Moving to Strasbourg: A Practical Guide for Expats
Strasbourg is an easy city to love and a fiddly one to move to. Capital of Alsace, home to the European Parliament, ten minutes from Germany — and wrapped in French bureaucracy that rewards preparation. This is the ground-level guide we wish every client had before they arrived.
Where people actually live
The historic centre (Grande Île) is beautiful and pricey. Families lean toward Robertsau and the Orangerie for green space, or Neudorf for value and good tram links. The Krutenau and Esplanade draw students and younger arrivals. If you work across the border, some settle in Kehl on the German side and commute in — the tram runs straight over the Rhine.
Getting around
You may not need a car. The CTS tram and bus network is excellent, and Strasbourg is famously a cycling city — a bike is often the fastest way across town. For weekends, the TGV reaches Paris in about one hour forty, and Basel, Frankfurt and Zurich airports are all within reach.
The paperwork that trips people up
Three things tend to jam at once: the residence permit through the Préfecture du Bas-Rhin, the bank account, and health cover with the CPAM. They also depend on each other — you often need the address for the bank, the bank details for the préfecture, and so on. Sorting the order in advance is half the battle. If you arrive on a long-stay visa, don't forget to validate it online and complete the OFII steps in your first weeks.
Housing realities
Rental files here are competitive. Landlords expect a full dossier — proof of income around three times the rent, a guarantor or a Visale guarantee, ID and bank details — and the best flats go in days. Have the file ready as a PDF before you view anything. Note the local rhythm too: the market tightens in September when students return, so summer is a calmer time to search.
Settling in
Register children at the mairie for school, set up utilities (electricity via any provider on the open market, not just EDF), and get a French mobile plan — Free, Orange, SFR and Bouygues all have shops in the centre. Learn a few words of French even if your job runs in English; in Alsace a "bonjour" on entering a shop is not optional politeness, it's the price of a warm reception.
How we help
We handle the parts that eat your first month — the préfecture appointments, the rental dossier, utilities, the school registration — so you can focus on your actual move. Tell us what you need and we'll build a step-by-step plan for landing in Strasbourg without the usual friction.