Strasbourg France

Impressive city of Strasbourg, a day in the city.

What to do on a visit to the City of Strasbourg, State of Alsace in France.

On this occasion we went a bit beyond our borders to bring you a somewhat international destination for us.
This destination is very easily accessible from our city in southern Germany, very popular destinations in this area to visit due to its proximity or for having a direct connection from the international airport of the city of Stuttgart or by train, or simply destinations that we want to promote our travel blog in general, and the idea is always to help with travel advice on how to access, how to get there, what to do and what to find.

But hey, without further ado, we invite you to get to know with us the city of Strasbourg, France, very close to the border with Germany and the State of Baden Wurttemberg, just 8 kilometers from the border.

On this occasion our visit is made in a private vehicle, but you can also make this trip using the buses of the FlixBus company, the trip is only about two hours, so it is a city that can come and go on the same day if you want it

The city with German and French cultural and architectural influence is the capital of the state of Alsace in northern France, and also named capital of the European Union.
Located next to the Rhine River, its canals that surround the city are undoubtedly one of its main characteristics and attractions, the city in its urban part reached a population of around 1.2 million inhabitants and became the 4th city in France in what population is concerned, and since ancient times it has always been an important center of communication, especially fluvial being its port the second most important in all of France, it is also the second banking place, a strong industrial sector being one of the regions with the highest GDP per capita.
Very important culturally, with theater, library, orchestra, opera, and cultural institutions, it is also a very important diplomatic headquarters with 150 embassies and consulates, university headquarters with around 78 thousand students, it becomes one of the largest study centers in the country. .
And possibly the most important thing to note, Strasbourg is, together with Brussels, considered the capital city of the European Union, where the headquarters of the European Parliament are located.

Let's know a little about its history. Officially it is established that the city of Strasbourg was founded in the year 12 BC of Roman origin, although its beginnings are estimated to be several centuries earlier thanks to archaeological discoveries in the city.
For many centuries it was the place of many battles for its domination, destruction and reconstructions, becoming part of the regions of Alamanes, Merovingian Franks, becoming part of the kingdom of Lotharingia and later part of the kingdom of Germania until finally the annexation to France in the 17th century.
It took relevance and regional influence on the part of Otto II in the years 982 that granted it authority over a set of cities in its surroundings, which influenced its growth and development in subsequent years with a lot of bourgeois influence and even by the English in the In 1015 its imposing cathedral was built.

During the Second World War in 1940 the city was evacuated and occupied by German forces who tried to add it to Hitler's Third Reich by destroying its synagogue, establishing a regime administration and excluding all who did not have Germanic origin, and in 1943 it suffered the bombing of the allied forces suffering the destruction of much of the infrastructure and historical buildings in the center. Finally being released in November 1944, and after the end of the war, Strasbourg became a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation and was declared in 1946 as the seat of the European Council, reaching its international institutional character at levels such as Geneva or New York without this being a capital city. In the 1960s, its growth was exponential, driven by economic progress favored by its traditional strategic communications position in the center of Europe.

The historic center is a historical beauty, its architecture very well preserved with medieval and classical features, its cobbled alleys, it is established within the channels of the Rhine river recreating a very romantic image between bridges and buildings with wooden structures, balconies and railings. adorned with flowers making the photograph more colorful.

Probably the main attraction of the center and the city is its old church, the Notra Dame de Strasbourg cathedral, imposing with extreme beauty and details in every inch of construction.

Declared as a Unesco heritage site, the church was built in a late Gothic style between 1015 and 1439, one of its characteristics is having only one of its towers finished with a maximum height of 142 meters.

The church suffered the revalidation between France and Germany in 1871, and the Second World War in which it suffered consequences of the allied aviation bombing in 1944.
Its main façade is very striking with its sculptures on its different portals inspired by the passion of Christ, the power of the English and the apostles, prophets and martyrs, the church is a reflection of the artistic life of the city since the Middle Ages.

The church square is undoubtedly the busiest in the city for tourists, its surrounding cafes invite visitors to enjoy the panorama, many artists offer personal portrait services or sale of works of art, in front of it is also the tourist office where you can find informative material about the city. The church is really impressive. Admission is free but you must adapt to the specific time for access, you can also pay if you want to climb the tower and enjoy the panorama from the highest point of the city. Another service that you will find right next to the church is the tourist train tour, a recommended activity for those who do not enjoy walking.

Losing yourself in the streets of the city center, which is practically mostly pedestrianized, is undoubtedly a great experience. Strasbourg is a very picturesque and photogenic city, it has an important tourist popularity, so seeing visitors is not strange. and therefore also many options in what is gastronomy, art and craft shops, museums, tourist souvenirs and many curiosities that you can discover only walking within the city, you can also take a boat tour and do the tour within the channels until reaching the European Parliament, the boats are very comfortable and in some cases also with bar and restaurant service.

Another of the attractions of the city center is a part of the city known as Little Paris, it is for many the most beautiful area of the city, it is an architectural craftsmanship, between the canals and the historical buildings, all preserved to the perfection, difficult to describe, a very pleasant walk and with that romance that characterizes France and its capital city, I think that the images speak more than a thousand words.

Finally, our visit concluded with a visit to the European Parliament, already on the outskirts of the city, this is made up of a set of buildings always with the channels of the Rhine river decorating it, it is known as the heart of the Euro metropolis, its architecture logically more modern and forms what is the building of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe among others.

Walking a bit on foot between the different buildings and the river, we took the last pictures since it was the end of our tour in the city, the visit took us around 5 hours in total, in a very comfortable way we covered practically the entire center, We enjoyed the urban landscape and it was our turn to start our journey back to the city of Stuttgart. It was a very pleasant and recommended visit.