Strasbourg has a good tram network so, if you live within walking distance of a tram stop, you can get into the city centre very quickly. No need to stay in 67000
Here’s a tram map:
I have never heard of SCOT but I can see the appeal of using a relocation company in your case. If they can find you an apartment with a functioning kitchen (many rentals are completely bare - pretty much just a sink), meet you at the airport and transport you and your animals to the apartment, that will make things a lot less stressful.
If you don’t want to buy a car there are good schemes where you can hire a vehicle for shopping trips, day trips, etc. Here’s the best known scheme: https://grand-est.citiz.coop/
Apparently it works very well.
By the way, you probably don’t want a “balcon”. They’re really tiny - just enough space for smoking a fag. I use mine to escape from my husband with a vodka martini.
What you really want is a “terrasse”. A terrasse would be big enough for the dogs to sit out on. Hardly any flats in the centre have terrasses, at best they just have balcons. So yet another reason to look for something further out, near the tramline.
If at all possible, I would consider stretching the budget and looking for a small house with a garden. These exist, but again not in the centre. I think the owners of this kind of property would be more likely to entertain the idea of renting to someone with 2 dogs and a cat.
That said, you could try contacting this agency and inquire about the apartment in rue de l’Aubépines in the very pleasant Robertsau neighbourhood. A Scottish friend of mine died last summer (not in the flat in case that matters!) and the apartment she rented has yet to find a new tenant. I don’t really understand why it hasn’t been snapped up but a friend thinks it’s because the bathroom is very dated and the kitchen extremely basic. It’s in a fantastic location, though. There are fields just in front and it feels almost rural even though it’s a 10 minute walk from the European institutions and a tram that will whisk you into the centre in minutes.
The owners live across the garden. They were very decent to my friend but I can’t approach them and they absolutely don’t want to deal directly with prospective tenants so you would have to go through the agent.
The big concern would be your dogs. I don’t know whether they’d be up for that but it’s certainly worth asking.
Make it very clear your dogs are well behaved, quiet and get on well with cats. The only other tenant in the building is a lady who lives underneath and she has a much-loved cat. The lady’s been there for years so they probably wouldn’t want to do anything that’s going to upset her. She’s a strong character but was very, very helpful to my Scottish friend, assisting her with French admin, etc. She speaks fantastic English.
Here’s the link to the flat: 3 pièces Robertsau proche caserne - Immeuble Conseil
It has a long thin balcony rather than a terrace but there’s plenty of garden around it and outside space. Lie through your teeth and tell them you’re a keen gardener and would be happy to help maintain the outside space.
Look forward to meeting up with you. I think you’ll find it easy to fit in in Strasbourg. Let me know how you get on with the flat/house hunting. And be very wary of renting from someone over the internet - there are so many scam artists out there. Offering to rent properties and of course take large deposits for flats that don’t actually exist or aren’t for rent.
PS Personally I think you were nuts to take on a new dog at the very time you’re planning to move to France but we can slug it out over cocktails when you get here.
. She’s really smart so far training hasn’t been too difficult. But I’ve lost some shoes, caps and even a bit of the sofa…so it goes. Tbo with the loss of my partner she’s been a kinda therapy for me. It’s impossible to be sad all the time when you got a happy puppy needing attention.