Roam : Strasbourg
Explore Ma Belle France
Rarely do we suffer our calculated risks - we always regret the ones we didn't take.It's December 2021, and my husband is returning to France. The poignant almost-regrets of Covid still lingered. While travel, even inter-country, remained a risk, I knew we had a unique opportunity to discover Strasbourg without the usual crowds. Rarely do we suffer our calculated risks - we always regret the ones we didn't take.
In these photos and videos, you'll see a lot of masks. Last December, Strasbourg retained and enforced its mask policy even when cities like Paris did not. It was a blatant reminder of the potential congestion of this experience.
“It is characteristic of long journeys to bring back something quite different from what one went there to seek.”
Estimated Travel Times
Train from Paris to Strasbourg – 1 hour 45 minutes
Strasbourg train station to Place Kléber by foot – 15 minutes
Train from Strasbourg to Colmar – 20 minutes
Walk the entirety of Strasbourg old center quai – about an hour
It wasn't just Père Noël that I was in search of - I was looking for the beauty of living in France. Much like the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, my previous year in France was tinged with fear of a pandemic reaching our front door. We celebrated small, quietly together and were grateful for our health. But spending a holiday season hiding from a virus is no way to ring in the new year. Our trip to Strasbourg was about being present because we weren't sure what future ghosts would bring us.
The magic of Christmas came back to me childlike in Paris - soft, slow, with eyes wide and heart open. The gradual build, with a new window here, and a new installation there, was delivered without personal responsibility, gift wrap, or budget. I received the gift of a Parisian Christmas, arms wide open.
Explore Outside of Old Town
Old and New
Arriving in Strasbourg, it felt more commercialized, western, and fabricated. It was like the scene where Buddy the Elf decorates the department store. And yet, it was what I wanted and needed at the time. When my heart years for the glory of a childlike Christmas, I will return to Strasbourg and Colmar.
To find the new Strasbourg, Ascatians working and crafting in this area, go outside the touristic center. Strasbourg's accessibility to Paris makes this location uniquely strategic- especially for those in tech, as the town is near Geneva, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Germany. Small and easily walkable, I encourage you to discover a youthful, vibrant, and creative city outside the immediate old town.
Vibrant & Modern
At one point, we found ourselves at a natural wine bar. The shop felt like equal parts Marais, a grandmother's living room, and Alsacian comfort. The wines were spectacular examples of what a well-curated natural wine program could and should be. On the other end of the spectrum, we visited the Stork Club, a modern art deco retro space. The space was open, vibrant, with great music, food in a constant stream from the kitchen, and a magnificent 360° bar. It was magical, transporting you to another space and time.
Colmar
A trip to Strasbourg is only complete if you visit Colmar. A thirty-minute train ride from Strasbourg, Colmar's historic and idyllic centre-ville is a fifteen-minute walk from the train station. The approach was rather anticlimactic, but once inside old town, I was unprepared for the enormity of what Colmar offers.
Must Visit
Colmar, France
Colmar is an undulating, serpentine festival that winds its way non-stop, amongst half-timbered homes and cobblestone rues.Most marché noel in France are within a few block radius, at most. Strasbourg's markets are sprinkled throughout the old town in a few key locations. But Colmar is an undulating, serpentine festival that winds its way non-stop, amongst half-timbered homes and cobblestone rues. Transported to another era, each vendor offers a different product, craft, or food item for sale. We never saw it all; as the sun started to set, so did the temperatures and our will to remain outside.
Pack for Winter
The cold was gripping the day we visited. I wore thermals under layers, and I still was chilled to the bone each evening, choosing a hot shower and my bed comforter over going back out late at night.
If you are visiting during the winter, I highly suggest that you pack as if you are going to the snow - heavy boots, socks, gloves, scarves that can cover your face, hat, and lots of thermals.
Strasbourg
Christkindelsmärik
The Christkindelsmärik, or "market of the child Jesus," is the name given in the Alsatian language to the Strasbourg Christmas market, which has been held since 1570.Place Broglie
Today, the Christkindelsmärik still stands on the vast Place Broglie (former Horse Market), considered its historic site, to which other places in the city have been added.
In the 1900s, the eastern part of Place Broglie, from the Municipal Theater to the current rue de la Comédie, was reserved for tree merchants, while the western part, to the current rue du Dôme, had stalls offering sweets, toys, and decorations for the Christmas tree.
Christmas Markets of Today
Eleven Christmas markets are featured in Strasbourg now and are located at Places de la Gare, Kléber, du Temple-Neuf, de la Cathédrale, d'Austerlitz, Corbeau, Benjamin-Zix, des Meuniers.
Strasbourg was named “Best Christmas Market” twice by European Best Destinations and “World’s Best Christmas Market” by CNN Travel in 2018. The town now receives over two million visitors each holiday season.
Tip: The best way to avoid crowds is to come on weekdays in the first half of December.
Cuisine
Recommended Strasbourg Restaurants
Muensterstuewel : Fine Dining
8 Pl. du Marché-aux-Cochons-de-Lait, 67000 Strasbourg
La Cloche à Fromage : Cheese Shop, Raclette
27 Rue des Tonneliers, 67000 Strasbourg
Chez l’Oncle Freddy : Alsatian
9 Rue des Moulins, 67000 Strasbourg
Brasserie Des Haras : 18th-Century Farm
23 Rue des Glacières, 67000 Strasbourg
Café Bretelles Petite France : Coffee & Housemade Cakes
36 Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes, 67000 Strasbourg
The Drunky Stork Social Club
24 Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Vins, 67000 Strasbourg
Un homme voyage pour sentir et pour vivre. A mesure qu'il voit du pays, c'est lui-même qui vaut mieux la peine d'être vu.“A man travels to feel and to live. As he sees the country, he himself is more worth seeing.”
Additional Tips & Suggestions
A two-night, three-day trip is a nice pace for Strasbourg and Colmar.
Day 1: Travel from Paris after breakfast, arrive at lunch, check in, stroll the town, and see sights at night.
Day 2: Full day in Colmar, evening stroll in Strasbourg.
Day 3: Visit Alsatian bakeries before returning to Paris by train.
Bon Voyage!
Exclusive resources & tools
DAY ONE : Our departure from Paris, arriving into the Strasbourg train station, & exploring Strasbourg.
DAY TWO : In part two of three, I share our day trip to Colmar, plus the arrival and departure from the train station.
DAY THREE : If you missed it, my third day included a visit to the fabulous Cloche à Fromage restaurant. I also visited an antiques flea sale in this video, so don't miss it!
