Built 1686-1700 as part of the city’s fortifications, this covered bridge-dam spans the Ill River. The rooftop terrace (free) offers the classic panoramic view of the Ponts Couverts bridges and La Petite France beyond. Inside, a small exhibition space sometimes hosts temporary art shows. Open daily 9:00-19:00.
Palais Rohan
2 Place du Chateau. This 18th-century palace built for the prince-bishops of Strasbourg houses three museums: the Museum of Decorative Arts (apartments of the cardinals, 7 euros), the Museum of Fine Arts (works by Botticelli, Rubens, Goya, 7 euros), and the Archaeological Museum (from prehistory to the Middle Ages, 7 euros). A combined ticket for all three costs 13 euros. Open daily except Tuesday, 10:00-18:00.
European Institutions Quarter
Strasbourg is one of the EU’s three capitals (alongside Brussels and Luxembourg). The European Parliament’s Louise Weiss Building (1 Avenue du President Schuman) offers free 2-hour guided tours in multiple languages when parliament is not in session. Book online at least 2 weeks ahead at visiting.europarl.europa.eu. Bring your passport for security. The nearby European Court of Human Rights building (designed by Richard Rogers) is architecturally striking from the outside. Reach the quarter by tram line E to the Parlement Europeen stop.
Boat Tours on the Ill River
Batorama runs 70-minute glass-topped boat tours circling the Grande Ile and passing through locks to the European Quarter. Audio guide in 12 languages. Tickets: 14.80 euros adults, 8.60 euros children. Boats depart from the Palais Rohan dock every 30 minutes from 9:30 to 21:00 in summer (reduced winter hours). Buy tickets online at batorama.com to skip the queue or at the dock. The tour is the most efficient way to see the entire UNESCO perimeter in one go. Evening tours in December pass through the illuminated Christmas market areas.
The city’s most photographed quarter, a web of canals and half-timbered houses from the 16th-17th centuries on the Grande Ile’s western tip. The name comes from the 15th-century hospice that treated syphilis (then called the French disease). The covered bridges (Ponts Couverts) and the Vauban Dam offer the best photo angles. The area is free to wander. Canalside restaurants here are touristy and overpriced — eat elsewhere.
Barrage Vauban (Vauban Dam)
Built 1686-1700 as part of the city’s fortifications, this covered bridge-dam spans the Ill River. The rooftop terrace (free) offers the classic panoramic view of the Ponts Couverts bridges and La Petite France beyond. Inside, a small exhibition space sometimes hosts temporary art shows. Open daily 9:00-19:00.
Palais Rohan
2 Place du Chateau. This 18th-century palace built for the prince-bishops of Strasbourg houses three museums: the Museum of Decorative Arts (apartments of the cardinals, 7 euros), the Museum of Fine Arts (works by Botticelli, Rubens, Goya, 7 euros), and the Archaeological Museum (from prehistory to the Middle Ages, 7 euros). A combined ticket for all three costs 13 euros. Open daily except Tuesday, 10:00-18:00.
European Institutions Quarter
Strasbourg is one of the EU’s three capitals (alongside Brussels and Luxembourg). The European Parliament’s Louise Weiss Building (1 Avenue du President Schuman) offers free 2-hour guided tours in multiple languages when parliament is not in session. Book online at least 2 weeks ahead at visiting.europarl.europa.eu. Bring your passport for security. The nearby European Court of Human Rights building (designed by Richard Rogers) is architecturally striking from the outside. Reach the quarter by tram line E to the Parlement Europeen stop.
Boat Tours on the Ill River
Batorama runs 70-minute glass-topped boat tours circling the Grande Ile and passing through locks to the European Quarter. Audio guide in 12 languages. Tickets: 14.80 euros adults, 8.60 euros children. Boats depart from the Palais Rohan dock every 30 minutes from 9:30 to 21:00 in summer (reduced winter hours). Buy tickets online at batorama.com to skip the queue or at the dock. The tour is the most efficient way to see the entire UNESCO perimeter in one go. Evening tours in December pass through the illuminated Christmas market areas.
Place de la Cathedrale. This Gothic masterpiece was the world’s tallest building from 1647 to 1874 at 142m. The single spire (the second was never built) dominates the city skyline. Free entry to the cathedral itself. The astronomical clock inside performs its automated parade of apostles at 12:30 daily (4 euros, tickets at the south portal). The 332-step spiral staircase climbs to the viewing platform: 8 euros, open daily 9:00-19:00 (until 17:15 in winter). The facade’s hundreds of sculpted figures are best viewed in afternoon light. The cathedral’s rose window (13.6m diameter) is stunning when backlit by morning sun.
La Petite France
The city’s most photographed quarter, a web of canals and half-timbered houses from the 16th-17th centuries on the Grande Ile’s western tip. The name comes from the 15th-century hospice that treated syphilis (then called the French disease). The covered bridges (Ponts Couverts) and the Vauban Dam offer the best photo angles. The area is free to wander. Canalside restaurants here are touristy and overpriced — eat elsewhere.
