Strasbourg 6 Day Itinerary

Strasbourg manages to be the seat of the European Parliament, a major university city, and one of the most photographed canal districts in France without feeling confused about what it is. The German-French identity is not a tension here; it is the product, visible in the food, the language mixing on street signs, and the architecture. Six days is enough time to move past the postcard version.

Getting In and Around

Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport (SXB) is 15 km from the city centre. The airport shuttle train runs every 20 minutes and takes 11 minutes to reach Strasbourg station, costing around EUR 5. Taxis are metered; confirm the meter starts at zero before moving. Pre-booked transfers run EUR 25-40.

The city’s tram network is excellent and covers most tourist destinations. Single tickets or 24-hour passes are available at stops. The Grande Ile (the old island city centre) is largely walkable; most of what you want to see in the first two days requires no tram at all.

Where to Stay

First-time visitors should base themselves on or near the Grande Ile. Cour du Corbeau, a converted 16th-century inn near the cathedral, is the most atmospheric mid-range choice (EUR 150-200 per night). For a quieter and more local stay, the Krutenau district, just east of the Grande Ile, mixes university life with good restaurants and is a 10-minute walk from everything. Krutenau is also the better base if you plan to be out in the evenings; it is livelier after dark.

Day 1: The Cathedral, Petite France, and First Dinner

The Notre-Dame Cathedral is the obvious starting point, but most people manage it wrong. The nave is free. The tower platform costs EUR 8 and involves 332 narrow spiral steps; the views justify the climb on a clear day. The Astronomical Clock costs an additional EUR 3 and performs daily at 12:30 pm, with a procession of apostle figures moving before a figure of Christ while the clock displays astronomical positions and the current calendar date. Arrive by 12:15 to get a reasonable spot; it sells out fast on busy days.

After the cathedral, walk west to Petite France. This is the most photographed district in Strasbourg and crowds make that obvious, but it rewards early-morning or evening visits when the tour groups thin out. The half-timbered houses along the Ill and the covered bridges (Ponts Couverts) at the western edge are worth the walk. Do not attempt to eat lunch in Petite France on a summer weekend; the tourist traps are thick and the queues are genuine.

Instead, cross to the Krutenau side of the Grande Ile for lunch: a tarte flambee (flammekueche) at Schatzi, which focuses on local producers and traditional preparation, is the right introduction to Alsatian food. The dish is a thin-crust base with creme fraiche, lardons, and onion, cooked in a wood-fired oven; order two per person.

For dinner, Chez Yvonne on Rue du Sanglier is the reference address for Alsatian cooking in Strasbourg. It is not undiscovered, but the food is the real thing: baeckeoffe (a slow-cooked meat and potato casserole), choucroute, and a wine list that stays local. Expect to spend EUR 40-55 per person with wine.

Day 2: European Institutions and Modern Art

The European Parliament offers free visitor access. The hemicycle itself is only open when the parliament is not in session; check the published schedule before going. Even without floor access, the visitor centre explains the EU’s structure clearly, which matters in a city whose entire modern identity is tied to European project. The walk between the cathedral and the Parliament passes through the Orangerie district, a residential neighbourhood of good proportions with a park worth a short stop.

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCS) on Place Hans Jean Arp is one of the better provincial modern art museums in France, with a good permanent collection and usually a strong temporary show. Entry costs around EUR 7. Have lunch at one of the cafes on Place Kléber, the large central square, and then spend the afternoon at the Alsatian Museum on Quai Saint Nicolas, which covers the region’s folk culture through reconstructed interiors and costume collections. This sounds dry and is not.

For dinner, Au Crocodile on Rue de l’Outre is the most formally celebrated restaurant in Strasbourg, holding long-standing Michelin recognition. It is expensive (EUR 100-180 per person) and worth considering as a single splurge dinner. If the budget does not stretch, Mama Bubbele in Krutenau offers tarte flambee made from organic Alsatian flour with a terrace facing the quais; it is excellent and costs a fraction of the price.

Day 3: Alsace Wine Route

Rent a car the night before. The Alsace Wine Route runs roughly 170 km between Marlenheim (north of Strasbourg) and Thann (south of Colmar). Three days would not exhaust it; one day requires choices.

The priority is Eguisheim, consistently rated among the most beautiful villages in France. Built in concentric rings around its central castle, it is architecturally coherent in a way that Riquewihr, though equally famous, no longer quite is (Riquewihr has more tourists and more souvenir shops). Eguisheim in the early morning, before the tour coaches arrive, is genuinely quiet.

Between Eguisheim and Riquewihr, stop at Turckheim, the least visited of the wine route villages, where the WWII museum on the Colmar Pocket covers the bitter 1944-45 fighting in the region with unusual local specificity. It is small but serious.

Wine tasting along the route: most domaines accept walk-in visitors, particularly for Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Pinot Gris tastings. Do not feel obligated to buy. The better producers tend to be slightly off the main street in each village.

Return to Strasbourg and eat simply. After a day of wine tasting, the right dinner is choucroute (sauerkraut with pork) at a straightforward winstub, not another elaborate restaurant.

Day 4: History, Parks, and Slower Pace

The Alsatian Museum deserves more time if you rushed it on Day 2. Otherwise, the morning of Day 4 is good for the neighbourhood around Rue des Juifs and the old Jewish quarter, one of the oldest in Alsace. The Aubette building on Place Kléber, recently restored, is a significant piece of 1920s interior architecture designed in part by Theo van Doesburg.

Parc de l’Orangerie in the afternoon. The park has a stork reserve, which matters because the white stork is the symbol of Alsace and was nearly extinct in the region by the 1980s; a reintroduction programme has rebuilt the population and they are visible here. Bring bread for the ducks, but leave the park before the evening traffic surge around the European quarter.

For dinner, Les Tontons Flambeurs in the NoLiStra neighbourhood (opened 2023) takes tarte flambee seriously with quality wine pairings. It is younger and louder than the traditional winstubs, which is a virtue on a mid-trip evening.

Day 5: Shopping, Antiques, and Neighbourhood Exploration

Rue des Grandes Arcades and the pedestrian zone around it carry the usual French retail chains. Skip them. The more interesting Strasbourg shopping is in the Krutenau district and along Rue des Juifs for antiques, independent bookshops, and Alsatian food products (choucroute in jars, kugelhopf moulds, Gewurztraminer from small producers).

The Marche de la Marne on Saturday morning is the best food market in the city. If your Day 5 lands on a Saturday, reorganise the week to keep this slot free; it covers local produce, cheese, charcuterie, and the flatbreads you have been eating all week.

For lunch, Winstub des Moulins in Petite France serves traditional Alsatian dishes in an appropriate setting without the worst tourist-trap pricing. The muenster cheese and foie gras are both regional.

Evening: walk the Grande Ile after dark. The cathedral is illuminated and the crowds are different from the daytime tourist groups: locals out for dinner, students heading to Krutenau bars. This is the Strasbourg that residents recognise.

Day 6: Final Morning and Departure

A slow morning works best. The cathedral opens early; a visit before 9am on a weekday, when it is nearly empty, is a different experience from the midday astronomical clock crowd. The boulangeries on the small streets between the cathedral and Rue des Freres open by 7am; a coffee and a croissant at street level is the correct last meal.

If your train or flight allows, the half-hour drive to Obernai (or the 30-minute regional train) gives one more compact Alsatian town without the wine route crowds. It is quieter than Riquewihr and has a functional Monday morning market that few tourists reach.

Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport is compact and efficient. Allow 45 minutes from the city centre to allow for the shuttle train and security. The duty-free sells Alsatian wines at airport markup; buy at a village domaine instead.