Alsace
Church spires rise gracefully above the red rooftops of the old town, which hugs the left bank of the River Ill. Some of the finest examples of half…
Must-see attractions in Alsace
Alsace
Trainspotters are in their element at Europe’s largest railway museum, displaying SNCF’s prized collection of locomotives and carriages. Take bus 20 from…
Alsace
A gentle stroll takes in the 14th-century, pink-granite ramparts, originally pierced by four gates, three still holding aloft watchtowers and bearing…
Alsace
Kids love to feed popcorn (special monkey popcorn, of course) to the free-roaming Barbary macaques and their cheeky infants at this 2.4-hectare woodland…
Alsace
The house where the musicologist, medical doctor and 1952 Nobel Peace Prize–winner Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) was born is now a museum, with exhibits…
Alsace
Rue des Juifs (site of the former Jewish quarter) leads down the hill to this medieval stone tower. Inside is a gruesome torture chamber with English…
Alsace
About 20 storks live year-round in the Enclos aux Cigognes, and more hang out on top of it. It’s 250m behind the Renaissance hôtel de ville; on foot,…
Colmar
Delicate stonework guides the eye to the polychrome mosaic roof and Mongol-style copper spire of this Gothic church. Its jewel-like stained-glass windows…
Colmar
At the southern tip of rue des Marchands is this late-medieval customs house, with loggia and variegated tile roof, which now hosts temporary exhibitions…
Colmar
True to its name, this step-gabled house, built in 1609 for a wealthy wine merchant, is festooned with 106 grimacing faces and heads of animals, devils…
Colmar
Kids of every age delight at the sight of toys from generations past – from demure 1950s Barbies to Gaultier-clad dolls and Hornby train sets – at this…
Colmar
For photogenic views of Colmar's canal-woven Petite Venise district, head to this bridge at the top of rue de Turenne.
Alsace
This late-13th-century stone and half-timbered gate, topped by a 25m bell tower, is worth a look for its panoramic views and small local-history museum.
Strasbourg
The leafy paths that shadow the River Ill and its canalised branch, the Fossé du Faux-Rempart, are great for an impromptu picnic or a romantic stroll.
Alsace
Along the main street that threads through the old town is the 17th-century Pfifferhüs, which once housed the town’s fife-playing minstrels.
Centre Européen du Résistant Déporté
Alsace
The Centre Européen du Résistant Déporté near Natzweiler-Struthof pays homage to Europe’s Resistance fighters.
Strasbourg
The much-photographed Ponts Couverts (Covered Bridges) have a trio of 13th-century towers.
Strasbourg
The gingerbready 15th-century Maison Kammerzell has ornate carvings and leaded windows.
Colmar
Prepare for déjà vu as you approach Colmar on the rte de Strasbourg (N83), 3km north of the old town, and spy the spitting image of the Statue of Liberty,…
Strasbourg
Should the inner workings of the EU intrigue you, you can sit in on debates ranging from lively to yawn-a-minute at the Parlement Européen; dates are…
Colmar
Quintessentially Protestant in its austerity, this Franciscan church has something of a split personality. From 1715 to 1987, a wall divided the soaring…
Alsace
Peer into the imagination of celebrated Colmar-born illustrator Jean-Jacques Waltz (1873–1951), aka Hansi, whose idealised images of Alsace are known…
Alsace
The Mémorial de l’Alsace-Moselle, 50km southwest of Strasbourg in Schirmeck, takes an unblinking but reconciliatory look at the region’s traumatic modern…
Colmar
This Renaissance pile was built in 1537 for Ludwig Scherer, a wealthy hatter from Besançon. With its delicately painted panels, elaborate oriel window and…
Alsace
The red-sandstone Église Ste Croix has an altar with 18 painted haut-relief panels of the Passion and the Resurrection. Out front, a Renaissance fountain…
Alsace
Stretch your legs by strolling around Obernai’s 13th-century ramparts, accessible from the square in front of the twin-spired, neo-Gothic Église St-Pierre…
Strasbourg
A futuristic glass crescent, the Council of Europe’s Palais de l’Europe across the River Ill can be visited on free one-hour weekday tours; phone ahead…
Strasbourg
It’s just a hop across the Canal de la Marne to the swirly silver Palais des Droits de l’Homme, the most eye-catching of all the EU institutions.
Alsace
Standing proud above the centre of Ribeauvillé, across from 64 Grand’Rue, this town hall is fronted by a Renaissance fountain.
Colmar
This 15th-century house is identifiable by its much-photographed sculpture of a marchand (merchant).
Strasbourg
This square is dominated by the Renaissance-style Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce).
Alsace
The hillside Chapelle St-Sébastien is known for its Romanesque tower and Gothic choir.
