France · City break

Strasbourg City Guide

France and Germany in one city. A Gothic cathedral of pink sandstone, half-timbered houses leaning over the canals in the tanners' quarter La Petite France. The Ill encircles the Grande Île, a UNESCO site, with the spacious German imperial quarter beyond. From the cathedral, one ready-made day route walks both halves.

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Our walking tours of Strasbourg

Ready-made routes from the station guide you through Strasbourg, to the right spots from the very first step, with no planning needed.

Cathedral, Petite France & Ill

From the Gothic pink-sandstone cathedral with its astronomical clock, past the carved Maison Kammerzell and the museum Palais Rohan to the broad Place Kléber. On into the half-timbered tanners' quarter La Petite France with its canals, to the Ponts Couverts and up onto the Barrage Vauban with the finest view back, then by boat on the Ill and up to the Prussian showpiece Place de la République.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame. The walk begins at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, for over two centuries the tallest building in Christendom. Its pink sandstone façade is a marvel of Gothic stonemasonry, and inside the astronomical clock draws all eyes with its daily parade of figures. Climb the 330 steps to the platform to overlook the old town, the Rhine and, on clear days, the Black Forest. Afterwards, a little detour pays off. Hidden behind the cathedral, at the end of a passage, lies Place du Marché Gayot, a courtyard square with half-timbered houses and café terraces that most people walk straight past.
Maison Kammerzell. Right on the cathedral square stands the Maison Kammerzell, one of France's finest half-timbered houses. Its stone ground floor dates from 1467, the three richly carved upper floors with their bull's-eye panes were added in 1589. Every window sill tells, in woodcarving, of biblical figures, musicians and the signs of the zodiac. A Renaissance masterpiece, today a restaurant.
Palais Rohan. On the bank of the Ill rises the Palais Rohan, the Baroque residence of Strasbourg's prince-bishops, a palace in the style of French grandeur. Today it holds three museums at once, the Musée des Beaux-Arts with Old Masters, the archaeological museum in the basement and the decorative-arts museum with the sumptuous prince-bishops' state rooms. A combined ticket opens all three.
Place Kléber. Place Kléber is Strasbourg's great central square, lined with Neoclassical façades and dominated by the statue of General Kléber, beneath which he is buried. On the north side stands the Aubette, a former guardhouse. In Advent the square becomes the heart of the famous Christkindelsmärik, with a giant Christmas tree.
La Petite France. La Petite France is Strasbourg's loveliest corner, the former quarter of tanners, millers and fishermen, where canals of the Ill thread through a tangle of narrow lanes. Half-timbered houses with steep roofs and drying lofts mirror in the water, above all on the Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes. Over little bridges and locks you stroll through a picture book of Alsatian romance.
Ponts Couverts. At the western end of the Grande Île the Ponts Couverts span the four arms of the Ill, a row of bridges guarded by four massive 13th-century watchtowers, remnants of the medieval city walls. They owe their name to the wooden roofs that once covered them. Open today, but the fortified character remains.
Barrage Vauban. Just behind the Ponts Couverts, the Barrage Vauban, a defensive dam built by the engineer Tarade between 1681 and 1688 to Vauban's plans, blocks the Ill. In an emergency it could flood the plain south of the city. From the freely accessible roof terrace opens the walk's finest view, the vista back over the four watchtowers of the Ponts Couverts and the roofs of La Petite France. And if you're in the mood for art, directly opposite on the other bank, barely two minutes away, the MAMCS shows modern art from Kandinsky and Picasso to Rodin.
Batorama Boat Tour. From the pier behind the Palais Rohan the Batorama boats set off on a cruise along the Ill. From the water the Grande Île shows its finest side, through La Petite France, over the locks of the Ponts Couverts and out into the modern European district with the European Parliament and the Court of Human Rights. The daytime tour is best for a clear view of the façades.
Place de la République. To finish, the Place de la République, the monumental heart of the Neustadt that the German Empire laid out after 1871. Around a circular park cluster Prussian showpiece buildings, among them the former imperial palace, the national and university library and the Théâtre National. The wide, green square with its magnolias forms a charming contrast to the medieval old town. And makes Strasbourg's double face visible.

