Hi there---
Does anyone know if its super inconvenient right now to cross the border between Germany and France by car to visit Strasbourg for a day? I really want to do this when I go to Germany in October, but I'm not sure if it will be feasible if crossing is going to eat up half my day or they have extra requirements beyond being vaccinated.
Being recently through that area, as far as I saw there are no border checkpoints. And having across from Germany into Alsace probably 6 or 7 times now, I've never seen anything that remotely looked like a border checkpoint on the many roads in and out of that region. I would assume that if you want to drive from Germany to Alsace no one is going to stop you or know. If it is prohibited though, then whether or not you ought to go is a different question.
And, saying this as less of a RS acolyte then many who post here, consider Steve's favorite Colmar. I've visited both cities 3 times, and unless you are dead set on seeing the (impressive) Strasbourg Cathedral, not a lot recommends Strasbourg over Colmar. Colmar's old center is absurdly charming, comfortably accessible, great small museums, and much easier to notice the competing German and French architectural styles that ping-pinged back and forth through history. Lots of good food too.
I live in this general area, and no--the border restrictions of earlier this year have been lifted. There might still be some occasional checkpoints random from time to time, but nothing regular, and nothing that should eat many hours.
That said, do make sure that you check the requirements for Americans entering France when you go; even if there are no checkpoints, you are still needing to follow the rules for both countries (and if you get randomly stopped, it could be problematic).
And in normal times, crossing by car might not be the best idea. It is usually better to park on the german side and take the train or tram across the border to Strasbourg, saves you having to find somewhere to park in the city.
