A plan for Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the ninth largest city in France with nearly half a million inhabitants in a metropolitan area spanning across the river into the German city of Kehl, on the eastern bank of the Rhine.

The city is the seat of the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Ombudsman, the Eurocorps, the European Audiovisual Observatory and, most famously, the European Parliament, which also holds sessions in Brussels.

Strasbourg is a popular tourist destination primarily thanks to the beautifully preserved and pedestrian-friendly city centre, which can be explored on foot or bicycle in a few days. Don't forget that Strasbourg's appeal now brings tourists to the city throughout the year, with large tour groups especially frequent during the summer months and during the annual winter market.

1 Tourist Office of Strasbourg, Place de la Cathédrale. 09:00 to 19:00. If you ask whether they have maps they try to sell you one for €1.50 - be sure to ask if they have free maps, what you then get is basically the same as the paid one. They also sell a variety of self-guided walking tours through the town (Middle Ages, Renaissance, Modern and Contemporary) for €1 each, and can arrange bike tours through the Faubourgs (the suburbs of Neudorf and Neuhof). (updated Aug 2024)

Grand Île

1 Cathédrale Notre Dame. Built between 1176 and 1439 and with a 142-m tower (the highest cathedral tower in France), the Gothic cathedral is undoubtedly Strasbourg's finest architectural highlight. Check out the astrometric clock inside the cathedral. Free admission. (updated Sep 2018)

2 Musée de l'Oeuvre Notre Dame - Medieval and Renaissance Art, place du Château. A splendid museum of medieval religious art related to the cathedral. €6.5. (updated Sep 2018)

3 Maison Kammerzell (The Kammerzell house) (to the left of the front of the cathedral). The intricately carved half-timbered frames decorating the upper floors date from 1589. (updated Sep 2018)

4 Palais des Rohan. French-style palace, built after the acquisition of the town by the French (1681). Home to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts. (updated Sep 2010)

5 Musée Alsacien (Alsatian Museum), 23-25, Quai Saint-Nicolas (just across the river from the Ancienne Douane), ☏ +33 3 88 52 50 01. Mon Wed-Fri 12:00-18:00, Sat Sun 10:00-18:00. This museum features articles from the daily lives of Alsatian peoples from the 13th to 19th centuries: clothing, furniture, toys, tools of artisans and farmers, and religious objects used in Christian, Jewish, and even pagan rites. The exhibits are in rooms connected by wooden staircases and balconies in adjacent multistory Renaissance-era houses around a central courtyard. Admission €6.5. (updated Sep 2018)

Petite France

Petite France is the name given to the small area between the rivers, just south of the Grande Île. It is home to some of Strasbourg's prettiest and most photogenic streets and buildings, with half timbered townhouses leaning out over the narrow cobbled streets. Petite France resembles Colmar (a city an hour south), with picturesque canal and half-timber houses.

Walking around the old town is a very nice way to pass a day. And there are lots of good cafes to stop and rest in as you make your tour.

Boat tours along the Rhine offer views over both Strasbourg and neighbouring Germany. Batorama offer several river tours lasting from around 45 minutes to a few hours, costing around €10 per person. 45-min tours run around the town center and the European district. Boats can be found below Place du Marché aux Poissons.

Football: RC Strasbourg Alsace play soccer in Ligue 1, the top tier in France. Their home ground Stade de la Meinau (capacity 26,300) is 2 km south of town centre.

Christmas Markets can be found in many places, but the most important and beautiful are place Broglie and place de la Cathédrale, although they are crowded. They are the best places to drink mulled wine (vin chaud) and to eat Christmas cookies (Brädeles).

Alsatian specialties are numerous and can be eaten in many traditional restaurants, in the city or in the neighborhood. Particularly you shouldn't visit Alsace without having the sauerkraut (choucroute in French). Choucroute seems to have a standard price throughout Alsace of €14. Don't be too dismayed by this seemingly high price as what is brought to you is a heaping plate of Sauerkraut (big enough for 2 people) as well as sausages and other meats. This is usually translated as "garnished sauerkraut" on English menus, when in doubt ask your server. There is also a delicious fish choucroute. Other specialties include the Alsatian pork-butcher's meat, Flammeküche or flams (tartes flambées in French) which is a sort of wafer thin pizza made with onion-cream sauce, Baeckeoffe, beef and pork stew cooked, with potatoes and carrots, usually served for two or more persons and Fleischnackas, mixed beef meat presented like spirals and served with salads.

