It runs for about 250 feet (76 m) and connects the Rue du Vieux-Marchè-aux-Poissons in the west to the Place de la Cathédrale, surrounding Strasbourg Cathedral, in the east.

[1] The street is a popular viewing point from which to photograph the cathedral:[2] The front of the cathedral can be approached most dramatically along the Rue Merciere, a pedestrian street lined with solid halftimbered buildings that make a striking frame for the Gothic splendor towering beyond them.

– "Old Strasbourg Offers A Taste Of Two Cultures", Barbara Bell, New York Times, July 31, 1983[3]In 1922, Hegemann and Peets wrote:[4] The Rue Mercière leads right to the central entrance of the cathedral.

The effect is good because the street is narrow and short and the houses lining it are not too high.

The appearance of the highly symmetrical central features of the western façade can thus dominate the view.At the corner of the Place de la Cathédrale and the Rue Mercière stands the Pharmacie du Cerf.