No visit to the Strasbourg-Alcade region is complete without a stroll down the Grand Île in La Petite France. Once a tanning and slaughterhouse hub, La Petite France is located on the Grande Île (Main Island), where the river Ill divides up into a maze of canals, cascading through a pristine thatch of medieval half-timbered houses and baroque sandstone buildings. In 1988, the Grand Île was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it a must-see on your itinerary. The name Petite-France ("Little France") was not bestowed upon the region for patriotic or architectural reasons, it originates from the "hospice of the syphilitic" (Hospice des Vérolés, in French), an area constructed in the late fifteenth century on this island, to cure persons with syphilis, then called the "French disease" in German. Use our Strasbourg online trip planner to add La Petite France and other attractions to your Strasbourg vacation plans.
Tours to La Petite France
La Petite France reviews
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One of the most beautiful neighborhoods I’ve seen in all France. Lovely view of the water and the old buildings. So picturesque
One of the most beautiful neighborhoods I’ve seen in all France. Lovely view of the water and the old buildings. So picturesque more »
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The Ill River winds its way through the Petite France area of Strasbourg, which is why this district is sometimes compared to a little Venice. The district is spread across an amazing river delta...
The Ill River winds its way through the Petite France area of Strasbourg, which is why this district is sometimes compared to a little Venice. The district is spread across an amazing river delta... more »
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One of the best cities in France. The busy bikes and rivers reminded me of Amsterdam, however Strasberg is less crowded and a clean, well designed, well mannered city with a medieval touch. It’s very comfortable to walk around as there plenty of shades and public seats provided, you can even find a cooling area where they moisturize the hot air with sprays of water. Look at the small playground among the bridges, I rarely seen such a creative playground with woods to climb up and down, a rounded seat swing which children can lay down, a boat shaped slide that actually looks fun to play with. The clever part is that the area is for everybody (elderly, adults, children). There’s a rectangular sandy place for adults to throw balls at (not sure what game it was). And people resting under the tree or around.
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La Petite France is a very nice quarter of the city. No cars allowed, oldest preserved buildings standing but not the oldest quarter of the city. They started to build the city in the centre and then made the centre bigger and bigger. So Münsterplatz is the oldest part. Isn't it weird that it is named like that because we are already in France, right? So the name came (very romantic) from the sickness syphilis, that was first named the Napoleon sickness, then the FRENCH sickness and after that syphilis. So that's the small romantic story behind this beautiful name. For me the nicest part of Strasbourg.
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