Mulhouse, the city of technical museums
10 to 15 minutes from the house. Mulhouse, once the capital of printed textiles, has kept unique museums from its industrial past.
- Cité de l'Automobile
- 15 min
- The national car museum and its Schlumpf collection: several hundred cars, from the pioneers to the Bugattis.
- Cité du Train
- 15 min
- The history of the railways in France: locomotives, presidential carriages and TGV.
- Musée de l'Impression sur Étoffes
- 10 min
- The printed calicoes and fabrics that made the town's fortune.
- Zoo and botanical garden
- 15 min
- Animals and gardens on the hills above Mulhouse.
- Town centre
- 10 min
- Place de la Réunion, the painted town hall, the covered Marché du Canal.
Village Alsace
- Écomusée d'Alsace, Ungersheim
- 20 min
- Dozens of Alsatian houses rebuilt piece by piece, craftspeople and farm animals.
- Colmar
- 40 min
- Little Venice, the Unterlinden museum and the Isenheim Altarpiece.
- Eguisheim
- 40 min
- The wine village whose lanes circle around its castle.
- Kaysersberg and Riquewihr
- 50–55 min
- Two villages on the wine route, easy to combine in one day.
- Strasbourg
- 1 h 15
- The cathedral and Petite France; direct TER trains from Mulhouse.
Nature and mountains
- The Grand Ballon (50 min): the highest summit of the Vosges, via the Route des Crêtes; hiking in summer, skiing and snowshoeing in winter, snow permitting.
- The Ballon d'Alsace: another great viewpoint of the Vosges, in the south of the range.
- The Hardt forest and the banks of the Rhine, for cycling and walks.
Across the borders
- Basel (Switzerland)
- 40 min
- Kunstmuseum, Fondation Beyeler, Art Basel in June, the old town on the Rhine.
- Europa-Park, Rust (Germany)
- about 1 h
- The big theme park, and its Rulantica water park.
- Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany)
- 55 min
- The old town, its minster and the gateway to the Black Forest.
Approximate driving times. Museum opening hours change with the seasons: check their websites before you go.
A weekend in four parts
Saturday morning
The Cité de l'Automobile or the Cité du Train.
Saturday afternoon
Central Mulhouse and Place de la Réunion.
Sunday morning
The Écomusée d'Alsace, 20 minutes away.
Sunday afternoon
Eguisheim or Colmar, on the way home.
Frequently asked questions
What can you do in Mulhouse over a weekend?
On Saturday, the Cité de l'Automobile or the Cité du Train, then the town centre and Place de la Réunion; on Sunday, the Écomusée d'Alsace in Ungersheim or Mulhouse zoo. In December, the Christmas market.
Where can a group stay near Mulhouse?
La Maison Alsacienne is a half-timbered house rented as a whole for 8 guests, with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, in Morschwiller-le-Bas, 10 minutes from central Mulhouse.