4 Best Sights in Alsace-Lorraine, France

Designed by Paris architect Henri Sauvage as a showcase for Art Nouveau, this stunning 1902 villa was built for furniture designer Louis Majorelle. Its sinuous metal supports seem to sneak up on the unsuspecting balcony like swaying cobras. The two grand windows are by Jacques Gruber: one lights the staircase (visible from the street), and the other is set in the dining room on the south side of the villa. Visitor numbers are limited (it's open to individual visits on afternoons only), so it's worth pre-booking online to explore the interior of the Majorelle's family villa, decorated with more than 100 pieces of sublime furniture, paintings, and ornaments—all mostly original.

Up the street from the Ancienne Douane on the Grande-Rue, the Maison des Arcades was built in 1606 in High Renaissance style with a series of arched porches (arcades) anchored by two octagonal towers.

Built in 1537, the Maison Pfister is the most striking of Colmar's many old dwellings. Note the decorative frescoes and medallions, carved balcony, and ground-floor arcades.

The Bartholdi Museum is the birthplace of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty. Exhibits of the artist's work claim the ground floor, and a re-creation of his Paris apartment is upstairs. The creation of Lady Liberty is explored in adjoining rooms.