything, and the Grande Île is largely pedestrian: the centre is entirely walkable. The TGV puts Paris one hour fifty away. Strasbourg is France's most cycleable city, with six hundred kilometres of paths and a municipal hire scheme. Canal boats leave from the Palais Rohan and loop the waterways in seventy minutes. A car is useless and parking inside the island is deliberately discouraging.

Where to eat

Choucroute garnie is the reference dish, but tarte flambée — thin dough, cream, bacon, onion — is eaten more often and shared. Baeckeoffe slow-cooks three meats marinated in riesling. Winstubs serve this in wood-panelled rooms: La Maison Kammerzell occupies a 1427 house on the cathedral square, Chez Yvonne is an institution. Kougelhopf is a breakfast cake. Eighteen halal addresses are listed.

Good to know

The euro is the currency. Eighteen sites are free, and the municipal museums share a single day ticket. The European Parliament can be visited free but only by prior booking and with photo identification. Watch the parliamentary session dates, which fill hotels as thoroughly as the Christmas market does. Alsatian is still heard among older residents, but everyone speaks French.

Smart Planning