How to spend a day in Strasbourg

Strasbourg is a city which subtly blends the past and the present. Historic sites like the centuries-old Strasbourg Cathedral sit side-by-side with modern marvels such as the European Parliament Building in a picturesque city that’s a cross between a traditional French village and a European powerhouse. The city straddles the French-German border, with just the river Rhine between them, and some of our TUI River Cruises stop here for the day, so you’ll have a good few hours to explore. Here’s our guide on making the most of a whistle-stop trip to Strasbourg…

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Strasbourg’s historic city centre sits on its very own island, with the Ill River and the Canal du Faux-Rampart encircling it and a network of bridges criss-crossing the waterways. It’s grabbed a place in the record books, too – in 1988 it became the first entire city centre to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status. And it’s not just the older part of town that’s been approved – in 2017, its heritage status was extended to include the Neustadt area on the other side of the river.

While you’re in town, you can try some of the local specialities on our Strasbourg walking food tour*

Right in the heart of Strasbourg is its immense Gothic cathedral, which has been keeping watch over the city for almost 600 years. It’s so big that it was actually the world’s tallest building for more than two centuries, and although construction finished in 1439, it started way back in 1015 – meaning parts of it have been standing for over 1,000 years.

You can see the cathedral and plenty more on the best of Strasbourg private walking tour*

Strasbourg’s Christmas market first appeared on the scene way back in 1570, and it’s still going strong more than 450 years later. Around two million visitors flock to the city every year to stock up on tree decorations, handmade toys and religious statues – and a fair few try out some of the local specialities, too, like pretzels, kougelhopf and sauerkraut.

You can book your Strasbourg Christmas market tour* before you go

Fancy seeing Strasbourg for yourself?

Browse our Rhine River Cruise deals to find your next getaway. Or, find out more about the highlights of a Rhine River cruise and check out our essential guide to river cruising.

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Author: Darren Notley

Last updated: 26.09.2022

*These experiences are not part of the TUI River Cruises shore experiences, but are bookable instead at tui.co.uk/things-to-do