The Vauban Dam was built between 1681 and 1688, shortly after Strasbourg was annexed by France under Louis XIV. The dam was designed by the city’s military engineers following the principles of Sébastien de Vauban, France’s most influential fortress architect. Its primary purpose was strategic: in the event of an attack, the dam could be used to flood the southern approaches to the city by controlling the flow of the Ill River, creating a water barrier that made invasion far more difficult.

Architecturally, the Vauban Dam is a long, covered stone structure spanning the river just behind the medieval Covered Bridges. Inside, a vaulted gallery runs the length of the dam, pierced by large arches that allow water to pass through. These openings once held wooden gates that could be raised or lowered to regulate water levels.

Today, the Vauban Dam is valued less as a military installation and more as a viewpoint and cultural landmark. The interior gallery is open to visitors and often hosts temporary art installations and exhibitions. The gallery is easily accessible via an arched gateway on the side of the dam.

Two staircases and an elevator inside the dam lead to a rooftop terrace that offers one of the best panoramic views in Strasbourg. The staircases can be identified by signs reading “terrasse panoramique,” meaning “panoramic terrace.” From here, you can look out over the canals and half-timbered houses of the Little France district on one side, and toward the towers of Strasbourg Cathedral and the historic city center on the other. The contrast between medieval neighborhoods, waterways, and later fortifications is especially striking from this elevated position.

The Alsatian Museum offers a close and grounded introduction to everyday life in Alsace from the 18th to the early 20th century. It was founded in 1907, at a time when rapid industrialization and political change threatened to erase regional traditions. The aim was not to create a grand national museum, but to preserve the material culture of rural and small-town Alsace—its homes, crafts, customs, and beliefs—before they disappeared.

The museum is housed in a group of historic houses along the River Ill. Once you step inside, you'll be met by an interior courtyard framed by traditional Strasbourg half-timbered houses. The houses are arranged in a rectangular, interconnected layout, which helps maintain the intimate atmosphere of the space. The three floors of the houses can be accessed by climbing a black wooden staircase located on the far south eastern side of the courtyard. A special detail is provided by the vines on the balconies to the right of the staircase, which add variation to the color palette of the exterior complex. As you enter the interior courtyard, you'll find a metal statue of a man on the south-western balcony. The statue is placed on the wooden railing of the balcony and the man depicted rings a bell by using a hammer.

The museum’s main appeal lies in its immersive, room-by-room presentation. In other words, its layout differs from traditional museums, as it is not divided on a floor-by-floor basis. Instead, you will have to move up and down stairs and walk through chronologically arranged adjoining rooms.

Interiors are arranged to resemble traditional Alsatian homes, with furnished kitchens, bedrooms, workshops, and ceremonial rooms reconstructed using original objects. Painted furniture, pottery, textiles, carved wooden cupboards, and everyday tools reveal how people lived, worked, cooked, and celebrated across different social settings. Traditional costumes and accessories illustrate regional identity and social distinction, while displays dedicated to religious practices, seasonal festivals, and folk beliefs provide insight into the rhythms that shaped daily life.

What sets the Alsatian Museum apart is its focus on lived experience rather than monumental history. Courtyards, staircases, and uneven floor levels reinforce the sense of moving through historic dwellings rather than a conventional gallery.

Editor's note: the museum is currently closed due to renovation works and is expected to reopen in 2027.

Rohan Palace was built between 1732 and 1742 and was commissioned by Cardinal Gaston de Rohan, prince-bishop of Strasbourg, as a prestigious residence reflecting his close ties to the French royal court. The palace was conceived in an elegant French Baroque style, deliberately echoing the grandeur of Parisian aristocratic residences. Its location beside the River Ill, adjacent to Strasbourg Cathedral, placed it at the symbolic heart of the city.

Over time, the palace hosted a remarkable list of historical figures. King Louis XV, Marie Antoinette, and Napoleon Bonaparte all stayed here, reinforcing its status as a setting for high diplomacy and ceremonial life. Following the French Revolution, the building was gradually repurposed for civic and cultural use.

Today, the Rohan Palace is especially appealing because it houses three major museums under one roof. As you step onto the palace’s grounds and face it, you will see the entrance to the museums on the far left side of the palace’s main courtyard. The entrance is easy to recognise, as it is framed by beige Ionic columns and preceded by a small staircase. The Museum of Decorative Arts occupies the palace’s former state apartments on the ground floor, allowing visitors to experience furnished interiors that evoke aristocratic life in the 18th century. Porcelain, furniture, clocks, and silverware are displayed in richly decorated rooms.

The upper two floors of the palace host the Museum of Fine Arts, which presents a strong collection of European paintings from the Renaissance to the 19th century. Highlights of the gallery include works by artists such as Giotto, Botticelli, Rubens, and Goya. The collection is arranged roughly chronologically; early Renaissance works appear at the beginning of the route, followed by late Renaissance and Baroque paintings in the central galleries, and later periods toward the end.

Last but not least, the Archaeological Museum traces human settlement in Alsace from prehistory through the early Middle Ages, with a special focus on Argentoratum, the Roman name for Strasbourg. It is located at basement level.

