Strasbourg A beautiful city – The Travel Guide
Strasbourg is a French city located on the French, German border in the historic Alsace region of France. It is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union along with Brussels, Frankfurt and Luxembourg. Strasbourg is a beautiful city steeped in history with beautiful churches, a Cathedral, parks and the river III flowing through it. I have been to various cities in France and for me Strasbourg is just a magical beautiful city.
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Table of contents
GETTING THERE
Trains – There are several connections every day between Paris and Strasbourg and the journey takes less than 2 hours. There are direct trains to several other towns and cities in France to and From Strasbourg including Lyon, Marseilles and Dijon.
As well as excellent connections within France Strasbourg also has excellent international train connection within other European countries including regular daily direct services to the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium
Airport – Strasbourg international airport is 10 minutes from Strasbourg city centre. However as you know if you read any of my other posts I don’t like flying so Im not sure how good this airport is.
GETTING AROUND STRASBOURG
Trams and buses – Strasbourg like many other European cities has a tram network. There are 6 tram lines in the city centre. There are also 46 bus routes.
Each tram line is represented by both a letter and a colour
Strasbourg Tram lines
- Tram A (Red): from Illkirch Lixenbuhl to Hautepierre Maillon
- Tram B (Light Blue): from Hoenheim station to Lingolsheim Tiergaertel
- Tram C (Orange): from Neuhof R. Reuss to the central railway station
- Tram D (Dark Green): from Rotonde to Aristide Briand
- Tram E (Purple): from Robertsau Boecklin to Baggersee
- Tram F (Light Green): from Place d’Islande to Elsau
Strasbourg Tram and Public Transport Tickets and Prices
Trams and buses in Strasbourg use the same tickets. Tickets can be purchased on the bus, at kiosk at stops or from the CTS office. It costs more to purchase a ticket on board the bus. There is a card used by commuters that is the cheapest way to travel. However this is not really practical for visitors as the card has an initial charge of 5 Euros. Therefore the most common tickets purchased by visitors are paper tickets. If you buy two paper tickets together you make a small saving and you can buy 10 paper tickets together you can save up to 3.70 Euros . However to make any saving you need to use at least 8 of the 10 paper tickets. The table below shows the current cost (January 2024).
Cost of paper tickets
| Purchase on Tram/Bus | Paper Ticket Purchase Before Boarding | Tickets Load on Badgéo, on CTS App, or top off paper ticket | |
| 1 ticket | €2.50 | €2.10 | €1.90 |
| 2 tickets | €3.80 | €3.60 | |
| 10 tickets | €17.30 | €17.10 |
If you plan to use a lot of public transport in one day when visiting Strasbourg then you will probably find it makes more sense to purchase a day ticket. The 24 hour ticket as the name suggests is valid for 24 hours from first use. If you make more than two journeys then you will make a saving buying a 24 hour ticket
The 24 hour trio ticket is for use by 2-3 people and is valid for 24 hours from first use. You can make great savings with this ticket for two or three people making more than two journeys. Even although its called a trio ticket 2 people can still use it.
The 3 day ticket is valid for one person for three days. If you will make more than 5 journeys over 3 days you will make a saving buying this ticket
Cost of day and multi day tickets
| Description | Cost | |
| 24 HOUR SOLO | This is a ticket for 1 person and is valid for 24 hours from the first use. Ticket includes unlimited rides on all bus-tram-coach lines and the TER Train within Eurométropole of Strasbourg. (Strasbourg-Kehl link in TER train excluded) | €4.60 (makes sense for > 2 rides) |
| 24 HOUR TRIO | For 2-3 people for unlimited rides for 24 hours from the first use on all bus-tram-coach lines and the TER Train within Eurométropole of Strasbourg. (Strasbourg-Kehl link in TER train excluded) | €10.40 (makes sense if 2+ people ride >1 time) |
| 3 DAYS TICKET | A 3-day ticket for one person and valid from first day of validation for unlimited number of trips in Eurométropole of Strasbourg. (Strasbourg-Kehl link in TER train excluded) | €10.40 (makes sense if ride >5 times total) |
Validate Your Ticket
Please validate your ticket on the machine on the platform BEFORE boarding the tram. You can do this by using the machine at the tram stop. Hold your ticket against the yellow card picture painted on the machine. When you do this the machine will make a beeping noise. This means your ticket is validated and if its a single ticket you now have one hour to complete your journey. If using the bus validate your ticket when you get on the bus.
Board the Correct Tram
Every tram stop also has a display which shows what trains stop there and the direction of the tram.
On the Tram Strasbourg
Once on the tram there is no need to scan your ticket as its already been validated. Most of the time you will also not need to show your ticket to anyone. However make sure you have one in case there are transit officials on board doing spot checks.
Using Buses
Using the bus is similar although there are more buses and they go further and you validate your ticket onboard the bus. The bus stops will have displayed what buses stop there and when the bus is due.
BUDGET FOR STRASBOURG
Where to stay
Hostels – A bed in a dorm will set you back 28-35 Euros. A private room costs 50 – 100+ Euros
Budget hotel- 50-120 Euros
Booking.comEating out
Fast food in somewhere like McDonalds or Burger King will be around 11 Euros for a combo meal
Budget Restaurant for a main meal 15-20 Euros
Nicer Restaurant for a main meal one course 25-35 Euros
A coffee will cost about 3.50 Euros
A pint of beer will cost 4-5 Euros
TOP THINGS TO DO
1. The Cathedral of Notre-Dam Strasbourg
Strasbourg cathedral is just one of many beautiful buildings in the city. However in my opinion is its probably the most beautiful and striking building in the city. When I first seen it, it honestly took my breath away. All I could think when i saw the cathedral was “wow”. This beautiful mostly gothic style building is an absolute must see if you are planning a visit to Strasbourg.
Strasbourg Cathedral is also one of the leading cathedrals in France. Interestingly for 227 years (1647 to 1874) the cathedral was the tallest building in the world. However. many other buildings are now much taller. However it is now the 6th tallest church in the world. The cathedral was built in the middle ages and is the tallest building from that time that’s still in existence.
Walking up to the cathedral and seeing it from the outside is completely stunning but it is also beautiful inside and its free to enter the cathedral. There is stunning stain glass windows throughout and I love stain glass windows
For more information on visiting the cathedral check out my Strasbourg cathedral post.
2. La Petite France
La Petite France is a historical neighbourhood in Strasbourg with beautiful 16 century buildings, fine restaurants and cobblestone streets. It is also often referred to as little Venice because Ill River winds its way through the area. Its probably the most beautiful area of the city and is great place to wander through and admire the beautiful buildings, river and bridges. This was also my favourite area of the city.
3. Walking Tour
A great way to get a really good feel for this beautiful city is to do a free walking tour. These are great the tours are free in that there is no set payment amount. However you give payment at the end if you wish based on what you can afford and how much you enjoyed the tour.
4. The Strasbourg Astronomical Clock
Located inside the Strasbourg cathedral the Astronomical clock is the third one made and dates from 1843. The first clock was built in the 14th century followed by the second in the 16th century. The main attraction is the procession of Christ and Apostles that occurs every day at 12.30pm (half past noon) while the cock crows three times. For 4 euros visitors can watch a film about the and the witness the clock in action with Entry through the south doors from 11.35 until 12 noon the whole experience lasts 30 minutes (the clock procession lasts a few minutes). The Strasbourg clock is one of around 40 Astronomical clocks in France. For more information check out the website here
If you liked my Strasbourg guide have a read of my other travel guides London, Amsterdam, Brussels.
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