Strasbourg Travel Guide

Petite France is the most picturesque and fairy-tale charming district of Strasbourg, where half-timbered old houses reflected in the Ill River, winding waterways and flower bridges weave the unique romantic flair of Alsace—like a living fairy tale. Petite France (La Petite France) sits at the west of Strasbourg's old town, where the Ill River forks into several branches—the most charming corner of Strasbourg's historic center (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Historically it was a craftsmen's quarter of tanners, fishers and millers. Strolling Petite France, the scene is like a fairy tale: rows of 16th–17th century Alsatian half-timbered old houses (colombage, with exposed wooden frames and colored walls, steep roofs and dormers) stand neatly, warm and colorful; these quaint old houses line the winding waterways and riverbanks, reflected in the clear Ill, virtual and real together, poetic and picturesque; small bridges (including the famous covered bridge and flower bridge) cross the waterways, with flowers and green along the banks. Here the Alsatian flair blending French and German cultures is fully displayed (Strasbourg, at the French-German border in Alsace, has deep French-German cultural blending). Walking in this picturesque water town, seeing the colorful half-timbered houses, the reflections in the water, the quaint flower bridges, and the corner shops and restaurants (try Alsatian flavors), you feel as if in a fairy tale. Explore Strasbourg, stroll the picturesque Petite France, and feel the Alsatian fairy-tale flair—an unmissable sight in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg Cathedral of Notre-Dame stands in the heart of Strasbourg's old town in France's Alsace region and is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, inscribed as part of the Strasbourg UNESCO World Heritage extension in 2017. Construction began on a Romanesque base in 1015; the present Gothic structure was designed by architect Erwin von Steinbach from 1176 and largely completed by 1439. Between 1647 and 1874 it was the tallest building in the world, with the north spire reaching 142 meters. The facade is richly carved, the rose window spans about 13 meters, and the astronomical clock on the west front has operated daily since 1842, with a parade of apostles and crowing rooster at 12:30 each day, embodying medieval craftsmanship and religious art.

The Louise Weiss building on the banks of the Ill river hosts the European Parliament's Strasbourg seat, where more than 700 MEPs gather for plenary sessions each month. Its sweeping glass facade and vast elliptical debating chamber, opened in 1999, have become icons of contemporary European architecture. A visitor centre uses interactive displays to explain how the EU actually works, and during session weeks visitors with a booking can watch debates from the public gallery. Look out for the deliberately unfinished tower, a well-known symbol of European integration as an ongoing project.

Palais Rohan, Strasbourg's grand episcopal palace, was built between 1732 and 1742 for the Prince-Bishop de Rohan and stands as a masterpiece of French classicism in Alsace. Sandwiched between the cathedral and the Ill river, its sumptuous state rooms are said to have hosted Marie Antoinette on the eve of her wedding journey, and Napoleon lodged here too. Today the palace packs in three museums: archaeology in the cellars, decorative arts with superb Alsatian clocks and goldsmithery, and a fine-arts collection upstairs. If time is short, the bishop's apartments alone are worth the ticket.

Housed in three linked sixteenth- and seventeenth-century half-timbered houses beside the Ill, the Musée Alsacien is as much about its buildings as its collections, with wooden galleries bridging the interiors. Reconstructed rooms recreate traditional Alsatian life: blackened kitchen hearths with hanging copper pots, carved Stub parlours with tiled stoves that once signalled a family's status, plus regional costumes, ceramics and festival folk art. Wandering through feels like stepping into an Alsatian village of centuries past, and Petite France is only minutes away along the river afterwards.

Strasbourg's Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain opened in 1994 on the banks of the Ill, its elongated glass hull resembling a ship moored against the orange rooftops of the old town. The collection runs from the 1870s to the present day, spanning Impressionism, Kandinsky, contemporary video and installation art, with a dedicated space for Strasbourg-born illustrator Tomi Ungerer. A surprise for many visitors is the museum's monumental canvases by Gustave Dore, several metres tall and theatrically displayed. Finish on the rooftop terrace for a view across the river toward the cathedral spire.