In short
The cathedral was the tallest building in the world for more than two centuries. Its platform, sixty-six metres up, is reached by three hundred and thirty steps and looks over the Rhine plain to the Black Forest.
The Grande Île, the historic core encircled by the Ill, is a World Heritage site. La Petite France, its canals and half-timbered houses, occupies its western tip.
What it really costs
Strasbourg costs less than Lyon or Bordeaux for housing, for a city of comparable size and one better linked to Germany than to Paris in daily life.
The tram crosses the border: line D serves Kehl, in Germany, on an ordinary ticket. Shopping on the other side is a local habit.
What nobody tells you
The Christmas market, the oldest in France, transforms the city from late November to Christmas: accommodation doubles or triples and is booked a year ahead. Outside that window, December is quiet.
European Parliament sessions, one week a month, fill the hotels and restaurants. The calendar is public and worth checking.
Cycling is the dominant mode, with six hundred kilometres of lanes. The city is flat, and a car in the centre is a handicap rather than a means.