Sights of Strasbourg, France

While I was living in southern Germany I was lucky enough to have a short stay over the border in Strasbourg, France as part of a press trip. When somebody else is footing the bill, any town seems just that little bit nicer, but I think that Strasbourg is a beautiful city for any visitor.

Sitting close to the German border in the Alsace region of France, Strasbourg has both an interesting mix of French and German culture, as well as the importance of being one of the capitals of the European Union. While modern-day Strasbourg is clearly more French than German, it is also a little international in feel and a really interesting spot to spend a couple of days.

There were two highlights for me in the inner town of Strasbourg - the Notre Dame Cathedral and a cruise through Petite France. The Notre Dame Cathedral is a monstrous Gothic structure with high vaulted ceilings, and a famous astronomical clock. It took me a little longer to find the astronomical clock, as I was searching for it somewhere on the outside of the building, but found it tucked away at the inside of the back of the cathedral. After thoroughly exploring the Notre Dame, I headed out of the main square and across to the water where I picked up a canal boat cruise which toured the boundaries of the Grand Ile (Grand Island), the historic center of Strasbourg which is actually a World Heritage listed site. The hour-long cruise included two shifts through quite deep locks, along with interesting multilingual commentary throughout the journey. Afterwards, strolling through the architecturally scenic part of the city known as Petite France (which admittedly looks very French) was a great opportunity to taste some of my favorite kinds of French pastries.

On my second day in Strasbourg, I paid more attention to the European Union side of things, taking a look at the European Parliament building and the European Court of Human Rights. I learnt that Strasbourg is actually designated as the legislative and democratic capital of the EU, while Luxembourg and Brussels have other roles. The European Ombudsman also sits in Strasbourg, and all these roles mean that it's a town not just for tourists but also for politicians and officials from all the EU member countries. This diversity, combined with its mixed French and German history, makes it perhaps one of the most "European" cities I've seen, and a good town to visit if you want an intensive hit of European cultures.