Strasbourg is in the Alsace region of France less than a 2 hour drive from Stuttgart. It was snowing a lot on the morning we had planned to go so it definitely took us a full 2 hours. When we crossed the border, there was no snow in sight, just rain.
Getting There: At the moment you do not need a Vignette on your car to cross the border (a special sticker you have to buy and place in the window of your car to drive in another country that is valid for a certain amount of time, usually available at gas stations before you cross the border). There isn’t a stop or border control on the way into France. We still had our passports of course just in case. On the way out of France, the checkpoint is at random but unless you are flagged over, you can roll right through without delay. The train takes about the same amount of time as driving and has a transfer, so we decided to take our first mini-road trip via car.
Parking is available in several marked garage options within the city. Street parking is also available but its only a 2-3 hour time limit on the meters so not a good option for a day of sight-seeing.
To Do: Wander. The Strasbourg Cathedral de Notre-Dame is stunning with an Astronomical Clock inside. The original was from the 1350’s, the current one is the 3rd clock installed during the 1850’s and is still in working order today. We saw it chime on the half hour though everyone expected more, it was a very short movement.
We of course had local beer, cheese and the best sausage bites, my new favorite snack. I am on a new quest to find them in Germany. We saw them in Barcelona too, but have yet to see them here. There is a huge square with loads of shopping streets mixed with high-end luxury brands to moderate boutiques. To end the day. we had dinner in the Petite France area along the river before the drive home. Many restaurants have prefix dinner menus for 20-30 euros or a-la-carte options which is what we usually go for. Yes, I had “French” onion soup again in France.
As day trips go, Strasbourg is a good one, not too far, plenty to see and we can go again and still have more to do. Our next plan for a long weekend in France is to take the wine road called Route des Vins d’Alsace from Colmar, Strasbourg, Riquewihr and other towns people have recommenced to us here. Counting down to Italy next…
PROST! Until the next road trip!
Travels Through Europe 
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