Budget

1 Au Brasseur, 22 Rue des Veaux, ☏ +33 3 88 36 12 13. This a restaurant and microbrewery. Try one of their beers and a tarte flambé. Has a small children's menu. (updated Sep 2022)

2 Flam's, rue des Frères (near the Cathédrale), ☏ +33 3 88 36 36 90. Serves a great variety of flams (tartes flambés) and has an amazing winelist for a budget joint. (updated Sep 2022)

3 L'Épicerie, 6 Rue du Vieux Seigle, ☏ +33 3 88 32 52 41. Features sandwiches "tartines". Food from noon to night. Tables on street and inside. (updated Sep 2022)

4 Le Frangin, 33 Rue des Frères, ☏ +33 3 88 35 04 14. Two doors down from Flam's, it serves a wide range of home-cooked pasta and pizzas at reasonable prices. Offering pizza and pasta main courses, meat dishes and Alsatian beer. The owner is friendly and the food is good, satisfying Italian cooking. (updated Sep 2022)

5 Restaurant universitaire La Gallia, 1 Place de l'Université, ☏ +33 3 88 15 73 72. The oldest university restaurant in France, in a 19th-century building, built by the Germans (which explains the ceiling decorations). It is the last French university restaurant that is managed by students. Not a culinary triumph, but very affordable. (updated Sep 2022)

6 Le Saladin, 41, Grand'Rue, ☏ +33 3 88 32 12 32. Tunisian/Algerian couscous and kebabs. No alcohol. (updated Sep 2022)

Beer: Alsace is the first beer-producing region of France and Strasbourg has many breweries. Best known are Kronenbourg and Fischer, whose factories can be visited for free, with free drinks at the end of the tour.

Alsatian white wine: usually drunk with Alsatian food, but also with fish. The main varieties are Gewürtztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris. They have a particularly floral flavour and are well worth investigating. Explore it on the Alsace Wine Route with free tastings everywhere.

Bars

1 Les BerThoM, 18 Rue des Tonneliers, ☏ +33 3 88 32 81 18. Beer bar near la place Gutenburg. Spacious with an agreeable atmosphere.

2 Café Bar de l'Odyssée, 3 Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, ☏ +33 3 88 16 22 03. Bar with an intimate interior. Great place to enjoy a game of backgammon.

Strasbourg is most easily explored on foot, and the historic city centre can easily be explored in a day or two. To be able to cover more ground, you should consider hiring a bike or using the public transport network.

By bike

Strasbourg is ideal for cycling - the city center is flat and there are plenty of bike lanes and bike paths. You can rent bikes at:

the automatic or manned bike sharing stations vélhop.

rue du Maire Kuss, in front of the train station

rue des Bouchers, on the south bank of the Ill river, near the rue d'Austerlitz and the Porte de l'Hôpital tramway station.

Bikes are allowed on trams except during peak hours.

More information on cycling in Strasbourg is available on the Strasbourg website.

By bus and tram

Buses and trams in Strasbourg are operated by the Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois (CTS). A few dozen numbered bus lines and six tram lines (named A to F) and two bus rapid transit/BRT ('BHNS') lines (named G and H) serve the city. A single ticketing system covers bus and tram. Tickets are sold in 'tabacs' (newsagents), tourist offices, CTS boutiques or from vending machines at many tram stops. Tickets (even ones from the vending machines) should be validated before use, either in the machines on tram station platforms or in the machine by the driver when you board the bus.

Summary of fares (as of may 2025):

CTS fares website

Aller Simple (one way) €2.50

Aller Retour (round trip) €3.80

10 x Aller Simple (1 contactless ticket suitable only for one person) €17.30

24H Individuel (24-hr ticket for one person) €4.60

Trio (one day ticket for up to three people) €10.40

Prices are slightly lower if loaded onto a Badgéo card, CTS App or topped up on contactless ticket. CTS App works only with French Sim cards (as of Oct 2018).

Strasbourg is just like any other major French city: there are safe areas and there are unsafe areas. In any case, standard safety precautions need to be applied.

In the city center, watch out for pickpockets near the Cathedral (and even inside, according to the signs), during the high tourist season, and throughout the old town.

The areas immediately surrounding the railway station might look unsavory at night, but there are usually lots of people around there, and the streets are well-lit. Avoid looking like a lost tourist and you will be fine. If you do feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to approach a police officer or taxi driver.

Some areas in the south (especially the Neuhof neighborhood, which often ranks among France's worst neighborhoods) and west (Hautepierre, Cronenbourg) of the city might be iffy, especially at night, but they have little tourist appeal.