Strasbourg Arts, Architecture & Boat Tours
Dig deeper into Strasbourg—modern art at the MAMCS, Gutenberg's printing heritage, the finest carved timber façade in Alsace, student life in the Krutenau district, and the definitive way to see the city: a Batorama boat tour threading through the island's canals.
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Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (MAMCS)
Strasbourg's modern art museum, opened in 1998 in a striking glass building on the banks of the Ill, holds one of France's finest collections of modern art. The permanent collection spans Impressionism through Cubism to contemporary installation—with outstanding works by Gustave Doré (born in Strasbourg), Klee, Kandinsky, and Tapiès.
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Orangerie Park & European District Green Spaces
The Parc de l'Orangerie is Strasbourg's oldest and most elegant park—laid out by Le Nôtre in 1692 and home to a stork reserve (Alsace's heraldic bird), a boating lake, and a pavilion built for Empress Joséphine. The park connects the old city to the European institutions quarter and is used by MEPs and diplomats for lunchtime runs.
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Gutenberg Museum & Printing Heritage
Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable-type printing while living in Strasbourg from 1434 to 1444—before completing the first printed Bible in Mainz. The Musée Gutenberg (within the Musée Historique) traces Strasbourg's central role in the printing revolution that transformed European intellectual life. A replica Gutenberg press demonstrates the original technique.
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Mediaeval Half-Timbered Architecture Trail
Beyond La Petite France, Strasbourg's old town contains dozens of outstanding half-timbered houses from the 14th to 17th centuries. The Maison Kammerzell (1427) beside the cathedral—now a restaurant—features the most elaborate carved wooden façade in Alsace. The rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Poissons and Cour du Corbeau inn are other highlights.
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Strasbourg University & Student Culture
The University of Strasbourg, founded in 1537 and attended by Goethe, is one of France's largest with 52,000 students. The main campus occupies a monumental Wilhelminian building in the Neustadt. The student neighbourhood around Place de l'Université and Krutenau district offers an alternative, affordable Strasbourg of vinyl shops, vegetarian restaurants, and independent cinemas.
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Boat Tours on the Ill & Canal Grande
Strasbourg is best appreciated from the water. Batorama runs frequent covered boat tours from the Palais Rohan landing stage, circling the Grande Île canals and passing under the Ponts Couverts, through La Petite France's mill channels, and alongside the European Parliament. The 70-minute tour covers everything the city's island geography makes visible only from the water.