The short version
- Strasbourg is 1 hour 46 from Paris Gare de l’Est on the fastest TGVs, 22 direct trains a day, and the last one back leaves at 20:52. The old town is a 10-minute walk from the station.
- Our Strasbourg Day Trip meets at the tourist office on place de la Cathédrale off the morning TGV: a private guided walk through Petite France, the cathedral and the canals, four tastings at the city’s food artisans and an Alsatian lunch with a glass of Riesling, then back for the evening train, $525 per person for four or more. In December the walk runs through the Christmas markets.
- The cathedral is free. The astronomical clock runs its parade of apostles at 12:30 every day, €4, with tickets sold on the day only from 10:00. The platform, 330 steps up, is €10, no advance tickets.
- Petite France, the covered bridges and the terrace on the Vauban dam are free to walk. The Batorama boat covers them and the European quarter in 70 minutes, €16.20, every day of the year, on heated boats in winter.
- The three museums in the Palais Rohan are €9 each or €20 for the day, closed Tuesday, tickets at the door only. The Musée Alsacien is closed for works until June 2028.
- The Christmas market runs November 27 to December 24, 2026, 11:00 to 21:00, across eight squares. The Grande Île is closed to cars during market hours, and there is no left luggage inside it.
What to see
The cathedral went up between 1176 and 1439 in pink Vosges sandstone, and its one spire, 142 meters, made it the tallest building in Christendom until 1874. It opens Monday to Saturday 8:30 to 11:15 and 12:45 to 17:45, Sunday afternoons only. The clock’s film plays at 12:00, except on Sundays, and the automata move at 12:30; the parish says the show pauses during the Christmas market, so check before you plan a December visit around it. The platform is open until 20:00 from April to September and 18:00 the rest of the year.
Petite France is the old tanners’ quarter at the west end of the island, where the Ill splits into five arms: the Maison des Tanneurs on place Benjamin-Zix, the swing bridge that turns for the tour boats, and the mills and locks by the Pont Saint-Martin. Beyond it the three towers of the Ponts Couverts stand on the medieval wall, and the terrace on top of Vauban’s dam gives the view back over all of it, free, until 21:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter.
The Palais Rohan next to the cathedral, built in the 1730s for the cardinal and slept in by Marie-Antoinette on her way to Versailles in 1770, holds the decorative arts, fine arts and archaeology museums. From November 20, 2026 to March 15, 2027 it shows the first exhibition on the Diamond Necklace affair. Across the square, the Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame keeps the cathedral’s medieval sculpture, €9, closed Monday, with a reduced rate for anyone holding a clock or platform ticket.
The European Parliament, on tram E, is free to visit Monday to Saturday outside session weeks, about an hour, no booking, with a physical passport or ID card; phone copies are refused. In session weeks, the last two of 2026 being November 23 to 26 and December 14 to 17, you can watch the debates from the gallery after registering online. It closes from December 24 to January 3.
Riquewihr, the walled wine village 70 kilometers south, is on our Alsace day and the two-day tour, not on the Strasbourg day: cobbled streets inside 16th-century walls, cellars at every door, and vineyards running up to the Vosges. Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg, rebuilt for Kaiser Wilhelm II before 1914, is €12 and on the Alsace day too.
Getting there and around
TGVs leave Paris Gare de l’Est from 6:41, 22 direct a day, 1 hour 46 at the fastest; OUIGO sells seats from €10 but takes about 2 hours 25. The last train back is at 20:52, in Paris at 22:36. From the station, walk 10 minutes to the center or take tram A or D to Langstross Grand’Rue for the cathedral: €1.90 a ride on the app or a contactless card, €2.50 from the driver, €4.60 for 24 hours.
The Strasbourg City Card, €5 at the tourist office and valid a week, takes 20 to 50 percent off the boat, the museums and the platform climb. The Batorama piers are being rebuilt, so check which pier your ticket names.
The wine road is where the train stops helping. Riquewihr, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg have no stations. The regional train reaches Colmar in about 30 minutes, 41 a day, and from Colmar station a bus runs to Riquewihr in about half an hour, with long gaps and a Sunday service only from Sélestat. Haut-Koenigsbourg has a €3 shuttle from Sélestat station from March to December. During the Christmas markets, village shuttles from Colmar run Friday to Sunday only, €17 a day.
Our Strasbourg day stays in the city, with a later train home on request if you want dinner here. For the wine road, the Alsace Day Trip, private only for now, does Colmar, Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Haut-Koenigsbourg in one day, $220 per person, and the Private Two Day Alsace Tour does Strasbourg, Colmar and the Wine Route with a night in between.
When to go
December is Strasbourg’s month. The market runs from November 27 to December 24, 2026, closes for good at 18:00 on the 24th, and nothing reopens until the New Year. Riquewihr holds its own market on the four weekends from November 28. Our tour runs all year, and in December the walk goes through the markets.
From April to September the platform stays open until 20:00, the dam terrace until 21:00, and the boats run up to 44 times a day. The Alsace day runs from March to November.
The Rhine plain is continental: hot summer afternoons, and cold grey Decembers with frost and the odd snowfall. Rain is spread through the year.
Plan around the closed days: the Palais Rohan on Tuesday, the Œuvre Notre-Dame and the history museum on Monday, the Parliament on Sunday, the clock film on Sundays, and the platform on January 1, May 1 and December 25.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Strasbourg a day trip from Paris?
Yes. The TGV from Gare de l’Est takes 1 hour 46, the first leaves at 6:41, and the last one back leaves Strasbourg at 20:52. Our day uses the morning train out and the evening train home, with the guided old town walk, four tastings and lunch in between.
How do you see the astronomical clock?
Be at the cathedral before 12:00. The film plays at noon, except on Sundays, and the apostles parade at 12:30. Tickets are €4, sold only on the day, from 10:00 at the cathedral shops and from 11:30 at the place Saint-Michel entrance. The parish says the show pauses during the Christmas market.
Can you visit the Alsace wine villages without a car?
With patience. Riquewihr has no station: take the train to Colmar, about 30 minutes, then the bus to the village, about 30 minutes more, with gaps between runs and only a Sélestat service on Sundays. Our Alsace Day Trip drives you there and brings you back to Strasbourg for the train.
What should I eat in Strasbourg?
Tarte flambée, the thin tart with cream, onions and bacon from the wood oven, and choucroute garnie, sauerkraut cooked in Riesling with smoked pork. In a winstub, order baeckeoffe, the three-meat stew, and a Riesling or Gewurztraminer by the grape. The food market is on place Broglie on Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Is there a tour from Paris?
Yes. Our Strasbourg Day Trip meets at the tourist office on place de la Cathédrale for a private guided walk of the old town with four tastings and an Alsatian lunch, $525 per person or $735 with second-class rail, four guests minimum, all year. The Alsace Day Trip covers Colmar, Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Haut-Koenigsbourg as a private tour, March to November.
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