Alsace attractions

Occupying a 13th-century Dominican convent in the Alsace town of Colmar, the Unterlinden Museum (Musée Unterlinden) features a large collection of European art, spanning the period between the Middle Ages and the 20th century. Its best-known work is the altarpiece of Isenheim, created with a mix of sculpture and painting in the early 16th century.

The Toy Museum (Musée du Jouet), a small, playful space in the heart of Colmar, is aimed at visitors both young and old. Home to a collection of playthings that date from the 19th century to the present day, the museum (housed in a former movie theater) offers exhibits about everything from dolls to model trains to board games.

Sculpted from pink sandstone and crowned by a lantern-shaped tower, St. Martin’s Church (Eglise St-Martin) has been watching over Colmar since the late 13th century. At the gateway to the Old Town, the landmark church is surrounded by Colmar’s characteristic cobbled lanes and half-timbered buildings.

At the meeting point of Colmar’s two main boulevards, the Old Customs House (Koïfhus), also known as the “Ancienne Douane,” is hard to miss. Once an important center of Alsatian commerce, the 15th-century landmark is now protected as a National Historical Monument. It is celebrated for its distinctive Gothic and Renaissance architecture, most notably its colorfully tiled roof.

Not to be confused with the European Union Parliament in Brussels, European Parliament Strasbourg is a modern landmark where members of the European Parliament meet to debate and vote during plenary sessions in the city. Built in 1999 and known for its distinctive glass facade and semi-circular Hemicycle, it also hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions throughout the year, typically related to European culture or politics.

Encircled by the River Ill and the Canal du Faux Rempart, the Grande Île or “Big Island,” is the UNESCO–listed historic center of Strasbourg and home to the majority of the city’s top attractions. The islet serves as the prime focus of sightseeing tours and hosts the city’s world-famous Christmas market during the festive season.

Fort de Mutzig was built by Germany in the late 1800s to defend Strasbourg and Metz during the Franco-Prussian War. It is comprised of a number of dispersed units that are connected by tunnels, which provided shelter and also allowed for the dispersal of artillery—a design that later influenced the layout of the Maginot Line.

Tucked away in a corner of the Strasbourg Cathedral of Notre Dame (Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg), the Strasbourg Astronomical Clock is an elaborate mechanical device decorated with figures, artwork, and golden embellishments. The various dials of this 19th-century masterpiece track different astronomical occurrences, but the highlight is the mechanical figures—including apostles and a rooster—which provide a daily performance for onlookers.

Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic bookThe Little Prince, this destination is a theme park with a twist. Marketing itself as the world’s first “aerial park,” it offers rides and attractions designed to take you up into the sky.

At the heart of Strasbourg’s historic La Petite France quarter, the 16th-century Tanners House (Maison des Tanneurs) is one of the area’s most famous landmarks. Tucked amid the half-timbered houses and snaking canals of La Petite France, it’s a lasting vestige of the city’s old tanners’ district.