Sights in Alsace & Lorraine
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Cathédrale Notre-Dame
Victor Hugo declared it a 'gigantic and delicate marvel', Goethe professed that its 'loftiness is linked to its beauty' and, no matter the angle or time of day, you too will be captivated by Strasbourg's centrepiece Gothic cathedral. At once immense and intricate, the cathedral is a riot of filigree stonework and flying buttresses, leering gargoyles and lacy spires.
The west facade, most impressive if approached from rue Mercière, was completed in 1284, but the 142m spire – the tallest of its time – was not in place until 1439; its southern companion was never built.
On a sunny day, the 12th- to 14th-century stained-glass windows – especially the rose window over the w…
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St Stephen's Cathedral
The stupendous Cathédral St-Etienne, built by joining two churches together in the 14th century, is famous for being superlative in France: it has the highest nave (41m) and the greatest surface area of stained glass windows (nearly 6500sq m). Try to visit on a bright day and after dark - the cathedral is beautifully illuminated at night until 01:00.
Built between 1220 and 1522, St Stephen's Cathedral is famed for its veritable curtains of 13th- to 20th-century stained glass, among the finest in France. The superb flamboyant Gothic windows (1504), on the main wall of the north transept arm, provide a remarkable stylistic contrast with the glorious Renaissance windows on …
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Quartier de la Gare
The solid, bourgeois buildings and broad avenues of the Quartier de la Gare, including rue Gambetta and av Foch, were constructed in the decades before WWI.
Built with the intention of Germanising the city by emphasising Metz' post-1871 status as an integral part of the Second Reich, its neo-Romanesque and neo-Renaissance buildings are made of dark-hued sandstone, granite and basalt, rather than the yellow-tan Jaumont limestone characteristic of French-built, neoclassical structures.The massive, grey-sandstone train station, completed in 1908, is decorated with Teutonic sculptures - some of them quite amusing - whose common theme is German imperial might; it could detrain…
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Jardin des Deux Rives
An expression of flourishing Franco-German friendship, Strasbourg and its German neighbour Kehl have turned former customs posts and military installations into this 60-hectare garden, whose play areas, promenades and parkland straddle both banks of the Rhine. The centrepiece is Marc Mimram's sleek (and hugely expensive) suspension bridge, which has proved a big hit with pedestrians and cyclists. From the tram stop, walk east or take bus 21 for three stops.
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Cathédrale St-Étienne
As delicate as Chantilly lace, the golden spires of this Gothic cathedral crown Metz' skyline. Exquisitely lit by kaleidoscopic curtains of 13th- to 20th-century stained glass, the cathedral is nicknamed 'God's lantern'. The Gothic windows, on the north transept arm, contrast with the Renaissance windows on the south transept arm.
Notice the flamboyant Chagall windows in reds, yellows and blues in the ambulatory, which also harbours the treasury. The sculpture of the Graoully ('grau-lee'), a dragon said to have terrified pre-Christian Metz, lurks in the 15th-century crypt. The cathedral looks its most radiant on a bright day and when floodlit in the evening.
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Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame
Occupying a cluster of sublime 14th- and 16th-century buildings, this museum harbours one of Europe's premier collections of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance sculptures (including many originals from the cathedral), plus 15th-century paintings and stained glass. Christ de Wissembourg (c 1060; room two) is the oldest work of stained glass in France.
Hollywood gore seems tame compared to the tortures back when Hell really was hell. Sure to scare you into a life of chastity is Les Amants Trépassés (the Deceased Lovers; room 23), painted in 1470, showing a grotesque couple being punished for their illicit lust: both of their entrails are being devoured by dragon-headed sna…
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Palais des Droits de l'Homme
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.
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Musée Historique
Trace Strasbourg's history from its beginnings as a Roman military camp called Argentoratum at this engaging museum housed in a 16th-century slaughterhouse. Highlights include a famous painting of the first-ever performance of La Marseillaise, France's stirring national anthem, which – despite its name – was written in Strasbourg in 1792; a 1:600-scale model of the city, created in the 1720s to help Louis XV visualise the city's fortifications; and a Gutenberg Bible from 1485. Kids can try on medieval-style knights' helmets and touch ancient pots and 18th-century cannons.
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Palais Rohan
Hailed a 'Versailles in miniature', this opulent 18th-century residence was built for the city's princely bishops, and Louis XV and Marie-Antoinette once slept here.
The basement Musée Archéologique takes you from the Palaeolithic period to AD 800. On the ground floor is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, where rooms adorned with Hannong ceramics and gleaming silverware evoke the lavish lifestyle of the nobility in the 18th century. On the 1st floor, the Musée des Beaux-Arts' collection of 14th- to 19th-century art reveals El Greco, Botticelli and Flemish Primitive works.
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European Parliament
The home of the relatively toothless 732-member European Parliament , used just 12 times a year for four-day 'part-sessions' (plenary sessions), is 2.5km northeast of the cathedral. When it's in session (dates are available from the tourist office or on the website - click 'Activities' and then 'Parliament's Calendar'), you can sit in on debates for up to one hour; it's first-come first-served (bring ID) and no reservations are possible.
The rest of the time the building is inaccessible because of strict post-9/11 security measures.
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Place de la République
Many of Strasbourg's grandest public buildings, constructed when the city was ruled by the German Reich, huddle northeast of Grande Île around place de la République. The neighbourhood that stretches eastwards to Parc de l'Orangerie is dominated by sturdy stone buildings inspired by late-19th-century Prussian tastes.
