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Strasbourg

Description of Strasbourg

Strasbourg is located in the historic region of Alsace, of which it is considered the capital, and was the capital of the administrative region of the same name from 1982 to 2015. Strasbourg is mainly known as the capital of Europe, the city is home to many European institutions (European Parliament, Council of Europe, Human Rights Palace). But it is also a very interesting tourist destination, be it at the historical level with its old city inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage since 1988 or for the diversity of the neighborhoods that make it up; from the nineteenth-century university district to the European quarter. The city itself is one of the 9 largest cities in France, and the agglomeration has nearly half a million inhabitants. It is located in the heart of the so-called European megalopolis which makes it easy for all tourists wishing to visit the city.

Travel Destinations in Strasbourg

Old Town (Strasbourg)

Cathedrale Notre- Dame (Strasbourg)

Musee de l'Oeuvre Notre- Dame (Strasbourg)

3 pl du Chateau

Tel. 03 88 52 50 00

Open: Tue- Sun

Closed: January 1, Good Friday, May 1, November 1, December 25

European Parliament (Strasbourg)

Get in

There are many possibilities from one mode of transport to another to reach Strasbourg and its surroundings.

By plane
Strasbourg-Entzheim International Airport +33 3 88 64 67 67 - It is located about twenty kilometers south-west of Strasbourg.
Due to the European role of Strasbourg, the airport is connected not only to the main French cities but also to many European cities and the rest of the world (Casablanca and Tunis for example ...).

A rail shuttle provided by the T.E.R. Alsace serves Strasbourg train station and provides direct access to the city center by the tram and bus network, all in just ten minutes. The price of a ticket combining the single route on both networks comes to € 4.

For motorists, the airport is well connected to the local road network, in particular by the A 35 and A 352 motorways which are completely free to use.

By train
Strasbourg station Place de la Gare, +33 892 35 35 35
Since the introduction of the TGV Est in June 2007 between Vaires-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne) and Baudrecourt (Moselle), it was necessary to count a journey time of 2 hours and 20 minutes from Paris. Since 2014, the second section between Baudrecourt and Vendenheim (Bas-Rhin) has completed the line, and the journey between Paris and Strasbourg now takes just 1 hour 50 minutes. This event confirms the city's vocation as a crossroads-European capital. , by connecting it to the TGV Rhin-Rhône network as well as to the German ICE (equivalent to the French TGV, etc.).

To get to Strasbourg from other provincial towns, it takes 6.30 a.m. to 7 a.m. from Bordeaux (three direct TGVs per day), 3.20 a.m. to 4 a.m. from Lille and 3.40 a.m. from Lyon (3.15 a.m. in December 2012…).

On this occasion, numerous development works were undertaken at Strasbourg station to cope with the massive arrival of new travelers. Thus, an expansion of the infrastructures with the immense glass roof or "Hall of Transport" which covers part of the station square, and an improvement of the transport platform giving correspondence to the tram lines A and D in their underground station as well. that to urban bus and interurban coach lines has been deeply affected. Since the end of 2011, the new line C, the terminus of which is located on the surface (north exit of the station), allows direct access to the university campus through the city center, Homme de Fer station and Place Broglie.

Note that it is possible to take lines B and F directly from Faubourg National station. it can be reached on foot (in a few minutes) by the Petite Rue de la Course.

Locally in Alsace, the T.E.R. is very efficient and fast while ensuring good geographic coverage. It takes 50 minutes to connect Mulhouse from the Alsatian capital. But the Strasbourg conurbation and the region tend to improve it considerably by creating the tram-train (whose delivery is scheduled for 2016 ...) which connects the Strasbourg urban tram network to that of the T.E.R. Alsace serving the Piedmont des Vosges. We will be able to take the tram in the historic center of Strasbourg to explore the Alsace region without changing mode of transport, so without taking the train and on the S.N.C.F. classic.

