8 unusual places and walks in Mulhouse

1. The Quai des Pêcheurs: street art has its place of expression!

This visit is recommended by Nathalie and Marie-Eve from the blog My Mulhouse – When you first arrive, you don’t really know where you are. We’re out of the hustle and bustle of the main boulevard, and into a cul-de-sac… on one side, the “graffiti wall”, on the other, the Ill canal. This is the unusual side of this place: you can come here to enjoy the water running down the slope, the trees, the birds singing… or the graffiti decorating the wall. 🙂

The Quai des Pêcheurs is particularly lively during the BOZAR Festival Jam Session in spring, when renowned graffiti artists are invited to redecorate the entire wall. Well worth a look!

Mulhouse also has other places, including the M.U.R., where artists can express their talent and get their message across. But this one is the longest!

2. The Mulhouse market, a must-see!

Tuesday, Thursday and (especially) Saturday all day long, visit the Mulhouse market, the largest in eastern France and one of the biggest in the country! And it’s one of the biggest in the country! You’ll find almost every flavour in the world, as well as tiny producers of honey, bread and goat’s cheese on Saturday mornings.

A huge market

Mulhouse’s Canal Couvert market is organized into 3 sections: the covered market hall houses products such as meat, fish, cheese, bread, tea and coffee; fruit and vegetables are located outside the market hall; and the section dedicated to textiles and accessories follows on from the covered market hall.

Good to know: fruit and vegetable stalls from local producers are located on the right-hand side of the market (when you have the market hall at your back). Otherwise, what’s the point of going to the market? Some stalls are no better than supermarkets, so be careful…

For a bite to eat

The Mulhouse market also offers a range of food and drink outlets, allowing visitors not only to shop but also to grab a bite to eat at the market. I love this kind of atmosphere, which is as friendly as you could wish for, and very representative of a French-style market and Mulhouse’s cosmopolitan character. The Marché restaurant, on the first floor of the market hall, serves delicious, hearty home cooking… a gourmet stop-off after your shopping spree :-).

3. Le Belvédère and surrounding area: take to the skies in Mulhouse!

This visit is recommended by Nathalie and Marie-Eve of the blog My Mulhouse – Located very close to the Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse (which is also worth a visit, of course 🙂 ), the Mulhouse Belvedere is a metal structure offering a unique panoramic view of Mulhouse and the surrounding area. It is about twenty meters high and you can climb to the top (provided you are not afraid of heights…) to reach 330m of altitude.

After this short climb, continue with a visit to the Tambow Alumni Memorial right next to the Belvedere to admire its spectacular statue. Further on, but still accessible on foot, discover a piece of Mulhouse’s history with the gardens of the Société d’Hygiène Naturelle, created over a century ago by industrial bosses to “provide an activity for the working-class population”.

4. Graffitipolis in Mulhouse – Street art galore!

This visit is recommended by Charlotte – You’re probably familiar with Mulhouse’s Kinépolis cinema, and if you’ve ever been there to see a film, you’ve probably parked in its multi-storey parking lot. At the time, there wasn’t much to see there, but now, film or not, you MUST go there: this huge parking lot has become Graffitipolis, and the thousands of square metres of walls have taken on magnificent colors under the bombs, brushes and stencils of some sixty artists.

An urban art project

This magnificent urban art project was born thanks to the association of several partners: the Kinépolis, the MUR Mulhouse (wall located on the rue de la Moselle, which is decorated each month with new drawings and colors), the MUR Colmar and the urban art gallery of Orlinda Lavergne in Mulhouse.

Whether you’re a street art fan or not, I think it’s a must-see: you can admire different techniques, frescoes, lettering, and even “3D” works…I’ll say no more, it’s a must-see. If you’ve got kids, they’ll love it too. Alone, as a couple, with family or friends, you’ll have some superb photos to take!