Barrage Vauban (Vauban Dam)
Built 1686-1700 as part of the city’s fortifications, this covered bridge-dam spans the Ill River. The rooftop terrace (free) offers the classic panoramic view of the Ponts Couverts bridges and La Petite France beyond. Inside, a small exhibition space sometimes hosts temporary art shows. Open daily 9:00-19:00.
Palais Rohan
2 Place du Chateau. This 18th-century palace built for the prince-bishops of Strasbourg houses three museums: the Museum of Decorative Arts (apartments of the cardinals, 7 euros), the Museum of Fine Arts (works by Botticelli, Rubens, Goya, 7 euros), and the Archaeological Museum (from prehistory to the Middle Ages, 7 euros). A combined ticket for all three costs 13 euros. Open daily except Tuesday, 10:00-18:00.
European Institutions Quarter
Strasbourg is one of the EU’s three capitals (alongside Brussels and Luxembourg). The European Parliament’s Louise Weiss Building (1 Avenue du President Schuman) offers free 2-hour guided tours in multiple languages when parliament is not in session. Book online at least 2 weeks ahead at visiting.europarl.europa.eu. Bring your passport for security. The nearby European Court of Human Rights building (designed by Richard Rogers) is architecturally striking from the outside. Reach the quarter by tram line E to the Parlement Europeen stop.
Boat Tours on the Ill River
Batorama runs 70-minute glass-topped boat tours circling the Grande Ile and passing through locks to the European Quarter. Audio guide in 12 languages. Tickets: 14.80 euros adults, 8.60 euros children. Boats depart from the Palais Rohan dock every 30 minutes from 9:30 to 21:00 in summer (reduced winter hours). Buy tickets online at batorama.com to skip the queue or at the dock. The tour is the most efficient way to see the entire UNESCO perimeter in one go. Evening tours in December pass through the illuminated Christmas market areas.
Strasbourg’s UNESCO-listed Grande Ile (Grand Island) contains one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval city centers, anchored by the Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral and encircled by the Ill River and canals. As the official seat of the European Parliament, the city also has a modern institutional quarter. Two days covers the historic core; add a third for the European institutions and a boat tour.
Strasbourg Cathedral and Historic Landmarks
Strasbourg Cathedral (Cathedrale Notre-Dame)
Place de la Cathedrale. This Gothic masterpiece was the world’s tallest building from 1647 to 1874 at 142m. The single spire (the second was never built) dominates the city skyline. Free entry to the cathedral itself. The astronomical clock inside performs its automated parade of apostles at 12:30 daily (4 euros, tickets at the south portal). The 332-step spiral staircase climbs to the viewing platform: 8 euros, open daily 9:00-19:00 (until 17:15 in winter). The facade’s hundreds of sculpted figures are best viewed in afternoon light. The cathedral’s rose window (13.6m diameter) is stunning when backlit by morning sun.
La Petite France
The city’s most photographed quarter, a web of canals and half-timbered houses from the 16th-17th centuries on the Grande Ile’s western tip. The name comes from the 15th-century hospice that treated syphilis (then called the French disease). The covered bridges (Ponts Couverts) and the Vauban Dam offer the best photo angles. The area is free to wander. Canalside restaurants here are touristy and overpriced — eat elsewhere.
Barrage Vauban (Vauban Dam)
Built 1686-1700 as part of the city’s fortifications, this covered bridge-dam spans the Ill River. The rooftop terrace (free) offers the classic panoramic view of the Ponts Couverts bridges and La Petite France beyond. Inside, a small exhibition space sometimes hosts temporary art shows. Open daily 9:00-19:00.
Palais Rohan
2 Place du Chateau. This 18th-century palace built for the prince-bishops of Strasbourg houses three museums: the Museum of Decorative Arts (apartments of the cardinals, 7 euros), the Museum of Fine Arts (works by Botticelli, Rubens, Goya, 7 euros), and the Archaeological Museum (from prehistory to the Middle Ages, 7 euros). A combined ticket for all three costs 13 euros. Open daily except Tuesday, 10:00-18:00.
European Institutions Quarter
Strasbourg is one of the EU’s three capitals (alongside Brussels and Luxembourg). The European Parliament’s Louise Weiss Building (1 Avenue du President Schuman) offers free 2-hour guided tours in multiple languages when parliament is not in session. Book online at least 2 weeks ahead at visiting.europarl.europa.eu. Bring your passport for security. The nearby European Court of Human Rights building (designed by Richard Rogers) is architecturally striking from the outside. Reach the quarter by tram line E to the Parlement Europeen stop.
Boat Tours on the Ill River
Batorama runs 70-minute glass-topped boat tours circling the Grande Ile and passing through locks to the European Quarter. Audio guide in 12 languages. Tickets: 14.80 euros adults, 8.60 euros children. Boats depart from the Palais Rohan dock every 30 minutes from 9:30 to 21:00 in summer (reduced winter hours). Buy tickets online at batorama.com to skip the queue or at the dock. The tour is the most efficient way to see the entire UNESCO perimeter in one go. Evening tours in December pass through the illuminated Christmas market areas.
