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Housing
Finding a flat, rental contracts, CAF housing aid, electricity, gas and internet.
Start hereAdmin & Banking
Residence permits, social security number, opening a bank account and more.
EssentialDaily Life
Transport, supermarkets, shopping in Kehl, where to eat, and yearly events.
Day to dayRetirement
The long-stay visa, Medicare gap, US taxes, banking and what life in Strasbourg costs.
AmericansNeighbourhoods
A guide to every quartier — from Petite France to Neudorf and beyond.
ExploreCommunity
Expat groups, language exchanges, sports clubs, and ways to meet people.
ConnectSo, where exactly have you landed?
A few things worth knowing about this quietly extraordinary city.
Strasbourg is one of those cities that refuses to be easily described. It is French, but not quite. It is Alsatian — a category of its own, shaped by centuries of being passed between empires, kingdoms and republics like a beloved and slightly contested heirloom. The locals changed nationality four times in living memory without ever leaving their street.
The city sits on the Rhine, where France ends and Germany begins — close enough that you can take a tram to another country and be back for lunch. It is home to the European Parliament, one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in the world, and a Christmas market that has been running since 1570. It also has the best tarte flambée you will ever eat, a football club that inspires genuine devotion, and storks nesting on rooftops as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
It takes a little while to understand Strasbourg. But once it clicks — and it will — you'll wonder how you ever lived anywhere else.
La Marseillaise is from Strasbourg
France's national anthem was written here in a single night in 1792. It was only called "La Marseillaise" later, when troops from Marseille marched it into Paris.
The bretzel is not German. It's Alsatian.
Alsace claims the bretzel as its own — shaped like arms crossed in prayer, baked by monks. You will have this argument at least once with a German colleague.
The storks always come back
White storks migrate to Africa every winter and return to the same Alsatian rooftop every spring. Spotting your first nest is a genuine rite of passage.
4th most cycle-friendly city in the world
The Copenhagenize Index ranks Strasbourg above most European capitals. 600km of cycle paths. Completely flat. You will own a bike within a month.
RC Strasbourg — founded 1906
The Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace won the French league title in 1979. Blue and white. La Meinau. You'll hear the chants from miles away on match day.
Petite France wasn't always charming
The most photographed district gets its name from a 15th century syphilis hospital. The half-timbered houses are real. The romantic backstory, less so.
Don’t miss these guides
Two pages that every newcomer needs — not in the main menu, but just as important.
Healthcare & Insurance
Doctors, mutuelle, Henner and the Carte Vitale — how French healthcare works
How to register with a GP, what the mutuelle system is, and the special insurance situation for EU institution staff.
Essential Apps
The apps that make daily life in Strasbourg actually work
From Doctolib and Badgeo to Vinted, Veepee, TheFork and DeepL — every app worth having, in one place.
Work & Institutions
Working in Strasbourg — EU institutions, employers and French contracts
The European Parliament, Council of Europe, major employers, partner work permits and cross-border work in Germany.