France
Strasbourg is the capital of Alsace and one of the most enchanting cities in Europe, a Franco-German crossroads where half-timbered houses lean over the canals of the Ill and a pink sandstone cathedral soars 142 metres above the rooftops.
Its island centre, the Grande Île, and the German-built Neustadt beyond it are both listed by UNESCO, and the city is also a seat of the European Parliament. Visitors come for the cathedral and its astronomical clock, the canals and covered bridges of Petite France, the palace museums of the prince-bishops, a boat tour around the old town and, above all in late November and December, the Christkindelsmärik, the famous Christmas market that turns Strasbourg into the Capital of Christmas. Half an hour south by regional train, Colmar adds the Isenheim Altarpiece and the canals of Little Venice, and between the two runs the Alsace Wine Route, a ribbon of storybook villages, vineyards and castles such as the mighty Haut-Koenigsbourg. This guide books the tickets worth booking, flags winter hours, Tuesday museum closures and Christmas market crowds, and matches you to the right hotel, from a five-star base on the Grande Île to a spa hotel in an old mill and a 16th-century inn on the water in Colmar.
Petite France and the Grande Île
Strasbourg’s storybook quarter of 16th- and 17th-century half-timbered houses, canals and the Covered Bridges, at the western tip of the UNESCO-listed Grande Île, best explored on foot and free at any hour.
Strasbourg Cathedral (Notre-Dame), Astronomical Clock and Platform
The pink sandstone masterpiece at the heart of the Grande Île, with a 142-metre spire, medieval stained glass, an astronomical clock whose figures parade every day at 12:30 and a 330-step climb to a viewing platform 66 metres up.
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
Alsace’s most famous castle, a red sandstone fortress on a forested spur high above the Wine Route, rebuilt in the early 20th century under Kaiser Wilhelm II, with furnished halls, an arms collection and sweeping views to the Black Forest.
Musée Unterlinden, Colmar
Colmar’s great museum in a former medieval convent, home to the Isenheim Altarpiece, one of the masterpieces of European painting, plus Renaissance art, Picasso and some 7,000 years of Alsatian archaeology.
The pink sandstone masterpiece at the heart of the Grande Île, with a 142-metre spire, medieval stained glass, an astronomical clock whose figures parade every day at 12:30 and a 330-step climb to a viewing platform 66 metres up.
FreeStrasbourg’s storybook quarter of 16th- and 17th-century half-timbered houses, canals and the Covered Bridges, at the western tip of the UNESCO-listed Grande Île, best explored on foot and free at any hour.
The classic way to see Strasbourg from the water: covered, heated boats that circle the Grande Île and glide through Petite France, the Neustadt and the European quarter with audio commentary in more than a dozen languages.
The 18th-century palace of Strasbourg’s prince-bishops, beside the cathedral, home to three city museums: the state apartments and Decorative Arts Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and the Archaeological Museum.
A 170-kilometre road from Marlenheim to Thann through vineyards, castles and storybook villages such as Riquewihr, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg, with cellar doors for tasting the region’s seven grape varieties and village Christmas markets in December.
Alsace’s most famous castle, a red sandstone fortress on a forested spur high above the Wine Route, rebuilt in the early 20th century under Kaiser Wilhelm II, with furnished halls, an arms collection and sweeping views to the Black Forest.
Colmar’s great museum in a former medieval convent, home to the Isenheim Altarpiece, one of the masterpieces of European painting, plus Renaissance art, Picasso and some 7,000 years of Alsatian archaeology.
A compact, interactive museum of Alsace wine on the cathedral square in Colmar, with a six-language audio guide, children’s tracks and a tasting of Alsace wines or fruit juices at the end of the visit.
A chocolate museum on Colmar’s cathedral square that tells the history of cocoa with an audio guide, a live demonstration by a chocolate maker, chocolate sculptures and a tasting, with workshops and hot chocolate as extras.
A charming museum in Colmar’s old town, open since 1993, that tells the story of play through toys from 19th-century rocking horses, dolls and board games to the toys of today, an easy and affordable family stop.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Grande Île (Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune)
A five-star hotel on the Place Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Grande Île, with 150 rooms including 28 suites, a French brasserie, the Link Bar, a round-the-clock fitness room and valet parking, which is rare in the old town.
Rates on Expedia →
$$$Petite France
A romantic spa hotel in a 17th-century former ice mill on the canals of Petite France, with 75 rooms and suites, some with canal-facing balconies, a spa with sauna, Turkish bath and jacuzzi, a riverside restaurant and a champagne bar.
Rates on Expedia →
$$Grande Île (near the cathedral)
A four-star boutique hotel with 43 rooms on the Rue des Serruriers, a few minutes from the cathedral, renovated in 2023 with a calm contemporary style, air conditioning and a Green Key eco-label, at a mid-range price.
Rates on Expedia →Little Venice, Colmar
A 16th-century half-timbered mansion on the water in Colmar’s Little Venice, with 30 individually decorated rooms, the À l’Échevin restaurant serving Alsatian cuisine, breakfast on a terrace above the Lauch and parking, which is rare in the old town.
Rates on Expedia →
$Faubourg National (station and Petite France)
A good-value, air-conditioned ibis between Strasbourg station and Petite France, about five minutes on foot from each, with a 24-hour bar and snacks, breakfast, paid private parking by reservation and pets welcome.
Rates on Expedia →The practical primer for a first visit to Strasbourg and Alsace: how many days to plan, what to book ahead, the 2026 Christmas market dates in Strasbourg, Colmar and Riquewihr, getting around by tram and train, and where the cathedral, Petite France, Colmar and the Wine Route fit.
How to choose your base in Strasbourg and Alsace, from a five-star hotel on the Grande Île to a spa hotel in an old mill in Petite France, a boutique hotel by the cathedral, a budget pick near the station and a 16th-century inn on the canals of Colmar.
