Today’s post is the second of three posts in my France 2024 series. The first post on Paris strolls is here. Strasbourg is the capital of the Grand-Est region of France. It is situated at the eastern border of France with Germany. It is a charming city with a unique blend of French and German cultures.
Getting There
The high-speed train from Paris Gare de l’Est to Strasbourg took one hour and fifty minutes. I stayed in a hotel in a central location in Strasbourg so that I could walk to the city’s main sights.
Exploring Strasbourg
On my first two days in Strasbourg in early May, it was sunny and warm with daytime temperatures reached 27C or 81F. I decided to spend both days exploring the Grande Île which is the historic centre of Strasbourg and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Grande Île is located on an island formed by the River Ill. It is home to many of Strasbourg’s most iconic landmarks, including the Cathedral and the Petite France neighbourhood. The area is characterised by its narrow streets, timbered houses, and beautiful architecture, including examples of Gothic and Renaissance styles.
Strasbourg Cathedral also known as Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg was built between 1180 and 1439 and is a fascinating blend of different styles of medieval architecture. The stone lacework is an outstanding example of the skills of the Cathedral’s masons. The tower, which stretches up 142 metres, showcases the excellence of medieval engineering and remained the tallest building in Europe until 1874.
Here’s a sampling of what I explored in Strasbourg. To view captions, please click on the photos.
From Strasbourg Cathedral I walked to the River Ill and passed the Corbeau Bridge, St. Nicholas Bridge, St. Thomas Bridge and St. Martin Bridge to reach the Petite France neighbourhood. Petite France is home to some of Strasbourg’s prettiest and most photogenic streets and buildings.
I enjoyed two wonderful days exploring Strasbourg on foot and learned about the city’s main sights and their history. I would love to return for a longer stay and use Strasbourg as the base to explore the Alsace region of France. On my third day in Strasbourg, I made a train trip to Colmar. I hope to share Colmar in my next post.
Link-Up
I’d love for you to share your week’s highlights and/ or public art from around the world in the Comments or Weekend Coffee Share link-up #167 below.
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Natalie the Explorer 
We holidayed there last year. Lovely place. We were lucky enough to have our bikes so covered quite a bit. Nice to see the pictures and be reminded.
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Yes, with a bike you’d be able to cover more of Strasbourg. I’m glad you had a good holiday there.
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This place looks amazing. Unfortunately I haven’t been there. I especially like the design of the houses.
Here is my entry for PPAC https://wanderingteresa.com/bristol/
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There are many charming houses to photograph in Petite France neighbourhood in Strasbourg. You’d love it there. Thank you for your PPAC contribution that lets me see some of Bristol’s public art.
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I know I will definitely love walking the streets of Strasbourg.
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Strasbourg looks like a beautiful city.
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Yes, it is. It also has excellent public transportation (trams, trains), and dedicated paths for pedestrians and cyclists.
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This looks like a very charming place. I love the houses! Thanks for sharing your pictures.
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Darlene, Strasbourg is charming and the Grand Île carries years of history. Thank you for stopping by.
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Such amazing architecture! I was in Washington DC this week and enjoyed seeing so many older buildings.
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There’s lots to see in Washington DC. I’m glad you had an enjoyable trip.
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I once visited Strasbourg to catch a river boat on the Rhine but didn’t get a chance to look around properly apart from a brief visit to the cathedral, so I enjoyed seeing more of it through your photos 🙂
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The Petite France district in Strasbourg is very charming with ancient timbered houses along the canal. Lots of cafés, shops and restaurants, too.
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These are great pictures, Natalie! I have not been there so it’s nice to read about your experience visiting. I especially like the picture of the ancient washhouse and how close it is to the water!
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Thank you, Barbara, for your comment. Those ancient wash houses are now restaurants with seats right by the canal.
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Oh that would be so fun to visit!
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Yes, the whole Petite France area is charming. It attracts many visitors.
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Looks wonderful Natalie and you can definitely see the German influence. Looks like a great city to walk around
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Thank you, Alison, for your comment. Strasbourg is easy to explore on foot, by bike, tram or boat and it is a charming city.
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Beautiful Church
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Strasbourg Cathedral is the pride of the city and its residents.
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I totally understan why you wanted to visit Strasbourg ! I have never visited, but seeing all that lovely architecture I’d love to take the train there myself. I think it is so cool that one can take a train and all of a sudden you are in a new place as amazing as Strasbourg seem to be, seeing it through your lens. Thank you for the tour!
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Thank you, Maria, for your comment. Yes, only 1 hour 50 minutes away from Paris and Strasbourg offers a unique blend of French and German cultures.
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I’ve only had one brief visit to Strasbourg, and loved it. Thanks for this trip. You’ve whetted my appetite to go again.
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Strasbourg is charming and has plenty of things to see and do for a long weekend getaway. It’s also a good base to explore the Alsace region and its wine route.
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I’ve been curious about Strasbourg for years. From your writing and photos it seems as good as I imagined. The centuries of craftsmanship and artistry in the cathedrals is mind-blowing.
