STRASBOURG : The city is rich in old, half-timbered houses and mighty cathedrals, promenades and hidden squares.

“This town is a dazzler!” my friend sang out as we crossed the square in front of the soaring cathedral. Minutes later we were seated in La Bonne Auberge on the Rue du Maroquin, a few steps from its debouche into Place du Marche aux Cochons de Lait (square of the market of the suckling pigs).

We shared a young and vigorous Riesling that flowed clearly from its long-necked bottle ( la flute d’Alsace ) into the traditional tall, green-stemmed glasses.

Modestly, we accompanied it with a shared slice of tarte a l’oignon (onion tart), the better not to spoil dinner at the Strasbourg Hilton’s highly respected La Maison du Boeuf.

Strasbourg, to the Franks, was Strateburgum (crossroads). On today’s chain of Europe’s most popular destinations, however, it is a missing link. Too bad.

Years ago, when I lived here and attended the university, I thought in my naivete that all of Europe’s second cities must be like this: rich in old, half-timbered houses and mighty cathedrals; river promenades and pretty hidden squares, distinctive dishes and manicured gardens.

Now I know better: Along with Bern in Switzerland, Strasbourg is one of Europe’s most overlooked capitals. Capital it is, too--of the lovely land of Alsace, the department of the Bas-Rhin (Lower Rhine) and, with Brussels in Belgium, of the European Parliament.

Born as Argentoratum, a Roman stronghold set up in 10 BC, the town was rechristened Strateburgum during the days of the daring Clovis, near-legendary Merovingian king of the Franks. A crossroads it has remained throughout the centuries, often unfortunately: Invaders from the days of Vandals and Huns down to our own times have burned, pillaged and devastated it.

One morning when I turned up for class, the university was empty. A sign said: “Closed for the anniversary of the liberation of Alsace.”

The third time this happened I asked my professor how many liberations the school celebrates. “Every one,” he answered, “since the days of Julius Caesar.”

Somehow, many of the charming old quarters still stand, embraced by the multiple arms of the Ill River. The name Alsace probably derives from Ill Sass (banks of the Ill).

Strasbourg has done nothing but improve over the years I have known it. La Petite France, the former tanners’ quarter, was always attractive, its half-timbered houses with flower-filled window boxes reflected in the mirror-clear waters of the canals.

But between there and the area around the cathedral, war and economic decline had left some squat, ugly, often unused structures.

But now the streets are spic and span, and shop windows glow with the goodies for which Alsace is famous: pastries and pies and pates, fine wines and liqueurs, fruits and meats and other edibles.

Besides, the fashions in the windows of the smart streets just off the Place de la Cathedrale--Rue des Orfevres, Rue des Hallebardes and their neighbors--are now tempting, no longer Teutonic.

The faceless buildings of modern industrialism have been clustered in a zone near the Rhine and the border with West Germany, where they annoy the traveler as little as possible. The classic city may best be seen on a stroll, beginning at Place Kleber.

The square owes its name to native son Gen. Jean Kleber, born in 1753 and assassinated in Cairo in 1800. His statue stands in the center, upon it carved the words in which he replied to an English admiral who suggested a French surrender: “Soldiers,” he said to his men, “one responds to such insolence only with victories.”

The north side of Place Kleber is bordered by the enormous Aubette, an 18th-Century building so called because there at aube (dawn) the troops of the garrison would assemble to receive their daily orders.

It is the largest restaurant in eastern France, with a rotisserie, brasserie , dance bar and snack bar, plus a dining hall that can seat 1,000 patrons and a giant sidewalk cafe from which you can watch the passing parade.

One might sip a Kronenbourg, because l’Aubette is owned by that brewery; it’s really the only top beer commercially produced in France. (Many bistro-type breweries have sprung up in recent years, but their tasty temptations are little known to foreigners.)

If you want to approach Notre-Dame de Strasbourg directly (that sensation in the rose-pink sandstone of the nearby Vosges Mountains), you will walk south from Place Kleber along Rue des Grandes Arcades and turn abruptly left into Rue Merciere.

