ABOUT US
WHAT IS HAPPY STRASBOURG
Happy Strasbourg was born from a passion for our city and region, and is an independent organisation founded in 2013. Our first objective is to share this passion with anyone willing to learn about it.
All our guides were raised in Strasbourg or its surroundings, and have had their whole life to understand what it means to be Alsatian … And believe us, this is not to be taken lightly!
With many years of experience and well-established knowledge, they will do their best to make this visit as fun as it is interesting, to give you the best of this identity forged by more than 2000 years of history, from the most famous aspects of the city and its inhabitants to the most secret ones.
Our guided tours are friendly walks accessible to all, each guide bringing a personal, special and original touch. Our first motivation is sharing, our motto: dynamism and good mood!
WHAT IS A HAPPY GUIDE ?
Although each of us is independent, we work as a team and meet regularly to pool, improve and sharpen our knowledge of history, heritage, architecture, culture, and all that we could share with you.
It starts already when a new member joins the team. First, this person is chosen not only for his/her skills, but also for his/her potential for integration into the team. We are a team of professionals, but we do not want to sacrifice the happy atmosphere of the team for the seriousness of the work (or the opposite for that matter).
We train new members ourselves in the necessary knowledge and guiding techniques during long guided tour sessions where the whole team acts as visitors. In general, after many hours of personal research and five or six test visits spread over one or two months on average, the Happy apprentice is ready to face a real audience, and be a confirmed Happy!
Of course, learning continues every day in the field, and we also have the habit of meeting all together once a month, one of us then presents a subject of his choice in depth (it can be a specific urban planning part, the history of our language, a precise period of history, a particular district, a special building …) and it is an opportunity to exchange and debate. Enough to keep on immersing ourselves in books, articles, museums, check our sources, and keep us updated of course.
In addition to that, each of our guides is followed by the whole team once a year during a Free Tour. Again it is to allow us to learn from each other, and to improve ourselves a little more every day.
With all that, we should be able to answer most of your questions, even though, as hard as we want it, we cannot know everything!
ABOUT US
WHAT IS HAPPY STRASBOURG ?
Happy Strasbourg was born from a passion for our city and region, and is an independent organisation founded in 2013. Our first objective is to share this passion with anyone willing to learn about it.
All our guides were raised in Strasbourg or its surroundings, and have had their whole life to understand what it means to be Alsatian … And believe us, this is not to be taken lightly!
With many years of experience and well-established knowledge, they will do their best to make this visit as fun as it is interesting, to give you the best of this identity forged by more than 2000 years of history, from the most famous aspects of the city and its inhabitants to the most secret ones.
Our tours are friendly walks accessible to all, each guide bringing a personal, special and original touch. Our first motivation is sharing, our motto: dynamism and good mood!
WHAT IS A HAPPY GUIDE ?
Although each of us is independent, we work as a team and meet regularly to pool, improve and sharpen our knowledge of history, heritage, architecture, culture, and all that we could share with you.
It starts already when a new member joins the team. First, this person is chosen not only for his/her skills, but also for his/her potential for integration into the team. We are a team of professionals, but we do not want to sacrifice the happy atmosphere of the team for the seriousness of the work (or the opposite for that matter).
We train new members ourselves in the necessary knowledge and guiding techniques during long guided tour sessions where the whole team acts as visitors. In general, after many hours of personal research and five or six test visits spread over one or two months on average, the Happy apprentice is ready to face a real audience, and be a confirmed Happy!
Of course, learning continues every day in the field, and we also have the habit of meeting all together once a month, one of us then presents a subject of his choice in depth (it can be a specific urban planning part, the history of our language, a precise period of history, a particular district, a special building …) and it is an opportunity to exchange and debate. Enough to keep on immersing ourselves in books, articles, museums, check our sources, and keep us updated of course.
In addition to that, each of our guides is followed by the whole team once a year during a Free Tour. Again it is to allow us to learn from each other, and to improve ourselves a little more every day.
With all that, we should be able to answer most of your questions, even though, as hard as we want it, we cannot know everything!
We are independent
We value our philosophy very much, therefore, in order to respect it, we remain independent, not affiliated to any organization other than us. For our love for Strasbourg we would not tolerate any compromise. And as such every tip, story and/or recommendation is inspired by the will to share the best bits of Strasbourg, the way we like it.
