Strasbourg is one of those cities that has been on our list to visit for a number of years. After putting it off on one of our many trips to Germany, we finally made it a point to drive there and have a visit. Our base in Germany is nice and central to so many regions. Located close to Speyer/Hockenheim, we are only about 45-50 minutes from Strasbourg, so there’s no excuse NOT to go in reality…

We’ve crossed numerous borders during our Germany trips and they are usually a non-event, but crossing the bridge from Germany into France at Kehl is certainly a bit of an eye-opener. It’s like going from a spotless room into a messy teenager’s room… a bit of a WOW! moment. We were quite surprised to see how different France really is – dirtier and grimy would probably be the best way to describe it.

Other than the lower speed limit, driving wasn’t any different, and finding our destination was very easy – as was finding a parking spot. We got there about noon and were surprised to find parking was actually free for a period, but we reckoned we’d be a while so paid for a few hours at a very reasonable price considering we were right in the middle of Petite-France. Beware – we ran into a couple of teenagers that wanted to “help” us pay for our parking – even though it was free. Read the signs even if you don’t understand French, you’ll understand the signs.

Here’s a GoogleMap of the area – there’s plenty of parking if you click the ‘Parking’ button along the top.

We parked here – HPHR+M6 Strasbourg, France close to the Square des Moulins.

Petite-France is a lively tourist hub known for cobblestone streets, canals and well-preserved half-timbered homes dating back to the 1500’s. There’s plenty to see and do in the area – don’t forget your camera!

Make sure you find the covered bridge Barrage Vauban. It’s a pink sandstone dam and bridge built in the 17th century that has a great view of Ponts Couverts de Strasbourg – three points that stick out like fingers.

Centre of Petite-France: HPJR+FJ Strasbourg, France (6 Rue des Moulins, 67000 Strasbourg, France)

Strasbourg Web Site: Visit Strasbourg 

Pictures of Petite-France…There are lots of pictures, so we put them in a gallery. Click on the pictures for larger versions.

From just about everywhere in Strasbourg you can see the spire of the Notre-Dame Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg) a Gothic Cathedral dating from the 1200’s, with a 16th-century astronomical clock and a rose window. Going by previous experience in Europe – where there’s a Cathedral, there’s more old buildings, shops etc. So our next stop was over there.

We could have walked over there, but getting back would probably have worn us out, so we drove there.  It was easy enough to get to it and once again, parking was a breeze. Note: a lot of the streets in the area are one-way.

We parked on one of the side streets off Quai des Bateliers and walked across the Pont Sainte Madeleine Bridge to the square. The area along Quai des Bateliers was pretty run down and dodgy–looking, but we never felt unsafe.

Once across the bridge there was more cobblestone streets and well-preserved half-timbered homes and shops. The Cathedral is huge and entry is free. There are plenty of restaurants and coffee shops to sit and watch the world go by as well as a number of museums too.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg – HQJ2+QC Strasbourg, France

Pont Sainte Madeleine Bridge: HQJ3+77 Strasbourg, France

Pictures of Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg area…There are lots of pictures, so we put them in a gallery. Click on the pictures for larger versions.

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Text: Iain Shankland | Photography: Iain & Gail Shankland
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Iain & Gail started blogging in order to inspire and motivate people to travel the world from their perspective – specializing in having the most fun while using the least amount of money, travelling on the cheap without sacrificing comfort.

** In the end you will only regret the things you didn’t do **