Question 1

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Trams from Place d'Islande run to Homme de Fer, the central tram interchange, and the cathedral is a few minutes' walk from there. Check the line on the stop sign at Place d'Islande before you board. A single ticket was priced from €1.90 in October 2026 and is valid for one hour, with transfers, across the Strasbourg area and as far as Kehl on line D. A 24-hour ticket was priced from €4.60 for one person, and the 24H Trio for up to three people from €10.20. Check fares before you go. Tickets are sold from machines at the tram stops. Batorama sightseeing boats run tours of 45 minutes and of 1 hour 10 minutes from two boarding areas about 100 meters apart, near the cathedral and at Quai au Sable. Check which pontoon your tour leaves from.

Question 2

What to Eat

Accepted Answer

Tarte flambée, also called flammekueche, is the Alsatian dish to share, and it is eaten with the fingers. The place to order tarte flambée is a winstub, a traditional Alsatian tavern. Choucroute and baeckeoffe are the filling main dishes. Kougelhopf is baked in a mold and has sweet and savory versions. Munster cheese can be mild or strong. At Christmas the seasonal foods are gingerbread, mulled wine and man-shaped brioches called manalas.

Question 3

Tipping and Currency

Accepted Answer

Restaurant prices in France nearly always include tax and a 15 percent service charge, and people add 2 to 3 percent more when the service has been especially good. Diners who pay in cash often leave the small change as well. Taxi drivers in France are usually given 10 to 15 percent of the metered fare. Many French shops, hotels and restaurants take credit cards, though shops often require a minimum spend.

Question 4

The Cathedral, Its Clock and the City Museums

Accepted Answer

Strasbourg Cathedral is free to enter and needs no reservation, though bags are checked at the door. The cathedral is open Monday to Saturday from 8:30 to 11:15 am and from 12:45 to 5:45 pm, and on Sundays and feast days from 2 to 5:15 pm. The cathedral's viewing platform is 66 meters up and reached by 330 steps. Admission was €10, or €6 reduced, in October 2026. The platform is open daily from 9:30 am to 8 pm from April to September and from 10 am to 6 pm from October to March, with a half-hour break at 1 pm. It is closed on January 1, May 1 and December 25. The astronomical clock's figures move at 12:30 pm on most days. Entry is from 11:30 am by the Saint-Michel door on Place du Château, a film about the clock is shown at noon, and tickets, which were €4, are sold only on the day. There is no clock presentation on Sundays and feast days with an 11 am Mass, or during the Christmas market. The Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame were each €9, or €5 reduced, and are free for visitors under 18. Tickets are sold only at the museum desks, so check prices and hours before you go.

Question 5

History

Accepted Answer

Strasbourg grew from a Roman army camp and has been French, German and French again since 1681. The earliest mention of the Roman camp of Argentoratum dates from 12 BC. Bishops ruled the city until 1262, when a citizens' revolt made Strasbourg a free imperial city. France took Strasbourg in 1681, when the armies of Louis XIV conquered Alsace. After the Franco-Prussian War the city was German from 1871 until 1918, when it returned to France. Strasbourg has been the seat of the Council of Europe since 1949, and the European Parliament followed.

Question 6

Traveling with Family

Accepted Answer

The astronomical clock's moving figures at 12:30 pm are the cathedral's draw for children, and tickets for ages 6 to 17 were €2 in October 2026. Arrive at the clock before noon, when a film in French, German and English explains what the figures are about to do. Check the ticket price before you go. The film is not shown on Sundays.

Question 7

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

A ramp at the cathedral's entrance and exit gives step-free access for wheelchair users. The cathedral's viewing platform can be reached only on foot, by 330 steps. Trams and buses in Strasbourg set aside spaces for wheelchair users, and passengers may bring walking frames and rollators. Each city bus carries a ramp that the driver can put out. The Rue de la Minoterie quay is 900 meters from the nearest tram stop, so ask your cruise line whether a shuttle is provided.

Question 8

Shopping and the Christmas Market

Accepted Answer

Strasbourg's Christmas market opens in late November on the historic squares of the center and runs through December. The Christmas market, known as the Christkindelsmärik, dates back to 1570. Local shops, banks and a supermarket are at the tram stop 900 meters from the Rue de la Minoterie quay.

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