Beyond the collections themselves, the palace’s formal façades, inner courtyard, and riverside terraces add to its charm. So notable is its setting, in fact, that it has been chosen for multiple diplomatic meetings. Among them, U.S. President Ronald Reagan dined here in 1985, while President Barack Obama met French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the palace grounds in 2009.

The Notre-Dame Artwork Museum traces its roots to a medieval foundation responsible for overseeing the construction and maintenance of Strasbourg Cathedral from the Middle Ages onward. Over time, sculptures, architectural fragments, and artworks removed from the cathedral during restorations were carefully preserved, forming the core of a collection that was formally organized as a museum in the 19th century. Today, the museum is housed in several historic buildings near the cathedral, including a former lodge used by the cathedral’s craftsmen.

The museum provides a rare opportunity to encounter Strasbourg Cathedral at close range and from a different perspective. Original statues, reliefs, stained-glass panels, and decorative elements dating from the 11th to the 16th centuries can be examined in detail, revealing the skill of medieval stone carvers, glassmakers, and woodworkers. Many of these works once stood high on the cathedral façade or within its interior, where their finer details would have been difficult to see. Displayed at eye level, they allow visitors to appreciate facial expressions, symbolic gestures, and stylistic changes across the Romanesque and Gothic periods.

The museum offers a chronological tour through approximately forty rooms. As the museum is housed in medieval and Renaissance buildings, staircases and doorways naturally lead visitors through the progression of artistic evolution. Near the entrance, the rooms are dedicated to original sculptures and architectural fragments from Strasbourg Cathedral. After this first set of rooms, the museum provides insight into remarkable stained glass, of which the Wissembourg Christ is the standout. It is a 12th-century stained-glass panel depicting the head of Jesus Christ and is considered the oldest intact figurative stained-glass window preserved in France. Continuing along the chronological route, the collection presents regional Upper Rhenish 15th-century and Renaissance art. The later galleries of the museum focus on still lifes and decorative works from the 16th and 17th centuries. Among these middle and late galleries, the painting titled "Madonna in the Vine Arbor'' stands out as a key highlight.

Last but not least, the museum appeals to those interested in understanding how a major Gothic cathedral was conceived, built, altered, and preserved over centuries. Exhibits help explain the evolution of architectural styles, the practical challenges faced by medieval builders, and the artistic similarities between Strasbourg and other cultural centres along the Rhine. Calm courtyards and historic interiors further enhance the experience, making the museum feel less like a detached gallery and more like an extension of the cathedral itself.

Victor Hugo described the Strasbourg Cathedral as a “gigantic and delicate marvel”, while Goethe praised it as “sublimely towering, a wide-spreading tree of God”. Its construction began in 1015 on the site of earlier religious buildings, including a Roman sanctuary. After a devastating fire in the 12th century, it was rebuilt in the emerging Gothic style, with work continuing until its completion in 1439. The result is a cathedral that blends Romanesque foundations with soaring Gothic forms, all built from the distinctive pink sandstone quarried in the nearby Vosges Mountains.

For centuries, Strasbourg Cathedral dominated not just the city but the world: its single spire reaches 142 metres, making it the tallest building on Earth from 1647 to 1874, and today still the tallest structure built entirely in the Middle Ages, as well as one of the tallest churches in the world. The cathedral’s western façade is a marvel of medieval sculpture; hundreds of intricately carved figures, biblical scenes, and allegorical motifs animate the stone, turning the exterior into a “book” of stories. The western façade is impossible to miss, as it is from here that the spire rises, and it also serves as the cathedral’s main entrance.

As you step inside, the interior proves just as rich. Stained-glass windows line the cathedral’s interior along both the north and south transepts. Many date from the 12th to the 14th centuries, filling the space with coloured light and depicting biblical narratives and saints. The cathedral also houses one of Europe’s most celebrated horological masterpieces, the Astronomical Clock. Moving forward from the entrance toward the main altar, a broad beige staircase marks the turning point; from here, the Astronomical Clock stands in the south transept. Its elaborate mechanisms and animated figures perform a remarkably intricate show each day at 12:30 pm.

Other interior highlights include the ornate stone pulpit, notable for its small sculpted dog, the sculptural Pillar of Angels, Baroque altars, and the monumental organ.

There is much to appreciate beyond simply admiring the cathedral’s beauty. Climbing the tower via its internal stairway rewards visitors with panoramic views over Strasbourg’s rooftops and the surrounding Alsatian plains.

Around the cathedral, Cathedral Square buzzes with life and is flanked by landmarks such as the Kammerzell House and the Rohan Palace museums, making the area a focal point of Strasbourg’s historic city centre.

Gutenberg Square is named after Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type, who lived and worked in Strasbourg during the 1430s, a formative period in the development of his printing techniques. Although Gutenberg’s most famous work would later emerge in Mainz, Strasbourg played an important role in shaping his ideas, and the square reflects the city’s pride in that intellectual legacy. The bronze statue of Gutenberg, erected in 1840, stands at the centre of the square and remains one of its most recognisable features.

