We were in Strasbourg for five days over the fall and enjoyed the city’s beautiful architecture and history. Strasbourg sits at the border of France and Germany and was a German posession between 1871 till 1945 which is relatively recently. Strassbourg is also where the Council of Europe sits and is considered to be one of the EU’s four ‘capital’ cities (along with Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Brussels). My main takeaways from this interesting destination are Petite France’s beautiful cobblestone streets, timber panelled and colourful homes over the canal, the majestic and gothic architecture of Notre Dame Cathedral, delightful florists, patisseries and fromageries dotted at almost every corner of the old town. Here are some of our main recommendations.

To stay – the Hannong Hotel (link here) at 15, Rue du 22 Novembre.

We could not recomend this boutique hotel enough for its history and location. A more detailed update will follow on the hotel’s aesthetics but it is situated within a few 100 metres of where the heartbeat of all the major sightseeing, eating and shopping are, the rooms are standard European size and the interior deco is quintessentially French chic.

To dine – Brasserie Boëhm (link here) at 134 Grand Rue.

We were so pleased with our first brunch experience of cafe creme, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon here that we came back twice, and each time enjoying another dish off their menu – avocado and zucchini salad and a poached egg with salad. The staff were attentive and food and drinks came swiftly, the ambiance had that perfect people-watching la vie en rose patina especially when the weather permits us to sit outside under the autumn trees and catch up endlessly with loved ones.

Another notable place we ate at was at the lovely fromagerie L’epicier Grand Cru which I’ve updated at here.

To shop

Of course there’s Galerie Lafayette across the road from Hotel Hannong which carries all the French staples when it comes to ladies fashion (Sandro, Maje, Galerie Lafayette’s own brand) but the old town is overall heaving with both global brands and also sweet local boutiques, and weekend artisan markets. I loved the shoes at Bocage (a two minute walk from Hannong Hotel) and the bohemian floaty style of Les Piplettes on 83, Grand Rue. Many people flock to Strasbourg for the Christmas Markets but late September was too early for this kind of shopping so we didn’t catch sight of any particularly festive offerings.

To see

For this trip we didn’t really follow through with a guide book but rather just kept walking around town till our feet felt sore. Traveling for us has become more of a ‘catching local vibes’ type energy and less of an obligatory visit of every museum and cathedral. If you base yourself on or close to Grand Rue and spend a day just exploring every street around you, you would come across two memorable pieces of this Alsace Lorraine capital – Petite France et Notre Dame Cathedral.

It’s easy to see the individual appeal of this city, and can imagine it to be even more attractive, colourful and a must visit over the Christmas period.