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Strasbourg Cathedral is stunning inside out. Entry is free. Inside there is an astronomical clock, an ancient organ (both still work) and many beautiful stained glass windows.
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A place that is on my list to visit if we ever get to travel in Europe again (other than visiting family and friends!).
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I highly recommend Strasbourg.
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Hi Natalie, we visited Strasbourg for a day on our River Cruise last year. Strasbourg Cathedral was amazing as was the astronomical clock. I love the history and age of European cities. Thank you for sharing your trip and bringing back memories of my visit. Thank you also for hosting #WeekendCoffeeShare. Have a lovely ekend.
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Hi Sue, Strasbourg Cathedral and its astronomical clock are impressive. I’m glad you had an enjoyable visit to Strasbourg. Thank you for linking up. Have a great weekend!
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Nice pictures as usual. I will never see Paris so this is a nice way of seeing it through someone else’s eyes.
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Thanks, Tessa. I’m pleased you like my pictures from France.
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I haven’t been to Strasbourg so thanks for the tour. I’m sure I’d enjoy walking around this city. The architecture is beautiful. I love the German influence
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Strasbourg is beautiful and rich in history. I’m sure you’d enjoy walking around the city. It has bike paths and trams too.
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I’d love to go there. It looks so lovely. Those houses are magnificent!
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The half timbered houses are common in the Petite France area of Strasbourg. There is a nice mix of French and German architecture along the river.
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I’ve seen many photos of Strasbourg, Natalie, and actually follow a blogger who lives there- lucky soul! It looks beautiful.
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Lucky soul indeed. Strasbourg is a charming city with excellent transportation system.
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🤗🩷
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Great photos. Although I have been in France three times, I have never been to Strasbourg. The old architecture is wonderful.
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Strasbourg old architecture is well preserved and maintained. It was a pleasure to walk around and examine the building details.
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This post took me back to our visit in 2012. I ended up going back and reading my posts!!
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Part of the fun of travel is the recollection of past trips. Sounds like you had a good visit to Strasbourg. I left out many details and photos of my stay there to keep my blog post short.
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The detail in the cathedral is absolutely amazing. I try to wrap my head around the idea of working on a building that will never be finished during their lifetimes. It’s a completely different mind set than is typical now.
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Strasbourg Cathedral is stunning. The stone lacework is incredible to see IRL. Inside the cathedral there is an ancient astronomical clock that’s still working.
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That looks like such a beautiful area to explore!
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The Petite France area in Strasbourg is charming and very pretty.
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A wonderful overview of Strasbourg. I LOVE the architecure! It is one of the places on my ‘Bucket List’.
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I hope you’ll visit Strasbourg and enjoy the city.
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Natalie, I, too loved walking too many of the sites and landmarks in Paris. France is set up so well for that! I enjoyed your photos and your share on another intriguing part of France. -Pamela
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Pam, I’m glad you loved Paris. France has many beautiful cities, towns and villages that I have enjoyed exploring.
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What an amazing place. It is a place that I would love to visit. So very nice, thanks for sharing this amazing trip.
Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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You’re welcome, Patrick. I’m pleased you enjoyed my post and photos.
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Wonderful pictures. This is such a nice place – I was there years ago. Interesting post, Natalie! Here is my contribution to weekendcoffeeshare.
https://rosemarycarlson.com/2024/06/16/weekendcoffeeshare-167/
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I’m glad you had a nice visit to Strasbourg. It is a lovely city. Thank you for linking up.
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Thanks for the trip back to Strasbourg. I went there for a day trip while I was staying in Paris in 1992 and absolutely loved it. Don’t know what took me there but it was very picturesque. I also had an onion tarte for lunch which blew me away and I’ve never seen it again.
Hope you have a great week.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Rowena, I’m glad you loved Strasbourg. The Alsace region is known for their delicious tartes flambées. Thank you for linking up. Have a wonderful week!
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I am currently teaching a group of students from Strasbourg (they go to a business college…or school….something like that). I am not sure why I am commenting on that other than it is a nice mild coincidence.
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Anthony, Speaking of coincidence, I was thinking of an extended stay in Toulouse area and read your post about your friends’ Salut B&B in Carcassonne. I’ll bookmark their site in the event I decide to stay there.
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Fantastic. They also have a “gitte”–not sure if I am writing that correctly, which is more like a short term apartment if your stay is extended.
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Yes, I saw the gite on their website. It looks great for an extended stay.
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Beautiful architecture, I think I would like the covered bridges.
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The area by the covered bridges is beautiful.
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I was in Strosbourg in April and found it fascinating as well. We did a 4 hr Coomar Pocket tour that was incredible. Enjoy!
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I got both of your comments although this one for some unknown reasons went into the spam folder. Thank you for your patience.
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I was in Strosbourg in April and found it fascinating as well. We did a 4 hr comar pocket tour which was incredible. Beautiful place filled with incredible history.
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I agree with you that both Strasbourg and Colmar are beautiful places filled with incredible history. I’m glad you had a good visit in April.
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Looks great. Adding to our list!
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I hope you enjoy Strasbourg whenever you visit the city.
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