La Petite France
On Gingerguide's self-guided Strasbourg audio tour, La Petite France is a stop worth about ~60 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Strasbourg Strasbourg guide
About La Petite France
The most picturesque quarter of Strasbourg, where half-timbered medieval houses of tanners and millers line romantic canals with locks.
La Petite France is the most evocative district of Strasbourg's Grande Île UNESCO World Heritage Site, a tangle of medieval lanes between the four branches of the River Ill where the city's craftsmen once lived and worked. The name has nothing romantic about its origin, it referred to a hospital treating syphilis (the mal français) established here in the 16th century. But the streets themselves are among the most beautiful in Europe. Half-timbered houses from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries line the canals, their wooden frames darkened with age, their flower-boxes overflowing in summer, their reflections shimmering in the green water below. The district was the home of tanners, millers, and fishermen. The tanners' houses, characterised by wide open upper stories designed to dry leather, are the most distinctive, their arcaded ground floors giving onto the canal banks. The three covered bridges (Ponts Couverts) and the Barrage Vauban nearby complete one of the most cinematic urban waterfronts in the world.
Did you know? La Petite France's romantic name actually derives from a 16th-century hospital treating syphilis, the mal français (French disease), located in this district.
How much time do you need at La Petite France?
Around ~60 min works well for La Petite France — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at La Petite France?
Yes — La Petite France made the cut as one of 18 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Strasbourg. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Strasbourg
Hear the story of La Petite France
Preview the Strasbourg tour free in the Gingerguide app.