Visiting the Colmar Toy Museum with my family, this is something I wanted to do for some time. It's one of the must-do family activities in Alsace. The museum is located in the center of Colmar, in a typical street of the city.
My summary
I liked
- Go back to childhood, with stars in your eyes!
- Showing toys from our childhood to our kids
- The playful side with the large play area
- The activity booklet for the temporary exhibition
- Included in the Alsace Pass
I liked less
- I wish the collection was even larger so I could spend even more time with it!
- It misses the theme of the video games which hold since the 80s an increasingly important place in our life, mine of nothing!
What can you see at the Musée du Jouet in Colmar?
The Toy Museum in Colmar regularly renews its display cases and presents more than 1,000 toys along a pathway spread over three levels.
The showcases are organized by theme or by era, with toys from all over the world having belonged to different generations of children: this makes for a very entertaining visit. Whether you’re young or old, you’ll enjoy exploring the toy world of your parents, grandparents and even further back in time!
It’s great to talk to the kids about our childhood toys, and to take a trip back in time, with stars in their eyes. Here, they can realize that certain toys still exist today: Meccano, board games like Cluedo, Barbie, Lego, Playmobil… Even if, in terms of technology, they’re totally out of date!
At the Toy Museum, there is also a large play area accessible to the whole family, a puppet show several times a day and a temporary exhibition whose theme changes every year.
Combine a visit to the Toy Museum with one to Choco Story, the Chocolate Museum! Toys and chocolate, that’s a real good idea for little and big kids, isn’t it?
On the first floor, games area, vehicles, construction games and robots
First stop on the first floor of the Musée du Jouet: a large hall welcomes us. Already here, the display cases are full of treasures: exhibits of miniature cars and toys, which remind me of the collection at the Cité de l’Automobile in Mulhouse, automata and robots, a huge Playmobil model, building sets and even miniature steam engines!
In the center of the hall, a large area with games awaits us: to the side, a relaxation area with Kappla and, in the center, numerous wooden games. Some of these are very well known, such as Puissance 4 or a checkers, while others are less familiar, such as puzzles or a kind of Tetris. That’s one of the museum’s main attractions: discovering games you’ve never played before. In fact, you could spend an hour trying them all out!
On the 1st floor, puppet show, old toys by period and dolls world
On this level of the Toy Museum, you’ll find many more display cases full of stories and memories to tell! This is where you’ll find toys by period, from the 50s to the 80s. It’s great fun to come across the toys and technology of our childhood and proudly show them off to our little ones – Minitel, Goldorak – and, even better, toys that, although updated, still exist today – Playmobils, Barbies… And even for the 50s display case: Meccanoes or Cluedo! At set times, a small puppet show brings the museum to life.
The showcases on this floor take us into the world of dolls, with all kinds of miniature dinettes, sewing machines and dolls. From the oldest porcelain dolls to those in plastic, not forgetting Barbie, of course, with beautiful limited editions (Christian Dior, for example) and even MY Mermaid Barbie, given to me at the same age as my little girl?
My guide to Colmar
Plan an unforgettable stay in Colmar and the surrounding area without wasting any time, thanks to my guide ! You’ll find the most beautiful places to visit, activities not to be missed and the best addresses!
The railway models on the 2nd floor
Here, you can contort yourself in all directions to see the details of the model railways , which are spread out over the entire second floor and are a real museum curiosity. It’s great to see the miniature trains we see in life size at the Cité du Train in Mulhouse: the Pullman carriages of the famous Orient Express and their “La Flèche d’Or” locomotive, or the Micheline which took the French on vacation when the 1st paid vacations were introduced! We love looking at all the details of these reconstructed towns and villages, with their sometimes hilarious little sketches. Didn’t you know that model makers had a sense of humor?
Temporary exhibitions of the Toy Museum
The Musée du Jouet regularly organizes temporary exhibitions on a variety of themes. Something for the whole family!
Practical information
Rates and schedules
You can find the prices and opening hours of the Toy Museum here. Book your tickets online here.
Access
By car
The address is: 40 rue Vauban – 68000 Colmar (in the city center).
By public transport
You can watch on Fluo.
Hungry?
If you are hungry, you will find here a list of our favorite restaurants in Colmar.