This September I had the amazing opportunity to travel around Europe with my parents. They are two years into retirement and have yet to slow down. Over the past 2 years, they’ve been to Europe 3 times. It’s inspiring to see them having so much fun with this new chapter of their lives.

Despite the fact that I’m a couple of decades from retirement, returning to freelance work has offered me more control over my time and schedule, so I decided now was the perfect time to piggy back on one of their Europe vacations, spend some quality time with them, and explore new places, new cuisines, and new cultures.

Our first stop on the trip was Strasbourg. Part of the Alsace region in France, it’s typically known for it’s iconic Christmas markets and charming historic quarter (La Petite France). It’s also the birthplace of foie gras (which is why my dad chose this stop on the trip) and the seat of the European Parliament. It’s right on the border of France and Germany and has belonged to both countries throughout history, lending to a unique Alsatian culture that perfectly mixes the two. It’s multicultural nature is reflected in the food (which we’ll get to in a second), architecture, and language. Most folks we ran into spoke French, German, and English, amongst other languages, making this a very easy city to navigate for us Americans.

The city itself didn’t feel huge. It had a laid back, small town vibe, which made it the perfect spot to start our trip and shake off our jet lag. Most of the city is extremely walkable with tram service allowing you to get to the outskirts of the city quickly.

My parents and I spent 3 days exploring this adorable city. Before leaving, I’d started researching cost of living because I fell in love with this city so much. Here are some of the highlights of our time spent in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg Cathedral

If you’re pretty much anywhere in Strasbourg, you’re going to catch a glimpse of this behemoth and beautiful church. It was the world’s tallest building for 227 years, from 1647 - 1874, and it has a gorgeously detailed Gothic exterior.

It houses an astronomical clock that dates back to the 1800s (previous iterations of the clock date back to the 1300s), which displays the current time and positions of the sun, moon, and planets. Every 15 minutes, on the hour, and at noon everyday, the clock gives you various little shows with moving figures, including Jesus and the apostles, figures representing the four stages of life, and a rooster that crows.

The interior of the church is ornate and stunning. The rock that makes up the church is reddish brown sandstone taken from local mountains in the region. There’s also incredible stained glass windows all around the church along with elaborate altars and stone work. It’s fascinating to walk around and soak in the details.

Winestubs

Winestubs (or wine lounges) are traditional Alsatian restaurants with cozy and rustic atmospheres where you can enjoy local cuisine and wines.

One rainy afternoon, we ducked into Le Saint-Sepulcre, a winestub right around the corner from the Cathedral, and had an insanely delicious lunch.

I had Coq au Riesling with spaetzle on the side and an apple soda.

My dad had a big chunk of ham and potatoes with a big bowl of cheese. This seemed to be a favorite dish in the restaurant as a lot of folks were eating this hearty dish in the middle of the day!

My mom, looking for a big of a lighter option, went for a salad. While not a typical hearty Alsatian dish, it was still topped with lots of local veggies and was very delicious.

As you can see, Alsatian cuisine is hearty and rich: think pork, cheese, cabbage, stews, potatoes, cream, and the like. It really is the best of French and German cuisine with sides like spaetzle and sauerkraut and appetizers like foie gras and escargot.

Boat Tour on the River Ill

Taking a boat tour along the River Ill and it’s canals is a great way to view iconic sites in the city and learn about some of the history.

We took Batorama, which seems to be quite a popular tour operator. They provide headphones and a recorded guided tour of the city in many different languages. My headphone jack unfortunately didn’t work, so I tried to listen in on my moms headphones, though I ended up focusing more on taking photos and videos than listening to the tour.

The highlights I got were La Petite France was used to house those with Syphilis back in the day. There are many towers in the old town that used to house prisoners. And one building used to be a chocolate factory. If you end up skipping the tour, use that as your spark notes!

Despite some technical issues, the boat ride was very scenic and a great way to get a quick overview of the town and history.

La Petite France

After our boat tour, we meandered over to La Petite France, the historic district of Strasbourg. Here you can walk down cobblestone streets, see charming half-timbered houses, and get a panoramic view of the city from Barrage Vauban, a historic covered bridge.

Along with the cathedral, La Petite France is where you’ll find all the tourists gathering in this city. It offered a charming walk and truly is a must see, but I enjoyed meandering down less crowded alleys in other parts of the city, which offered just as much charm and less tourists.

