Petite France, Strasbourg
Strasbourg's most photogenic neighbourhood spills along the River Ill with a postcard-perfect tangle of 16th-century tanner's houses, geranium-draped balconies and mossy lock gates. It is the living heart of Alsatian identity, and it rewards an early-morning wander before the tour groups arrive.
Walking the Tanners' Quarter
The neighbourhood takes its name not from romance but from the leather tanners who once stretched hides on the upper-floor balconies to dry — look up and you will still see the wide, open-sided galleries that made this possible.
Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes is the single best street: a 300-metre corridor of immaculately restored colombage houses painted in ochre, rust and sage green, each one slightly different from its neighbour.
Cross the Ponts Couverts — the three medieval bridge towers that anchor the quarter — and climb the Barrage Vauban for a panoramic rooftop view over the entire scene.
Eating and Drinking in the Quarter
Duck into one of the winstubs (traditional Alsatian wine taverns) tucked under low beams for a plate of choucroute garnie and a carafe of local Sylvaner. Au Pont Saint-Martin, right on the water, is a reliable, long-standing choice.
In the mornings, grab a fresh bretzel from the boulangeries on Place Benjamin Zix — the soft, lye-washed Alsatian pretzel is thicker and chewier than its German cousin and is eaten as a breakfast staple here.
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