Hi! I live very near Strasbourg and my son went to senior school there!

It's a busy university city with lots of interesting historical and cultural sights, mostly centred on an island and also home to the European Parliament, Council of Europe and the Court of Human Rights.

You can tour the major sights by canal boat or little train, or hire bikes and do your own thing.

Public transport is good - there are park and ride services from the suburbs using the tram network, a railway station with direct services to Paris, Switzerland and Germany, and an international airport, which until Ryanair refused to pay back its golden hello in landing fee reductions, saw many British visitors.

Accommodation is available at varying price and comfort levels and you can eat local food for reasonable prices.

Would you like to have more information? The Strasbourg Tourist Office has good documentation and an informative website INVALID URL target="_blank" rel="nofollow" class="break-word">http://Email : info@ot-strasbourg.fr Site internet : http://www.ot-strasbourg.fr and will answer your questions and send documents in English.

You will find no problem in being understood in English if you don't speak French, but do bear in mind that the locals have put up with a lot ... German occupation in WW2 and all the European Institutions, so you may not get many smiles unless you start by smiling and making eye contact!

You can also ask your questions on this forum or PM me.

Hope this helps. You'll have a great time - I know!

ill try and find out the exact location and let you know when it is were going. Is that ok?

Fine! Look forward to hearing from you.

Hi,
following your discussion about Strasbourg...sounds really nice place. Any campsites which you would recommend?!

Oops! Don't really know about campsites, but if you contact the Comite Regional du Tourisme d'Alsace via the Internet on http://www.tourisme-alsace.com they can send you documentation and price lists. Many sites round here seem to be run by the local communities - there are certainly good ones at Selestat and Horbourg-Wihr (near Colmar).

You should find somewhere nice to stay and hopefully at a reasonable price. Bonnes vacances![/url]

Thanks for the info...I'll do some research into the suitability of this for kids(sounds great if it was just me and my husband but maybe not too much for kids to do?)I like the idea of only hearing french being spoken - makes me feel I am really sampling another culture(nothing against my fellow Brits but it's a long way to go to be surrounded by English voices/culture!!)I also like the idea of using public transport to visit Germany and Switzerland...how long would these journeys take?Also, what is the weather like in this region?Sorry to bother you with all these questions but you are a very valuable resource!!Thanks

I like the idea of only hearing french being spoken - makes me feel I am really sampling another culture(nothing against my fellow Brits but it's a long way to go to be surrounded by English voices/culture!!)

Strasbourg is a good day's drive from the Channel coast, whether you go through France (A26 and A4) or via Belgium and Luxembourg. You might like to take an extra day to break your journey en route.

Alsace is culturally unique (OK I'm biassed, I live here!) because it is really a 'second hand country' having spent the past 130 years or so being passed between France and Germany. The Alsacian culture (language, cooking, music and folklore) differs from both French and German but has aspects of both. Sadly you will hear English spoken in Strasbourg (visitors) especially if you are there when the European Parliament is in session - TO BE AVOIDED as there's no accommodation for love nor money! (Though I guess most of those involved don't camp!)

I also like the idea of using public transport to visit Germany and Switzerland...how long would these journeys take?

I presume you mean train as regards public transport. For real time journeys try my favourite traintimes site http://www.db.de, but as a rule of thumb Strasbourg to Basel takes about an hour and a bit, and for Lucerne (BEAUTIFUL town) about 2 and a half hours. You could get to Milan in about 6 hours or go overnight!! Other places to go are Baden Baden (about 40 mins by car) Europapark (Germany's answer to Eurodisney) less than an hour, Stuttgart/Cologne/Frankfurt are also do-able by train, but you'd need to change trains at least once!

Also, what is the weather like in this region?[/

Well, that's a wee bit vague - when might you be thinking of travelling? In general we have cold winters (January to March) and hot summers, but this year it's been scorching in May and June and grotty from then on! Certainly bring waterproofs! We often get thunderstorms on hot summer evenings, with or without rain!

Keep your questions coming - my pleasure to answer them!

Oh and sorry vw, there's LOADS for the kids to do! Swimming pools (some open air) the Orangerie Gardens and animals, Europa Park, Monkey Mountain and the Eagle Flying Demonstrations near Hunawihr, the Chocolate museum at Geispolsheim, Mulhouse Zoo, various Stork Parks, the Car Museum and Train Museum at Mulhouse, Electropolis museum (also Mulhouse) the Ecomuseum and Mine at Ensisheim, the adventure park at Lac Blanc ................. just for starters!!

Thank you, thank you! What an amazing amount of information,you really do know Strasbourg well!You have obviously taken a lot of time to gather all this info and it is genuinely appreciated....if you would like to visit Scotland I would be happy to return the favour!

Im going to Strasbourg too
Ill be going in November to Strasbourg and Brussels for 5 days with my Law degree to visit the European Institutions, although I'll let you into a little secret, I absolutely adore WW2 history and would much rather be trawling through that, so no doubt if I like it, Ill be dragging boyf back there!

Is near COLMAR?

I have been to Colmar and think it was near, on the boarder as Colmar is in France.

K

Yes!! Colmar is about 50 miles south of Strasbourg! Strasbourg is just over the river from Kehl in Germany, and Colmar is about 20 minutes drive from the German border at Breisach.

Thanks.
We drove to Colmar once, it was a very long drive.
A quaint little town from what I can remember.

- we had three memorable days June 4th -7th and will go again DV. Our base was Diebolsheim which was handy for the Black Forest and the Vosges. Loved Colmar, the wines and the boutique villages but the raw sausage and fatty stews left us wishing we were in proper France! Sorry, Alcacienes

Oh dear! You CAN eat well in Alsace ... we have snails and frogs legs too!
If you'd like to PM me later in the year, telling me where you'll be based, I'll be happy to send you some restaurant recommendations.

Raw sausage? I think you've been had.