Decided on a quick getaway from Paris and went to Strasbourg as the weather forecast predicted good weather (not too hot, no rain…) so there I went on my mini adventure after asking my boyfriend what needed to be seen or not as he has studied there. He did not want to join me as he was working 🙂

I have already visited Strasbourg twice, once as a teen and once in 2008 but I don’t have any memories of the visits (I guess not taking much pictures back then)

Arrived in Strasbourg city center just before noon to a gloomy sky (but no rain). Went to check-in at Mercure Strasbourg Centre Petite France. It was an upgrade as reservation had been made at Ibis Style but with the current covid-19 situation, the hotel has not reopened

The reservation has been transferred to Mercure with the same price and the same conditions (breakfast provided too for the same price)

That was a pleasant surprise I must say.

However the room was not ready yet, which was expected. They kept the luggage and provided a city map (I always ask for one as a souvenir… don’t look at it much unless I am in a place where data is not included in my package or if my battery dies off which happens very often with my phone (Apple addicts and their battery problems)

I made a reservation at Les Haras Brasserie for 12:45 so proceeded in going towards the restaurant hoping to be a little early…

Made it just in time as walking past la Petite France aria, I was just amazed by it’s charm and of course had to take a lot of pictures on the way.

The restaurant had most people eating outside by the terasse but with a gloomy sky… I preferred to go inside and especially the place had a nice charm as it used to be horse stables.

I was put upstairs next to the staircase which gave me a view of part of the kitchen… The place is nice and the lunch menu changes every day.

This was the menu of the day

A mini bretzel is brought with the kir alsacien I ordered. I was going to have tap water but when they are still or sparkling I just went with still forgetting the tap water (oh well in Paris, the prices would have been a lot worse)

Had to wait a little for the first meal and in between meals. At least you know food’s not frozen which is good. It was a pleasant experience to eat here as the meal was good and well cooked. From the entrée to the dessert everything was tasty

Involtini de foie gras au jambon de Parme, pêches marinées, vanille de Madagascar

Onglet de boeuf de Galice, croûte d’échalote et fines herbes, jus corsé

Douceur noisette, citron, framboise, sorbet framboise

The bill was reasonable as the food was really good.

From there hesitated between going off straight towards the cathedral and the boat or heading back to see the room. I started the day early so decided to be a little reasonable going back towards the hotel. Again taking lots of pictures so ended up at the Mercure a little later than expected.

I was given the key to my room on the 4th floor and along with my backpack went there. The room was an attic room. As much as lots find it charming I am not really a fan (but hey when getting a room right on top in a typical Strasbourg style house… it should be found normal. However it was clean, and the bathroom practical. A small bottle of Evian awaited the thirsty me.

Decided to book a boat ride with Batorama as it’s a typical visit to see Strasbourg from the canals and to go uptown the European Parlement and institutions so with the little time I had decided it would be best.

So proceeded with going towards la Place Kleber and stopped for a beer by the Place. The beer was good. I took one which had a fruity flavor (but I am terrible with beer so don’t ask me what I took… I asked for a typical one and they said it was brewed there so that’s the main thing. All I can say it was nice and refreshing…

Had to get going as my boat ride was going to start embarking in not too long. I was hoping to get a good seat on the side and if possible on the left side.

I was surprised as it’s crowded. And no one space between passengers. I am always impressed to see that now that everyone wears masks, they forget about distancing themselves. However how safe are masks if they have been manipulated, worked a long time or if you sweat ? (it’s my case as I just cannot keep the damn thing on for more than a few minutes ‘sorry for the language’)

Anyhow I got a seat on the left side by the water… As I boarded, I was given a headset which was quite short. Now they give one use a headset for you to plug it on for explanations in all languages… It was not very practical I must say and most came with their own. Having an iPhone… mine were no use.

The boat ride was pleasant… I found it a little long as having the mask on probably. Did not feel like taking selfies and tried to cling on the headset while taking pictures and loosing the headset all the time.

My boyfriend had advised me against the boat ride saying you loose a lot of time. My take on this? He was right. Unless you have just a few hours to a day… then doing the boat ride makes sense to get a taste of the city… if not you might as well walk (or take a cab/uber)

Once the boat ride came to an end, continued towards the cathedral and the Place Guttemberg where there was a Carrousel. I just wanted to get into it and be a kid but I went for an ice cream at Chez Christian instead. 3 scoops for 5 euros… yes !!!! went for black cherry, mirabelle and coconut all artisanal…. and really tasty not too sweet… really YUMMY

Continued wandering around until dinner where I booked at Le Tire-Bouchon.

The place was next to the Cathedral, had good reviews and despite probably been touristic I decided to go there. The menu seemed to much as I was heading later for a wine tasting so went with a Choucroute du Tire Bouchon. I hesitated with the Choucroute Royal but the liver put me a little off (ok I eat foie gras but I don’t eat liver ?!?)

The service was good but I was not too appealed by the Choucroute. I’ve eaten better onces and I guess for a good Choucroute you need to go outside the touristic center… It was ok… However the service was good

I went back towards the hotel to rest a little. My feet hurt and I needed to change outfits. I was wearing a top which was a little too revealing to my liking (I wore it for the first time just before leaving my home at 6:45 am). I preferred to change into a basic t-shirt before heading out again… at least no-one was looking at me then :).

Walked a bit and headed to the wine bar Un Cantalou à Strasbourg.

They offer cheese and wine pairings or you can just go with wine (or cheese)… However I thought after my dinner it would be too much I started off with just taking wine… then added on the cheese. I must say… I could go back but not after a choucroute dinner :p

Had Three glasses of wine (of 6ml each). All three different and good. It’s definitely a place I would recommend.

Headed back towards the hotel and slept after watching Fast and Furious 8 on Netflix. The bed was really confortable. Slept like a baby until morning.

I wanted to wake up earlier but I guess from the previous night and the bed being so comfy… woke up just before 8am. The good thing with Mercure Hotels is you have many pillows to choose from…

Breakfast was a little disappointing. I am glad I did not have to pay for it. It’s normally 18eur but there is hardly anything. If you were to stay here… I would suggest you go find a tasty boulangerie or a café instead.

The check-out is at noon but they allowed me to have the room for 45 minutes longer as the place was fully booked up that night.

With that timing decided to head towards the Orangerie Park as suggested by my boyfriend. Went by Uber to save time. Headed straight towards the little zoo. I am an animal lover so just enjoyed watching them over and over. There are just a few animals (it’s not like a real zoo don’t expect much) but it’s a nice place to come and just relax.

From there walked towards the Strasbourg student campus. Learned on the boat that Strasbourg is the second student city after Paris. The campus was really well spread and I saw a few buildings from outside including a few placed my boyfriend studied. Not essential to visit obviously but it’s interesting to see and next to it are some nice buildings.

From there walked a little up towards the Place de la République and took an other Uber back to the hotel as I needed to check out.

Just before leaving towards the station, decided to quickly go find a Tarte Flambée for lunch and while searching on the internet and reading reviews came across la “La Fignette” which I must say was amazing.

From the IPA bier to the Tarte Flambée I had, everything was good. I so wanted to have a dessert there but time was running out. So had two half Tarts to have a tasty of two different ones.

Headed back to the hotel to take my bags and head back to Paris.

Impressions: Two and a half hours by train from Paris makes it a ideal getaway destination. The old town center is really typical and cute. A weekend is good to enjoy Strasbourg. More if you want to go visit the region…

Next time in Alsace: Ribeauvillé and Colmar in October