We visited Strasbourg today and whilst I enjoyed what we saw very much, I left feeling a little disappointed.

As we travel by motorhome, we parked over the Rhine and the border in Germany and entered the city via tram.  The Trio ticket was good value for up to 3 people for 24 hours, for EUR 6.90.

We first explored the Grande Ile, which is undeniably pretty, especially around the Petite-France area.  I liked the Vauban Barrage a lot and enjoyed the views of the Ponts Couverts from the terrace on top.  From here you get a very good impression of the height and dominance of the Cathedral over the town.  It really is astonishingly high, very impressive indeed.  Despite it being out of season, the whole area was reasonably busy, certainly not overrun but busy enough to have some atmosphere.

From here we looked around the area near the Cathedral, leaving the church itself for last.  This was a mistake however, as during this period the weather changed and high winds meant that the viewing terrace on the Cathedral closed and we missed out on this.  Of course we still visited the Cathedral, which is lovely, but somehow just missed the mark for me.  Having visited Metz the day before, I found I preferred the Cathedral there.  Here the stained glass seemed duller, less light entered the cathedral and thus it felt dark and dismal by comparison.  The famed Astronomical Clock was popular but underwhelming.

We then headed to the Neustadt but were thwarted by a strong police presence for an ongoing march by the Gillet Jaune protesters.  We had a look around the Republic area which I enjoyed especially in contrast to the narrow streets and timber buildings of the Grande Ile.  Sadly however the disappointments kept on coming, as the trams were also stopped due to the protest, meaning our planned journey up to the European Parliament was abandoned.  There is apparently a nice walk by the river to reach that area, but with the river in flood and the start of heavy rain to match the wind, we retreated.

As a WHS, Strasbourg is an interesting city to visit, but in terms of my enjoyment today, I suspect I caught the city on a bad day, or it caught me on a bad day, not sure which.