Day 19 – September 6, 2026

Strasbourg: Discovering the City from New Perspectives

Today had a wonderfully relaxed rhythm. Unlike yesterday, which was all about discovering Strasbourg on foot and absorbing its fascinating history, today was about enjoying the city from different perspectives and simply savoring being here without feeling the need to check off more sights.

The morning began with breakfast at Hotel Léonor, which turned out to be a really enjoyable way to start the day. There is something wonderfully easy about lingering over breakfast in a beautiful hotel before setting out to explore.

Our first destination was the Batorama boat tour, something I had been looking forward to ever since buying the tickets yesterday. It proved to be an excellent decision.

Seeing Strasbourg from the water revealed an entirely different side of the city. Familiar buildings suddenly looked completely different from canal level, while graceful bridges, locks, half-timbered houses, and tree-lined embankments created one beautiful view after another. Although I had already walked many of these streets, viewing them from the canals gave me a much better appreciation of how the city developed around its waterways.

The boat itself made the experience especially comfortable. Large panoramic glass windows provided unobstructed views while protecting everyone from the afternoon sun, and the air conditioning kept the ride pleasantly cool despite the warm weather. It was one of those sightseeing experiences where I could simply relax, take everything in, and enjoy every minute.

Originally we had considered visiting Palais Rohan, but once the boat tour ended neither of us felt like spending the afternoon inside a museum. Instead, we listened to our mood rather than our itinerary—a decision that turned out to be exactly the right one.

We found a lovely table by the river at Sebastian, where we lingered over cappuccinos and delicious pastries while watching Strasbourg quietly go by.

From there we walked toward the European Fair, taking a route through Neustadt, Strasbourg’s magnificent imperial district.

This unexpected walk became one of the highlights of the afternoon.

Neustadt feels like stepping into an entirely different city. Built during the German Empire after 1871, it contrasts beautifully with the medieval center. Wide, tree-lined boulevards replace narrow winding streets, while elegant stone mansions, grand civic buildings, decorative balconies, intricate ironwork, sculpted façades, and beautiful Art Nouveau architecture line the avenues. The district has an airy elegance that feels both French and Central European at the same time. Every few minutes there seemed to be another building worth stopping to admire, making the walk just as enjoyable as any formal sightseeing attraction.

The European Fair, however, wasn’t quite our style. We spent about an hour wandering through it but ultimately didn’t find much that really captured our interest. Sometimes that’s simply part of traveling—you never quite know what will resonate.

We took the tram back toward the city center and had a small travel adventure along the way. After buying our tickets, we kept searching for validation machines inside the tram before eventually realizing they are actually located on the platforms before boarding, not inside the tram itself. It gave us a good laugh and another little lesson in how public transportation works in a different country.

Later we stopped once more for coffee and shared a wonderfully creamy Saint-Marcellin cheese, a simple but memorable little treat that perfectly fit the leisurely pace of the afternoon.

The evening brought one of the experiences I had most anticipated: the concert at Saint Thomas Church.

The setting alone made it unforgettable. Sitting inside one of Strasbourg’s oldest churches while listening to live music created exactly the kind of atmosphere I love discovering while traveling. The church’s remarkable acoustics beautifully complemented the unusual pairing of violin and organ, allowing both instruments to fill the vast historic space with warmth and richness.

The program itself was thoughtfully curated, spanning more than two centuries of European music. It opened with several works by Johann Sebastian Bach, including the majestic Fugue in E-flat Major (BWV 552), movements from the Partita No. 2 in D Minor, and the deeply moving chorale Mortifie-nous par ta Bonté. The evening continued with Georg Philipp Telemann’s expressive Fantasia No. 9, the lyrical beauty of Gabriel Fauré’s Sicilienne from Pelléas et Mélisande and his beloved Berceuse, selections from Josef Gabriel Rheinberger’s Six Pieces for Violin and Organ, movements from Léon Boëllmann’s atmospheric Suite Gothique, and concluded with an energetic sonata by George Frideric Handel.

It was a beautiful progression—from Bach’s intricate counterpoint through the warmth and lyricism of the Romantic composers before finishing with Handel’s joyful brilliance. Hearing these works performed live inside a church that has stood for centuries made the music feel timeless, as though it truly belonged in that space.

After the concert we finished our Strasbourg stay with another wonderful Alsatian dinner at L’Onion, one of the restaurants we had chosen earlier.

We shared their rich, comforting French onion soup before enjoying an excellent pork shank served with vegetables. Alongside dinner we sampled two classic Alsatian wines—a fragrant Gewürztraminer and a refreshing Muscat—both perfect companions to the local cuisine.

Looking back, today wasn’t about checking off famous attractions. Instead, it was about experiencing Strasbourg from several completely different perspectives: gliding through its canals, wandering its elegant imperial neighborhoods, discovering a little slice of contemporary Europe at the fair, and ending the day immersed in beautiful music inside one of its most historic churches.

Yesterday introduced me to Strasbourg’s medieval heart. Today revealed its many other layers.

Together, they made Strasbourg one of the most rewarding and well-rounded city experiences of the trip so far.