Strasbourg

If you come to Strasbourg, you have to visit Notre-Dame Cathedral. The building is Gothic in style and simply stunning! The talent of the builders and sculptors of the Middle Ages shines through in the detail on the cathedral’s façade. And there’s a little gem hidden inside the building: an astronomical clock. Every day at 12:30pm, the automated figures appear from the clock and put on a show.

It would be a shame to visit Strasbourg and not go and see one of the European institutions. Take a tour around the modern-looking building of the European Parliament. This is the meeting place for European politicians. Visit the Hemicycle and parlamentarium Simone Veil for a fun insight into the role of the European Parliament.

Strasbourg lies on the river Rhine and is home to tons of museums. There are three just in Rohan Palace: the Archaeological, Fine Arts and Decorative Arts Museums. The Alsatian Museum and MAMCS (modern and contemporary art) Museum are also worth a visit, as are the Museum of Seismology, Planetarium and Le Vaisseau science centre which runs special workshops. Strasbourg even has a Voodoo Museum!

For a truly magical evening, visit the Strasbourg Opera House. Throughout the year, the venue hosts recitals, dance shows and operas. And unusually, the Opera House also offers insider dining experiences on stage and in the wings. Don’t wait too long to make a reservation!

Have you heard of the bouchon cafés in Lyon? Well, winstubs are the Strasbourg version. As in Lyon, you get to eat delicious, local food in a traditional setting. Head to La Petite France to find a pretty, little winstub where you can enjoy a large plate of sauerkraut.

Baeckeoffe is a tasty, traditional, hearty dish. To make Baeckeoffe, you need to marinate beef, lamb, pork and vegetables overnight in white wine. The next day, you put alternate layers of the mixture and potato slices in a dish. An exquisite smell radiates from the oven!

Flammenküeche is the Alsatian version of a pizza and is very popular with visitors. Flammenküeche has a thin, bread base. which is covered in crème fraîche, fromage blanc, onion and bacon lardons. Flammenküeche is flame-baked in a wood-fire oven to make the dough really crispy.