Strasbourg and Alsace

Alsace lies in north-eastern France on the Rhine, and blends French and German culture in its architecture, its food and the names of its villages. It is known for its coloured timber-framed houses and historic streets.

Its capital, Strasbourg, has its Grande-Île on the UNESCO list since 1988, extended to the Neustadt in 2017. It has a pink sandstone cathedral and the Petite France quarter of canals and timber-framed houses. To the south, Colmar has its Little Venice on the canals of the Lauch.

The high-speed train from Paris reaches Strasbourg in under two hours, and Colmar is about 30 minutes further by train. In December, Strasbourg holds a Christmas market dating from 1570, one of the oldest in Europe.