Planning your visit

One day is enough. The route from the cathedral runs 3.5 kilometres from the pink sandstone building past the Palais Rohan and the Place Kléber into the tanners' quarter of La Petite France with its half-timbered houses above the water. Then come the Ponts Couverts, the Barrage Vauban with its roof terrace and a boat trip on the Ill. Over the centuries the city belonged now to France, now to Germany, and both still stand side by side. Seven evening tips are ready, and Colmar is half an hour away by train.

Going out & nightlife

Rooftop bars

Le 5e Lieu (Dachterrasse). The culture and information centre Le 5e Lieu on the cathedral square has a freely accessible roof terrace with one of the city's finest views, straight onto the pink façade and the tower of the cathedral, plus a café. Ideal at sunset.

Nightlife quarters

Krutenau. Southeast of the cathedral lies the Krutenau, Strasbourg's student and nightlife quarter, with narrow lanes full of bars, bistros, wine taverns and small restaurants, young and lively at night. The best place for an evening off the tourist trail.
Quais & Petite France. In the evening the banks of the Ill and the lanes of La Petite France come into their own, with lit half-timbered façades, waterside terraces and quiet wine taverns. A relaxed stroll along the quays rounds off the day in fine atmosphere.

Food & restaurants

Chez Yvonne (S'Burjerstuewel). Chez Yvonne is Strasbourg's most famous winstub, a few steps from the cathedral, with red-and-white checked tablecloths, dark wood and Alsatian classics like baeckeoffe, choucroute and coq au Riesling. Rustic, warm and an institution for generations.
Maison des Tanneurs. In the heart of La Petite France, in a half-timbered house from 1572 right on the canal, the Maison des Tanneurs has long served Alsatian cuisine, the famous choucroute, tarte flambée and fish, with a view of the mirrored tanners' quarter. Rarely does one dine so picturesquely.

Bars & clubs

La Laiterie. La Laiterie in the south of the city is Strasbourg's main stage for live music and club nights, with rock, electro, rap and indie in a former dairy, plus concerts by rising and international acts alike. The address for long nights.

Stage & concerts

Opéra national du Rhin. On Place Broglie stands the Opéra national du Rhin in a Neoclassical building with a columned portico. As one of France's leading opera houses it offers opera, ballet and concerts at a high level. A fitting stage in the heart of the city.

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Practical information for Strasbourg

Public transport

Operator. CTS, Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois, operates the entire public transport network of tram and bus in the Eurométropole de Strasbourg (EMS), the area made up of Strasbourg and the surrounding municipalities. A single fare applies network-wide for the tram, standard bus routes, the fast BHNS routes and the night buses. Timetable information, ticket sales and real-time information run through the official CTS website and its companion app.

Network. Six tram lines plus buses. One line crosses the border to Kehl in Germany.

Modes of transport. Tram · Bus (standard routes) · Bus with its own lane (BHNS) · Night bus (Hibus)

Operating hours. The tram and the fast BHNS bus routes run Monday to Saturday from 4.30 am to 12.30 am, Sundays and public holidays from 5.30 am to 12.30 am. During peak hours from 6.30 am to 8 pm, the tram runs roughly every 5 to 10 minutes, and roughly every 15 minutes outside those hours. Standard bus routes mostly run from 5.30 am to 11.30 pm, with the exact frequency varying from route to route. The Chronhop structuring routes run on weekdays from 5 am to 12.30 am at a 7- to 10-minute frequency.

Night service. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the Hibus night bus network takes over from the tram after regular service ends. Three routes run hourly between 12.30 am and 5 am. N1 connects Pont Saint-Nicolas and Pont Phario, N2 the Illkirch campus and Hoenheim station, N3 Mathieu Zell and Kehl station on the German side. Every regular CTS ticket is also valid on the Hibus network, no separate ticket is needed.

Buying tickets. The CTS app is the officially designated way to buy single rides as well as day and multi-day tickets. It covers timetable information, ticket purchase and validation, and is available for Android and iOS.

