Day trip from Paris to Strasbourg Enjoy the World Heritage Site Grande Île de Strasbourg

Strasbourg is a popular tourist city in north-eastern France, two hours from Paris by TGV.

It is a fascinating city with a long history and a mix of cultures from many different countries.

General tourism is concentrated on the Grande Île de Strasbourg, which is the mid-island of the River Île and a World Heritage Site.

The island is lined with various historic buildings, including the Petite France district with its cluster of timber-framed houses, the cathedral and the Rohan Palace.

The city has a compact cluster of tourist attractions, making it a city that can be enjoyed even by first-time visitors.

Let me now introduce you to the fascinating city of Strasbourg.

From Paris to Strasbourg

The journey from Paris to Strasbourg is by TGV, a high-speed rail vehicle operated by French Railways.

The ride takes less than two hours.

From the hotel to Paris East train station

This time, we stayed at the Staycity Appartement hôtel Gare de l’Est.

It is located less than a five-minute walk from Paris East train station, so it is very easy to plan your way there and back without having to take the metro or bus.

For more information.

Gare de l’Est

TGV to Strasbourg departs at 7.55 am.

Considering that the ride takes about two hours, it arrives exactly at around 10.00 am.

Gare de Strasbourg

The station has a distinctive domed shape.

It has an atmosphere not found in other local city stations.

Sightseeing in Strasbourg

These are the places we visited during our tour of Strasbourg.

The yellow lines are trams, the purplish lines are walking and the green lines are buses.

The order of sightseeing is as follows.

Strasbourg railway station ⇒ tram ⇒ cathedral ⇒ Strasbourg Museum ⇒ walk ⇒ bus ⇒ Strasbourg Museum of Contemporary Art ⇒ tram ⇒ walk ⇒ cathedral ⇒ walk ⇒ hotel ⇒ Strasbourg railway station

The course is heavily walked.

As we had time to spare, we had to return to the cathedral twice, but if you are short on time, it is possible to do a simpler tour of the city.

Let me now introduce you in order of movement.

Best Western Plus Hôtel Monopole Métropole

As mentioned earlier, this time we headed directly to Strasbourg after sightseeing in Nancy.

We then stayed at this hotel, the Best Western Plus Hôtel Monopole Métropole.

It was just a wonderful hotel.

We highly recommend this if you are staying in Strasbourg.

Gare Centrale 　Travel by tram

First, take a tram from the starting point, Strasbourg train station, to Strasbourg Cathedral.

You can travel directly from Strasbourg train station to the tram stop.

The station name is Gare Centrale.

It is directly connected to Strasbourg train station.

The boarding area is underground.

When you think of trams, you think of stations on the road, but Gare Centrale is an underground station.

Trams arriving at Gare Centrale.

Board the tram as soon as possible and head for Strasbourg Cathedral.

The tram are spacious and roomy.

It will be crowded at certain times of the day.

The train also displays a route map with a map, so it is not a problem if you do not understand the language.

The nearest train station to the cathedral is Langstross/Grand Rue.

It is the third stop from Gare Centrale.

It takes approximately 10 minutes.

Walking from the station down Rue Gutenberg, the cathedral immediately catches your eye.

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg

Construction began in 1176 and was completed in 1439.

The cathedral is soon to celebrate 1,000 years of history.

It is a sightseeing spot that should not be missed, as it is just so overwhelming.

Palais Rohan

The Roan Palace is considered a masterpiece of French Baroque architecture.

Construction began in 1732 and took 10 years to complete, being completed in 1742.

Three museums currently occupy the building.

Located beside Strasbourg Cathedral.

Musée des Arts décoratifs

Address：2 Place du Château, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: Wednesday to Monday 10:00~18:00

Closed: Tuesday.

The entrance is at the far end of the Roan Palace.

This entrance leads to the three museums, so make sure you show your ticket at each entrance.

Musée archéologique

Address：2 Place du Château, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: Wednesday to Monday 10:00~18:00

Closed: Tuesday.

The Musée archéologique is located in the basement of the same entrance as the Musée des Arts décoratifs.

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg

Address：2 Place du Château, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: Wednesday to Monday 10:00~18:00

Closed: Tuesday.

Stairs lead up to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg.

Pont Ste Madeleine

Once you have enjoyed the three museums at Rohan Palace, you can continue on foot to your next destination.

Cross the River Ile via the Rue du Bain-aux-Roses, flanked by Rohan Palace.

The view of the River Ile from Pont Ste Madeleine (Madeleine Bridge) is a beautiful sight.

The absence of tall buildings is one of its attractions.

One of Strasbourg’s attractions is that it is only a short walk from downtown and the cathedral to find such lovely views.

Cross the Madeleine Bridge and walk along the river along the Quai des Bateliers.

This street was a busy road for cars not long ago, but has now been converted into a footpath, which is wider and very easy to walk along.

The warmer months are also a good time to spend time in this area.

This is Rue Sainte-Madeleine.

Good view of the old town.

Once on Place du Corbeau, head towards Rue des Bouchers.

Continue along the road and turn right at Rue de la 1ère Armée to find the bus stop.

Porte de l’Hôpital　Bus travel

From here, take line 10 to the Museum of Contemporary Art Strasbourg.

Destination is Gare Centrale via Musée Art Mod./Gallia.

Buses run approximately every 15 minutes.

If you have a one-day ticket or other ticket, hold your ticket over the red area on the bus.

As with trams, there is a larger LCD guide.

This is great for travellers as they can see at a glance where the buses are running.

Line 10 is a circular line.

Musée d’Art Moderne drop-off station.

