Strasbourg France

Drop in to the wine cellar at the central hospital: they have some huge barrels dating back to the middle ages and any wine you purchase contributes to the hospital funds. If you or husband are into transportation, Mulhouse, which is an hour away by train, has the French national car and railway museums. Highly recommended if you're enthusiastic. One interesting thing in Strasbourg is that some restaurants that look like tourist traps are actually good value: I was quite impressed with Le Pigeon on the main street and Au Pont du Corbeau.

Strasbourg is fantastic and underrated. Just wandering the old town will give you plenty to see, I am also partial to the Cathedral museum, it has some masterworks of medieval art and puts a lot of the cathedral in context which makes it way more interesting. I hear the Alsatian museum is good too - I haven't been there. I second the suggestion to try the Hospital wine cellar, it's fascinating. The people who run it don't speak much English, but they're friendly. Strasbourg of course is great for traditional Alsatian food. For a cheap meal and good beer, the Academie du Bier is in the old town yet isn't a tourist trap, it's mostly a student drinking place with a huge beer selection (mostly Belgain ales) and really good Flammkuchen (Tarte d'Alsace). For a nicer meal, I like Chez Yvonne. It's sorta touristy, but with French tourists, and the food is quite good. Reservations are a good idea for dinner, maybe even for lunch depending on the time of year. Any traditional place (and some non-traditional places) will have good local wine, do be sure and try some. I was surprised by the good value at some touristy-looking joints, too. Had a fantastic, filling, very cheap breakfast (with eggs and "bacon" - their version, anyway!) at Place Gutenberg at a restaurant that looked so touristy I was really afraid, but it was wonderful. That said, I've also paid too much for mediocre dinners at other touristy restaurants. I'd do more research and try to highlight a few places that get consistently good reviews.

Thanks for your response. Great ideas and we will definitely plan to get to the hospital.

I agree that Strasbourg is great, and I've been there several times. But I can't believe I missed the hospital wine cellar, since I'm a huge fan of Alsatian wine. Looks like another visit is in order. Now if only I could remember the name of the hotel we stayed in. It was right in the center, and it's the kind of hotel that doesn't exist in America: charming, reasonably priced, and both business people and tourists stay there. If you don't have a place to stay and want a recommendation, let me know and I can see if I can dig out the name.

Hi, "...off the beaten path?" If you're interested in seeing a place outside of Strasbourg, I recommend going to Obernai, close and easily reachable by train, not overrun by tourists, very Alsacian. My main recommendation is to see and visit the cathedral, fantastic, das Straßurger Münster.

Robert Portland
We are traveling to Strasbourg too, can you dig out the name of the hotel? Lori