Fans of architecture and design will find an array of styles throughout the city that meld together beautifully. Similarly, visitors will find an exciting blend of French and German culture. It’s easy to fall in love with the old roads, houses and charming canals and bridges, too.

This city, rich in beauty and history, can also be a haven for Cheapos. Family-run operations and budget hotels in the city center abound, and you can often find great deals throughout winter (a perfect time for the Christmas markets) and at the end of summer or early fall.

Planning a trip around France? Check out our favorite budget hotels in Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Paris.

More Strasbourg tips:
• How to spend the perfect cheapo day in Strasbourg
• Strasbourg, France: The crossroads of Europe
• 50 ways to save on your trip to France

 The top cheap hotels in Strasbourg

Here are our favorite budget hotels located in the center of Strasbourg.

Hôtel Tandem

Rooms from $100 a night
2 place de la Gare

Just a mile from the city center and right next to the train station, Hôtel Tandem offers clean and comfortable rooms for low rates. Many rooms offer excellent views of the city, and the staff is welcoming and always ready to lend a hand. Book your stay here.

A charming single room at Le Kleber Hotel.

Le Kleber Hotel

Rooms from $80 a night
29 Place Kleber

Bright and cheery meets sleek and modern at the Le Kleber Hotel where the rooms have a little something for everyone. It’s centrally located in a historic neighborhood that’s very pedestrian-friendly, making it ideal for those looking to explore the area. Book your stay here.

ClapClap Hôtel offers simply stylish rooms in a great location.

ClapClap Hôtel

Rooms from $56 a night
24 rue du Faubourg National

The ClapClap Hôtel offers comfortable lodgings with modern amenities, including an elevator and free Wi-Fi. Plus, the hotel is just a 5-minute walk to Petite France and a 6-minute walk to the Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Book your stay here.

Behind the historic exterior at ibis Styles is a modern hotel with low prices.

ibis Styles Strasbourg Centre Petite France

Rooms from $89 a night
1 Quai De Paris

Rooms with pops of color and artsy touches fill the ibis Styles, located in the center of Strasbourg. Amenities range from flat-screen televisions to free Wi-Fi to an included buffet breakfast. Plus, the hotel has a bar and bike rentals. For the best views, request a room with a balcony. Book your stay here.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Hotel Suisse.

Hôtel Suisse

Rooms from $99 a night
2-4, Rue De La Rape

The Hôtel Suisse offers charming and simple rooms in a central location. The Strasbourg Cathedral is in front of the hotel, lending lovely views to many rooms. To sweeten the deal, guests can reserve spots to train in the hotel’s Pastry School of Christophe Felder on Saturday mornings. Book your stay here.

The post Our favorite cheap hotels in Strasbourg, France appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Nestled into the Eastern edge of France just a short drive from the German border, Strasbourg has traditionally been known as le carrefour de l’Europe (the crossroads of Europe). With a rich and fascinating past, tremendous political importance, a charming old town, and delightful gastronomy, Strasbourg is an underrated city to say the least. What’s more, you can get a feel for French and German culture without the financial stress of Paris or overwhelming size of Berlin. So why not stop here for a day during your Euro travels?

I recently spent a day in Strasbourg while in transit between Paris and Germany. With a huge train station serving both France and Germany, it seems I was not the only one in town for a layover. Luckily, you can easily leave your luggage at the consigne (luggage storage) for €4 a day. After you shed those burdensome suitcases, you can enjoy all that Strasbourg has to offer, the cheapo way.

Plus, you can save more money and extend your stay by checking out some of our favorite cheap hotels in Strasbourg.

Head from the station to “La Petite France”

Just a five minute walk from the train station lies La Petite France, Strasbourg’s adorable old town with a medieval feel and a winding canal. If you’re like me, you’ll immediately want to sit and have a coffee and perhaps a light breakfast after your train ride. Grab a seat at La Tinta Cafe, a charming little spot on the canal with a literature theme. They have tartines and patisseries to satisfy your hunger. But don’t stuff yourself at breakfast—Strasbourg is all about the deliciously savory and filling meals to be enjoyed later in the afternoon.

Take a stroll along the canal to digest and take in the beautiful scenery which is a strangely lovely mixture of French and German influence.

Visit La Cathédrale Notre Dame

After your light meal and walk, you’ll find yourself in the center of the city, where you can’t miss the stunning Cathedral that dates back to 1439. It will simply take your breath away. In my humble opinion, it trumps the Notre Dame of Paris by miles—it has all the ostentatious beauty and impressive history, without the annoying lines or tourist groups.