Little Streets and Squares

If you care to sneak up on it in more sinuous style, you can stroll east and then south through delightful little streets and squares (many bright with banners and wrought-iron shop signs) such as Rue des Orfevres.

Strasbourg’s is one of the best cathedrals. Inside and out, it boasts a facade remarkable in its intricate details. Among the portal sculptures you’ll find the irresistible Foolish Virgins.

The whole is so graceful, without a trace of bulkiness, that it seems to stretch, ballet-like, toward the sky.

The site has been sacred for more than 1,000 years. In AD 778 Bishop Remi inaugurated a crypt on the spot; a cathedral was established between 1015 and 1050.

St. Bernard said Mass here in 1145, but it wasn’t until the 13th Century that today’s pure Gothic fronting joined a crypt and choir of sturdy Romanesque.

Pats Pillars for Luck

I always pat (for luck, I suppose) the enormous pillars, each giant formed of several skinnier members. Then I pay my respects to the stained glass (the oldest pieces were removed before the German occupation during World War II and discovered by American armies in German salt mines), the Pillar of the Angels and the huge astronomical clock, among the most astonishing of its kind ever created.

Some museums bore, but here they intrigue. The most important is housed in the Palais des Rohan, just across the small square south of the cathedral.

The handsome pile was constructed in 1704 for Cardinal Armand de Rohan-Soubise, and displays four collections: paintings, decorative arts, ceramics and archeological finds. (Get some good gossipy history by reading about the famous Affair of the Necklace.)

Just an amble away, past the sidewalk cafes of Suckling Pigs Square, the Historical Museums and the Museum of Modern Art face each other along the Ill and off the Pont de Corbeau, from which, in other days, those found guilty of infanticide or parricide were dangled in iron cages until they drowned.

Boating About Town

One can make excursions on small pleasure steamers that ply the town’s waterways (departure point at Place du Vieux-Marche-aux-Poissons near the Palais des Rohan) and via an orange minitrain that leaves from the Place du Chateau (just south of the cathedral) for about an hour’s trip through the old quarters.

Conducted walking tours mornings and evenings leave from Place Gutenberg. (Johann Gutenberg moved from Mainz to Strasbourg in 1434, where he took his first steps in the art of printing from movable type. His statue commands the square.)

Those with cultural compulsions can indulge them at the Opera in Place Broglie, the Theatre National de Strasbourg (entered off Place de la Republique) or the Palais de la Musique near the Hilton and the Holiday Inn.

When sessions of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament are not being held, you can make guided visits to the striking Palais de l’Europe, completed in 1977. It is just across the Avenue de l’Europe from the splendid park known as l’Orangerie, designed by the great Andre Le Notre (he of Versailles, etc.) in 1692 and spruced up in 1804 for the visit of the Empress Josephine.

Right Off the Wine Route

L’Orangerie is a smashing setting for one of Strasbourg’s leading restaurants, Le Buerehiesel, in a 17th-Century post house.

Strasbourg is right off Alsace’s Wine Route, the Friendship Route (through allied French and German villages on both sides of the border), the Chateaux Road, the Liqueur Road (featuring the firewater called kirsch), the Route of Plains and Forests, the Floral Route, the Route des Cretes (along the mountaintops of the Vosges), the Cheese Road, the Open-Air Route and even something called the Road of the Fried Carp.

A sign in the hamlet of Andlau reads: “Wines of Alsace--Think of them more often.”

Oh, I do; particularly as autumn approaches and the vines, harvest-ready, march uphill in rows bearing their precious cargoes of grapes--the sound and sturdy Chasselas, the fruity Sylvaner, the fresh Muscat, the mellow Pinot, the subtle Traminer and the noble and vigorous Riesling.

They are as irresistible as the old villages near which they are grown: Mittelbergheim and Itterswiller and Epfig or Hunawihr and Ammerschwihr and Ottrott.

