Strasbourg
Capital Of Alsace On The Rhine; Its Grande ÎLe And Neustadt Are A UNESCO World Heritage Site (1988, Extended 2017); Seat Of The European Parliament · Strasbourg, Grand Est
Strasbourg is the capital of Alsace, on the Rhine at the border with Germany, and a city that has passed between France and Germany several times, which shows in its food, its dialect and its buildings. The historic centre, the Grande Île, is an island ringed by the river Ill, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988; the listing was extended in 2017 to include the Neustadt, the grand district built during the German period after 1871. At its heart stands the cathedral of Notre-Dame, a Gothic church of pink sandstone with a single soaring spire, an astronomical clock and a viewing platform reached by stairs. Petite France, the old tanners' and millers' quarter, is a maze of half-timbered houses, canals and locks. Strasbourg is also a seat of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. Its Christmas market, one of the oldest in Europe, runs from late November to late December and is extremely crowded. The city is flat and very bike-friendly, and the Alsace Wine Route and Colmar are close.
Grande Île and Petite France, Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Grand Est, France
The streets and squares of the Grande Île and Petite France are open at all times and free. The cathedral is open daily outside services, closing for a period around midday on some days, and visits can be restricted during Masses and special events; in the busy seasons there can be a security queue at the door. The astronomical clock's automata show takes place once a day, shortly after midday, with a separate ticket and a limited number of places, so buy it on the day or confirm the current system. The cathedral platform is climbed by a long spiral staircase and keeps its own seasonal hours, and it can close in storms or ice. City museums, including those in the Palais Rohan, usually close one weekday, often Tuesday, and some public holidays. Boat tours on the Ill run all year, most often in summer and at Christmas, and can be suspended at high water. The Christmas market runs from late November until about 24 December, with the stalls open through the day into the evening and heavy security checks on the bridges into the Grande Île. Visits to the European Parliament must be booked and depend on the session calendar; confirm.