Things to Do in Alsace

Perched high in the Vosges Mountains, overlooking the Alsatian plains, the striking pink sandstone towers of High Koenigsbourg Castle (Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg) are an unmissable sight. Built in the 12th century and extensively renovated in the 19th century, the fairy-tale fortress is a popular attraction along the Alsace Wine Route.

 

Aside from admiring the romantic spires and richly decorated façade firsthand, the highlight of a visit to High Koenigsbourg Castle is the impressive view from the hilltop. You'll spy the surrounding Vosges Mountains, Germany’s Black Forest region, and even the Swiss Alps on a clear day. Tours of the castle interiors are also available, where visitors can explore the windmill, wine cellars, living quarters, and medieval gardens, while learning about the castle’s long history of war, siege, and fire.

 

Tours run from nearby Strasbourg and Colmar, as well as from Basel in Switzerland, often combined with regional highlights, such as the medieval villages of Riquewihr, Colmar, and Eguisheim, or wine tasting in the Alsace wine region.

 

 

High Koenigsbourg Castle is located around 34 miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Strasbourg in France’s Alsace region. From March to December, shuttle buses run to the castle from Sélestat train station, which can be reached by direct train from Strasbourg (about a 20-minute journey).

 

The castle is open year-round, but it can get extremely busy in July and August. To avoid the crowds, get there before opening at 8am or after 3pm, when most of the day-trippers have already left.

 

Although originally built in the 12th century for the German Hohenzollern family, the majority of the current castle dates back to the 19th century, when it was extensively restored and renovated by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The masterwork of architect Bodo Ebhardt, it’s a feast of medieval architecture, with a dramatic drawbridge and keep, the grand bastion artillery platform, and wooden galleries filled with collections of armory, weaponry, antique furnishings, and stunning frescoes.

One of Strasbourg’s oldest and most famous buildings, the Maison Kammerzell (Kammerzell House) is a remarkably preserved example of medieval architecture, and its traditional timber framing and ornate carvings make it a popular subject of tourist photographs. Although originally built in 1427, the house owes much of its modern-day appearance to renovations undertaken in the 16th. It also takes its name from its 19th-century owner, grocer Philippe Kammerzell.

Today, the Kammerzell House is home to a period-style hotel and restaurant, and makes an atmospheric dining venue, with its authentic décor including vaulted ceilings, arched stained-glass windows and a series of elaborate frescos by early 20th-century painter Leo Schnug.

Second only to Paris’ famous cathedral of the same name, the Strasbourg Cathedral de Notre-Dame (also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, or simply, Strasbourg Cathedral) is the second-most-visited cathedral in France, drawing up to 4 million annual visitors. With its 465-foot (142-meter) spire (the second-highest in France) and dramatic red façade sculpted from Vosges sandstone, the cathedral is Strasbourg’s most unmistakable landmark and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

While the cathedral’s history dates back to 1015, the majority of the present-day structure dates from between the 12th and 15th centuries, blending a cornucopia of architectural styles from Romanesque to Late Gothic. Highlights include a series of 12th-century stained glass windows, a magnificent 18-meter-tall astronomical clock and the 66-meter high viewing platform, reached by a grand 300-step spiral staircase and offering unbeatable views over the city.

Encircled by the River Ill and the Canal du Faux Rempart, the Grande Île or “Big Island,” is the UNESCO–listed historic center of Strasbourg and home to the majority of the city’s top attractions. For most visitors to the city, the Grande Île serves as the prime focus of sightseeing tours. It also hosts Strasbourg’s world-famous Christmas market during the festive season.

Start your walking tour at the legendary Cathedral of Notre Dame, the city’s most iconic landmark, where you can take in views of the city from the 216-foot-high (66 meters) viewing platform. Next door, the Palais Rohan (Rohan Palace) is home to the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Galerie Robert Heitz, while the ornate Maison Kammerzell is a fine example of a half-timbered medieval townhouse. Additional highlights include the St Thomas Church and the picturesque La Petite France district, where the River Ill feeds a network of canalways crossed by the Vauban Dam and the historic Covered Bridges.

A trio of bridges arching over the canal ways of the River Ill, the Strasbourg Covered Bridges are an iconic symbol of the city, marking the gateway to its central Grande Ile. Somewhat confusingly named, since none of the three bridges remain covered, the bridges once formed an important part of the city’s medieval fortifications and featured wooden canopies from where soldiers could protect the dam below.