Historically, the area developed as a commercial hub close to the cathedral, where merchants, craftsmen, and traders gathered in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. Surrounding buildings reflect this mercantile past, with elegant façades dating mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries, blending classical proportions with Alsatian details. Among them is the former Chamber of Commerce building, recognisable for its Renaissance style and sloping Alsatian roof.

Gutenberg Square’s open layout provides clear views toward the cathedral spire, making it a natural pause while exploring the old town. Cafés and terraces line the edges of the square, creating an inviting place to sit and observe daily life in the historic centre. Seasonal events and small markets occasionally animate the space, but even on quieter days it remains a pleasant spot to absorb Strasbourg’s atmosphere.

Kléber Square is the largest and most prominent square in Strasbourg, serving as the civic heart of the city for more than three centuries. Its history dates back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when Strasbourg—newly annexed by France under Louis XIV—began reshaping its urban fabric with grand public spaces. Originally named Weapons Square, the square hosted military drills and civic gatherings. It was renamed in 1840 in honour of General Jean-Baptiste Kléber, a Strasbourg-born military leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolutionary Wars as part of Napoleon's campaigns in 1798 and 1799. Kléber's ashes rest beneath the pyramid-shaped monument at the centre of the square, making it both a public plaza and a discreet memorial.

The buildings surrounding the square reflect layers of Strasbourg’s architectural past. Among them is the Aubette on the north side, built in the 18th century as a guardhouse and later transformed into a cultural venue. Its most intriguing feature today is the restored 1928 avant-garde interior—a masterpiece of the European modernist movement. This work of art is often called the "Sistine Chapel of Abstract Art" for its artistic beauty.

The square is also framed by elegant façades, wide pedestrian walkways, and the large Galeries Lafayette department store, which contributes to the area’s lively commercial character.

Visiting Kléber Square is one of the best ways to feel Strasbourg’s pulse. Outdoor cafés and seasonal markets occupy the square throughout the year, but it becomes especially atmospheric during the Strasbourg Christmas Market, when an immense Christmas tree and festive stalls transform it into a glowing winter scene. The square also functions as a central meeting point, with easy access to the historic district, Little France neighborhood, and nearby shopping streets.

Little France is one of Strasbourg’s most picturesque and historically rich districts, known for its canals, half-timbered houses, and medieval atmosphere. Despite its romantic name, the quarter was not originally French in character. In the Middle Ages, this area lay just outside the main city centre and was home to tanners, millers, and fishermen whose trades depended on direct access to water. The canals of the Ill River powered mills and helped wash animal hides, making the district an important—if pungent—centre of craft production.

The name of the district emerged much later, in the 17th century, and has a darker origin. It refers to a hospice that treated soldiers suffering from syphilis, then known as the “French disease.” Over time, the name lost its grim association and came to describe the entire neighbourhood. While many industrial activities faded, the district’s architecture survived remarkably intact, preserving rows of timber-framed houses from the 16th and 17th centuries with steep roofs, wooden galleries, and colourful façades.

Today, Little France is one of Strasbourg’s most popular areas to explore on foot. Narrow lanes wind between canals and locks, while flower-lined bridges offer postcard views in every direction. Highlights include the Tanners’ House, once a guild house for tanners and now a restaurant, as well as the Covered Bridges and the Vauban Dam at the western edge of the district.

The appeal lies in both atmosphere and accessibility. Cafés and traditional winstubs serve Alsatian specialties such as sauerkraut, while riverside terraces invite lingering pauses. Boat tours glide through the canals, offering a different perspective on the historic buildings. In every season—but especially in spring and during the Christmas markets—Little France captures Strasbourg’s blend of Germanic and French heritage, combining history, architecture, and everyday city life into one of the city’s most memorable quarters.

The Covered Bridges of Strasbourg mark the western edge of the historic centre, where the Ill River divides into a network of canals. Despite their name, the bridges themselves are no longer covered; instead, it was the three square defensive towers beside them that once supported wooden roofs. Built in the 13th century, the bridges formed part of Strasbourg’s medieval fortifications, guarding a key approach to the city and controlling river traffic entering the old town.

Originally, the complex consisted of several towers connected by wooden bridges that spanned the canals. These structures played a crucial defensive role, allowing soldiers to monitor trade routes and protect the city during periods of conflict. By the 17th century, advances in artillery made the medieval defenses obsolete, leading to the construction of the Vauban Dam just behind the bridges as part of a more modern fortification system.

Today, the Covered Bridges are valued less for defense and more for their atmosphere and views. Walking across them offers striking perspectives of the Little France district, with its half-timbered houses, canals, and locks, as well as distant views of Strasbourg Cathedral rising above the rooftops. Each tower can be closely observed from the outside, revealing details such as arrow slits and stonework shaped by centuries of wear.

The bridges are a natural stopping point when exploring the historic center. They connect easily with riverside paths and nearby landmarks, making them ideal for photography and leisurely walks. In the evening, subtle lighting highlights the towers and water below, creating one of Strasbourg’s most evocative scenes.