The ride takes about 10 minutes.

Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg

Address：1 Place Hans-Jean-Arp, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00~18:00

Closed: Monday

The entrance to the Museum of Contemporary Art is five minutes from the bus stop via Rue de Molsheim.

Barrage Vauban

A protective sluice built between 1681 and 1688.

They kept the enemy at bay by regulating the level of the River Ir.

The scenery is also beautiful when lit up at night, so if you plan to stay overnight, visit.

The bridge can also be passed through to the other side.

We did not go through to conserve our strength, but if you are interested, you can try it.

This photo shows the view opposite Barrage Vauban, towards Petite France.

Broglie

Once you have seen the Museum of Contemporary Art Strasbourg and Barrage Vauban, return in the direction of the previous bus stop, this time by tram.

The station is located on Rue de Molsheim.

There were no users.

Trams running through this station are lines B and F.

Whichever you use, head to your next destination, Broglie.

This time, we will travel on the F line, which arrived first.

The interior of the car had a pop of colour.

The train width seemed narrower than on Line A.

After approximately 10 minutes, we arrived in Broglie.

This is the last time the tram will be used.

The city of Strasbourg is served by trams as well as buses, which can considerably reduce travel time.

Rue du Sanglier

Once off at Broglie, head towards Rue du Dôme.

Turn right at the first corner onto Rue du Temple Neuf.

On the left, the street is Rue du Sanglier.

The street is full of history.

The street itself was created in 1361.

The street is not very busy and can be strolled quietly.

The name of the street has changed many times and the current name, Rue du Sanglier, has been in use since 1945.

After Rue du Sanglier, you will come to Rue des Hallebardes, turn right and head towards the cathedral.

Au Pain De Mon Grand-père

Address：1 Rue des Hallebardes, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: 07:30~19:30

Closed: None

The closest and best bakery to the cathedral is here.

The shops on Rue des Hallebardes are always busy.

We bought sandwiches here and ate them on benches around the cathedral.

Biscottes Sante

Address：18 Rue des Serruriers, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 07:00~19:00

From the cathedral, take the Rue Mercière to the Rue des Serruriers.

After a short walk, you will see Biscottes Sante on your left.

This shop also offers regular baguettes, etc., but the best bet is the Kuglof.

All products are shop-made, simple but very tasty.

It is also an ideal souvenir.

Église Saint-Thomas de Strasbourg

Further along Rue des Serruriers, Église Saint-Thomas de Strasbourg can be seen on the left hand side.

The photos were taken during a night visit, so there is a different atmosphere than during the day.

The church of St Thomas has a very old history, having been used as a place of worship as far back as the 6th century.

The building was completed in 1521, and although there was a change of faith from Catholic to Protestant, it has been renovated and retains its original appearance.

Unfortunately, we were not able to go inside, but if you have time, please take a look.

There is an organ said to have been played by Mozart.

L’atelier 116

Address：116 Grand’Rue, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 07:00~19:00 Sunday 08:00~19:00

Continue straight on past St Thomas’ church to Rue de la Monnaie.

Turn right at the first corner onto Rue du Bouclier and go straight ahead onto Grand’Rue.

The shop on this corner is L’atelier 116.

It is always crowded with many customers.

MACARONS ET INSPIRATION

Address：1 Rue de la Vignette, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: Monday 13:30~18:00 Tuesday to Saturday 10:00~19:00

Closed: Sunday

Continue on Grand’Rue to the slightly narrower Rue du Fossé-des-Tanneurs.

(It’s a bit confusing, so keep an eye on the Google map as you go.)

After a short walk, there is a small square on the left, behind which MACARONS ET INSPIRATION is located.

It was a bit confusing to find at first, but look for the colourful macaron figurines outside the shop.

This shop is said to have the best macarons in Strasbourg, so you should definitely stop by.

Boulangerie Pâtisserie DURRENBERGER STRASBOURG

Address：7 Quai Saint-Jean, 67000 Strasbourg, France

Opening hours: 06:00~20:00

Closed: None

The head office is located in Mertzwiller, 40 km north of Strasbourg.

The baguettes are particularly good and are highly recommended.

From Strasbourg to Paris

The return TGV departs from Strasbourg station at 17:17.

It will be train 13, so head to the T shown on the screen.

The colours of the sky at sunset in Europe are unique.

The price did not change at the time of booking, so I will return in 1st class.

Paris East Station was reached in no time at all.

Toilets in Strasbourg

Strasbourg, like other cities in France, does not have a good toilet situation.

There are toilets in most places on this sightseeing route, so you shouldn’t have any problems, but there is a recommended toilet right next to the cathedral in case of an emergency.

It is located on the way from the cathedral to Rohan Palace, so keep it in mind in case of an emergency.

There are signs so it is easy to find.

Toilets are very clean and free to use.

Time required

We left Strasbourg train station at 10am and were able to see all the main sights, including the cathedral and museums.

We took a bit of a diversion as we were thinking mainly of the museum, but we still had plenty of time to get around before our return time.

In effect, the route took less than six hours to complete.

Summary

The actual visit was more compact than I had expected, so I was able to enjoy it with very little stress from moving around.

Another major factor was that the city itself is attractive, not just the sights, so it was enjoyable just to walk around.

Grande Île de Strasbourg, the main tourist attraction of this visit, is not very big, so the route we have described can be seen on foot.

(Of course, given the time involved and the physical demands, it is recommended to use trams and buses…)

Please consider the best sightseeing route according to the time you have to stay and the purpose of your visit.

We hope that this article will be of some help to you when planning your trip.

Thank you again for reading to the end of this issue.