Eat, Eat, Eat

One thing about traveling with the Ogden’s is you’re going to eat. My dad is a retired chef instructor and chose many of the stops on this Europe trip based on food. Luckily, Strasbourg is a great place to eat.

Some of the highlights were:

Sebastien - an adorable cafe along the river with perfect cappuccino’s and fantastic pastries. The staff were lovely and helpful. Sit outside on a Sunday morning and watch the city come alive in the late morning.

Restaurant LeKuhn - If this isn’t a family run restaurant, it sure felt like one. The inside was cozy and inviting. The staff were helpful, lively, and funny. They serve classic Alsatian cuisine and we got a perfect smattering. I had the choucroute garnier, which is a mountain of sauerkraut topped with a plethora of pork - two types of sausage, ham, and pork belly. My mom had the famous flammekueche, which is like a flatbread pizza. The classic style is with creme fraiche, onions, and bacon, though many places serve alternate toppings in addition to the classic. My dad started with the foie gras, the whole reason he wanted to come to Strasbourg, and his main course was Cordon Bleu. This was our first meal in Strasbourg and we were all stoked on the quality and atmosphere.

La Hache - a modern bistro with Alsatian classics and more. All three of us opted for slightly lighter seafood dishes to balance out the heavy Alsatian food we’d been gorging on. My mom and I did a fish dish with pea and parmesan risotto. My dad did the Mediterranean octopus. My dad and I also had the house ginger beer which was delicious. We scarfed this one without taking any photos…sorry!

La Chaumiere - On our final night in Strasbourg, we were looking for a restaurant that was close to our hotel for an easy outing. My mom found this absolute gem through a quick Google maps search. The restaurant is adorable and super homey. It really felt like going over to a friends house for dinner. The staff were lovely and by the time we left, the tables were full and the ambience was lively! Their specialty? Meat cooked over a wood fire. For starters, my mom and I split escargot. This was my first time trying snails and I was quickly converted! Doused in butter, garlic, and green herbs, we spread these earthy little nuggets on bread and dipped more bread into the butter sauce. My dad started with their homemade foie gras. For mains, I had the steak tagliata - amazing steak with arugula, parmesan, and balsamic. And for dessert we had mirabelle sorbet (a type of plum) and pistachio creme brulee. A fitting ending to an incredible meal.

Again, this meal was so good, we ate before the camera! The snails were a momentous occasion though, so I had to capture those. Look at that buttery goodness.

Georges Bruck - if you’re into foie gras like my dad is, you will want to make a pilgrimage to the Georges Bruck store in Strasbourg. Georges Bruck is the last surviving family company still producing foie gras in Strasbourg. They are also one of the few in the world to still make the classic goose liver foie gras, which was the original style of foie gras before the more popular duck liver foie gras took over. Enjoy this video of my Dad breaking into his foie gras on the train!

All of the restaurants we went to in Strasbourg were exceptional. The staff were friendly, helpful, and happy to explain stuff to us in English. The food was exceptional and the more modern restaurants all had nice branding, making for an overall great experience.

Each restaurant we ate dinner at gave us a little card with our bill, to remember the restaurant, return, and recommend it to your friends. I loved this little detail.

Cross the border into Germany from the Jardin de Deux Rives

As mentioned, Strasbourg is on the border of French and Germany. So if you’re traveling to Strasbourg, why not get some extra bang for your buck and check out Germany too?

From the Jardin de Deux Rives on the outskirts of Strasbourg, there is a pedestrian bridge that crosses over into Kehl, Germany. Both sides of the Rhine river have walking paths and parks to explore. It was really fun to see the subtle change in architecture moving from France to Germany.

We didn’t do a ton of exploring on the German side, so this activity was more to say we did it than to do anything substantial, but it was still fun to get to walk in two different countries in one afternoon. You can also take the tram or drive over to Germany, though driving will require passing through border control, where walking and the tram did not.

Conclusion

Strasbourg was the perfect introduction to our Europe trip. It was so much fun meandering around the cute streets, eating our fill of Alsatian cuisine, and sipping cappuccino’s. The city is small enough to hit all of the attractions in a day or two but the charm and atmosphere of the city makes you want to stay longer (maybe even live there 😉). I would definitely return to Strasbourg in a heartbeat and hope to come back to experience the iconic Christmas markets one day. Stay tuned for our next stop on this trip - Wengen, Switzerland!

Seriously Delicious Things to Do in Strasbourg, France