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Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain
This striking glass-and-steel cube showcases an outstanding collection of fine art, graphic art and photography. Kandinsky, Picasso, Magritte and Monet canvases hang out alongside curvaceous works by Strasbourg-born abstract artist Hans Jean Arp. Find details on temporary exhibitions on the website.
Don't leave without enjoying a drink at the glass-fronted Art Café, graced by bold frescoes by Japanese artist Aki Kuroda. The terrace commands terrific views of the River Ill and Petite France.
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Esplanade
The formal flowerbeds of the Esplanade – and its statue of a gallant-looking Marshall Ney – are flanked by imposing buildings, including the Arsenal cultural centre and the sober, neoclassical Palais de Justice.
Originally built around 380 as part of a Gallo-Roman spa complex, Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonains sidles up to the octagonal, 13th-century Chapelle des Templiers (Chapel of the Knights Templar), the only one of its kind in Lorraine.
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Écomusée d'Alsace
Écomusée d’Alsace is great for keeping little minds active. France’s so-called biggest ‘living museum’ is a fascinating excursion into Alsatian country life and time-honoured crafts. Smiths, cartwrights, potters and coopers do their thing in and among 70 historic Alsatian farmhouses – a veritable village – brought here and meticulously reconstructed for preservation (and so storks can build nests on them). The Écomusée is in Ungersheim, 17km northwest of Mulhouse (off the A35 to Colmar).
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Musée Lorrain
Once home to the dukes of Lorraine, the regal Renaissance Palais Ducal now shelters the Musée Lorrain. The rich fine arts & history collection spotlights medieval statuary, engravings and lustrous faience (glazed pottery). The regional art & folklore collection occupies a 15th-century former Franciscan monastery. Inside, the Gothic Église des Cordeliers and the 17th-century Chapelle Ducale, modelled on the Medici Chapel in Florence, served as the burial place of the dukes of Lorraine.
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Place de la Comédie
Bounded by one of the channels of the Moselle, this neoclassical square is home to the city's 18th-century Théâtre, France's oldest theatre still in use. During the Revolution, place de l'Égalité (as it was then known) was the site of a guillotine that lopped the heads off 63 'enemies of the people'.
The neo-Romanesque Temple Neuf was constructed under the Germans in 1904.
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Centre Pompidou-Metz
Opened in May 2010 to much fanfare, the architecturally innovative Centre Pompidou-Metz is the satellite branch of Paris' Centre Pompidou and the new star of the city's art scene. The gallery draws on Europe's largest collection of modern art to stage ambitious temporary exhibitions, such as the inaugural Chefs d'oeuvre (Masterpieces), which presented standouts by Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky. The dynamic space also hosts top-drawer cultural events.
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Palais de l'Europe
A futuristic glass crescent, the Council of Europe’s Palais de l’Europe across the the River Ill can be visited on free one-hour weekday tours; phone ahead for times and reservations.
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Quartier de l'Amphithéâtre
'The wrong side of the tracks', until recently a wasteland of abandoned hangars and depots, is undergoing a complete transformation thanks to Metz' seemingly boundless cultural ambitions (and development budget). The Quartier de l'Amphithéâtre already boasts Les Arènes (Palais Omnisports), a vast steel-and-glass venue for sports events and concerts, and the green riverside lawns of Parc de la Seille.
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Petite France
Criss-crossed by narrow lanes, canals and locks, impossibly pretty Petite France is where craftsmen plied their trades in the Middle Ages. The half-timbered houses, sprouting veritable thickets of scarlet geraniums in summer, and the riverside parks attract the masses, but the area still manages to retain its Alsatian atmosphere and charm, especially in the early morning and late evening.
Drink in views of the River Ill and the mighty 17th-century Barrage Vauban (Vauban Dam), recently undergoing renovation, from the much-photographed Ponts Couverts (Covered Bridges) and their trio of 13th-century towers.
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Musée La Cour d'Or
Delve into the past at this trove of Gallo-Roman antiquities, hiding remnants of the city's Roman baths and a statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis unearthed right here in Metz. Your visit continues with art from the Middle Ages, paintings from the 15th century onwards, and artefacts revealing the history of Metz' ancient Jewish community. A room-by-room brochure in English is available.
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St Peter of the Novitiates
The oldest church in France, Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains has incredibly escaped destruction numerous times. Built pre-AD 400 as part of a Gallo-Roman spa complex (note the red-brick striped walls), it was a women's monastery in the 7th century, periodically expanded and from 1556 used for weapons storage. Today it hosts concerts and exhibitions.
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Musée de l'École de Nancy
A highlight of a visit to Nancy, the Musée de l'École de Nancy brings together an exquisite collection of art nouveau interiors, curvaceous glass and landscaped gardens. It's housed in a 19th-century villa about 2km southwest of the centre; to get there take bus 122 or 123 to the Nancy Thermal or Paul-Painlevé stop.
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Parc de l'Orangerie
Across from the Palais de l'Europe, this flowery park, designed in the 17th century by Le Nôtre of Versailles fame, is a family magnet with its playgrounds and swan-dotted lake. In summer you can rent row boats on Lac de l'Orangerie. Kids can get up close to storks and goats at the park's mini zoo (admission free).
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Musée des Beaux-Arts
Daum-made art nouveau glass and a rich selection of paintings from the 14th to 21st centuries are among the star exhibits at this outstanding museum. Caravaggio, Rubens, Picasso and Monet masterpieces hang alongside works by Lorraine-born artists, such as Claude Lorrain's dreamlike baroque landscapes.
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