Viking Traveller 2nd Issue

CITY GUIDE
Gazing out across its medieval squares and cobbled
alleys, you would be forgiven for forgetting that
Strasbourg is the home of a divisive European
Parliament. Politics aside, the city has year-round appeal –
flower-adorned café tables beckon passers-by in summer,
and Christmas markets bring festive cheer in winter.
Straddling the Franco-German border, many agree it exudes
the best of both.
The Grande-Île is the city’s showpiece; the UNESCO-listed
historic city centre is surrounded by the Canal du Faux-
Rempart and River Ill. Little over 1km long and wide,
the island is packed full of culture and architecture. Place
Kléber is the main square and home to the city’s biggest
Christmas market, although most visitors head straight to
Cathédrale Notre-Dame to admire its Gothic architecture,
12th-century stained-glass windows and magnificent spire.
On the western edges of the island is Petite France, home
to the city’s most historic and picturesque houses where the
tanners, millers and fishermen of yesteryear lived.
For more historical intrigue, the Musée Alsacien recreates
homes and interiors throughout two largely untouched
16th- and 17th-century houses, or hop on a Batorama boat
trip to the 19th-century German Neustadt. For historical
respite, the 26-acre Parc de l’Orangerie is the city’s bestloved
recreational space; shaded pathways lead to secret
waterfalls, and there’s a free zoo.
streets. Inside, works from Picasso, Monet and locally-born
Gustave Doré are on display.
• France’s largest mosque on the banks of the River Ill can
accommodate 1,500 worshippers. Designed by an Italian
architect, its colossal copper dome is a symbol of religious
tolerance in France.
• Not only is Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg
one of France’s oldest medical institutions, but it also has a
wine cellar dating back to the 14th century – over the years
patients have left chunks of land that have accumulated into
one vast vineyard.
• Eleven Christmas markets now host more than 300
vendor chalets, filling different parts of the city between 24
November and 30 December. Alsace treats on offer include
hot wine, bredele cookies, and ornamental white storks.
EATING & DRINKING
Whatever the season, the Alsatians have got food and drink
wrapped up from choucroute garnie (grated cabbage pickled
in wine) to a hearty baeckeoffe (casserole) and lashings of
Riesling to wash it all down.
EXPLORE STRASBOURG
THE VIKING WAY
DON’T MISS
• Palais Rohan is considered to be a miniature Versailles
thanks to its ornate 18th-century grandeur. Inside, there’s
plenty for history lovers to feast on from the Musée
Archéologique in the basement to the Musée des Beaux-
Arts’ old masters painting collection.
• The striking Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain
makes a nice visual change from the quaint medieval
Viking offers a number
of included and optional
excursions in Strasbourg
Flavours of Alsace
Sample Alsatian and French
flavours and pleasures as
you meet food merchants,
a French sommelier and a
local chef. Accompany your
guide, a passionate purveyor
of all things Alsatian, on a
shopping excursion through
Strasbourg; you may sample
regional specialities such
as fine chocolates, pralines,
kougelhopf cake, croissants,
freshly made baguettes and
pretzels, cheeses, and special
regional meats or sausages.
X Main image: Petite France district in the old town of Strasbourg,
Images left to right: Couple on a bridge going across the River Ill in Strasbourg;
Pont Couverts over the river Ill in Strasbourg; Cathedral Notre Dame, Strasbourg
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