10 Place du Marché aux Cochons de Lait, 67000 Strasbourg

Hotel des Arts - Centre Cathédrale

Name: Hotel des Arts - Centre Cathédrale
Address: 10 Place du Marché aux Cochons de Lait, Strasbourg, 67000, FR
Price range: 79 EUR
Rating: 3.9

Hotel 2-star in Strasbourg

Pets allowed

Presentation

Hôtel des Arts, on the Place du Marché aux Cochons de Lait, right in the historic center of Strasbourg. The Cathedral is only a few streets away. Its spire is almost visible, just around the corner of a half-timbered facade, when you look up from the little square. Here, everything is at pedestrian scale.

You push open the door and find a modest, almost family-run reception. The staff switch between several languages depending on the guests who come in, a safe is available for those who forgot theirs, and newspapers are left on a small side table. Nothing ostentatious. You can tell it is a house that has been run for a long time by the same people.

To go up to the upper floors, you have to take the stairs. There is no elevator here; the building is old and the protected neighborhood imposes its constraints. A detail to know before booking if you are traveling with a large suitcase or have reduced mobility, but the staff are happy to help with luggage.

The 24 rooms were renovated in 2019. On each wall, a graffiti artist has painted a monument of the city (the Cathedral, Petite France, the Astronomical Clock) as a tribute to Alsatian heritage. The tones remain understated, light gray and wood, with a touch of bright color that enlivens the whole. Some rooms overlook the square and its half-timbered houses, a view you would not necessarily expect from a two-star hotel.

The bathrooms, however, remain modest in size. You will find a shower, a hairdryer, the essentials for getting ready, nothing more. In an old building right in the heart of the Grande Île, it is difficult to do otherwise without touching the load-bearing walls.

On the ground floor, the breakfast room shares space with the reception. The buffet offers pastries, fresh bread, jams, cheeses, yogurts and fruit, with coffee, tea or hot chocolate as much as you like. Service runs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., for an additional fee to be paid separately.

Outside, everything is close by. The Cathedral, the quays along the Ill, Petite France and its houses leaning over the water, the Christmas Market in December that takes over the nearby lanes. The riverboats depart a few minutes’ walk away. The Porte de l'Hôpital tram stop is four minutes away.

One last tip: arrive before 8:30 a.m. for breakfast. The room is small and fills up quickly, so it is best to enjoy the buffet before the rush.

Summary of a few positive reviews read online

Superbly located hotel, just steps from the cathedral, we visited everything on foot without using public transport.
The staff helped us carry the suitcases up to the rooms; there is no elevator but it was not a problem at all.
Generous breakfast, pastries and fresh bread at the buffet, the coffee was always hot.
Very comfortable bed, we slept well despite a rather small room.
Each room has a different graffiti mural depicting a monument of the city; ours had the cathedral painted on the wall.
View of the square from the window, the half-timbered houses right across the way, lovely to wake up to.