We just returned from a 3 day trip to Strasbourg, France. One of my favorite cities, it's a short 2-hour drive from Mainz and there is a ton to see.
Day 1:
We stayed at the budget-friendly, well-located, and cozy Hotel Roses. Though they don't have parking, the lot across the street was reasonable (20 euros max per day, but very narrow parking spots and driveways - proceed with caution!). Our first room was not renovated but still well appointed; we moved to a triple room the next night which had ample space for our family of 4 (2 under 4). Overall I was really happy with the hotel - location, staff, amenities, price were all perfect for a weekend getaway.
We spent the first day wandering the pedestrian area by the Notre Dame where we also saw the Astronomical clock (though we missed it go on at noon) and eating some very delicious ice cream (useful note - no takeaway ice cream allowed at the tables - so we had to find a place to sit near the church!). After a fantastic fully vegetarian meal at Bistro et Chocolat, we headed back to the hotel for an early evening in.
Day 2:
We started with the hearty hotel breakfast, then drove 45 minutes to lovely Riquewihr. Parking was easy - right in front of the village, and reasonably priced at 5 euros for 3 hours. There was a weekend market on the way in, and we started wandering around town for a bit of shopping. It reminded me of a combination between Ruedesheim and Rothenburg ob der Tauber - a pedestrian-only walled city with gorgeous half-timbered houses, little shops selling sweet treats and very good wine, and a host of restaurants. It was about right for a half-day outing - walking around and admiring colorful old wooden doors, tasting wine, eyeing pastries, and finally eating a hearty lunch at the very first last restaurant to the left (exiting town) off the main road. Though a bit pricey, the service was excellent and portions very generous. Naturally, we took home some wine and macaroons and macarons for the evening.
Back in Strasbourg, we parked the car and went for an evening walk to Petit France. Then, back to Bistro et Chocolat for dinner (yep, it was that good. And their waffles... woah!!), a bit of seeing Strasbourg by evening, and back to the hotel.
Day 3:
The sun was shining on our last day, a Saturday - which meant the city was bustling with people and markets. We had breakfast again at the hotel before checking out, and then headed out to Gutenberg Plaza for the carousel rides, some flea market browsing, picking up bread at a boulangerie and fruit at a market, and finally to the Place de la Republique, one of my favorite spots for a picnic. After a light picnic lunch and a bit of the kids running around, we headed back to Mainz for the evening.
All in all, Strasbourg is the perfect getaway from the Rhine-Main area - in under 2 hours, there is enough good food, sightseeing, and activity to fill a weekend - with even more to explore in the Alsace if we'd only had more time.
Day 1:
We stayed at the budget-friendly, well-located, and cozy Hotel Roses. Though they don't have parking, the lot across the street was reasonable (20 euros max per day, but very narrow parking spots and driveways - proceed with caution!). Our first room was not renovated but still well appointed; we moved to a triple room the next night which had ample space for our family of 4 (2 under 4). Overall I was really happy with the hotel - location, staff, amenities, price were all perfect for a weekend getaway.
We spent the first day wandering the pedestrian area by the Notre Dame where we also saw the Astronomical clock (though we missed it go on at noon) and eating some very delicious ice cream (useful note - no takeaway ice cream allowed at the tables - so we had to find a place to sit near the church!). After a fantastic fully vegetarian meal at Bistro et Chocolat, we headed back to the hotel for an early evening in.Day 2:
We started with the hearty hotel breakfast, then drove 45 minutes to lovely Riquewihr. Parking was easy - right in front of the village, and reasonably priced at 5 euros for 3 hours. There was a weekend market on the way in, and we started wandering around town for a bit of shopping. It reminded me of a combination between Ruedesheim and Rothenburg ob der Tauber - a pedestrian-only walled city with gorgeous half-timbered houses, little shops selling sweet treats and very good wine, and a host of restaurants. It was about right for a half-day outing - walking around and admiring colorful old wooden doors, tasting wine, eyeing pastries, and finally eating a hearty lunch at the very first last restaurant to the left (exiting town) off the main road. Though a bit pricey, the service was excellent and portions very generous. Naturally, we took home some wine and macaroons and macarons for the evening.
Back in Strasbourg, we parked the car and went for an evening walk to Petit France. Then, back to Bistro et Chocolat for dinner (yep, it was that good. And their waffles... woah!!), a bit of seeing Strasbourg by evening, and back to the hotel.Day 3:
The sun was shining on our last day, a Saturday - which meant the city was bustling with people and markets. We had breakfast again at the hotel before checking out, and then headed out to Gutenberg Plaza for the carousel rides, some flea market browsing, picking up bread at a boulangerie and fruit at a market, and finally to the Place de la Republique, one of my favorite spots for a picnic. After a light picnic lunch and a bit of the kids running around, we headed back to Mainz for the evening.
All in all, Strasbourg is the perfect getaway from the Rhine-Main area - in under 2 hours, there is enough good food, sightseeing, and activity to fill a weekend - with even more to explore in the Alsace if we'd only had more time.
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