Today the bridges are a lasting vestige of medieval Strasbourg, and while their ramparts were destroyed back in the 18th century, the remains of the 14th-century square towers that once linked the bridges together still stand. The historic bridges are best viewed from the grass-topped terrace of the nearby Vauban Dam (Barrage Vauban), which offers panoramic views of the surrounding La Petite France district, or on a boat cruise around the city’s canal ways, passing beneath the arches of the fabled bridges.  

Held in the city’s Old Town since 1570, the Strasbourg Christmas Market (Christkindelsmarik) is France’s oldest one and among the oldest in Europe, drawing up to 2 million annual visitors over the festive season. Strasbourg is renowned as one of the most atmospheric holiday destinations in France, as the Grande Île is adorned with dazzling illuminations, a giant Christmas tree is erected on Place Kléber and an open-air ice-skating rink opens on Place du Château. The historic market, however, is the focal point of the city’s seasonal entertainment. 

Kicking off at the end of November each year, more than 300 traditional wooden chalets take over Place Broglie, selling an array of handcrafted gifts, Christmas decorations and seasonal produce. Enjoy live carolers, street bands and festive lightshows while sipping a steaming cup of Vin chaud (mulled wine), then take a break from Christmas shopping to tuck into local specialties like baeckeoffe stew.

Built in 1690 by its namesake—legendary military engineer Sebastien Vauban—the Vauban Dam (Barrage Vauban) was designed not only as the city’s principal lock, but as an integral part of Strasbourg’s fortifications. Guarding the southwestern entrance to the Grande Île, the dam spans the width of the River Ill and has the capacity to flood the entire southern end of the town in case of attack. 

Today the grand lock, with its 13 arches, magnificent sculptures and grass-topped terrace, is among the city’s most recognizable landmarks and makes a popular lookout point, offering panoramic views over the nearby Covered Bridges (Ponts Couverts), the Old Town canals and the distant Cathedral of Notre Dame. 

Named after one-time Strasbourg resident Johannes Gutenberg, who famously invented the movable-type printing press in 1439, Gutenberg Square remains an important commercial and navigational center of Strasbourg’s Old Town, strategically located close to the landmark Cathedral of Notre Dame. Today the square is best known as a meeting place, lined with cafes and restaurants, but a statue of the square’s namesake still takes prize place at its heart—designed by David d'Angers in 1840. 

 

With many of its half-timbered buildings dating back to medieval times, Gutenberg Square is also celebrated for its striking architecture, most notably the Renaissance-style Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce) and the 16th-century Hotel de Commerce, from where writer Arthur Young watched the destruction of the magistrates' records during the Revolution. Gutenberg Square is also the center of many of the city’s seasonal festivities and events, hosting games and fetes during the summer months, a Christmas market and carousel over yuletide and a number of flea markets and book fairs throughout the year. 

Stretching over 2,600 hectares, the Parc de l’Orangerie is Strasbourg’s largest and oldest public park and the principal attraction of the city’s northeastern Orangerie neighborhood, or European Quarter. The tranquil, flower-lined gardens were created in honor of Napoléon’s wife Joséphine (although the empress never visited the park) and were laid out in 1804 by André Le Nôtre, who was best known for designing the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. 

 

One of the Orangerie’s principal landmarks is the Europe Parliament building, which fronts the northwest entrance to the park and has served as the seat of the Council of Europe since 1977. It’s an impressive sight, lined with flags from the EU’s 28 member states. Additional highlights of the park include the Joséphine Pavilion, a small zoo and stork sanctuary, a rowing lake and several playgrounds, as well as a network of walking and cycling trails. 

At the heart of Strasbourg’s La Petite France district, tucked amid the half-timbered houses and snaking canals of the historic neighborhood, the Tanners House, or Maison des Tanneurs, is one of the area’s most famous landmarks. A lasting vestige of the old tanners district, the former tannery was built in 1572 and is known for its timbered galleries and slanted roofs, where dyed hides were once draped to dry in the sun.

Transformed into a restaurant in 1949, the Tanners House is now home to La Maison de la Choucroute, which serves up traditional Alsatian cuisine in authentic surroundings, with the original 16th-century beams complemented by antique furnishings and window boxes overflowing with geraniums. For the most atmospheric spot, book a table on the open-air terrace, from where the views stretch along the riverfront.