Consider a Late Lunch

Seated on a flower-adorned terrace you swirl a fine white in a green-stemmed glass and consider ordering a late lunch: coq au Riesling or a terrine of salmon--or even, perhaps feeling hearty, a tarte a l’oignon and a choucroute garnie.

The wine road wends for about 113 miles from Marlenheim in the north, near Strasbourg, to Thann in the south, not far from Mulhouse. It is best to follow it, if one has the opportunity, at about the pace of a truffle-snuffling pig. Friends and I one day managed only 35 miles.

That day began in Obernai and ended at dusk, 13 villages, one baroque abbey and a feudal chateau later.

Probably the most fascinating section of the wine route is the 54-kilometer stretch from Chatenois to Colmar; add side trips to Haut-Koenigsbourg (the chateau) and beyond the region’s boundaries to St. Die.

‘America’ the First Time

There in the municipal library lies a copy of the rare “Cosmographiae Introductio,” printed and published in that town in 1507 and which, for the first time, designated the continent discovered by Christopher Columbus as America.

The top towns on this portion of the road are Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Ribeuville and Turckheim. In the summer they swarm with visitors.

If you want to be alone, go in another season or stop in less crowded places such as Mittelwihr, Bennwihr or Sigolsheim.

Strateburgum, the crossroads: Think of it more often.

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From Paris it’s 283 miles to Strasbourg via Autoroute de l’Est. Nonstop flights from Paris (both Orly Ouest and Charles de Gaulle airports) also are available, and there is frequent rail service between the two cities.

By the end of the year super-first-class service will be launched on French trains, and the Paris-Strasbourg connection will become part of that.

As for dining, it is wise to remember that the late food writer, Waverly Root, lumped Alsace and Lorraine together in what he called the Domain of Fat. In Strasbourg you’re all too likely to find the term accurate.

Several Good Restaurants

Among the best restaurants are Buerehiesel in l’Orangerie, Le Crocodile, La Wurtzmuhle in La Petite France, La Maison des Tanneurs (in the same setting, traditional), Zimmer (heart of town), Maison Kammerzell (on the Place de la Cathedrale in a 15th-Century mansion) and Valentin Sorg (atop a high-rise; don’t be put off).

Strasbourg also excels in smaller, traditional places: fish cafes, Bierstuben and Weinstuben , regional and foreign-influenced restaurants and even pizzerias.

For various listings, stop at a bookstore and pick up a booklet called “Guide des Restaurants de Strasbourg et Environs.”

Some personal favorites for Strasbourgeoise cooking are l’Arsenal, Rotisserie la Chaumiere and Au Pont des Vosges. Among informal Bierstuben, try La Lorraine; for Weinstuben, Le Dauphin, L’Horloge Astronomique, Le Strissel, Lohkas and Chez Yvonne.

The most highly ranked hotels are the Hilton, with its one Michelin rosette restaurant, followed by the Sofitel, the Holiday Inn and the Mapotel Terminus Gruber. Rooms at these cost about $100 U.S. a night double.

Of these, I find the Terminus Gruber (across from the railway station) the coziest and my favorite. It’s about $90 a night.

Hotel in Lively Area

Several hotels rank just below in Michelin’s impeccable ratings, of which I like best the Hotel des Rohan just off the cathedral square. Because it’s a lively area, ask to inspect a room at the back of the house.

In the same category I once had a most pleasant stay at Nouvel Hotel Maison Rouge right off Place Kleber.

Grape escapes: In the foothills of the Vosges Mountains, grapes have been cultivated since the 3rd Century. The vineyards produce six white wines and one rose (Rose d’Alsace, in most cases from the pinot noir grape).

There is nothing pretentious about Alsatian wines; they make fine traveling companions, not too proud to grace a picnic in the grass.

For more information, contact the French Government Tourist Office, 9401 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 840, Beverly Hills 90212, phone (213) 271-6665.