Strasbourg Guide

Strasbourg travel guide.TweetSituated on the Franco-German border, lovely Strasbourg has been passed back and forward between the two countries for years. The result is a city and people with a distinctive local identity, combining the reputed efficiency and energy of the Germans with the joie de vivre and sophistication of the French.

Strasbourg is far enough away from the capital to be truly independent on a cultural level, with its own opera, France's only national theatre outside Paris and two international music festivals.The Grande Ile (Big Island), in the midst of the River Ill, is the ancient heart of the city, with the vast main square, place Kleber at its centre. Close by is place Gutenberg - named after 15th-century Strasbourg resident Johannes Gutenberg, famed for his development of printing.

Strasbourg's great landmark is the Cathedrale Notre-Dame in the Vieille Ville (Old Town), which has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages. Around the Cathedral clusters an impressive array of museums, cafes and restaurants.

Stunningly picturesque Petite France, in the Grande Ile's southwestern corner, is Strasbourg's medieval quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage site. With its bridges and canals, half-timbered houses and narrow streets, it could not be more different from the ultra-modern City of Europe in northeast Strasbourg where the EU institutions are located.

Do
Strasbourg old town facadesChristmas markets can be found in many places, but the most important and beautiful are place Broglie and place de la Cathedrale, although they are crowded. They are the best places to drink hot wine (vin chaud) and to eat Christmas cookies (Br?deles). Even when there are no special events on in Strasbourg, 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.

Buy
From time to time, the city organizes a general market in vast parts of the center, where many street vendors offer various products and the shops join in with special discounts. Then, the city center on the island is partly closed for parking or driving and the trams don't go on the rue des Francs Bourgeois. The 29th July 2006 and the 24th July 2010 (both on Saturday) were such a day, information about regular market dates is hard to find on the net. If you manage to track down the date of this market, write it here and don't miss it.

There is a marche aux Puces (flea market) on rue de Vieil-H?pital on Wednesday and Saturdays. The Place des Halles, 24, place des Halles, is a shopping center with over 100 shops and restaurants north of the city center, but within walking distance. Open Mon-Fri 09:00 to 20:00, and Saturdays until 20:00. A new shopping centre, Rivetoile, opened at the end of 2008 at Place d'etoile, in between the Etoile Polygone and Etoile Bourse tram stops. This new development has shops similar to Place des Halles as well as higher budget shops and a selection of cafes.

Try Galeries Lafayettes at rue du 22 Novembre and Printemps at 1-5 rue de la Haute Montee. Rue Hellebardes and Gutenberg offer designer clothes and men's clothes. Bruno Saint Hilaire has designer clothes for men and a shop in 8, rue Gutenberg. There is a low-budget, secondhand clothing shop in 6, rue de la Lanterne, and various gadget shops can be found in rue des Juifs.

For cheap groceries, including local wines and beers, try one of the three outlets of NORMA, a German discount chain whose three outlets are conveniently located at the corner of rue St Michel and rue Ste Marguerite near the central train station; at 79, Grand'Rue near the center of Grand ile; and at 27, rue des Frères near the Cathedral. Open Mon-Fri 10 am to 8 pm, Sat 9:30 am to 7 pm.

Eat
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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 Euros. Don't be too dismayed by this seemingly high price as what is brought to you is 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. Other specialties include the Alsatian pork-butcher's meat, Flammeküche or flams (tartes flambees 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.

Traditional restaurants
A l'ancienne douane ('To the old customs house') on rue de la Douane, near the cathedral, next to the Ill river. A big restaurant for tourist groups. You are almost sure to find a place here even if you have no reservation. Mid-range prices.
Au petit bois vert, 1, Quai de la Bruche, in the Petite France district, serves well-prepared flams and Alsatian specialties in a small room with smiling waiters. The chef usually comes by at the end of the evening. Great terrace during the summer under a big tree on the bank of the river. No reservation, mid-range prices.

Kirn (le restaurant), 17-19, rue du 22 novembre (at the intersection of Fosse des Tanneurs west of Place Kleber),+33 03 88 321610 (traiteur@kirn.fr, fax: +33 03 88 320865). The restaurant is above a fine Alsatian specialty food shop on the ground floor.  edit
Au Dauphin, 13, place de la Cathedrale (on the corner of cathedral square next to Hotel de la Cathedrale; look for a red awning and walk through the inner courtyard to get to it),+33 0388 21 01 46 (au-dauphin@wanadoo.fr, fax: +33 0388 21 03 87). Try the choucroute aux trois poissons; it is very fresh and a wonderful take on the traditional sauerkraut dish. They also serve the traditional choucroute garnie, with up to seven types of meat, including headcheese.

