Rivetoile

General information about Rivetoile

Rivetoile is one of Strasbourg's most popular shopping centres, and the one I visited most during my time here.

It was opened in 2008, so it's relatively new and is home to clothing shops, toy shops, restaurants, bookshops, bakeries, a pharmacy, cosmetics shops and a supermarket. In total there are around 90 establishments.

Other services include a photocopier, parking, drinking water fountains, a piano, a mobile app which keeps you up to date with the latest news, toilets, photo booths, chargers for electronic devices, and an information point.

Throughout the centre, there are various seating areas, some with comfortable chairs, others less comfy but designed for families with children. They are a big hit, as we all know how exciting, but also how tiring shopping can be.

Inside the shopping centre

Rivetoile shopping centre is spread over two spacious floors. Its extended layout means it not only has entrances at either end, but also round the sides. Every floor is divided into sections and between each is an open space where the entrances are.

Ground floor

On the ground floor, just as you enter, we find a McDonald's and "EL RANCHO", a Mexican restaurant. Further on, there's a renowned bookshop where I buy most of my greetings cards, though it's not cheap. Carrying on, we find shops like Abercrombie & Fitch, ZARA, Pull & Bear, Sephora, KIKO cosmetics, etc. Towards the end is the French bakery Paul, a sushi restaurant, and finally, H&M. Some of the shops (ZARA, H&M) are spread over two floors and have interior access via the lower floor.

Lower ground floor

Here we find more shops: Stradivarius, Bershka, Tally Weijl, Etam, Kookai, Calzedonia, Mango, Skechers o Bata, among others. Alongside these are bagel stands, chocolatiers, a waffle shop, and the supermarket E. Leclerc. There's also a piano on this floor, which people play now and then, although I'm not sure what the official policy is for using it.

E. Leclerc

On the far end of the lower ground floor, we find E. Leclerc, a French superstore which serves the students who live in the Paul Apel, Winston Churchill, La Marne and La Somme residences. It's not as cheap as Lidl, but perfect for the times when you need a range of options but you don't have the time or the inclination to go as far as Germany to shop in Lidl. Auchan is also quite good, but is out in the suburbs of Strasbourg.

Seasonal decorations

As you can see in the photos, the centre is well decorated for the Christmas season. Strasbourg is the Christmas capital of Europe, so all of the usual places are transformed into the Father Christmas' kingdom, it's truly stunning and magical, and the shopping centre is no exception. There's a letterbox to send a list to Father Christmas, a family of bears sitting down to tea, baubles hanging from the ceiling, etc. It's a real joy to behold.

In summer, deck chairs are set up in the outside area, with artificial sand to recreate a beach environment, with river in place of the sea. Unfortunately my Erasmus stay finished before the summer arrived, so I wasn't able to visit the 'beach', but I saw photos and it looked really great.

Cinema UGC

Another hallmark of a good shopping centre is a multiplex cinema, and luckily Rivetoile boasts one of these.

The cinema is located outside of the centre, in a modern building I don't remember how many screens it has, but I know there are more than 15. It's really big, the biggest cinema I've ever been to. On the ground floor there's a restaurant and a reception room with sofas and armchairs.

The best thing about this cinema is that it shows the original films with subtitles in French. I liked this, because although I was doing my Erasmus in France, my main objective was to improve my English, and I love cinema, so it was a relief to be able to watch films in English. It was a bit tricky, because listening in English and reading in French is a bit confusing, especially when the film is as long as 'The Wolf of Wall Street' but I'd still love to go back.

Another service on offer is "Viva l"opera", which allows you to see the best ballets and operas through a live screening, so you don't have to travel to the cities where they are being performed. I wanted to go, until I heard the price, it's quite expensive and you have to reserve tickets a while in advance.

The popcorn is pretty tasty, and not too expensive, if you're someone who can't watch a film without popcorn and a Coca-Cola (like me! )

Talking ofprice, there are large variations depending on the time you go and if you have a 'Carte Culture'. At first they'd told me that it cost 4 euros with the Carte Culture, and I was happy with that, until a friend told me it they had charged her more than 4 euros, so make sure you check before you go and get a shock! Here's their web page: http://www.ugc.fr/

My opinion

I think the shopping centre is well-sized, not too big, but then sometimes medium sized malls are better than large ones, as you know where to find everything without wasting time and tiring yourself out too much. My favourite shops are Accessorize and Zara, and for food, Waffles Factory.

I was delighted to find Spanish shops here - Spaniards will understand this - as a shopping centre just isn't the same without Zara, Mango, Bershka, Pull&Bear and Stradivarius. However, the prices are higher, which is a bit annoying, so I recommend you go during the sales and have a good rummage, I found some shorts in Pull & Bear for 8 euros tienda, and in Accesorize the same, it's a big shop but quite expensive so during the sales make the most of what you've been eyeing up during the autumn.

Additional information

The toilets at Rivetoile are definitely the best I've seen for a shopping centre. The women's are well decorated and have hooks to hang your handbag, powerful hand-dryers, soap, moisturiser and you can request a hairdryer at reception. Anything a girl could ask for is supplied! The toilets are located on the bottom floor, near the piano.

Rivetoile's opening hours are 10am - 8pm Monday-Friday and 9am - 8pm on Saturdays. E. Leclerc's hours are slightly different: Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm. The opening times of the restaurants is Monday - Sunday, 10am to 11pm.

How to get there

You can get to Rivetoile by bike, via the bike lanes throughout the city, many of which lead to the shopping centre. Another option is to go by tram and get off at “Winston Churchill”, lines C and E, or at “Etoile”, lines A y D, and you'll have to walk a little to get to the main entrances.