Located in the Alsace region close to the border with Germany, Strasbourg is an important city in the European Union. It is the seat of the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe and hosts the European Parliament's plenary sessions.
Although it has been attacked many times during pan-European wars, many interesting old buildings survive and in 1988 Strasbourg's historic centre, the Grande Ile, was classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO, the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre.
Strasbourg Airport is located south-west of the city at Entzheim, with several flights a day to and from Paris. A shuttle bus takes travellers to the town centre as well as a direct tram line from the airport. The nearest inter-continental airport is Frankfurt, three hours away by shuttle bus. A TGV line to Paris opened in June 2007 where the journey time was cut to 2hours and 20minutes.
To get around the city, combined bus and tram tickets are sold in 'tabacs' (newsagents) or from machines at tram stops. Tickets should be validated before use, either in the machines on tram station platforms or the machine by the driver when boarding. The city is flat and very bike friendly. Bikes may be rented and are allowed on trams, except at peak hours.
