The Alsace region has been popular for years due to its colourful villages, wine routes, and endless half-timbered houses, but those who look beyond the well-known spots sometimes discover something truly special. Like the Écomusée d’Alsace, the largest open-air museum in France. It's not a classic museum where you mainly walk quietly past display cases, but a complete living village full of old houses, craftspeople, animals, flowers, and storks on the roofs. Whether Alsace is your final destination or a pleasant stop on your way to Switzerland, Italy, or the South of France, for example: this is a sustainable tip for your summer holiday!
Écomusée d’Alsace: a living village!
In collaboration with the Écomusée d’Alsace
What is it Alsace Ecomuseum What makes it different from many other museums is that it feels like you're walking into a real village. Scattered across the grounds are around eighty traditional Alsatian buildings that have been rescued and rebuilt plank by plank. You wander past old farmhouses, workshops, stables, gardens, and small streets, while craftspeople demonstrate how people used to work and live. There's always something happening, from pottery to bread baking, from feeding farm animals to strolling among the half-timbered houses.
And that's precisely why, in our opinion, this spot is a perfect fit for the greener list for the school holidays. The grounds have grown in recent years into a beautiful green area full of walking paths, animals, orchards and stork nests. In short, there's plenty to do and relax. And dogs are also welcome, making it extra special for those holidaying with their furry friends.
A day out at the Écomusée d’Alsace is a must-visit if you're holidaying in Alsace. It's the largest open-air museum in Europe!
The Alsace: France at its most charming!
The Écomusée d’Alsace is located in Alsace, a region in the northeast of France that has been popular with Dutch people for years. And we understand perfectly why. You'll find colourful half-timbered villages, rolling vineyards, small flea markets, long lunch tables, and flowers everywhere on the balconies. The atmosphere is a bit German and a bit French at the same time, which immediately makes the region different from the rest of France. Also nice: the distances are small. You can easily drive from village to village, stop at a winery or local market along the way, and before you know it, you're back at a terrace with flammkuchen or kougelhopf.
Precisely because Alsace is relatively close by, it's also a great destination for those who want to travel more consciously. And amidst all the well-known places like Colmar, Mulhouse (pronounced: Mew-looze) and Riquewihr (Reek-vee-veer for the discerning tourist), the Écomusée d’Alsace is a quiet, less obvious stop that perfectly suits a greener summer holiday. Still looking for a holiday destination and don't want to drive too far? We know where you should go!
You might also find this interesting
- Also see: A travel itinerary through the Languedoc.
- Also see: fun stops on the way to southern France.
- Also see: Discover Paris’s 13th arrondissement!
Photo credits: Écomusée d’Alsace (main image), Steeve Josch (stork & woman picking wild garlic), M Muller (interior of cottage), F.Z.Vardon (overview photo), others: Écomusée d’Alsace.
