A Day Trip To Strasbourg From Paris - A City Of Flowers and Sauerkraut

I have often told clients visiting Paris on a short stay, to use Paris as a base and do day trips into the French countryside. Provence is only 2 1/2 hours away, Dijon is 1 hour and 30min, and The Loire Valley is an easy hour away. On my last visit to Paris this past March, I did three day trips from Paris , One to Nancy (The Art Nouveau capital), one to Lille ( close to the Belgium Border) and one to Strasbourg (Eastern France). My favorite overall of these trip was my visit to Strasbourg. Just 2 1/2 hours away from Paris, the city of Strasbourg dominates the fertile vineyards and walled towns of the Rhine river plains and the dark, impenetrable Voges pine forests. Wonderful barge trips in the area. The city, French, yet German in feel (the population is bilingual (French and German) is shaped by the gently meandering Ill river which carves islands out the of cities most historic neighborhoods. The most atmospheric area (just an 8 minute walk from the rail station) is the area called: Petite France". Here half-timbered houses are nearly toppled by the weigh of their flower boxes and it looks as much as it did in the 16th and 17th centuries. Here Swans and bateaux-mouches paddle through the tranquil canals and past covered bridges. Strasbourg is a modern capital that has kept a small town feeling.Strasbourg

Cathedral de Notre-Dame is known as one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe. The Cathedral stands on the exact site of a roman temple built on a little hill above the muddy ground and is today, the 6th tallest Cathedral in the world! As a world class city,

Strasbourg also boasts its share of world-class restaurants where chilled white Riesling is served in delicate green-stemmed Rhine wine glasses. The 3 Michelin stared restaurant Le Crocodile is the star here, but so are many informal bistros and winstubs located in the central area. Here the luxurious (which I came to really sample) Choucroute Strasbourgeois - is served at the historic Kammerzell Restaurant (within the shadows of the Cathedral). Unlike the traditional Choucroute served with 'tons" of Pork sausages, this one is served with three different types of fish. It was incredible! The restaurant occupies several floors and has been around since (at least the building) since the 15th century. Reservations are a must! All in all, what a great city to visit for a day! It’s an easy trip from Paris and one that hardily recommend.

A Day Trip To Strasbourg - It's Like Eating In A Franco-German Folk Tale

Lunch ( or dinner) at the Maison Kammerzell is very much like eating in a Folk Tale. Located in Strasbourg; it is just an easy 2 hour and 15 min trip on the TGV from Paris. Home to the European Parliament, chocolate-box Strasbourg, France, perfectly mixes French and German culture in the Alsace region. The old town – La Petite France - on the canal-crossed island of Grande Ile, is crowded with timber-framed houses covered in decorative brickwork. Here Try smoked pork sauerkraut, and relax over local Heineken and Kronenbourg beers, or a glass of regional aromatic Gerwürztraminer wine.
Located in a 15th-century wooden faced  historic building, the restuarant Maison Kammerzell is the most arrestingly ornate of many on the cathedral square. Here, in a warren of rooms on four floors, variously vaulted and frescoed, enfolds you in a conspiracy of conviviality. You're beaming even before the baeckeoffe ( a three-meat stew) or choucroute (sauerkraut) with fish arrives. Then you're beaming some more. Beyond the Renaissance windows, the pink sandstone cathedral soars with filigree finesse.
After lunch and stoll through the old section, its a quick trip on the TGV back to Paris.

The restaurant in the 1890's!