Travel Guide to Strasbourg: Christmas Markets in the Alsace
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‘Tis the season for Christmas markets
Though Strasbourg is convivial, cultured and entertaining the year round, its appeal goes into overdrive in December. The city’s wintry delights are guaranteed to charm all but the most diehard Scrooges – and the star in its crown is the oldest Christmas market in France.
Running from Nov. 29 to Dec. 24 this year, the Christkindelsmärik, which sprawls picturesquely in front of the Strasbourg Cathedral and on the Place Broglie, is over 430 years old.
In addition to the usual flotilla of wooden chalets stuffed to bursting with Christmas ornaments and holiday crafts, the market boasts an ice-skating rink on the Place du Château, a festival of Alsatian gastronomy with treats from local producers (Place des Meuniers) and an exhibition of Nativity scenes from Quebec (Place du Temple Neuf).
For more information on Strasbourg’s Christmas festivities, visit www.noel-strasbourg.com.
Time for a promenade
And if you can’t face another garland of tinsel, glass of mulled wine or morsel of gingerbread, take heart – there’s plenty more to do. Strasbourg is far enough away from the capital to be truly independent on a cultural level, with its own opera, France’s only national theater outside Paris, two international music festivals and Europe’s only bi-national TV station, Arte.
The Grande Ile is the heart of the city, encircled by the Ill River and Fossé du Faux-Rempart canal. The dominant landmark in Strasbourg is the pink limestone Cathédrale Notre-Dame, which has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages. Most of the museums are clustered around this focal point and many are housed in the 18th-century Palais Rohan.
The main streets (rue des Grandes Arcades and the parallel rue des Francs Bourgeois) are remarkably small and pedestrian friendly. The Petite France area in the Grande Ile’s southwestern corner, criss-crossed by canals, is Strasbourg’s medieval quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its Hansel-and-Gretel-style half-timbered houses, flourishing geraniums and narrow streets criss-crossed by canals are the stuff of fairy tales.
The canals lead to the Ponts Couverts, constructed as part of the 14th-century fortifications - the watchtowers still stand, though the bridge is now home to a motley collection of no-longer-needed statuary and sculptures from the city’s many churches.
Other districts for visitors to explore include the imposing European Institutions in northeast Strasbourg, with Richard Rogers’ visually striking European Court of Human Rights and the grandiose German Quarter, constructed during the Prussian occupation of 1870, dominating place de la République.
The Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art), with its glass façade looking onto the quayside, is an ultra-modern addition to Strasbourg’s buildings. The impressive permanent collection of paintings from the 1860s to the 1950s includes work by Monet, Signac, Arp, Picasso, Magritte and Klimt. From the 1950s to the present day, Brecht, Filliou, Pérez and Manetas are represented.
Bon appétit
Mention Strasbourg to a foodie and eyes may be raised heavenward, fingers kissed and rhapsodies of praise sung to the glories of Alsatian cuisine. You won’t eat lightly here – but you will eat well.
Buerehiesel
With three Michelin stars to his name, Antoine Westermann serves refined and regional cuisine in a 17th-century country house that was originally located in Molsheim, then uprooted and reinstated in its present location, at the heart of the Parc de l’Orangerie, for the 1895 Industrial Exhibition. Dishes such as schniederspaetle et les cuisses de grenouilles poêlées (ravioli with onions and chervil served with frogs’ legs) and la poularde de Bresse en Baeckeoffe aux truffes fraîches (chicken and vegetable casserole with rosemary and fresh truffles) make for an expensive but memorable experience.
4 Parc de l’Orangerie
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 45 56 65
Maison Kammerzell
Local businesspeople in particular have a soft spot for this restaurant, situated in a stunning 16th-century building, complete with frescoes. The food matches up to the fabulous setting, and specialties include Alsatian favorite choucroute au poisson (fish and sauerkraut).
16 Place de la Cathédrale
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 32 42 14
Munsterstuewel
Located in the vicinity of the cathedral, this traditional winstub features wooden beams, ornate brass lamps and old paintings. House specialties include pied de porc désossé maison en Baeckeoffe farci aux trois viandes (boned and stuffed pig’s trotters).
8 Place du Marché aux Cochons de Lait
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 32 17 63
