Strasbourg: the pink cathedral, Petite France and Europe's most famous Christmas

Strasbourg's Notre-Dame Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece in pink sandstone, with a single spire rising to 142 metres. It was the tallest building in the world for over two centuries, and its façade, covered in sculpture, looks like stone lace.

Inside, the astronomical clock is a mechanical marvel: besides the time, it shows the phases of the moon and the movement of the planets, and every day at around half past twelve its automata parade, with apostles and a crowing cockerel. Arrive early, because so does the crowd.

If your legs are willing, the cathedral platform at 66 metres is reached by over three hundred steps and offers a view over the rooftops and, on clear days, the Black Forest across the Rhine.

The Grande Île, the central island encircled by the river Ill, was the first entire city centre to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At its western tip is Petite France, the old quarter of tanners, millers and fishermen, with half-timbered houses leaning over the canals.

The Ponts Couverts, with their medieval towers, and the Vauban Dam, whose terrace overlooks the whole district, are the best photo spots. In the late afternoon, with the lights coming on and reflections on the water, Petite France looks even more like a fairy tale.

Wander the streets around the cathedral, such as Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes and Place Kléber, and step into a winstub, Alsace's traditional taverns, with dark wood and checked tablecloths.

A boat trip on the Ill is the best way to see the city: it passes Petite France, the locks and the Neustadt, the late-nineteenth-century German district, also World Heritage, and reaches the European quarter.

Strasbourg is home to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, and the modern glass buildings of the European quarter contrast with the medieval centre. Parliament visits are possible on certain days, mainly outside sessions.

The boat trip has an audio guide in several languages and lasts just over an hour. In summer, there are light shows at night on the cathedral and the riverside buildings.

Strasbourg calls itself the «Capital of Christmas», with some justification: the Christkindelsmärik is one of Europe's oldest Christmas markets, dating back to the sixteenth century. In December the whole city fills with lights, decorations and hundreds of stalls.

There's mulled wine, bredele, Alsace's Christmas biscuits, gingerbread, handmade decorations and a giant tree in Place Kléber. Each street has its own decorations, and house façades compete with lights and figures.

It's also the busiest time of year. Accommodation sells out early, prices rise and streets fill up. Weekdays and mornings are calmer.

South of Strasbourg begins the Alsace wine route, a road of about 170 km through vineyards, villages of colourful houses and hilltop castles. Colmar, with its Little Venice, and villages such as Riquewihr, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg look like animated film sets.

Alsace wines are mostly aromatic whites: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and the sparkling Crémant d'Alsace. Many family wineries open their doors for tastings, at very reasonable prices.

For food, try choucroute garnie with meats and sausages, flammekueche, a thin tart with cream, onion and bacon, baeckeoffe, an oven stew, and kougelhopf, a tall cake with raisins. A private tour takes you to Colmar and the villages without worrying about the drive back after tastings.