Strasbourg or Chartres for 5 days?

Strasbourg has much more to see and do. Colmar is a lovely, smaller city and well worth a full day (less than an hour by train) or even an overnight.

2nd vote for Strasbourg. Chartres is wonderful as a day trip from Paris or as a 1-night break, but it's not well situated for day trips unless you are driving. I'm not sure about buses to other towns but by train you have to backtrack to Paris to get anywhere else. Strasbourg has more to see and do for 5 days and good day trip opportunities by bus and train - Colmar France, Basel Switzerland, Frieburg Germany, etc. Or you could take a group day tour from Strasbourg to the villages of Alsace and September is prime Fall festival time in smaller towns and villages.

Strasbourg. In addition to Colmar and other places in Alsace, it is a short train ride to Gengenbach, Germany and the Kinzig valley attractions such as the Voghtsbauernhof open air museum and the sommerrodelbahn next to it.

Thank you so much for the great advice. I'll go to Strasbourg! I really appreciate the suggestions for day trips outside of the city, Nancy! Also to Germany, Stephen. Appreciate the comparison, Chany.

I plan to stay in the historic center, as I am not fond of places near the train station. Do you have any suggestions of restaurants that serve delicious French vegetarian food? People say the French aren't vegetarian, but I have been to a few restaurants that made amazing French vegetarian dishes -- in Lyon and Toulouse, not in Strasbourg.

Thanks for that, woinparis. I didn't know.

Strasbourg has a good tram system that will get you to/from the train station. I stayed at the Mercure Centre. There's also a Mercure in Petite France. I don't remember why I chose the former, but I liked the location, easy to walk to the cathedral, and Petite France. The historic center isn't all that big. The Mercure had a great rooftop breakfast, mostly vegetarian. I found it easy to get good vegetarian food throughout Alsace . . . cheeses, veggies, fruit, breads, pastries, all yummy.

I spent roughly 5 days in the area in May. I started in Colmar, saw some small towns on the wine route and ended in Strasbourg. I felt like I had a couple more days than needed so visited Heidelburg too since I hadn't been there before.

Thanks again, Chani. That is helpful, too. And Brad, good to know about the possible side trips.

If cathedrals and architecture are your thing, then you have ...

•Cologne
•Aachen (from Cologne)
•Trier (from Koblenz)
•Rhine Castles (from Koblenz to Bingen)
•Heidelberg (from Mannheim)
•Speyer (from Mannheim)

Gee, that's more than 5 days before you even reach Strasbourg.

Turning those ideas into a 5 night itinerary.

1•Amsterdam to Cologne (2N)
2•Day trip to Aachen
3•Cologne to Koblenz (2N) then day cruise for Rhine castles
4•Day trip to Trier
5•Koblenz to Heidelberg (1N) then afternoon to Speyer
6•Heidelberg to Amsterdam

Strasbourg. Great market. Good day trip options. Lovely city.

Thank you, Shawn. That's very encouraging.

David, I appreciate the tour plan of Germany. I've been so several of those places, and really would prefer to stay in France this time. So I am really interested in day trips from Strasbourg. My plan is to make that a base, so I don't have to hotel-hop, but can stay in an Apart-hotel or small hotel. I want to keep it peaceful and do something interesting every day, while also just hanging out, sitting at the cafe, and reading my book.

Would love to meet people, too. Local people, perhaps, with whom I can converse in French.

I'd love to do a walking tour and a bike tour in Strasbourg, and a bike tour in the surrounding countryside (would love recommendations about how to go about that). And day trips that are an hour or so away so that I can spend just 2 hours on a train or bus that day, instead of a long train ride each way. And possibly one trip that is overnight and two days away from Strasbourg and the rest of the time in Strasbourg.

I really want to be in France this time!

Then you might consider 1-2 nights in Colmar. There is bus service to nearby villages, like Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Ribeauville.

Hi Chani. That's a great idea! Thanks again.

I've visited in Strasbourg many times. It is a wonderful city - very bike and pedestrian friendly.

You can rent a bike on the lower level of the train station for 5 euros a day - less if you rent by the week - and having a bike really helps getting around in one of the most bike friendly cities in the world.

Rent a bike, take a lunch, and then bike out to the European Parliament building and from there pick up the Canal de La Marne and ride out into a wonderful countryside along the canal. Stop where you want, and have your lunch, and ride back. Or, do as I did, and ride 25 miles along the canal to Saverne and have lunch in a restaurant there (get there by 1:30, though, because they stop serving at 2:00).

For other day trip options stop in at the the Tourist Office which is in the place where the cathedral is. They were very helpful to me.

La Bolee de Cidre is a wonderful galette/crepe place at 55, rue du fossé des tanneurs. Excellent food at reasonable prices. The 'Belle Helene' dessert crepe is fabulous! We go there on every visit.

Also superb, but more expensive, is La Table du Gayot in the Place du Marche Gayot (not sure about vegetarian offerings there, but I think they have some). The Place du Marche Gayot is essentially a courtyard, so it's very quiet. With tables outdoors as well as in. Excellent food in non-skimpy portions. Reservations recommended.

Another inexpensive place was the Marco Polo Pizzeria in La Petite France. Not fancy, but perfectly fine.

Strasbourg has so much to offer. We've been there many times and now wouldn't vacation in France without spending three or four days in Strasbourg.

Some useful links for you with lots of information ...

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/strasbourg-f-a-stu.htm

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/colmar-f-a-col.htm

http://www.planetware.com/france/alsace-route-du-vin-f-a-rovi.htm

Thank you so much, Stephen and David. What you wrote is so helpful! I am really looking forward to my trip with all the great suggestions and tips! Those websites are great, David. And Stephen, the suggestions you made for biking and food are fantastic! You have really given me great information and encouragement. Thanks again.