App and payment. CTS provides an official app for timetable information, route search and real-time information. Occasional tickets such as the single ride or the 24-hour ticket can be bought directly in the app and validated there too.

Which ticket. For occasional tickets, CTS distinguishes between the Aller simple EMS single ride for 1.90 euros, valid for one hour with any number of transfers within the Eurométropole de Strasbourg, and time-based tickets. The 24H Solo costs 4.60 euros and is valid for 24 hours for any number of journeys within the EMS network, which is less than three single rides at 1.90 euros each (5.70 euros combined). For groups of up to three people there is the 24H Trio for 10.20 euros. For a longer stay there is the 72H Solo, also 10.20 euros, valid over three days.

Fare zones. All the sights in the city centre lie within the EMS fare area, which covers Strasbourg and the neighbouring municipalities including Kehl on the German side. For a two- to three-day stay an EMS ticket is enough, regional or departmental fares are not needed.

Tip. The Grande Île is World Heritage and entirely walkable. The tram only takes you to the edge.

Getting there

Main station

Location. The historic sandstone building has been wrapped in a curved glass shell since 2007. Ten minutes on foot to the cathedral.

Long-distance trains. The station with the glass canopy is the region's transport hub and, according to SNCF, handles more than 21 million passengers a year. On the long-distance network, TGV INOUI and the cheaper OUIGO trains call here. They connect Strasbourg with, among others, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes and Rennes. To Germany, services run jointly by DB and SNCF, with Karlsruhe, Frankfurt am Main and Freiburg im Breisgau named as destinations. There are also connections to Luxembourg and to Brussels in Belgium. Regionally, the TER Grand Est network rounds out the offer, for example to Colmar, Mulhouse, Nancy or Haguenau, with TER long-distance coaches also running from the station forecourt. Anyone who needs exact departure times should check the timetable shortly beforehand, as frequencies change with every timetable update. (Source sncf-connect.com/gares/strasbourg)

Opening hours. Strasbourg-Ville has no 24-hour concourse. Monday to Friday the station is accessible from 4.15 am to 1 am, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 5 am to 1 am. That's plenty of time for an early TGV, but you can't spend the night under the glass dome. (Source sncf-connect.com/gares/strasbourg)

Airports

SXB

Into the city. Eight minutes by train to Strasbourg-Ville, from Entzheim-Aéroport station right next to the terminal.

Frequency. Up to five train connections an hour. Combined 24-hour ticket 4.60 euros, single ride only 3.20 euros.

Local quirks

Winstub instead of restaurant. The Alsatian wine tavern serves flammekueche, baeckeoffe and sauerkraut at long communal tables. Reservations are worthwhile.
Everything is different during Advent. The Christkindelsmärik has been running since 1570. From late November to Christmas, the city is fully booked and packed.
Airport with no station of its own in the terminal. Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport has no station inside the terminal building. A covered footpath leads to the Entzheim-Aéroport TER station right next door, from where it's eight minutes by train to Strasbourg-Ville.
Twelve sitting weeks of the EU Parliament. Twelve times a year, the European Parliament sits for four days in Strasbourg. During these weeks there are noticeably more visitors in the city than usual, which affects hotel prices and availability.

Good to know

Currency: EUR €
Emergency number: 112
Plug type: C · E
Time zone: Europe/Paris
Driving: right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 80 km/h, motorway 130 km/h (110 km/h in rain)

A limit of 80 km/h has applied on rural roads without a central divider since 2018. Some départements have raised it back to 90 km/h by decision of the Conseil départemental, marked by dedicated signs at the start of the stretch. In rain, the motorway speed drops to 110 km/h, while within built-up areas it stays unchanged at 50 km/h.

Tipping. Service is included by law. If you were happy, leave a few euros, nothing more.

Tolls. Most motorways are tolled. Take a ticket, pay on exit, cards accepted everywhere.

Access restrictions. Many cities have low emission zones. You need a Crit'Air sticker, ordered online in advance and delivered by post. Without one you risk a fine.