Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [91]
Musée Alsacien (Alsatian Museum).
In this labyrinthine half-timber home, with layers of carved balconies sagging over a cobbled inner courtyard, local interiors have been faithfully reconstituted. The diverse activities of blacksmiths, clog makers, saddlers, and makers of artificial flowers are explained with the help of old-time craftsmen’s tools and equipment. | 23 quai St-Nicolas | 67000 | 03–88–52–50–01 | www.musees-strasbourg.org | €5 | Mon. and Wed.–Fri. noon–6, weekends 10–6.
Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain (Modern and Contemporary Art Museum).
A magnificent sculpture of a building (designed by architect Adrien Faiensilber) that sometimes dwarfs its contents, this spectacular museum frames a relatively thin collection of new, esoteric, and unsung 20th-century art. Downstairs, a permanent collection of Impressionists and Modernists up to 1950 is heavily padded with local heroes but happily fleshed out with some striking furniture; all are juxtaposed for contrasting and comparing, with little to no chronological flow. Upstairs, harsh, spare works must work hard to live up to their setting; few contemporary masters are featured. Drawings, watercolors, and paintings by Gustave Doré, a native of Alsace, are enshrined in a separate room. | 1 pl. Hans-Jean Arp | 67000 | 03–88–23–31–31 | www.musees-strasbourg.org | €6 | Tues., Wed., and Fri. noon–7, Thurs. noon–9, weekends 10–6.
Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame (Cathedral Museum).
There’s more to this museum than the usual assembly of dilapidated statues rescued from the cathedral before they fell off (you’ll find those rotting in the Barrage Vauban). Sacred sculptures stand in churchlike settings, and secular exhibits are enhanced by the building’s fine old architecture. Subjects include a wealth of Flemish and Upper Rhine paintings, stained glass, gold objects, and massive, heavily carved furniture. | 3 pl. du Château | 67000 | 03–88–32–88–17 | www.musees-strasbourg.org | €5 | Tues.–Fri. noon–6, weekends 10–6.
Palais Rohan (Rohan Palace).
The exterior of Robert de Cotte’s massive neoclassical palace (1732–42) may be starkly austere, but there’s plenty of glamour inside. Decorator Robert le Lorrain’s magnificent ground-floor rooms are led by the great Salon d’Assemblée (Assembly Room) and the book- and tapestry-lined Bibliothèque des Cardinaux (Cardinals’ Library). The library leads to a series of less august rooms that house the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts Museum) and its elaborate display of ceramics. This is a comprehensive presentation of works by Hannong, a porcelain manufacturer active in Strasbourg from 1721 to 1782; dinner services by other local kilns reveal the influence of Chinese porcelain. The Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum), also in the château, includes masterworks of European painting from Giotto and Memling to El Greco, Rubens, and Goya. Downstairs, the Musée Archéologique (Archaeology Museum) displays regional archaeological finds, including gorgeous Merovingian treasures. | 2 pl. du Château | 67000 | 03–88–52–50–00 | www.musees-strasbourg.org | €5 each museum | Mon. and Wed.–Fri. noon–6, weekends 10–6.
Fodor’s Choice | Petite France.
With its gingerbread half-timber houses that seem to lean precariously over the canals of the Ill, its shops, and inviting little restaurants, this is the most magical neighborhood in Strasbourg. Historically Alsatian in style, “Little France”—the district is just southwest of the center—is filled with Renaissance buildings that have survived plenty of wars. Wander up and down the tiny streets that connect Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes and Rue des Dentelles to Grand-Rue, and stroll the waterfront promenade.
WORTH NOTING IN THE HISTORIC HEART
Barrage Vauban (Vauban Dam).
Just beyond the Ponts Couverts is the grass-roof Vauban Dam, built by its namesake in 1682. Climb to the top for wide-angle views of the Ponts Couverts and, on the