Strasbourg Quick Guide

Located on the Rhine River, Strasbourg is only a short walk or drive away from Kehl, Germany. It's proximity to the border makes this town a great stop on your trip to Germany. Strasbourg is also the official seat of European Parliament and may be best know for it's historic Le Petite France section featuring canals and medieval style buildings.

How to Get Here

Stuttgart Airport
Car

Public Transportation
Book Bus Tickets ~€20, 2 hr 30 minutes

Paris Airport
Car

Public Transportation
Book Train Tickets ~€30, 1 hr 50 minutes

Things to Do

• Batorama Boat Tours - For only €13, enjoy a 70 minute boat tour of Strasbourg. Discounts available for children.
• Le Petite France - This picturesque area is what Strasbourg is best known for. Be sure to bring a camera as you cross over bridges from the modern world into history. Enjoy the old architecture and surrounding parks. The best part of all, is this attraction is free and will delight you for hours.
• Notre Dame Cathedral - A magnificent cathedral located in the heart of Le Petite France, you won't want to miss this one. Yet another free attraction that will delight children and adults alike. The astronomical clock is located inside and the intricate stonework will amaze you. for an extra  €6.50, enjoy medieval works of art inside the museum.
• European Parliament - The seat of the Euro Zone Parliament.
• Art museums, Chocolate Museums, and more - If you're an art lover, be sure to check out the multitude of museums throughout the city. The Chocolate museum has tours geared towards children and includes samples to make your stop worthwhile.
• Europa Bridge - Walk between France and Germany, or stop and rest on the benches halfway between over the Rhine River. Free!
• Shopping - Stores in Le Petite France are higher end boutiques and unless you plan to spend a fair amount, I would stick to shopping outside of this area.

Places to Stay

Alsace Tourist Information Hotels
Trip Advisor Strasbourg Hotels

We stayed at the Comfort Hotel located ~20 minutes walk from Le Petite France. The hotel is located along the river walk which features paved walking and bike trails. The well marked trail will get you to the old town with no difficulty. There are plenty of hotels within the area, however we found this one to be the best value at only ~$45. If you have a higher budget for your stay here, we would recommend staying closer to Le Petite France. For a full review, find the post Comfort Hotel Strasbourg.

Combing eBates and Booking.Com will get you the most for your money. In addition, if you use the link provided for Booking.com, you will earn $25 with your first booking.

Restaurants

You'll find almost any cuisine you can think of here from French to German to Turkish to Italian. There are far too many restaurants to list here so I'll provide a link to help you find what you're looking for and give a few details on our favorite.

Check out Trip Advisor for a fairly comprehensive list.

Le Baeckeoffe d'Alsace

Located in Le Petite France on the Southernmost peninsula on Rue des Moulins. A very traditional French restaurant serving high class food and drinks without the elevated prices. While it is in the tourist area, the prices are much more affordable than other nearby options. For a full review of our stay visit: Le Baeckeoffe dAlsace French Dining in Strasbourg. Serving sizes here are much larger than we expected so try to order only a few things at a time, you can always add more later. Don't miss the chocolate mousse!

Are You on a Tight Budget?

Why not enjoy a nice picnic along the river walk? There are many grocery stores offering ready to eat food, fresh baked croissants, and affordable drinks. We tried a $2 (yes, $2 after changing euros to dollars) cherry wine. Based on the price, we were not expecting a great wine. However, we were pleasantly surprised and would have bought more had we had more time to spend in the area. You can still experience great local flavors without spending money on a restaurant. We found the grocery stores to be generally much less expensive than food we find at home in the Midwest.

Where to Next?

Countless options exist when looking at where to travel after you visit Strasbourg so you'll have to decide what is important to you to narrow down your options.

• Focus on France. Choose to travel along the Rhine for the best Riesling or head West towards Paris, stopping in classic small towns along the way.

• Looking to head into nature and explore small towns in the Black Forest? Head East towards  the Black Forest and visit towns like Baden-Baden, Pforzheim, Triberg, or Freiburg. In each you'll find more hiking trails, local crafts (i.e. wood carving and cuckoo clocks, local wines, etc.), as well as museums and great cuisine. If you're feeling really adventurous, try a multiday hike between a few of the smaller villages.

• Feeling like getting a big city experience? Head East to Stuttgart and check out the Porsche or Mercedes Museums, huge cathedrals, art galleries, and even more food options! You won't need a car here and will want to take full advantage of public transportation.
  
• Want more wine tasting? Head north to the Mosul River Valley region. Enjoy river boat tours, rent a bicycle to ride on the well upkept trails, visit Cochem Castle or Burg Eltz to satisfy your castle cravings, and be sure to participate in the multitude of local wine festivals. Did I mention you should try the wine here? They also have a great kolsch beer.