Strasbourg is a French city located on the German border. It's the capital of the Grand Est region formerly known as the Alsace Region.
Strasbourg has been a part of Germany from time to time that's why you can find famous German wooden frame architecture. It has been also a subject of a long tug-of-war between France and Germany.
The city has the biggest preserved medieval old town which presents its long historical importance. The city is also popular for the presence of the European Parliament house.
How to reach Strasbourg:
When you're going to Strassbourg, you can choose from different ways to get there, like trains, buses, and flights. What's best for you depends on where you're starting your trip. When I came from Munich, I took a fast train. If you want to find the cheapest tickets from different places, just click the link below.
We spent two days in the city and were totally mesmerized by the beauty. In this travel blog, we will be sharing our experience of how you can spend 2-days in Strasbourg.
When you are in France, it’s a sin to miss the World famous French Breakfast. We had started our first day with breakfast.
Breakfast at L’atelier 116:
France is famous for its exotic bread and pastries. We found a small but cozy Cafe L’atelier 116 in the old town. It’s a perfect place for breakfast as it has a different variety of sandwiches, breakfast, pain au chocolat, patisseries, French Breakfast Puffs, croissants, and filter coffee.
Strasbourg Cathedral:
After breakfast, we started our old tour exploration from Strasbourg's famous Cathedral. The Strasbourg Cathedral is truly a masterpiece of Medieval times. Its the Catholic Church and the World’s tallest building from 1647 to 1874. Even now, it’s the 6th tallest church in the world.
The cathedral is located in the big town square, and there are lots of restaurants, and tourist shops located nearby. We have been to an Ice cream parlor in front of the Catherdral and enjoyed the Gelato with a perfect view.
Cruising in the River Ill:
The weather was sunny and perfect for the day cruise. We bought a ticket from a tourist shop near the Cathedral (Batorama Cruising company. We had chosen a long cruise with a tour of the old town and outer skirts of the city including the European Parliament.
The Price of the Cruise is Euro 14.50 per person and we enjoyed a beautiful view of Strasbourg's Old Town La Petite, Barrage Vauban, Ponts Couverts, and New Strasbourg.
You can take the Cruise from the Pier near Palais des Rohan. Check out the Cruise packages here for more details: https://www.batorama.com/fr
Time to get some Lunch at Le Rafiot:
After the cruise, we were already late for lunch. In Strasbourg, almost all the restaurants are closed from around 14:00 to 14:30. You can only get some snacks after 14:30. It’s highly suggested to have lunch first before the restaurants closed. We found a cool boat restaurant with a nice view of the river and we enjoyed some snacks there.
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Palais des Rohan:
One of the most amazing Architectural and historical Landmarks of Strasbourg is the Palace of Rohan. It’s located on the bank of the River. It used to be a former residency of Bishops and Cardinals. Now, it’s the home of three of Strasbourg’s most important Museums.
La Petite France:
Undoubtedly, Le Petite France is Strasbourg's most photogenic and romantic district. It literally takes back to a 15th-century medieval time with black and white half-timbered houses. These half-timbered houses are so beautifully decorated.
The district is located on the river bank. At night, you can see the reflection of these timbered houses in the river which makes it so magical.
You can walk in the narrow cobblestone streets and get lost in the district's beauty. One of the famous streets is Rue aux Plates, and you can find some authentic Alsatian Restaurants.
Ponts Couverts:
We have walked toward the end of the Petite district, and we have reached the Ponts Couverts. The Ponts Couverts is another picturesque spot in Strasbourg, It’s a point where three bridges deviate from the river in three different areas. You can also find the Ponts' four tall watchtowers on these bridges.
Barrage Vauban:
One of the famous landmarks of Strasbourg is Barrage Vauban. The Barrage was constructed in the 16th century on River III and served as a defense in French-Prussian War in 1870.
They had planned to raise the level of III at the time of siege and flood the lands to the south and prevent the invaders to enter.
We went up to the roof of the Barrage Vauban and enjoyed the best view of the Ponts Couverts, and you can also see Strasbourg Cathedral from there.
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Dinner at Shahi Mahal:
Our trip to any city isn’t completed without satisfying our taste buds with some Desi Indian or Pakistani Restaurants. There are many Indian/Pakistani restaurants, but we are lucky to find the best Pakistani Restaurant in Strasbourg.
We have ordered Chana Chat/Chick Peas Salad, Sizzling Chicken Tikka, and Butter chicken with Naan (flatbread). We also ordered famous mango lassi and Chai (tea) to enjoy our meal to the fullest. Everything tasted so perfect, just like back home. We would really recommend the dining experience at Shahi Mahal.
After dinner, we had a little walk in the old town, and then we went back to our hotel after spending a hectic day exploring the city.
On the second day, we started our day by having breakfast in our Hotel, and then we reach the Old town.
Exploring Old town:
Although we have explored the old town, it’s so mesmerizing, and every street is so lovely.
We started our day at the famous square of Gutenberg, where you can also see the monument of Gutenberg. The square is always crowded with the hustle and bustle of the people.
Shopping in Homme de Fer:
The most famous fashion district in Strasbourg is Homme de Fer. It’s in the right center of the city in the old town, and it has all the France local and international brands.
There are also shopping malls where you can find the latest French fashion collection. You can easily reach there by Tram, and you can explore some French fashion.
Boating in the River Ill:
The weather was pretty warm, so we decided to walk across the water and found a boating company renting a private boat to enjoy the River in summer.
We rented a boat for 1 hour, which cost us Euro 40. It’s quite easy to drive the boat, even if it’s your first time.
The boating company was really nice, and they explained everything to us and all the precautions in detail. We crossed the Vauban barrage, and we really enjoyed boating across the new city.
If you also want to experience boating in River III in Strasbourg, you can find the boating operators near Ponts Couverts.
Lunch at Café Atlantico:
The weather was super nice around 25 degrees. So instead of sitting inside or any outside restaurants, we preferred to enjoy lunch near the River, and again we found another lovely boat restaurant where we enjoyed lunch at Cafe Atlantico.
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European Parliament:
Strasbourg is only full of medieval architecture, but you can also the Modern Architecture. Due to Strasbourg’s historical and cultural importance, the city has a European Parliament. You can get a tour of this Modern cylinder Parliament house, but you need to book it first.
How to come to Strassbourg:
You can easily reach Strasbourg by train, bus, or plane. We were coming from Europa Park, Rust Germany. It was hardly a 1:30-hour journey for us from there. If you are going to Europa park, we highly suggest sparing 1 to 2 days visiting the French City Strassbourg.
Where to stay in Strasbourg?
As we were looking for the budgeted option for our stay in Strasbourg, we found a very nice and cozy budgeted hotel near the Central Station. We stayed in Hotel Origami in Strasbourg, and we paid Euro 70 per night. It was just one station away from the Central Station or around 15 minutes walk. The tram station Rotando (next station from Central Station) is just a 2-minute walk from the Hotel. The hotel staff also allowed us the late checkout at 13:00.
How to travel within Strasbourg:
Strasbourg city has a very good network of local transport in the city. It has a Tram and buses which takes you to every corner of the City. During our stay in Strasbourg, we only used Trams and buses, and it was really convenient and cost-effective. We bought 24 hours tickets for each day, and we highly suggest not traveling without a ticket because they check tickets frequently on Tram.
Ending note:
If you are interested in exploring some of the Architectural wonders, you can visit Église Saint-Thomas and Parc de l’Orangerie. We can also visit the famous Museum ‘Musée Alsacien’.