By car
West
A4

From Paris
Perfectly connected to the many ring-roads in the Ile-de-France region, the A4 motorway or the East motorway allows you to reach the center of the Alsatian capital directly in a few 5 hours 30 minutes, via Reims and Metz. The entire route generally presents no traffic problems and even allows you to admire the most beautiful forest valleys, especially in the crossing of the Northern Vosges which is among the most remarkable. Count 35.8 € toll costs in 2011.

From Paris
The N4 road which passes through Saint-Dizier and Nancy is ideal if you want to follow a toll-free route, however be aware that this route remains dangerous (sometimes heavy traffic and not always secure infrastructures ...) and rather basic in terms of comfort (rather rare service areas ...). Allow at least 6 hours and 30 minutes for the journey, arriving in the Strasbourg metropolitan area is via the A351 freeway, admittedly free but saturated during office hours. It is nevertheless possible to recover the A4 motorway near Phalsbourg if you decide to reduce your long and tiring journey by 0:30 hours, the toll therefore costs € 3.3 in 2011.

From Belgium and Luxembourg
Follow the Luxembourgish A3 motorway once you have passed the capital of the Grand Duchy which communicates with the French A31, turn onto the A4 motorway north of Metz towards Strasbourg.

South
A35

From Burgundy and Lyon
The most chosen route is from the A36 motorway via Besançon and Belfort, take the A35 motorway (free ...) once you have crossed the agglomeration of Mulhouse.

From Switzerland
North of Basel, the A35 motorway starts in Saint-Louis once you have crossed the border but it is possible to go through Germany by following the motorway 5 and exit at Appenweier near Offenburg, take the road 28 by direction of Kehl.

East and north from Germany
There are many possibilities for crossing the border. There are obviously other crossing points.

A35 to the north - The A35 motorway crosses the border at Lauterbourg, about 50 km from Strasbourg.
N4 to the east. - The Pont de l'Europe, between Strasbourg and Kehl on the German route 28 and the French route N4
N353 to the south - The Pflimlin Bridge opens directly onto the A35 motorway and the N353 road

On a boat
Marina Rue de Boulogne

Information
Strasbourg Tourist Office and its region 17, Place de la Cathédrale, +33 3 88 52 28 28, email: info@otstrasbourg.fr:  9 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Around the city

The city center of Strasbourg (historic center) is very largely pedestrian, driving there is therefore strongly discouraged. It is better to prefer public transport, cycling or walking to get there and get around.

Cycle paths
With more than 560 kilometers of cycle paths and lanes, Strasbourg has the largest cycling network in France. In addition, the many routes arranged in the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin allow you to travel through all of Alsace by bike. A map of the cycle paths of the Strasbourg agglomeration is available in all tourist offices, district town halls and bicycle shops, as well as on the city's website: Strasbourg.eu: Section Travel Another map (cycle paths of the Bas -Rhin) covers routes leaving the agglomeration, in particular those along canals to Saverne, Molsheim or Sélestat; it is available at the Hôtel du Département (Conseil Général du Bas-Rhin.)

It is possible to purchase a bicycle from the Vélhop rental service:

In one of the 4 shops
Central station: level -1
Center: 3, rue d'Or (Porte de l'Hôpital tramway station)
University campus: 23, boulevard de la Victoire
Koenigshoffen: 67, route des Romains;
7 days a week, 24 hours a day at one of the 11 automatic stations.
The rates for an occasional rental are variable: € 1 per hour, € 5 per day, € 15 per week (in store), monthly or yearly packages ... Information and list of stations available on: Vélhop

Except Vélhop, it is possible to rent bikes at One City Bike, a shop open 7 days a week (Sundays and public holidays), at the following address: 5 Petite Rue du Vieux Marché aux Vins, Strasbourg. The different routes are recommended and maps and helmets are provided. It is also possible to request children's bikes and baby seats.

