Strasbourg Bus - Attractions and Sights in Strasbourg

Strasbourg as a city has existed since 12 B.C., when the Roman Empire destroyed a Gaulish settlement that existed there, only to later erect a fortress in its place, named for the will of its commander, Drusus the Elder. The fort, built by Roman legionaries, was to guard the crossing of the Rhine, the border river between the Empire and the "wild lands".

And guard it did. Until the fifth century AD. The Romans defended the lands there quite successfully. However, in the year five hundred, they succumbed to the Germanic tribes, who, hand in hand with the Asiatic Huns led by Attila, captured Argentoratum. This is how Druzus the Elder, the brother of Emperor Tiberius, named the town.

When the town fell into Germanic hands, the Franks took custody of it. And it was they who renamed it Stratœburgus, meaning a town on the beaten road. This name, as it was intended, still functions today. Moreover, Strasbourg, thanks to its location, grew into a rather important trading post.

It came into the hands of the French in August 1681. It was annexed to the Kingdom of France by Louis XIV, interestingly without losing the status of a free city that Strasbourg had enjoyed since the mid-thirteenth century.

What to see in Strasbourg? Attractions and sights

Like many cities in that region, Strasbourg has the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Of course, it is worth paying attention to, if only from the fact that the Gothic building changes its colors depending on the time of day or the weather. On the tower reaching one hundred and forty-two meters is a Renaissance astronomical clock, showing... the phases of the moon and the signs of the zodiac.

One of the most interesting places in Strasbourg is the so-called Little France (La Petite France). A part of the city named after the hospital where people suffering from syphilis, commonly known as the "French disease," brought by the soldiers of Francis I, were kept. Previously, it was a neighborhood of tanners and fishermen. Today quite a few streets bear the names of these professions. Most of the buildings in this district are half-timbered structures from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Of course, nowadays you will find there mainly restaurants and hotels.

An interesting attraction of Strasbourg may be a water streetcar cruise on the canals, which are not lacking. During the cruise there will be a lot of surprises waiting for you in the form of moving bridges and gates.

The city center of Strasbourg (Grande île) was inscribed on the world heritage list by UNESCO in 1988. Not surprisingly, the combination of French and German architectural thought in this city is impressive. Besides, as far as Germany is concerned, there is a connection between the two countries.

Just walk across the bridge over the Rhine to Kehl, which, interestingly enough, used to bludgeon Strasbourg with a lot of resentment. It was, of course, about dominance over the region. One of the symbols of constructive cooperation between cities and regions is the Mimram Bridge, built in 1861 and later destroyed during World War II. The one that exists today was built through joint efforts, thanks to EU funding.

How to get to the capital of Alsace? Bus from and to Strasbourg

In our opinion, the best way to get to Strasbourg is by bus. Our buses in Strasbourg stop at the Place de l'Etoile, from where you can reach, for example, the Notre Dame Cathedral in a quarter of an hour.