100% local guaranteed !
Because who could introduce you to the city better than the people living in it, and knowing the local culture from the inside? And as such we are able to give all the tips about what to do and where to go. Anne, Gabriel, Gustave, Leo, Matthias, Remy, Thomas and Viviane were raised in Alsace, fed by alsatian food, immersed in local culture since childhood, we are ambassadors of our region.
Every tour is different
Because each of our guides created his own tour, regarding his own interests, specialities and personality. We are no robots, and therefore, each one has his own unique way to guide a tour and present things. And of course every one of you is different and we adapt our tours to our guests, because we love to exchange and interact with you!
Invested
Because while being fun-loving and openhearted, we take our job seriously and professionally, we give you the best of ourselves each and every guided tour, and try to answer every possible question, adapting ourselves to your interests and knowledge.
Passionate
Because we love our city and we love sharing it. We are eager to talk about everything and would hate to be boring, even for a minute.
You are 100% free
You can join our free tours whenever you want, no need to book, and you are free to leave whenever you want as well.
We are united
Happy Strasbourg is a member of the Free Tour Community, whose members are all local and independent initiatives, all operating under the “name your own price” model. Its new members are selected by current members on quality criteria, the most obvious of which is the overall rating given on sites like Tripadvisor. In this community we remain independent of each other, but we are committed to supporting each other to provide the highest quality cultural experiences and to promote the concept of free tours around the world. The idea is that by helping each other we all become better.
OUR GUIDES
Anne
Anne is our feminine presence in the team! She was born and raised in Alsace before discovering her passion for travel. She regularly left the region for other adventures, accompanied by her little stuffed stork, but she each time came back! She then likes to compare herself to our Alsatian storks who travel a lot, but always end up returning to Strasbourg!
Anne loves her city very much and you will most certainly be carried away by her enthusiasm! Having worked with elderly Alsatian people, she is keen to share with you these testimonies she has received on our traditions and the tumultuous past of our city.
Look for a big smile on the cathedral square, and follow the guide!
Gabriel
He was born and raised in Strasbourg, in love with his city and region, his culture and traditions are his pride, and it is this love that he likes to share with his visitors.
That is why, after trying several different professions, after dragging his backpack over thousands of miles, he decided to return home to practice his passion for history in his beloved hometown.
Founder of Happy Strasbourg and importer of the concept of Free Tours in Strasbourg, he likes to tell every day about his town and its history, its little odd details, its cultural richness…
He is a fun loving person with a lot of energy and always has a big smile on his face!
Gabriel
He was born and raised in Strasbourg, in love with his city and region, his culture and traditions are his pride, and it is this love that he likes to share with his visitors.
That is why, after trying several different professions, after dragging his backpack over thousands of miles, he decided to return home to practice his passion for history in his beloved hometown.
Founder of Happy Strasbourg and importer of the concept of Free Tours in Strasbourg, he likes to tell every day about his town and its history, its little odd details, its cultural richness…
He is a fun loving person with a lot of energy and always has a big smile on his face!
Thomas
Thomas was born in Strasbourg at the Civil Hospital, next to the historic wine cellars. History and gastronomy had already leaned on his cradle.
He grew up 20 km south of Strasbourg, to the song of Alsatian lullabies, in the middle of sauerkraut cabbage fields. Fed with the stories of his grandfather who was a “Malgré-Nous”, bathed in the local culture through parties, festivals, visits… The desire to share was born.
After his studies, he multiplied experiences in France and in Germany. There he understood how much he loved working in an international environment. He returned to Strasbourg in 2019 as a mediator & guide for the European Parliament, where he worked for 3 years. That’s when the opportunity to do tours of his favorite city made him join the Happy Strasbourg family.
He is a pure Alsatian who always has stories to tell you!
Leo
Pure product of the alsacian fields and forests, still speaking the local dialect as mother tongue, Leo arrived to Strasbourg for his studies.
There he discovered the wide world he was always reading about in his sofa. There he indulged into theater and other arts, tried several jobs and adventures, went out sometimes until the morning, fully living the Strasbourg life for years !
So when he heard about the possibility to introduce the Strasbourg city life and history to people from everywhere, he joined enthusiastically the Happy Strasbourg Team.
