By rail
Strasbourg station, ~1 h 50 min by TGV from Paris
Europe · France
Strasbourg, France
Half-timbered houses and a famous Christmas market
Getting there
By air
Strasbourg (SXB), ~12 km
Best time to visit
May to September; December for the Christmas market
Don't miss
Strasbourg Cathedral
Petite France
The European Parliament
The Barrage Vauban
Things to do
Petite France
The cathedral's astronomical clock
A canal cruise
The Alsace wine route
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Radek Kucharski · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
Colmar's Little Venice, an hour south
Questions travellers ask
When is the Christmas market in Strasbourg?
December. Otherwise, May to September is a good time to go; bring layers.
What are the sights in Strasbourg?
Strasbourg Cathedral and its astronomical clock, Petite France, the European Parliament and the Barrage Vauban. Take a canal cruise too.
What's a good day trip from Strasbourg?
Colmar's Little Venice is an hour south, or follow the Alsace wine route. Back in town, try tarte flambée and choucroute.
How quickly can I reach Strasbourg from Paris?
By TGV, Strasbourg station is about 1 hour 50 minutes from Paris. Strasbourg (SXB) airport is about 12 km out.
About Strasbourg
- Riverside
Where it is
Strasbourg is the capital and largest city of the Grand Est region in north-east France and the historic capital of Alsace, on the Ill river close to the Rhine, which forms the border with Germany.
History
Roman Argentoratum was first recorded in 12 BC, and the medieval city became a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire and an early centre of printing, where Johannes Gutenberg worked. It became French in 1681 under Louis XIV, was German from 1871 to 1918 and occupied again from 1940 to 1944, and today it is the seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
People
Strasbourgeois speak French, and Alsatian, a Germanic dialect, is still heard. Winstubs, traditional wine taverns, serve choucroute, tarte flambée (flammekueche) and Riesling from the Alsace vineyards, storks nest on rooftops across the region, and the Christmas market has been held since 1570.
Known for
- Strasbourg Cathedral and its astronomical clock
- Petite France's half-timbered houses
- The Christkindelsmärik Christmas market
- The European Parliament and the Council of Europe
- Tarte flambée and choucroute
Did you know?
The French national anthem, La Marseillaise, was composed in Strasbourg in 1792 by Rouget de Lisle; it took its name from volunteers from Marseille who made it popular in Paris.
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