Le Sanglier ('The boar'), on rue du Sanglier in the Carre d'Or district, near the cathedral. A small restaurant with a traditional setting. If you want a Baeckoffe, you must inform the restaurant 24h before. Mid-range prices.
Winstub La Vigne, 14, rue de Sebastopol (across the street from the Mc Donald's at Les Halles shopping center),+33 03 88 220109. This charming and friendly winstub has more moderate prices than its counterparts in La Petite France or near the cathedral, with choucroute garnie and baeckoffe under 15 and bottles of Alsatian wine for about 20.

Modern restaurants
Kim Youn (Fooding Coreen), 5, rue Gustave Dore (toward western end of Grand Ile between rue de Jeu des Enfants and rue du 27 novembre),+33 03 88 321554. Mon-Sat 12h-14h30, 19h-22h. 7-9.50. Mooze, on rue de la Demi-lune near Place Kleber: sushi restaurant. Sushi moves on a conveyor belt in front of you. Tiger wok on rue du Faisan. Asian food. They cook your dish in front of you. Une Fleur des Champs Organic and vegetarian food and beverage, a delicious and varied menu concocted daily from fresh produce and meat sellers in the area. They also offer bulk goods and produce for sale. Prices are modest and portions are large in a quiet, family style atmosphere.

Budget
Au Brasseur, 22, rue des Veaux. This a restaurant and microbrewery. Try one of their beers and a tarte flambe for about 10. Has a small children's menu.
Al Boustane on rue de la Krutenau. This Lebanese restaurant features sandwiches and kebabs.
Flams on rue des Frères near the Cathedrale.Serves a great variety of flams (tartes flambes) and has an amazing winelist for a budget joint.
L'Epicerie, 6, rue du Vieux Seigle, off the rue des Francs Bourgeois. Features sandwiches "tartines" (about 4). Food from noon to night. Tables on street and inside.

Le Frangin two doors down from Flam's on Rue des Frères serves a wide range of home-cooked pasta and pizzas at reasonable prices. Pizza and pasta main courses range from 8-9, meat dishes 14-15 and an Alsatian beer 2.50. The owner is friendly and the food is good, satisfying Italian cooking.
La Gallia, on quai du Maire Dietrich near the Gallia tramway station (C-line). 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.
Saladin City, 41, Grand'Rue. Tunisian/Algerian couscous and kebabs. No alcohol. 6-7.
Zorba on rue de Zurich. This little Greek restaurant in the Krutenau area features sandwiches, souvlaki, and kebabs.
Snack au Soleil on rue de General Zimmer. ONe of the best pizza and kebab in the town. Affordable prices for students.

Mid range
Chez Tante Lisele on the Grand'Rue. Very friendly.
Chez Yvonne, in the Carre d'Or district, near the cathedral. Usually frequented by Jacques Chirac, when he comes to Strasbourg, because of its well-known tête de veau (cooked veal head). More expensive.
La Boucherie, 4, Rue du Vieux Marche aux Vins. This chain restaurant is kid-friendly, with a small children's menu, highchairs, and a toy and colouring book for young children, and will satisfy a craving for red meat at a reasonable price.
La Stub, 4, rue du Saumon, just one block from the Vox cinema on rue des Francs Bourgeois in the center of Grand Ile. This local Alsatian favorite features Fischer brews for 2-3 and tartes flambes for 7-8.
Restaurant Avanos, 20 Grand'Rue,03 88 226257. Specialites orientales: couscous, doner, grilled meats, fish. 3 plats du jour choices every lunchtime. 10% off takeaway meals every evening. 10-12.

Drink
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.

Sleep
There are many hotels around the station, especially in the place de la Gare and in the rue du Maire Kuss, but this area does not offer consistent quality for accommodations. Most international hotel chains are represented with the usual 2 or 3 star hotels, many of which host the large tour groups who come on weekend breaks. If your budget allows, try staying on the Grande ile (city centre). Most of Strasbourg's hotels are fully booked during the Christmas Market period (December) and when the EU parliament is in session for a few days every month, usually for the period around the tenth. Book ahead if in doubt, as last minute accommodation can be difficult to find during these periods.