How to Visit The European Parlament of Strasbourg

A tour of the European Union's institutional buildings is one of the best things to do in Strasbourg. The European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament are all located in several modern and innovative complexes that stand out among the historic buildings in the centre of Strasbourg.

In this post, I will tell you about different useful aspects for planning your visit to the European Parliament on your next trip to the city of Strasbourg, so that you can learn more about one of the most important institutions in the Western world.

You should know that the building is modern and was inaugurated in 1999. It stands out for both its exterior and interior, and the hemicycle where parliamentary debates are held is definitely the highlight of the building. For this reason, it is often included in the best tours of Strasbourg.

Visits to the European Parliament are completely free, and there are two ways to enjoy a tour of this place:

• Arrive during opening hours from Monday to Saturday, with no guarantee that you will have a guide for your group.
• Book a visit for a specific time and date, indicating the number of people in your group.

In either case, you will always be provided with an audio guide with multimedia content available in 24 different languages, which will also tell you all the important details about this site.

In addition, there may be some special exhibitions, especially during busy tourist periods in Strasbourg, such as summer or Christmas.

The specific opening hours of the European Parliament in Strasbourg are quite flexible, demonstrating that it is an institution that tries to remain as open as possible to visitors. Please note that these opening hours may change during plenary sessions.

• Opening hours for groups without reservations and for individual visitors: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, reopening at 1 p.m. and closing at 6 p.m. Last admission is at 5 p.m.
• Opening hours for groups with reservations for guided tours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Groups must consist of 20 people and the guide will speak English, French or German. However, the multimedia audio guide will still be available in the usual 24 languages.

All year round, except:

• Sundays.
• Public holidays.
• Office closures decreed by the French government.
• 25 December
• 1 January
• 14 July

In addition, due to high tourist numbers, it has been decided that in July, August and December, only visits with multimedia audio guides are permitted. For this reason, visiting this place is one of the best things to do in Strasbourg in January, a very rainy month when an indoor activity is welcome.

Are there guided tours of the European Parliament in Strasbourg?

Yes, but in this case the concept of a "guided tour" does not necessarily imply the presence of a person. There are four ways to visit this building:

• Accompanied by a member of the Parliament's visitor service: they guide groups of more than 20 participants who have booked at least two working days in advance. These tours take place from 9 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.
• With an expert guide: these guides accompany visitors who arrive after 1 p.m. with the intention of visiting individually and decide to wait for a larger group to form.
• With the Strasbourg city centre tours: these also usually offer a guided tour of the parliament. In this case, they operate according to the individual visit schedule and are accompanied by a private guide who also knows a lot about the building.
• With a multimedia guide: for individual visitors or groups of no more than nine people who wish to do so.

There are no restrictions on age or origin. This means that tourists can take part in free guided tours regardless of whether they are citizens of the European Union or come from other parts of the world.

The same applies to any other special event organised by this institution, such as art exhibitions or theatrical performances.

However, to gain access, you must show a valid ID document, which can be either your national ID card or passport.

Below, I explain the most interesting alternative for getting to the European Parliament depending on different situations.

The most recommended option

The best option is to get off at the Parlement Européen stop on the city's tram system.

This tram crosses Strasbourg and will take you to the centre of the Grande Île in less than 20 minutes. It is about four stops away.

The best option if you are staying in the suburbs

In this case, I recommend getting off at the 464D bus stop, which is right in front of the tram station. Depending on where your hotel is, you may need to combine different routes, as some go north and others go south, and the parliament is located in the north-west corner of the city's tourist centre.

The cheapest option and the best if you are only in Strasbourg for one day

Walking is also an alternative, especially since the city is small and you can walk there in 40 minutes from Kleber Square, which is the most central point for tourism in the city. All without any inconveniences or major logistical challenges.

This will also allow you to see different neighbourhoods along the way, such as Neustadt and Contades.

Is it advisable to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg with children?

Believe it or not, visiting the European Parliament in Strasbourg with children can be a very worthwhile decision. Although it is an institutional building where you must remain silent and behave in a very moderate manner, it is a good place to learn about the history of Europe.

However, it is preferable that children are of an age where crying and shouting will not cause discomfort to other participants on the guided tour. It is also advisable that they are old enough to use the audio guides to understand the information they are hearing.

However, there are other activities that are much more suitable for children, such as day trips from Strasbourg, which take you through villages and countryside where children can play and have fun with greater freedom.

The European Parliament in Strasbourg is not really a place where you can choose which places to visit. The tour is carefully planned so that people can see most of the building's facilities without interfering with the parliamentary activities of MEPs and other people working in administrative sectors.

However, it is also true that there are some places that are more important than others, which you will discover during your visit. These are as follows.

A walk to the plenary sessions

Perhaps the biggest attraction of visiting the European Parliament in Strasbourg is being able to see one of the plenary sessions that are held throughout the year. These are the debates that take place in the main chamber of the building, where all the MEPs representing the Member States of the European Union make laws.

When you enter the visitors' area, you must remain silent and follow the audio guide, which will interpret what is happening in your language. The visit lasts a maximum of 30 minutes.

In this case, places are limited and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to those who book in advance for groups of more than 20 people.

The Simone Veil Parlamentarium

This site is a kind of permanent exhibition that aims to explain to visitors in the most educational way possible the process behind the drafting of legislation carried out jointly by all European states within this parliament.

The approach is quite intuitive and suitable for children. The amount of time you can spend here is not as limited as in the plenary chamber, and depending on the time of year, special events may be organised in this part of the building.

How much time do you need to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg?

The average duration of both audio-guided and guided tours is one and a half hours. This means that in approximately two hours you can visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg and then spend the rest of your day on other tourist activities.

Keep in mind that there is a tedious security process to enter the building and the tour does not start immediately after you have passed through the security gates. Sometimes you need to wait for the other members of your tour group to arrive.

I also recommend that you spend four or five hours in this part of the city, as the headquarters of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights are equally important buildings that you can enjoy from the outside if you decide to explore the streets of the European Quarter. It is located right next to a very famous urban park that you should also visit regardless of the time of year you travel.

• Understand that this is a fairly serious environment. It is an institutional building where important decisions are made that affect the economic, political and social stability of the European Union. Therefore, it is crucial that you behave as respectfully as you would in a church or museum.
• Don't worry too much about having a guide. The facilities are very well equipped with multimedia audio guides that provide an equally meaningful and even more comprehensive experience.
• You should also bear in mind that the guide is only available in French, German or English, so if you only speak Spanish, it is better to opt for the audio guide.