Strasbourg, France questions

We stayed in Strasbourg(as recom in RS) as a base and ventured out everyday to the villages nearby which were a delight. However I found Strasbourg to be an urban gritty city espec at night. I recom staying in any village south nrby that you can find lodging to suit you. With a car you have many options. The villages are beautiful, quiet and just what most travelers would prefer incl fine to casual dining options.
Another option would be to stay in Colmar, an excellent alternative if you prefer a picturesque museum town over village. hope this helps a little.

If you enjoy Gothic cathedrals, I'd definitely recommend Strasbourg for that, but I second the vote for staying in Colmar. You could stop in Strasbough for part of a day on the way to Colmar, which I found to be a much more enjoyable base.

John, Another vote for Colmar! It's a much smaller city, also with nice canals, great restaurants and a wonderful and relaxed ambience in the evenings. The Unterlinden is an awesome Museum. I stayed in Colmar and visited Strasbourg on a day trip (mostly to see the Cathedral) and really felt that was the best choice. I stayed at Hotel Le Rapp and would highly recommend it, but I don't know what parking options they offer. Happy travels!

I'd vote for Colmar also.

I'm of the opposite opinion. Colmar is cute, but it looks just like any number of similarly sized towns in Germany. I know Mr. Steves raves about the Unterlinden Museum, but I found it a pretty much typical provincial museum. Strasbourg has a nice urban feel without feeling too much like an overwhelmingly large city. BTW, if driving from the Rhine area... take A61 to A65, then exit near Karlsruhe along the short stretch of secondary road that links up with the French A35 at the border. Avoid A5 in Germany, as there is a sickening amount of road construction going on right now.

We stayed in Eguisheim a couple years ago, enjoyed , easy parking nice restaurants to walk to from where we stayed. Easy to get to Strasburg drive to park and ride then take tram into town, thus no big city traffic or hunt for parking. Easy to get in and out of Eguisheim each day and travel the wine road. We are going back in Sept also.

Regarding the Unterlinden Museum, I guess it depends on your taste when you describe it as pretty much like any provincial museum. It has the Isenheim Altar, often recognized as one of the masterpieces of western art, and it was magnificent. It's also in an absolutely stunning setting, and I also was happily surprised at the quality of the rest of the collection.

Wait, Strasbourg is "gritty"? I mean it has some gritty suburbs but if you're staying in/near the center it's no more gritty than Paris. I love Strasbourg, but a lot of people on this board don't for some reason. For me, it's the perfect mix of a city with a lot of things to see and do for the tourist, but it's still a "working city" i.e. full of people who just live and work there. The primary industry is not tourism as it is in say, Colmar. Maybe that means a little more "grittiness" but it also means more "realness". Strasbourg is also a great food city, there's a few Michelin-starred restaurants that go above and beyond the typical heavy Alastican-cusiene (which is great too!). It's also a fantastic shopping city. And it's cathedral is my absolute favorite in Europe. I do not think you will be bored with 2 nights in Strasbourg. If you do get bored you can hop a train to Colmar and take in the quaintness.

Our guys want to wear shorts. Do you know if they will
be allowed into the Strasbourg Cathedral wearing shorts?

"Do you know if they will
be allowed into the Strasbourg Cathedral wearing shorts?" Nobody will even look twice. However, it is possible that shorts will not be appropriate for the weather at the time of your visit.

I second the notion of Colmar as an alternative; just left there last week; perfect for two days plus little villages outside of it, Kayserberg and Eguisheim. Send p.m. if you'd like more info.

Hi, You're making the right decision to stay in Strasbourg for 2 nights. Around the train station area are numerous 2 star hotels one after another. I know you have access to a car, but from Strasbourg you can get to Paris under 2.5 hrs on the TGV and also to northern France in the north Pas-de-Calais area, Strasbourg-Arras, one direct connection per day on the TGV.