A good evening for two rarely comes down to budget. It comes down to what you do not have to keep an eye on: the last tram, the table you must vacate at ten, the drive home. Here are seven ways to spend the evening in Strasbourg, ordered by how much planning they take.
The reliable options in the centre
La Petite France in the early evening, once the coaches have gone and the quaysides empty out, is the best moment of the day in Strasbourg. Dinner in a winstub in the Tanners’ quarter, a walk along the Ill, and the floodlit cathedral on the way back.
The cathedral’s summer sound and light show can be watched from the square without booking. It is free, short, and gives the evening a shape without imposing one.
Evenings that need booking
The Opéra national du Rhin, the Cité de la musique et de la danse, the Maillon for contemporary stage work: Strasbourg’s programme is dense and books up weeks ahead. The finest option, and the least spontaneous.
Restaurants in the centre fill up at weekends too. Ten days ahead is normal, more in December.
Evenings that do not end in the car
This is the blind spot of most evening plans: they end with a journey. Staying the night changes the nature of the evening, because you stop doing arithmetic.
A flat with a private home cinema, such as the CinéSTAY in Schiltigheim, lets you eat in town, take the tram back in a quarter of an hour, and finish in front of a film you chose together, with no closing time. A 77-inch screen, Bose sound, a popcorn machine, and the bed in the same room.
Seven ideas, from simplest to most planned
Pick according to the time you have.
- A walk through La Petite France at dusk, then dinner in a winstub.
- A Batorama boat trip on the Ill, an hour and a quarter, leaving from the Palais Rohan.
- An arthouse screening followed by a drink on rue du Vieux Marché aux Vins.
- The Christmas market in December, on a weekday rather than a weekend.
- A concert or show booked ahead, at the opera house or the Maillon.
- A private cinema evening in an equipped flat, with no closing time.
- A trip to Kehl and back on foot over the Passerelle des Deux Rives, at night.
Frequently asked
What can two people do in Strasbourg in the evening?
La Petite France and the Ill quaysides early in the evening, dinner in a winstub, a Batorama cruise or a night at the opera depending on budget. For an evening with no closing time, a private screening in a flat with a home cinema removes the journey home.
Do you need a car for an evening in Strasbourg?
No, and it is often a hindrance: the centre is pedestrianised and parking is expensive. Trams serve the neighbouring towns, Schiltigheim included, until late in the evening.
