Strasbourg France is a gorgeous, historic, and international town in eastern France. It is one of the European capitals, a battleground city over the centuries, and a crossroad between German and French cultures. I visited for a weekend trip and this is my experience!
Useful Links For Strasbourg
The City
The city is mostly known as one of the European capitals and for the large church on the central Grand Island in the city. The city has a wonderful tram system throughout the city, a large shopping mall, and lots of small streets and charming alleyways.
The city does have a mix of French and German architecture and it’s been a battleground between the two great nations for hundreds of years. The downtown area has lots of German vibes and timber-frame houses so you’ll sometimes feel like you’re in Germany. The town is only a few miles away from Germany and the border has moved several times between the two countries several times over the years.
Finally, the central plaza with the church is home to most of the life of the city. It has a magnificent church, lots of public activities, and even concerts! There was a free gymnastics show by a British troop right in front of the church when I was there. There was a free concert later in the evening. The church is also wonderful to visit and to climb to the top to see all around the city. There’s always something to do in the city!
Driving to Strasbourg
If you drive, you will have to plan your parking since it’s in the middle of the city. We parked at the mall here but there are closer albeit more expensive options right by the plaza and apartment. Another thing I had to watch was the height of the parking garage. Most of the parking garages are 1.8 – 1.9 meters so know your vehicle’s height before heading into a parking garage. My van is 1.82 meters tall so I had to avoid the lower, but closer, garages near the center of town. We had to walk to the apartment about 1km.
Finally, cars need to purchase a smog emissions sticker before entering the Strasbourg Emissions Control Zone. You can read more about it here. You input your vehicle type then you pay and they mail it to your home. Here is more information on when the emissions control laws are fully implemented and how they will be tracked. Full implementation won’t start until 2024 then it will be verified by motorway camera so make sure to get your sticker early if you drive!
What to Do
We went for a relaxing chill weekend so my purpose wasn’t to see as much as possible but rather to have some French cheese and look around the plaza. I did go to the church, dinner, and a speakeasy secret bar! That was good enough for me this weekend!
Strasbourg Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg is an awesome church! It is imposing, tall, huge, and overbearing compared to the 4-5 story building surrounding it. You can see the church as you drive along the river plain. It is a single monolith that, for sure, showed the peasants the power of the church and God.
The architecture is so ornate, the stone is red and unique, and it’s huge! The interior and stained glass are second to none! There’s even an astronomical clock in the rear of the church. You should go visit this awesome historical site!
Finally, I went to the top of the church. It’s something I always do and you should too! The views are amazing. You get an up-close view of the unique single spire. You also get to see the masonries’ signatures in the stone! That was fun to see! Just be ready for tight spiral stairs but well worth it!
Dinner Plans
I made a reservation at Aedaen Place. There are 2 of these restaurants so make sure you pick the right one. There’s a regular continental place and a pizzeria so make sure you know what you want. The food was good and I was able to have my beef tartar which was great!
After the end of dinner, we went to the speakeasy bar that was behind the pizzeria next door. You walk to the back of the pizzeria and pull the mirror door open. The door is only about 4 feet tall so be ready to dip down. We got there around 8:30 pm and got lucky on a Saturday. It became very busy soon after! It was fun to sashay through the pizzeria and head back to the secret door. 10 out of 10!
Where We Stayed
I stayed in an Airbnb right in the church plaza. It was an awesome location! Be prepared to find parking and it can be expensive so make sure you check which garage is right for you. Make sure to check your car’s height too! Check out my Airbnb review here so you can stay right on the city’s best plaza!
There are about 290,000 people living in the city of Strasbourg. The metro contains about 850,000 people in the surrounding area!
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