The Trips Subcommittee has chosen Strasbourg as the ideal destination for Christmas, even if it is a bit too early; our visit is scheduled for the 7th and 8th December and combines both having fun all around the Christmas markets and visiting the Institutions based there.
December in Strasbourg means, above all, the immense Christmas market, which has existed for 445 years and is without doubt the oldest Christmas market in France! http://www.noel.strasbourg.eu/
At the same time, Strasbourg is definitely well worth a visit, to discover its history, its cuisine and its unique atmosphere. Its monumental Cathedral together with the entire city centre, which is listed as UNESCO World Heritage, make the it one of the most attractive places of the Alsace region.
Moreover, since the city stands as a symbol of reconciliation between peoples and of the future of Europe, it is home to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
Our trip timeline is the following:
Sunday:
• Meet at 08:00 at the Lux station, so as to take the 08:29 train:
Luxembourg – Strasbourg
Lux-Metz 8.29-9.19
Metz-Str 9.36-11.11
It is better to buy our tickets on Saturday or Friday. Keep in mind that the Saar-Lor-Lux discount group ticket is valid only for the weekend.
• Meet at 12:30 at the Strasbourg Cathedral, so as to go all around the city:
We should not miss the cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Kammerzell house, the Petite France quarter, the Church of Saint-Thomas and, if the weather is nice, the Orangerie Park. http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/en/discover/monuments-museums-and-other-sites-to-visit.html
Moreover, around the city's squares we can find a lot of interesting places; go shopping around Place Kleber, buy souvenirs in the Cathedral area, have coffee or drinks at Place Broglie (Opera) and discover the student life at Place de la Republique (University).
• Meet in the evening (time to be fixed) for the Christmas markets:
The Christmas Market itself spreads out into many streets and squares of the city centre, in particular Place Broglie and the Cathedral Square. Several hundreds of stall holders tempt the stroller with original gifts and traditional ornaments for decorating the tree and the nativity scene. There are also many treats to feast ourselves on: sweets, mulled wine and doughnuts. A giant Christmas tree is planted in Place Kleber close to the "Sharing Village", an ice skating rink at the foot of the cathedral.
http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/en/discover/strasbourg-capital-of-christmas.html
Unfortunately, we can only check in at F1 Hotel after 15:00.
Monday:
• Meet in the morning (time and place to be fixed) and visit the Institutions together:
1. 9:30-11:30 – European Parliament, we have to arrive at least 20 min earlier
2. 14:30-16:30 – Council of Europe
Since the Institutions are not located in the centre, we can have a light lunch there.
• Take the train back to Luxembourg:
Strasbourg - Luxembourg
Stra-Metz 16.50-18.29
Metz-Lux 18.38-19.30
OR
Stra-Thionville 17.50-18.29
Thionville -Lux 18.38-19.30
OR
Stra-Lux 19.50-21.59
We can book our return tickets from Strasbourg on Saturday, as soon as we arrive at the station there.
More suggestions:
- The Petite France district and the cathedral are definitely a must-see (we can also climb to the cathedral platform, it is free the first Sunday of the month and you can see the city panorama from there.)
- If anyone wants, they can take a boat ride, it takes one hour and goes through the city centre and to the European institutions (it’s 12,50€ with some reductions for +20 groups). More info: http://www.batorama.fr/
- Visiting the Christmas market – there are several markets across the city, one of them is a visiting country village (Belgium this year). However, Christmas market closes at 20.00 on Sundays.
More info: http://www.noel.strasbourg.eu/
Christmas programme (different concerts etc.):
http://media.strasbourg.eu/alfresco/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/c389f048-c6ce-4630-9b95-6b7dd1d39745/programme-noel-strasbourg-2014_fr.pdf
Food and Drinks:
- We should not miss the local white wine and the local specialty tarte flambée at "au brasseur". http://www.aubrasseur.fr/
- Coffee at "cafe des anges". http://www.cafe-des-anges.fr/ OR on a boat, as some of the famous "peniches" are transformed into cafés and restaurants, tram stop "Gallia".
- Drinks at "La Taverne Francaise" and "Chez Jeannette". http://www.cityvox.fr/bars-et-cafes_strasbourg/la-taverne-francaise_200008065/Profil-Lieu
http://www.lenetdejeannette.com/
More info:
http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/en/accueil.html
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