Should we forego Strasbourg?
 

On my draft itinerary for France is two days in Strasbourg, arriving there by train from Lyon.

Given it will be a near 4 hour train journey, I am debating whether to perhaps forego Strasbourg altogether so as to instead spend time elsewhere (i.e. 2 days in Dijon instead, or perhaps an extra day here and there).

What drew me to include Strasbourg in the first place is that Alsace is so distinct from other places in France, with one person describing it to me as Canada's Quebec equivalent in France, a region that has its own distinct culture and people.

For those that have been to Strasbourg, is it better left for another time or is it worth at least getting a taste of Strasbourg despite it being a bit out of the way?

It sounds like you would only visit Strasbourg, not the nearby wine villages. It is a beautiful city.
This area has gone back and forth from being German to French so the culture is different from other areas of France. Wait until you can also visit the villages.

If we were to go, it would likely be to spend one whole day in Strasbourg itself and then another seeing either Colmar, Riquewihr or Eguishiem (or maybe two if we had time).

See attached

Stu Dudley

Where will ou end your trip?
There are direct trains from Strasbourg to CDG.

we would either be going from Strasbourg to Paris or Lyon but either stop would be for at least a few days

My two cents: Strasbourg was somewhat interesting. But it did NOT light my candle. It was only when I went further south, and then west, that I fully appreciated that which France has to offer.

Dijon is no match for Strasbourg.

And when you are in Strasbourg, it is less than 2 hours by TGV to get to Paris.

I actually prefer Dijon over Strasbourg. This September we will spend several days in both cities - so I'll get a "new" and more current look.

Attached is my Lyon itinerary.

Stu Dudley

Alsace is a delight, Strasbourg has a very pretty centre with some very pleasant burbs. Lyons is a whole city. I'd rather spend an hour in Alsace than 2 days in Lyons, but then I'm not so big on food, especially meat.

Yes, it's the eating and drinking that do not really appeal to me even though I do both in considerable quantity. But they are at the bottom of my list for choosing a city to visit. There are certain cities around the world where I have been known to eat fast food almost exclusively (NYC and Sydney come to mind).

Hi Stu,

I have read over your notes from Provence, Alsace and Lyon - excellent resources, thank you very much for sharing them.

I note that you found the villages of Alsace to be a bit repetitive and similar (notwithstanding that they are very charming and picturesque).

I understand that Colmar and Eguishiem are quite close together (Riquewihr being a little bit further north) - do you think it would be possible to see both in one day (or perhaps whether just one is necessary)? I am a fast paced traveller and I can get a little irksome about spending too much time in some places (i.e. I found Cologne in Germany to be rather dull after a full day exploring) hence I am a bit worried about perhaps staying too long in one place.

In light of your comment regarding the surrounding towns and that my stay in Alsace will not be a particularly long one anyway, my thought at the moment is to perhaps spend a full day in Strasbourg and a full day exploring the nearby towns. I do have an extra day that I am tossing between whether I allocate it to Toulouse, Lyon or Strasbourg but my thoughts are perhaps to add the day in Lyon so as to possibly allow a day trip to Beaune.

I would just combine Strasbourg with a partial day trip to Obernai, which is just a short commuter train ride, about 20 minutes.

You can visit many of the smaller villages in 1 day. Strasbourg could even be seen in 3/4 day & Colmar in half day. If you don't move fast & don't dawdle. A lot depends on how many museums you visit.

Toulouse is quite far away.

See my attached Languedoc itinerary

Stu Dudley

Could you perhaps post your whole itinerary so we can see how Strasbourg fits in?

I enjoyed Strasbourg enough the first time that I went back. Colmar is an easy side trip from Strasbourg, but maybe only rates a half day. If you are headed to Paris after Strasbourg and have any interest in Art Nouveau I would allocate a day to Nancy.

Just for reference, here is one of my trips to Strasbourg: Strasbourg in September (by kerouac2) | Any Port in a Storm (proboards.com)

What about non-town/city sites. Just walk up the Vosges, especially near the southern end, see the WW1 slit trenches along the top ridge often only feet from the enemy. Look at the Alps.

You mention three places outside of Strasbourg and plan to pick two of them. Eliminate Colmar from the list and visit the other two charming wine villages.

I posted my first draft a few weeks ago but we are tinkering it.

For our French portion of the trip we are looking at 2 possibly 3 days in Toulouse, 3 days in Provence (using Avignon as our base as we will not have a car), 3 days in Lyon, 2 days in Strasbourg and then 4 days in Paris.