Passionate, interested in everything, Leo loves to tell stories and to listen to them, eager to share this amazing world that is ours.
Leo
Pure product of the alsacian fields and forests, still speaking the local dialect as mother tongue, Leo arrived to Strasbourg for his studies.
There he discovered the wide world he was always reading about in his sofa. There he indulged into theater and other arts, tried several jobs and adventures, went out sometimes until the morning, fully living the Strasbourg life for years !
So when he heard about the possibility to introduce the Strasbourg city life and history to people from everywhere, he joined enthusiastically the Happy Strasbourg Team.
Passionate, interested in everything, Leo loves to tell stories and to listen to them, eager to share this amazing world that is ours.
Remy
Remy grew up in Illkirch, just south of Strasbourg, but had sworn to live in this beautiful city where he went every weekend with his parents to stroll, then every day for his language studies.
This noble goal achieved for many years now, he is delighted to see that he does not get tired of the city and that he loves Strasbourg every day more than the day before and less than the next day. He did not hesitate for a moment to join this Happy team of passionates/enthusiasts when came the opportunity to join Happy Strasbourg and share his beloved city with interested people.
Even better : he loves to talk and to do the show! So don’t hesitate to follow him on a visit under the sign of humor and love of beautiful things.
Matthias
Matthias grew up in Hunchbacked Alsace, and came down from his hills to settle in Strasbourg for his studies, as many do. But Matthias is an eternal stroller, he contemplates, admires, and sometimes interprets; he takes his time and sees what many are missing.
He is always as charmed as charming, who better than this stroller to take you around the city?
He will have great pleasure to tell you about his beautiful city that he cannot stop admiring and walking through all day long.
This Strasbourg guy at heart will share with joy and passion: tell the world he travels, the world around, us and especially his love for Strasbourg.
So don’t hesitate anymore and follow the guide!
Matthias
Matthias grew up in Hunchbacked Alsace, and came down from his hills to settle in Strasbourg for his studies, as many do. But Matthias is an eternal stroller, he contemplates, admires, and sometimes interprets; he takes his time and sees what many are missing.
He is always as charmed as charming, who better than this stroller to take you around the city?
He will have great pleasure to tell you about his beautiful city that he cannot stop admiring and walking through all day long.
This Strasbourg guy at heart will share with joy and passion: tell the world he travels, the world around, us and especially his love for Strasbourg.
So don’t hesitate anymore and follow the guide!
Gustave
Alsatian by adoption, he does not miss anything more than Flammekueche when he is abroad!
After a few years traveling and working as a lab technician, an evidence occurred to him : he had to share the beautiful city of Strasbourg. In other words : home. Life is full of good surprises : he came across Gabriel, almost by chance, and the great adventure began! He knew he made the good choice, and has been enjoying it ever since the beginning!
Now an official graduated guide, he is always happy to tell about Strasbourg, its history and its stories… No matter how many visitors, it could be 2 or 20, he will give it 100% for every single tour!
Gilles
Gilles grew up in Pfaffenhoffen, a little alsatian village. Fed by Flàmmeküeche, Sürkrüt, Grumbeereknepfle and other local specialties, loving alsatian beers and wines, you’ll understand easily his little belly origin 😉
Then living in Strasbourg for 11 years, he started to share his passion of Strasbourg for the people he hosted from families, friends, friend’s families, and through some world famous hosting communities. And then he managed to turn his passion into his job.
Very talkative, he couldn’t resist making jokes and fun of things, and giving you all the little historical details or fun facts about every single thing he showed you.
Gilles left us in June 2019, but he will remain forever in our hearts and in our team.
Gilles
Gilles grew up in Pfaffenhoffen, a little alsatian village. Fed by Flàmmeküeche, Sürkrüt, Grumbeereknepfle and other local specialties, loving alsatian beers and wines, you’ll understand easily his little belly origin 😉
Then living in Strasbourg for 11 years, he started to share his passion of Strasbourg for the people he hosted from families, friends, friend’s families, and through some world famous hosting communities. And then he managed to turn his passion into his job.
Very talkative, he couldn’t resist making jokes and fun of things, and giving you all the little historical details or fun facts about every single thing he showed you.
Gilles left us in June 2019, but he will remain forever in our hearts and in our team.