Strasbourg is a city located in the Alsace region along its border with Germany. Since it has switched hands several times between France and Germany, the city is influenced by both French and German cultures. I had originally wanted to visit this beautiful city in December 2019 to attend their famous Christmas Markets. However, due to the cost of train tickets and a transport strike in Paris at that time, I was unable to go, which was very disappointing. Fast forward to August 2021, I finally made it here, although not during Christmas. But I still hope to one day come back during Christmas time.
We only had 2 days to visit this city, with one of the days having a forecast of rain and general cloudiness, so we had to make the visit count even if it required venturing out in the rain. The day we arrived in Strasbourg, we booked a free walking tour by GuruWalk to become familiar with all of the famous sights to see in the city. This is what we saw:
Notre Dame Cathedral
Unlike the cathedral with the same name in Paris, this Gothic style church is massive and looming, exaggerated by the fact that the square in front of it is quite small compared to those that you would see elsewhere. Its exterior is quite intricate with a spire reaching 515 feet. The city recently celebrated its 1000 year anniversary in 2015, as construction started in 1015 on the site of a Roman temple. It was later destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in a Gothic architecture in the 12th century.
Once inside, the most popular feature is the astronomical clock at the far right corner of the cathedral. It is the oldest preserved automaton dating from 1842 and has been running nonstop from when it was built. It depicts the exact positions of the sun and the moon and solar and lunar eclipses. The main attraction of the clock, which draws crowds daily, is an automatic mechanism of moving figures parading every 15 minutes after noon. Additionally, other impressive features are the numerous stained glass windows across all the walls of the church.
During the summer time, there is a light show that is projected onto the exterior walls of the church, running continuously every 15 minutes after 9.30 pm. Each year, the light show depicts a different theme and is projected onto different walls of the church. During our visit (Summer 2021), it was a garden themed project projected onto the wall opposite the Palais Rohan.
Maison Kammerzell
It is considered the oldest and most beautiful house in Strasbourg and is located to the left of the square right in front of the cathedral. It was built in 1427 and consists of 75 stained glass windows on its walls. According to our tour guide, it was restored on multiple occasions, each time adding a new feature depicting each famous person who stayed there. At present, it is a very expensive restaurant and should only go there for the novelty and not the food.
Place Kléber
It is the largest square in Strasbourg housing a statue of Jean-Baptiste Kléber, the founder of Strasbourg and is in the heart of the city.
Other squares that we visited were:
- Place du Chateau – big square situated between the cathedral and Palais Rohan
- Place Gutenberg – houses the Chamber of Commerce building and the previous town hall. The main feature of the square is the vintage Carrousel 1900 which is the year when it started.
Petite France
The most picturesque part of the city and the reason why tourists flock to this little town. In the past, this neighborhood was where tanners used to live and work and was the poorest and smelliest part of the city, which is a contrast to its present. The buildings in this area have a very German style of housing with half timbered Gingerbread style houses. The houses are also adorned with flower boxes which elevates the beauty of this part of the city and there is also a large canal which flows between them. We didn’t do this but there are plenty of boat tours in this area for those that are interested in seeing the city in this way.
Pont du Faisan is a revolving hydraulic bridge dating back to 1888 located within Petite France which is regularly turned horizontally and vertically to allow cargo ships to pass through and alternatively to let pedestrians cross and is an interesting structure to see.
Barrage Vauban
It was a dam built in the 1600s with the sole purpose of defending the city from attackers. The enemies were lured in through the small openings in the dam and were ambushed if they tried to go any further, which made it a difficult city to conquer. Presently, you can climb up 2 floors to reach the top of the dam giving you a beautiful vantage point that overlooks the city.
Barrage Vaubhan
View from Barrage Vaubhan
What to eat
This city is most famous for its Tarte Flambee (or Flammkuchen in German). It was recommended to us by friends that we made in Paris. Tarte flambee is a type of thin crust pizzas made in a wood fire oven covered with fromage blanc/crème fraîche with onions, bacon and various other toppings. It can also be vegetarian if requested. We had it twice, once at La Thomasien (12 Rue des Dentelles, 67000 Strasbourg, France) and once at Académie de la Bière (17 R. Adolphe Seyboth, 67000 Strasbourg, France) and we enjoyed them both.
Although Christmas time is the best time to visit Strasbourg, summertime also has its charms. During Christmas, the city comes alive with festivity and grandeur but is also choked with crowds and tends to be very expensive. Summertime on the other hand has fewer tourists but the beauty of the city is unmistakable. This does not mean I won’t visit during Christmas, which is part of my bucket list, but I will say that visiting during other times of the year is not a bad idea, especially if you want to explore this city in a more relaxed manner. And for those that visit at other times, there are a few Christmas themed shops open all year round.
3 comments
Straßbourg is one of my favorite cities! 😍Especially the Petit Paris area is so beautiful in summertime with all it’s flowers 🌼🌻🌹 Flammkuchen is a must-try and so easy to make yourself at home, when you are craving some savory straßbourg memories. 🥘⛪⛲ So cool to learn some new facts about the city in your post, thanks! 🙏
Strasbourg is beautiful and I’m so glad to have visited this city. And thank you so much for your recommendation, we loved the flammkuchen 🙂
Very useful information & clearly explained . Worth reading
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