Numerous street art murals

Personally, what I liked most were the frescoes. Animals, famous people – real or fictional, manga-style drawings, futuristic scenes, there’s something for everyone. Numerous stencils have also been applied to the columns in the parking lot. A great way to discover a different Mulhouse, whose streets are already very much decorated by street art. In fact, I’d recommend a visit to the Tourist Office on this theme, which I was lucky enough to do a few years ago – and loved. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Clémence and Bénédicte, who were my guides for Graffitipolis this time 😉

Free admission

It’s great, it’s really original and it’s freely accessible (just be aware of the opening hours of the parking lot). I think it’s a must-see in Mulhouse! Yet another good reason to come – and even to come back, since artists regularly come to paint the still bare walls. The promise of many more beautiful works at Graffitipolis !

5. Guinguette d’Illfurth – Bike ride and rhubarb pie

La Guinguette d’Illfurth, near Mulhouse, is a place I discovered a few years ago and immediately fell in love with. I have to say, it’s a charming place: a beautifully decorated guinguette on the banks of the Rhone-Rhine Canal is a good place to start, isn’t it?

A small restaurant accessible by bike

Even if you can get there by car, one of the big advantages of La Guinguette d’Illfurth is that it’s easily accessible by bike from Mulhouse. It’s a 10-kilometer, 30-minute bike ride from Mulhouse station. The route, which follows the Rhone-Rhine canal on a cycle path, is very easy and pleasant. It makes for a lovely little ride (there’s nothing like pedaling by the water!) with a nice finish at the end. It also makes it easy to get back from the guinguette, even if it’s dark by the time you decide to set off again: having a real bike path and not riding on the road is a big advantage, even more so at night in my opinion.

La Guinguette d’Illfurth is beautifully decorated in a brocante style, with lots of different objects to look at. It’s a real success! Once you’ve passed the entrance, you suddenly feel like you’re somewhere else.

On the menu, pies to fall down (but not only…)

It’s possible to stop for a drink only, but I really recommend trying a slice of rhubarb meringue pie if there is one when you arrive (usually late afternoon, but it can be later depending on the heat). It is the specialty of Roselyne, the owner of the place with her son Julien, who prepares it on the spot every day… And it is a delight!

The Guinguette d’Illfurth also offers home-made tarts and salads in the evening. Think about booking for the evening, the locals appreciate the address and the guinguette is often full!

6. Visit Motoco, one of Mulhouse’s leading creative centers

Motoco, a strange name for an unusual place in Mulhouse. It actually stands for“More to come” and refers to an association located in one of the buildings of the former DMC factory in Mulhouse.

Workplace and events

Motoco is in fact both a working space for the 140 artists in residence and an events venue for anyone wishing to rent the enormous ground-floor hall. It must be said that the place all in brick has a crazy charm!

Motoco is therefore a working space, but can also be visited for open days, events and workshops organized by Motoco artists.

A creative place steeped in history

The visit is worth it, it’s not a simple coworking space but a place full of history (DMC was a huge textile factory in Mulhouse, so its industrial wastelands are extremely impressive) where an incredible creative atmosphere reigns. We go from an ultra-modern recording studio to a huge painter’s studio, a photo exhibition, a ceramics workshop, textiles, furniture or a space where a short film is being shot… Fascinating!

You can also climb to the roof of the building to see the immensity of the industrial wasteland left by the DMC factory, which still exists but now occupies a very small space. There’s no doubt about it, Motoco is a must-see in Mulhouse if you haven’t already had the chance!

7. Sekitei Japanese Garden – Escape to Mulhouse

This visit is recommended by Léa and Vivine – The Sekitei traditional Japanese garden was created in Mulhouse by Éric, an enthusiast who spent 15 years developing it.

Guided tours of an hour and a half are offered to discover the symbolism of all the garden’s elements, such as the layout of the stones, the “dry garden” motifs, the tsukubai, the lanterns and the orientation of the pond. The beauty of the garden, its tranquility and Eric’s passion are impressive!

8. Electric boat trip on the Rhone-Rhine canal

Looking for a fun activity to do with family and friends in Mulhouse in summer? I recommend you try out the electric boat trip offered by Alsace Plaisance.

This one-hour tour allows you to discover the Rhone-Rhine Canal at a leisurely pace. The boats are comfortable and easy to handle, even if you don’t have a license. Along the way, you’ll come across barges, bridges and buildings, while enjoying the peace and quiet of the surrounding countryside.