Music is Strasbourg's forte but the city does well across the cultural spread, with several events open to the public every day of the year.

The concert and opera seasons run from October until May. The principal venue for major concerts and stage perfomances is the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès, place de Bordeaux (tel: 03883 76767; website: www.strasbourgmeeting.com). Recitals and chamber music can be heard inside churches and smaller concert halls. 

Every year, for a weekend in September during journée du patrimoine (heritage day), Strasbourg's cultural institutions allow free entry to the public. Two key cultural venues, Le Taps Scala, 96 route du Polygone, and Le Taps Gare (or Laiterie), 13 rue du Hohwald (tel: 03883 41036; website: www.artefact.org), work together to present a long season of theatre, music and dance.

Tickets are available at the venue or, for larger concerts, at FNAC, place Kléber (tel: 03885 22121).

Listings are available in the Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace (website: www.dna.fr) and on the official Strasbourg website (website: www.strasbourg.fr). More information about cultural events is available from the Office du Tourisme (see Tourist Information in Sightseeing).

Music: The renowned Opéra National du Rhin, 19 place Broglie (tel: 03887 54800; website: www.operanationaldurhin.fr), has earned Strasbourg a worldwide reputation for classical, lyrical and contemporary music. 

Other prestigious organisations include the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg (tel: 03690 63706; website: www.philharmonique-strasbourg.com), which performs at the Palais de la Musique et des Congrès, place de Bordeaux (tel: 03883 76767; website: www.strasbourgmeeting.com), the Percussions de Strasbourg, 15 place André-Maurois (tel: 03882 60709; website: www.bisbigliando.com/percussions.htm), and the Conservatoire National de Région de Strasbourg (CNR), 1 place Dauphine (tel: 03884 36800; website: www.conservatoire-strasbourg.fr).

Theatre: Organisations that attract international companies, actors and directors include the Théâtre National de Strasbourg (TNS), 1 avenue de la Marseillaise (tel: 03882 48800; website: www.tns.fr), the Théâtre Jeune Public, 7 rue des Balayeurs (tel: 03883 57010; website: www.theatre-jeune-public.com), and Le Maillon, 13 place André Maurois (tel: 03882 76171/81; website: www.le-maillon.com). 

The Théâtre Alsacien de Strasbourg, located at the Opéra National du Rhin, 19 place Broglie (tel: 03887 54823; website: www.theatre-alsacien-strasbourg.com), and La Choucrouterie, 20 rue St-Louis (tel: 03883 60728; website: www.choucrouterie.com), presents traditional shows and political satires in French and Alsatian. Le Kafteur, 3 rue Thiergarten (tel: 03882 22203; website: www.lekafteur.com), presents humorous sketches.

Dance: The Opéra du Rhin Ballet (website: www.opera-national-du-rhin.com) performs at the Opéra National du Rhin (Opera House), 19 place Broglie (tel: 03887 54800). Contemporary dance and jazz take place at Pôle Sud, 1 rue de Bourgogne (tel: 03883 92340; website: www.pole-sud.fr).

Film: The multiplex UGC Ciné Cité, 25 route du Rhin, Neudorf, in east Strasbourg (tel: 0892 700 000; website: www.ugc.fr), boasts 23 screens and seats 5,400 people, and is thought to be the largest cinema in Europe. The centrally located Cinéma Vox, 17 rue des Francs Bourgeois (tel: 03887 55021), has five screens. 

For art house films go to Cinéma Le Star, 27 rue Jeu des Enfants, Le Star Saint Exupéry, 18 rue du 22 Novembre (both tel: 03883 24497; website: www.cinema-star.com), or L'Odyssée, 3 rue des Francs-Bourgeois (tel: 03887 51047; website: www.cinemaodyssee.com), which show many classic films, generally in the original language.