Strasbourg, a hidden corner in France

Strasbourg is a small city in the east of France which, despite being one of the principal venues of the EU, very few people really knows. I visited it three years ago, and I probably wouldn´t have gone in my entire life if my sister hadn´t gone there to study for a year. Before she went, I knew very little about that city, just that the European Parliament was there, but  it definitely became one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited.

The thing about Strasbourg is that it doesn´t look like a French city at all. Practically on the German frontier, it´s more like a typical, small, German town, with those thin, colored buildings with wooden boards on the façade.  There is one special area called “The Petite France” where all the houses are white and brown. And, to top it all, the entire city is full of canals, which makes Strasbourg a delightful city to see by walk (or by bike, the best way to see it).

Maybe, the bad side of the city is that it´s extremely calm the whole year, except the Music Day celebrated in June, probably the most important celebration in Strasbourg, when the streets are full of street musicians, and the city literally wakes up. But, in my opinion, the best time to visit it is, of course, in December; the city is specially beautiful and it has one of the most famous Christmas markets in Europe, which is well-worth a visit.

In conclusion, if you´re looking to a new and non-typical place no know, I recommend you to visit Strasbourg. It may be a very small city, but you can take advantage of its privileged situation and go and see other villages in the region such us Colmar, or even go to Germany. Also, if you want, you can finish your trip in Paris, two-and-half hours by train from Strasbourg.