Strasbourg Christmas Market Advice
 

I'll be taking my family on a day trip to Strasbourg via TGV on December 18 during our week-long stay in Paris. Any information or advice you have on Strasbourg in general, or on the Christmas Market in particular, would be much appreciated. It looks like the old town and cathedral are within relatively easy walking distance of the Strasbourg Gare.

We'll have about 5 hours to explore the town and market. Any must-see recommendations? Any favorite bierstubs or winstubs? Who serves the best Tarte Flambee (Flammekueche)? Thanks!

We are also planning a trip to Strasbourg before Christmas and are also interested in other people's advice and experiences.

Thanks in advance.

When my daughter spent her junior year studying in Strasbourg, she and her friends thought the Brasserie de la Bourse had the best tarte flambee. She took me there, and it was indeed delicious, although I had nothing to compare it to.

Chez Yvonne and Kammerzell are both popular restaurants near the cathedrale. Great choucroute garnie!

I had Tarte Flambee at:

"Caveau Gurtlerhoft" 13 Place de la Cathedrale. It is in the basement. Just before you are about to step into "Brasserie Le Dauphin" seating area, you make a sharp turn left turn then down the stairs to the basement. You can find several online reviews.

Best? I don't know. I had several Tarte Flambees in Alsace. I did not find one that stood out above others.

You might consider taking a tram, at least one way to save travel time. The tram station is directly below the Strasbourg TGV train station. You go down one flight of stairs, buy tickets from the vending machine, then descend to the lower level to the tram platform.

Bookmarking for our xmas trip :)

Yes, you can get to the Christmas market on foot from the train station if you don't mind a small hike. It's an OK market, not as flamboyant as some of the German ones, but they're all fun for a day if you don't mind an overload of kitsch.

I'm not a dessert person at all, so can't recommend a place for a Flammekueche, but Zum Strissel is the quintessential Alsatian wine bar. And do get beyond the market and wander around the canal area.

Jamikins - will you be in Strasbourg for Christmas? We will too (Australians living in London).

Sorry to hijack the thread!

Kay

Hi Kay,

We will be there Dec 20 - 23 :) How about you?

Where do live in Lodnon...?

Tarte flambee or flammekueche is not a sweet, but a savory consisting of a thin crust, onions, bit of ham or bacon, and fromage blanc.

According to lore, it was an "invented" to use up the bits of dough left over from breadmaking and other tidbits around the house.

I must have it confused with baeckeoffe

Hi Jamikins, we arrive on 20 Dec for a week. We live in Ealing, in west London. Maybe we could meet up in Strasbourg?

Kay

"I must have it confused with baeckeoffe"

Probably with kougelhopf :-) Baeckoffe is a meat dish !

Hey Kay! Thats perfect timing...lets definitely meet up for a drink!!

We live in Clapham, south London :)

you can email me at [email protected]

Well, sounds like Flammekueche is a meat dish too...

Baeckoffe is that chunky meat stew all sealed up with a crust and baked for a few years, right? :)

Baeckoffe is served in a casserole; tarte flambee would be more like a pizza, loosely speaking.

I would say Baeckoffe is an ENORMOUS casserole dish.

Tarte Flambee was described to me as a pizza. It tasted more like a crisply grilled Mexican flour tortilla with cheese on it.

According to Wikipedia (and my salivating memory :) of it)

Tarte flambée is an Alsatian dish composed of thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, which is covered by crème fraîche, onions and bacon. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of the region.
Depending on the area of the region, this dish can be called in Alsatian flammekueche, in German Flammkuchen, or, in French, tarte flambée.

It's been 4 years, but here is my phototravelogue of our Strasbourg trip in early December: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=akvqp2

Hi Jamikins,

I've sent you an email. Keep in touch and we can meet up in Strasbourg - could be fun!

Kay

Sounds good Kay...thats my work email so I will respond on Monday :)