Strasbourg Guided Walking Tour

The old city centers around its Gothic cathedral, Our Lady of Strasbourg, built of red sandstone and described by Victor Hugo as a “gigantic and delicate marvel”! Follow your guide for the visit of the Cathedral* including the marvelous façade that provides one of the finest picture books of the Middle Ages that you will ever see. The hundreds of sculptures which almost seem to leap out at you from the wall make great use of light and shadow effects. Another major attraction that your guide will comment are the stained-glass windows dating from the 12th and 14th centuries and that form a particularly enchanting sight along with the rose window. Finally, the highlight of the visit is the amazing Renaissance astronomical clock. Built in 1843 it features an orrery, a rotating display of the sun and moon, a planetary calendar, and even a mechanical rooster. Each day at around 12:30, the bird crows and a conga line of apostles issues forth from the clockworks, led by a little Christ.

After the visit of the Cathedral, reach the Petite France district. Historically, this was the poor section of the city occupied by mills and tanneries, both of which depended on the river and its downward flowing branches to support their work. Today, the neighborhood is one of the most charming of Strasbourg with its colorful 16th and 17th century half-timbered houses such as the ‘Maison des Tanneurs’ that your guide will certainly point out.

Your walk in this charming area will lead you to our final stop: a series of fortified bridges and their three towers. This succession of three bridges linking arms with the Ill River is dominated by three 14th century towers, remains of the ancient medieval ramparts, which totalized 90 towers. The bridges themselves were once capped by a wooden roof.