What to See (Aubette, Kléber Statue)

At the centre of the square stands the statue of General Jean-Baptiste Kléber, the Strasbourg-born revolutionary commander after whom the square is named. The bronze, sculpted by Philippe Grass and inaugurated in 1840, shows Kléber in uniform holding a dispatch from his Egyptian campaign. Unusually, the monument is also his tomb: his remains were placed beneath the statue in 1838, in a crypt within the pedestal, so the figure you photograph is quite literally standing over the general himself.

Closing the north side of the square is the Aubette, a long classical building designed by Jacques-François Blondel and built between 1765 and 1772. Its restrained 18th-century front gives no hint of what lies inside. In the 1920s the city commissioned the artists Theo van Doesburg, Hans Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp to redesign its leisure rooms — a café-brasserie, tearoom, bar and cinema-dance hall — in radical De Stijl and Elementarist style: rectilinear grids, primary colours and rhythmic geometric abstraction. The result was dubbed the "Sistine Chapel of abstract art." The decoration was later covered over, then painstakingly restored and reopened to the public in 2006. Today you can step inside to see the recreated Ciné-Dancing and Taeuber-Arp rooms, usually free of charge during opening hours.

The Christmas Tree (Grand Sapin)

For roughly six weeks each winter, Place Kléber is transformed by the Grand Sapin — one of the tallest natural Christmas trees in Europe and the emblem of Strasbourg, the self-styled "Capital of Christmas." Towering around 30 metres over the square and dressed in thousands of lights and decorations, it is the centrepiece of the city's historic Christmas market, the Christkindelsmärik, which dates back to 1570.

For the 2026 season the Grand Sapin is illuminated from late November (around 26 November) through to early January (about 5 January). There is a daily "awakening" of the tree with a musical and light show, typically every evening between roughly 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., with the lights staying on (without music) until midnight. Around the tree, wooden chalets fill the square with mulled wine (vin chaud), bredele biscuits and Alsatian crafts. If you are visiting in December, plan for crowds and book accommodation well ahead — see our dedicated Strasbourg Christmas market guide for dates, chalets and tips. Outside the festive season the square reverts to its everyday role as the city's main meeting point, with fountains and seating.

Shopping Around the Square

Place Kléber is the centre of gravity for shopping in Strasbourg. The Aubette building itself houses a small shopping gallery with big-name stores, and the streets fanning out from the square are the city's prime retail district. The covered Rue des Grandes Arcades runs south toward the cathedral and is lined with high-street fashion and department stores, while smaller lanes hold independent boutiques, Alsatian food shops and chocolatiers.

A short walk from the square you will find the city's department stores and the elegant shopping streets of the Grande Île, making Place Kléber the obvious base for a day of browsing before heading toward the cathedral quarter. For a curated list of what is actually worth buying — from Alsatian wine and gingerbread to local ceramics — see our guide to shopping in Strasbourg and what to buy.

Getting There

Place Kléber is right in the centre of Strasbourg's Grande Île and is best reached on foot or by tram. The square's northern end opens directly onto Place de l'Homme de Fer, the central hub of the Strasbourg tram network — served by lines A, B, C, D and F — so almost any tram in the city will get you within a one-minute walk. From Strasbourg main station it is a 10–12 minute walk or two stops on tram line A or D to Homme de Fer. The whole square and the surrounding old town are pedestrianised, so leave the car at one of the signposted park-and-ride (Relais-Tram) lots on the edge of town and ride the tram in. From Place Kléber it is an easy stroll south to the cathedral and a few minutes west to the canals of Grande Île.

Explore More of Strasbourg

• Things to Do in Strasbourg — the full city guide.
• Shopping in Strasbourg: What to Buy — the streets around Place Kléber and what is worth carrying home.
• Strasbourg Christmas Market Guide — dates, chalets and the Grand Sapin on Place Kléber.
• Grande Île — the UNESCO-listed island heart of the city, a short walk away.