Fairytale Town: Strasbourg, FR

Before I moved to Munich, I hadn’t done much traveling outside of the USA and Australia regions. I had been to Europe once in my life when I was younger and don’t remember much about it. So, if you are in a similar situation, you might be thinking “Strasbourg?! Never heard of it!” and I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. However, it is one of my favorite places I’ve been to and you will soon see why.

Last year for my birthday Daniel decided to plan a surprise trip somewhere driving distance from Munich. When I couldn’t figure out where we were going, he told me we were going to Strasbourg, which is in France. Kind of. I was very confused but excited nonetheless. The reason I say “kind of” in France, is because it is literally on the border between France and Germany, which makes for a very interesting lifestyle as a combination between the two countries. I remember looking at the GPS waiting to cross the border, and as soon as we did we hear, “You have arrived at your destination!” That’s how on the border it really is.

Getting There
Strasbourg lies directly in the middle of Munich and Paris. It takes about 4 hours to get to Strasbourg by car, and probably a similar time by train depending which one you take. We drove because we had a car, but if we ever went back we would probably just take the train. Either way, it is a very direct route and easy to get to. We parked our car in a parking structure for the entire weekend and didn’t use it at all (another reason we would take the train since it was a little expensive for 4 days).

Staying There
Strasbourg is a fairly small town, and I don’t think you can go wrong booking a place to stay the night as long as it’s in the middle of the town. It is surrounded by a beautiful river and if you are inside that circle, you will have no complaints. The place we booked was literally next to the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg and we could see it from our window. It was amazing to be in the heart of everything, and staying on a street that cars can’t even drive down. I highly recommend doing this for the best experience.

What to Do?
As I said earlier, it is a fairly small town so there isn’t an abundance of things to “do”, but you will have plenty to ooh and awe over as you walk around the town. Since we were staying in the middle of town, we woke up each day, went to the local bakery next door for some breakfast and then just started walking. We didn’t make any plans or reservations – just went where our feet and curiosity took us. Daniel and I love to eat and drink, which made this city perfect for us. There are so many outdoor seating restaurants to go to during the day in between all of the sightseeing in the fairytale town – we were in heaven. What can I say besides, Rosé all day! 😉 The other interesting thing about this city is that because of it’s history being a French city and then a German city, and then back to French that there is an amazing lifestyle mixture between the two countries. You can order both types of cuisine, they speak both languages, they love wine and having a good time. It’s a pretty great combo.

One thing we did do was visit a nearby village called Obernai, which was a great decision. We took a quick train there and spent the day walking around. We had lunch at the nicest little spot outside with a bottle of Rosé (duh) and just watched the people go by. I remember both of us being so happy at that moment. I recommend doing this if you are staying in the area for a few days, to see something a little bit different (and quieter).

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that if you like beautiful towns that make you feel like you are in a fairytale storybook, you enjoy a good outdoor meal and drink, and you like exploring by walking, then you might take an interest in this town. I would really encourage you to go!

I can’t really say much more about this place in words, so please enjoy my photo collage from our trip. I hope the pictures will speak for me!

Strasbourg