Take a peak inside for free, and if it’s hot outside, you might want to linger for awhile as the stone exterior makes for quite a cool interior.

Time for flammkuchen

Hungry again? It’s about time you tried Flammkuchen (tarte flambée in French, though you will usually see it written in German). This is a wildly delicious dish that is very typical of the Alsace region. The basic Flammkuchen consists of thin, rectangular dough upon which a creamy, buttery mixture is spread and topped with caramelized onions and bits of bacon.

You can find this sort of dish anywhere at varying prices, but I recommend heading to Le Flam’s, where you can get all-you-can-eat Flammkuchen for only €12, or a single Flammkuchen for €5.60. Wow!

Take a break in the Jardin de l’Orangerie

Like most French cities, Strasbourg has an amazing amount of green space. The Jardin de l’Orangerie is a particularly beautiful spot to go for a walk or relax. It shares a designer with Versailles, so you can imagine how gorgeous and intricate it is. In the summertime, you can even row boats on the lake. Got kids? There’s even a mini-zoo.

To get there from the center of Strasbourg, you can either navigate your way through the cheap and efficient tram system, or grab a bike from the rental system, VélHop for the bargain price of €1/hr, or €5/day.

Sip an aperitif by the canal

With my train departing at 7 PM, I had time for one last drink to reflect on a wonderful day spent wandering around Strasbourg. If you’ve got a train to catch, you’ll probably want to head back towards the station. Why not stop back in Petite France for a traditional Alsace beer? I recommend La Corde à Linge, a modern and inviting restaurant with a grand terrace in a courtyard overlooking the canal. Here, you can grab a pint for around €5, or, like me, sip some Ricard for only €3.80.

After a well-spent day in Strasbourg, you’ll be ready and invigorated to continue your trip in France, Germany, or wherever you may be heading. Having spent less than €25 to discover the best Alsace has to offer, your wallet will thank you!

The post How to spend the perfect day in Strasbourg (for less than €25!) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The city is one of those difficult-to-place communities. France with a twist, you might say. We knew just that when we wandered the streets of Strasbourg last week and found the Rue de L’Ail (“Garlic Street”) cheek by jowl with the Rue Martin Luther. France and Germany colliding, as it were.

Exploring Strasbourg

The great thing about Strasbourg is that it is easy to reach, easy to explore on foot, and–if you choose your moment carefully–it won’t break the bank. The city is home to the European Parliament, but if you can visit at a time when the parliament is not in session, then you’ll get great deals on hotels.

Related:

• Our favorite cheap hotels in Strasbourg, France

The crossroads of Europe

The fast rail routes from Paris to Munich and Brussels to Zürich cross at Strasbourg. Even Milan and London are both less than six hours away by fast train, Marseille and Berlin less than seven.

So no surprise perhaps that Strasbourg styles itself “Le carrefour de l’Europe”–the crossroads of Europe. Yet despite having a nodal position in Europe’s transport networks, the city is relaxed and unhurried, a place to chill out for a few days.

Strasbourg’s Old Town

Wander the streets of “Petite France,” the old part of town just a five minute walk from the main railway station, where the street names tell of the local industries that brought wealth to medieval Strasbourg: lace-making, milling and tanneries. There are heaps of little cafés and restaurants in this part of town, which features on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

One of our favorites is the unfussy “La Petite Alsace,” which is a place to relax over a jug of the local Gewürztraminer, the aromatic slightly oily white wine which is the very essence of Alsace. Try it once and you’ll be smitten. There are hints of lychees in this not-quite-dry wine that is the perfect partner for choucroute garnie, Strasbourg’s signature dish. Choucroute is not grand cuisine, but good hearty winter fare, as unpretentious as Strasbourg itself.

Stopping off

Strasbourg makes the perfect one-night stop on long journeys by train across Europe. Come out of the station, with its assertively modern armadillo-like frontage, and you are spoiled for choice for hotels jostling for your euro.

Our advice is to ignore them all, but just head over to Rue Kuhn, a three-minute walk, where the Hotel Monopole Métropole is a classic French family-run hotel. It has a chic reception area with bar and coffee shop, and a really lovely lounge. Faded, but comfortable, and a place to linger on rainy days. We love this kind of hotel, which combines all creature comforts in the rooms with lashings of local character.

Three generations of the Siegel family have presided over the Monopole Métropole. Rooms for double occupancy from about €70. This rate is usually restricted to weekends, but it is always worth checking. You can make bookings direct with the hotel or via www.bestwestern.com.

The post Strasbourg, France: The crossroads of Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.