The Musée du Jouet is Colmar's toy museum, set up in 1993 in a former cinema on the Rue Vauban in the town centre. Over three floors it shows more than a thousand toys from the 19th century to the age of video games, and a whole floor is given over to a working model railway.
The Musée du Jouet at a glance
- Where: 40 Rue Vauban, in the town centre of Colmar.
- Opened: 1993, in a building that was once the local cinema.
- What it is today: a municipal toy museum with a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions and activities for children.
- Time needed: about an hour and a half.
From the big screen to toy trains
The museum opened in 1993 and moved into a building with a past: Colmar's former cinema. Where audiences once sat in front of a screen, the halls now hold glass cases of dolls, tin toys and model locomotives, and the high, open spaces of the old cinema suit the large displays. The collection covers toys from many countries, from the 19th century to today, and the museum describes its theme simply as the toys that marked our childhoods.
The layout makes the visit easy to follow. The permanent displays are spread over three floors, with dolls, games and other toys on one level and the second floor dedicated to trains: a large network of model railways, with electric and older locomotives, runs across the entire floor. Temporary exhibitions change regularly and often draw on the museum's reserves, so even repeat visitors usually find something new.
What to look for
- The model railway that fills the whole second floor, with trains running through landscapes and stations.
- Early Barbie dolls and older dolls, a favourite with visitors who grew up with them.
- Antique teddy bears, automata and mechanical toys from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Playmobil scenes, robots, model cars and scale models from more recent decades.
- Video games and consoles, the newest part of the collection, and large board games to play.
Toys across town
Colmar takes its toys seriously in more than one place. The Unterlinden Museum, famous for the Isenheim Altarpiece, also has a section of children's toys from the 17th to the early 20th century among its Alsatian folk collections. Seeing both is a good way to compare how play changed from hand-carved wooden figures to plastic and electronics.
Tips for your visit
- It is a good choice for a rainy day or a break from walking the old town, especially with children.
- Check the museum's programme for temporary exhibitions, workshops and puppet shows before you go.
- Allow extra time on the train floor: children, and many adults, like to watch the trains complete several circuits.
- The museum is accessible and has information in English and German.
Nearby
- St Martin's Church: Colmar's largest church, with Gothic sculpture and stained glass, in the old town centre.
- Unterlinden Museum: the Isenheim Altarpiece and a 13th-century cloister, within walking distance.
- Little Venice: the canal district along the Lauch, the classic Colmar postcard view, also within walking distance.
- Dominican Church: a former friars' church in the old town, home to Martin Schongauer's painting the Madonna of the Rose Bower and fine 14th-century stained glass.
See Colmar with World City Trail
Our Colmar scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 33 minutes of walking. The route includes St Martin's Church, the Unterlinden Museum, Little Venice and the Musée Bartholdi. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Colmar.
Play the Colmar scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Colmar →
Play the outdoor escape game in Colmar →
Facts checked in October 2026.