Nancy
On a hot summer’s day, escape the crowds in this formal garden, with ornamental fountains, a rose garden and a Rodin sculpture of Baroque landscape…
Must-see attractions in Alsace & Lorraine
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…
Metz
On the eastern edge of the city centre, triangular place St-Louis is surrounded by medieval arcades and merchants’ houses dating from the 14th to 16th…
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.
Lorraine
The Musée Baccarat displays 1100 exquisite pieces of handmade lead crystal. The boutique out front is almost as dazzling as the museum.
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,…
Metz
The formal flowerbeds of the Esplanade – and its statue of a gallant-looking Marshall Ney – are flanked by imposing buildings, including the Arsenal…
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…
Nancy
This lime-tree-fringed square, World Heritage material, is graced by a Baroque fountain by Bruges-born Louis Cyfflé (1724–1806), inspired by Bernini’s…
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…
Lorraine
Perched on a hillside, this Romanesque-meets-Gothic cathedral shelters a gilded Baroque baldachin, restored after WWI damage. Much of the stained glass is…
Lorraine
Steep steps lead up to this austere 1920s monument commemorating war victims and survivors. The crypt hides a book listing the soldiers who fought in the…
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.
Nancy
Forming part of the place Stanislas ensemble, the grand 18th-century Hôtel de Ville spreads across the entire southern flank of the square.
Alsace
Standing proud above the centre of Ribeauvillé, across from 64 Grand’Rue, this town hall is fronted by a Renaissance fountain.
Strasbourg
This square is dominated by the Renaissance-style Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce).
Colmar
This 15th-century house is identifiable by its much-photographed sculpture of a marchand (merchant).
Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Annonciation
Nancy
Crowned by a frescoed dome, Nancy’s 18th-century cathedral is a sombre mixture of neoclassical and Baroque.
Nancy
Built in 1908, the art nouveau Chambre de Commerce features wrought iron by Louis Majorelle.
Alsace
The hillside Chapelle St-Sébastien is known for its Romanesque tower and Gothic choir.
Lorraine
Built in 1877, this city gate is adorned with a marble plaque recalling the ‘victorious peace’ that inspired a ‘cry of joy’.
Lorraine
Once part of Verdun's original city ramparts, this 14th-century gate was later used as a prison from 1755 to 1860.