Urban transport
Strasbourg is served by a network of 34 bus lines covering the entire city and its metropolitan area, and by a mesh network of trams comprising 6 lines (line F was opened on November 28, 2010):

Line A: from Hautepierre Maillon to Illkirch Lixenbuhl
Line B: from Lingolsheim Tiergartel to Hoenheim Gare
Line C: from Gare Centrale to Neuhof Rodolphe Reuss
Line D: from Rotonde to Aristide Briand
Line E: from Robertsau Boecklin to Baggersee
Line F: from Elsau to Place d'Islande

Bus lines numbered 2 to 72 serve the city more or less well. Here is a selection of routes that effectively serve the remarkable places of the city and its surroundings:
Line 2: from Campus d'Illkirch to Pont du Rhin (serves the central station and the north of the city center.)
Line 6: from Souffelweyersheim Canal (or 6a: Niederhausbergen Ouest and 6b: Hoenheim Cigognes) to Pont Phario via the banks of the Ill (Les Halles Pont de Paris stop) and Place de la République.
Line 10: runs around the city center in both directions via the central station and the banks of the Ill (serves most of the museums along the waterways.)
Line 21: from Jean Jaurès (tram lines C and D) to the Jardin des Deux Rives and the border town of Kehl
Line 30: from Wattwiller to Robertsau (Sainte-Anne and Chasseur variants) via Saint-Paul Church, the Orangery and the European institutions district.

The range of service is from 4.30 a.m. to 12.30 a.m., varying according to the mode of transport and the line taken. The number of passages on the bus lines decreases considerably during the summer period, as well as in the evening after 9 p.m. The route of certain tram lines can also be temporarily modified following unforeseen events (in particular in the city center), or in the summer due to works.

Some prices:
One Way Ticket: € 1.7 (€ 1.6 for the electronic version on the Badgéo card);
Return ticket: 3.3 €;
24H ALSA + EMS ticket: € 4.3, individual ticket which also allows you to borrow the coaches of Network 67 and the TER Alsace within the territorial limits of the CTS urban network, as well as the bus line 21 towards Kehl, for a unlimited number of trips for 24 hours after validation of the ticket;
24H Trio ticket: 6.8 € (idem, valid for two to three people);
ALSA ticket + EMS GROUP DAY Bus-Tram-Car and TER Train: € 6.6 (same lines and networks, valid for one day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for a group of two to five people);
P + R ticket: € 4.1 (or € 4.6 at Rotonde station);
P + R Elsau Camping-Car ticket: € 6.

Most tickets are available from ticket vending machines, single tickets can be purchased from bus drivers (no sale on board trams.)

Relay parkings
Note that the Strasbourg Transport Company (CTS) has set up a system of “park and ride”, open Monday to Saturday from 7 am to 8 pm (exit possible after 8 pm), which allows you to park your car for a full day at a relatively modest price (3.5 € or 4 € at the Rotonde car park.) This formula also includes a return tram ticket for all passengers in the vehicle. There are already a dozen of these car parks.

Information: Map of park and ride facilities on the CTS site

Some park-and-ride facilities (P + R) are located at the most practical entrances to the Strasbourg conurbation:
Baggersee: tram lines A and E + bus lines 7, 27, 62, 65 and 66 (south of the Strasbourg metropolitan area near junction 5 of the A35)
Elsau: tram lines B and F + bus line 40 (accessible directly from junction 4 of the A35), also open to motorhomes and touring coaches
Hoenheim Gare: tram line B at the northern terminus + bus lines 4 and 6
Banks of the Aar: tram line B + bus line 50 (accessible by interchanges n ° 35 from the A4 or n ° 1 from the A35 ...)
The advantage is parking for the day + round trip by tram for all passengers in the vehicle (7 people maximum) for 3.5 € except for the P + R Rotonde at 4 €. The P + R are open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the exit is free. Maps and timetables available on: Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois Practical information on Vialsace