Strasbourg

The astronomical clock, Petite France and the European quarter

Two days cover Strasbourg's essentials. On day one, climb the cathedral platform, watch the astronomical clock at 12:30 and walk to Petite France and the Barrage Vauban. On day two, take a 45-minute Batorama boat, ride Tram E to the European Parliament and the Orangerie park, and cross to Kehl on Tram D.

Be at the cathedral before noon: climb to the platform, then get a place inside for the astronomical clock at 12:30. Next door, look at the carved timbers of Maison Kammerzell and visit the Palais Rohan museums. In the afternoon, walk west to Petite France and the Ponts Couverts, then up onto the Barrage Vauban terrace. Book a winstub for dinner.

On day two, take a 45-minute Batorama boat from below Place du Marché aux Poissons to see the old town and the European district from the water. Back on dry land, take Tram E north-east to the European Parliament and walk through the Orangerie park to see the storks. If you have energy left, take Tram D over the Rhine to Kehl.

Choucroute, flammekueche and dinner in a Strasbourg winstub

Eat Alsatian food in a winstub, the wood-panelled taverns around the cathedral and in Petite France, and book ahead because the rooms are small. The dishes to order are choucroute garnie, flammekueche (tarte flambée) and baeckeoffe. Drink Riesling, Gewurztraminer or a local beer such as Kronenbourg or Fischer.

A winstub is the place to eat Alsatian food: a wood-panelled tavern, originally a wine bar, with checked cloths and a short menu of heavy, comforting dishes. Book ahead for dinner at the well-known ones around the cathedral and in Petite France, where the rooms are small.

Choucroute garnie is the dish everyone orders once: a mound of sauerkraut cooked in white wine and piled with sausages, smoked pork and potatoes, generous enough for two. Some places also make a fish choucroute. Tarte flambée, called flammekueche locally, is the shared starter, a wafer-thin base spread with cream, onions and bacon and baked fast in a very hot oven. Baeckeoffe takes longer, with pork, beef and lamb marinated in white wine and slow-baked with potatoes in a sealed earthenware pot.

For something sweet, bakeries sell kougelhopf, a ring-shaped yeast cake with raisins and almonds, and in December every stall has bredele, small Christmas biscuits. Drink Alsace wine, Riesling or Gewurztraminer, or beer: Alsace brews more than any other French region, and Kronenbourg and Fischer both come from around Strasbourg.

Strasbourg's Christmas market, its seasons and the Alsace wine route

Strasbourg's busiest season is the Christmas market, held since 1570 from late November to Christmas Eve, when hotels fill months ahead. Summer is mild at about 26C, and January averages 5C by day. For a day trip, Colmar is about 30 minutes by train, and Obernai on the Alsace wine route is closer still.

The Christmas market has been held since 1570 and runs from late November to Christmas Eve, spreading over several squares from Place Broglie to the cathedral. It is the busiest time of year: hotels fill months ahead, and weekends are crowded enough to make the old town hard work, so visit on a weekday morning if you can. Winter is cold, with January averaging 5C by day and 0C at night.

The Alsace wine route runs along the foot of the Vosges south of the city, through villages of half-timbered houses and vineyards. Colmar is the easiest day out without a car, about 30 minutes by train, with the canal quarter of Little Venice and the Unterlinden museum, home of the Isenheim Altarpiece. Obernai, closer still, has a cobbled market square and its own regional train.

Smaller villages such as Riquewihr are hard to reach by public transport, so a hire car or guided tour makes sense. Taste Riesling and Gewurztraminer at a family estate, and avoid December weekends, when the villages hold their own Christmas markets and fill with coaches.