Close to the border with Germany, seat of the European Parliament, capital of Christmas, Alsace and the Great East, Strasbourg boasts a culture and an architecture blending Latin and Germanic influences. Strasbourg, 2,000 years of history, has had its entire city centre listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1988. People come here to discover its history and heritage, and to enjoy its art of living and gastronomy. And, as it does every year in February, the Strasbourg tourist office will be honouring love on the occasion of the "Strasbourg mon amour" event for Valentine's Day. It has to be said that, when it comes to romanticism, Strasbourg is a beautiful setting.
Notre-Dame, flamboyant gothic jewelry
The city is best discovered by bicycle or on a river boat. Strasbourg carefully cultivates warm traditions and has managed to preserve an exceptional cultural and architectural heritage. It is not for nothing that Strasbourg has been classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. But this gentle city, ideally located in the heart of Europe, is also in full swing with a very rich cultural life.
Emblem of the city, the sumptuous Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, with a decoration chiselled like a lacework, offers daily activities around its astronomical clock. Climbing halfway up the 140-metre-high bell tower, you enjoy a beautiful panorama of the Rhine and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Built on the site of a former Rhine basilica dating from 1015, which was destroyed by fire (but whose remains can be seen in the crypt), the construction of Notre-Dame took three centuries between 1176 and 1439. At the finish, a masterpiece of pink sandstone of which Victor Hugo will say: "I saw Chartres, I saw Antwerp. I needed Strasbourg, a prodigy of the gigantic and the delicate. "Impossible to detail all its treasures here, let us mention the rose window, the tympanums, the stained glass windows of the nave, the oldest of which date from the 13th century, the pillar of angels, the late Gothic pulpit and the organ case decorated with curious figures. Spend a little more time in front of the astronomical clock of 1547, to learn more a video followed by the parade of the apostles is visible every day at 12 o'clock except Sunday. Strange phenomenon discovered in 1974: at each equinox and at a precise time, weather permitting, a ray of sunlight passes through a stained glass window and illuminates in green the Christ adorning the pulpit. As much as the Romanesque buildings seduce by the purity of their lines, the Gothic, here characterized as "flamboyant", impresses by its architectural complexity and the impression of increased verticality. Finally, the platform offers an exceptional viewpoint at a height of 66 metres and is worth climbing the 332 steps leading up to it
La Petite-France, charming and romantic
Giving in to the romantic charm of Petite-France in Strasbourg is a pure delight. La Petite France is a picturesque summary of Alsace with its half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, with its canals and narrow streets. It is one of the oldest districts of Strasbourg, built along the Ill - the river that rises in the Alsatian Jura and before flowing into the Rhine splits into two arms to encircle the historic centre of Strasbourg. Fishermen, millers and tanners used to live and work in this area, the names of the streets testify to this - rue des Moulins, rue du Fossé-des-tanneurs, and the houses have kept the steep, staircase roofs that sheltered the granaries where the hides were dried. Stop in front of the very beautiful Maison des Tanneurs from 1572, it was transformed into a restaurant in 1949 and you can taste everything that makes the reputation of Alsatian gastronomy. For the record, Petite France owes its name to the "French disease", in other words the smallpox or syphilis that the soldiers of Francis I came to treat in the local hospital in the 16th century. Then push on to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, from the panoramic terrace, you will have an exceptional view of Petite-France, the Covered Bridges (formerly sheltered by huge wooden roofs, hence their name), and the Vauban Dam, built in 1690, as a defence system on the Ill. It will then be time to go and enjoy another of Strasbourg's legacies: a traditional and delicious gastronomy!
Lunchtime!
Nourished by centuries-old traditions, Strasbourg cuisine is constantly being renewed under the influence of inspired and daring chefs. Meanwhile, the popular and traditional winstubs, friendly taverns serving generous sauerkraut, baeckeoffs and flambéed pies drizzled with draught beer. From Strasbourg, you can also visit, on either side of the Rhine, the Alsatian vineyards, the mountains and lakes, charming towns and villages, enjoying landscapes of great diversity. Enough for a nice getaway with your better half
The most romantic Valentine's Day in France
Because, as every year, the tourist office is taking advantage of Valentine's Day to organise a whole programme on the theme of love with the event "Strasbourg mon amour". For ten days, from 7 to 16 February this year, Strasbourg becomes the most romantic city in France and offers lovers the opportunity to declare their love through several encounters that have become emblematic: moonlight bathing, slow party, love tavern, Pont des Soupirs, aperitif at the Opera, photo shoots, café des amours, unusual concerts... Exceptional moments to seduce your partner even more or simply enjoy an atypical atmosphere in the heart of the Alsatian capital. In Strasbourg, Valentine's Day lasts ten days, so make the most of it!
Smart info
When? All year round, Strasbourg will hold you back with its beauty, its gastronomy, its shops and its events. The tourist offer is spread out over the four seasons, even if it is at Christmas that it is the strongest. And to take advantage of the "Strasbourg mon amour" operation, organised by the tourist office, come to the Alsatian city from 7 to 16 February 2020.
Getting there. By car, train, bus or plane, everything is possible.
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