Located in northeastern France, close to the German border, is the city of Strasbourg, which also happens to be one of the formal seats of the European Parliament. Thus, Strasbourg is a rather busy city, the heart of which beats in its historical centre, which perfectly combines french and german architecture, cuisine and culture. Travellers often choose it as their basis, in order to explore the Alsacian region furthermore, or take daytrips to it, while being located in nearby French, German or even Swiss cities.
So, here is our suggestion on how you could spend one day in beautiful Strasbourg.
GETTING THERE
Although Strasbourg has an international airport, it usually hosts seasonal flights and most visitors choose to reach it by train, bus or car.
From Paris, you can take the TGV train and reach Strasbourg in less than 2.30 hours. Alternatively, you can fly to Basel, Switzerland (being the closest international airport) and then take the train to Strasbourg for almost an hour and a half.
What we did, was driving from nearby Colmar for about 45 minutes.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE
Grande Ile
Strasbourg's historical centre is located on Grande Ile (which means Large Island), a small island in the city's heart, surrounded by river Ill. The island is home to Strasbourg's most significant sights and buildings and is actually where your visit will start.
Cathedral
One of Strasbourg's most iconic and widely recognised buildings is its Cathedral of Our Lady, an imposing gothic style church, the construction of which lasted a bit more than four centuries! It is located in the southern part of the island at the Place de la Cathedrale (Cathedrale Square), which is also where you can find the city's tourism office. For a fee of 5 euros per person, you can climb up its panorama terrace and let Strasbourg blow your mind.
Little France
Another famous and our personal favourite sight in Strasbourg is a quarter called Little France, which used to be where old Strasbourg's syndicats were located. Little France is today a UNESCO World Heritage Monument and hoards of tourists visit it each year. Its beautiful buildngs, along with the numerous canals which surround the area, make it the absolute must visit sight in Strasbourg, to our eyes.
Boat ride
Boat rides are rather popular in Strasbourg and it is a great city to explore the city by water. With a ticket of about 10-15 euros, you can get a boat tour around Strasbourg and get to know a part of the city's history.
Local cuisine
Having both French and German elements, the alsacian cuisine will be a pleasure to your taste buds. Fine cold cuts, high quality cheese dishes and veal boiled with vegetables, all combined with a glass of some famous alsacian wine or beer, will make each and every of your meals in Strasbourg a pure bliss.
Do not forget to stop by the city's boulangeries and taste anything from their vast variety of pastries and tartes.
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Strasbourg's location, make it ideal for daytrips to nearby towns of Alsace, the most popular among them being Colmar and Eguisheim in France and Freiburg in Germany. Local travel agencies, also organise wine tours by bike, giving visitors the chance to dive into the region's most popular industry and taste its goods.
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