Christmas market in Strasbourg

Seat of the European Parliament, Strasbourg, the European Capital, but also the capital of the French region in which it is, is a marvel to visit. Featuring a huge old town, along with an incredible history, being sometimes German along its history, it has a lot to visit. Hosting the former tallest building in the world, the Cathedral, and the oldest - and often rated best - Christmas market in Europe, it is worth visiting any time of the year.

Traditional chair in Le Tire Bouchon

For a traditional meal, a good restaurant - locally called Winstub - is Le Tire-Bouchon (the corkscrew). With a choice of food and wines large enough to show you most of the local cuisine (choucroute, kneppfle, ...), but small enough to prove they do it well, you will surely feel like a local. And the wine choice isn't bad either - and for a very competitive price, especially if you like white wine.

Beef carpaccio

In a traditional and comfortable atmosphere, a very nice small restaurant where food is real and all meals worth a try. A nice escape from the center for a gourmet and budget culinary escapade - not mentioning the friendliness of the owner and staff.

Entry

Recently opened restaurant, the food is absolutely delicious. Wine choice is also very good. One of the current top spots in the city for a restaurant.

Tarte flambee and wine

As it names indicates, this restaurant is situated in the former customs building. At walking distance from all main points of interest, it is very popular with local crowd, as it is affordable, offers space for large reservations, and food is very good, especially the main local specialty, Tarte flambee.

Wine while waiting for order

At the heart of Strasbourg, right next to the most important public transport hub, Homme de Fer, this restaurant offers great local food and amazing wine. For carpaccio lovers, the all you can eat is a pure pleasure !

Ananas tartar

Situated right next to the cathedral, it is a good place to stop during your city sightseeing. In summer, the outdoor terrace at the bottom of the cathedral is a ravishment

Generous fried goat cheese salad

For a city lunch break, Alambar can be a solution. Terrace is comfortable, plates are plentiful. Unfortunately service can be very slow, and orders might have troubles to be taken correctly.

Christmas market in Strasbourg

Christmas market, existing since 1570, making it the oldest in Europe, is a must see around Christmas. All around town, several temporary Christmas market are set up, the most interesting one being below the Cathedral.

Outdoor view

The marvel of the city, definitely worth visiting. Strasbourg's cathedral was the tallest building in the world for 2 centuries, and still remains as the tallest building in the world entirely built during middle ages. Every hour, when the bells are ringing, a surprising show happens inside the cathedral.

Streets decorated for Christmas

During winter time, and especially around Christmas, about a month before the market starts and a month after it ends, Strasbourg becomes magical : the streets are decorated with lights, puppets, and other accessories, making the old town purely romantic and transporting guests in another dimension.

Exterior view

Former residence of prince-bishops and cardinals from the Rohan house, from 18th Century, this historical place located along the river, it now hosts some of the most important museums in the city : the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts, plus an art gallery.

When defining a tour of this city, it is very useful to have the advice of local experts who can guide you and teach you the history and culture of the most important points of interest. This is what happens when we do a free walking tour in Strasbourg with a local guide, who can also recommend where to eat, where to buy souvenirs or how to get around the city. The essential places you should visit should try to be ordered, so you can go walking without having to go around absurdly. For example, you could take a tour where you started seeing the Cathedral, then you will pass by the Kammerzell House, nearby you will find the Rohan Palace Museum, as well as the Plaza du Marché Gayot. If you cross the river, you will reach the German quarter where the Republic Square is located and following that side of the river you arrive at the Palace of Justice. Once this spectacular building, you can go back to the island to see the Town Hall (Hôtel de ville or the Hôtel de Hanau) as well as the churches of San Pedro el Joven and San Pedro el Viejo to end up going to the Petite France neighborhood in which the Church of Santo Tomás stands out. Finally, we recommend that you do not forget the European neighborhood where you will see the Parliament building, as well as the European Court of Human Rights.

Main stage

Now a must see September even, the Zombie walk in Strasbourg features whole day concert, local beer, food, and customed guests. If you happen to be in the area in September, do not hesitate to visit it !

Party in Retro Club Strasbourg

Ideally situated under Les Halles, one of the main commercial center in Strasbourg, it is usually opened Thursday - Sunday. With a bottle of champagne for 170€, it worth joining one of their numerous parties. Also, they target 25 people - so if you're above, it's probably the best place for you to go party

La Salamandre Strasbourg champagne bath

La Salamandre is a very good place to party - both for your mood and for your budget. With parties from Thursday to Saturday, and bottles of champagne starting at 80€, you can safely end your night there on a weekend visit.