Musée du jouet de Colmar

What makes it special

More than a thousand toys are on show, and the cases are changed regularly, so the selection shifts from one visit to the next. Old and new sit side by side: antique teddy bears next to cartoon characters, robots, Playmobil and scale models gathered from around the world.

The first floor is given to dolls: delicate porcelain models, sturdy baby dolls and Barbie through the ages. On the second floor a model railway covers the entire floor, with electric and diesel locomotives from a century ago running beside current ones.

The centrepiece is a puppet theatre, where animated puppets play the fable of the fox and the stork in a 17th-century Alsatian setting. Look too for the much older puppets in the collection, some from the 18th century, and the LEGO town in the main hall, which is maintained and regularly updated.

The museum fills a former neighbourhood cinema, and its collection began as that of the painter Georges Trincot.

Visiting

The ground floor, just inside the door, holds the temporary exhibition and the game tables. Large-format board games, video consoles and automata are set out for every age, so children can play here before or after the cases upstairs.

Work upward one floor at a time and finish on the second floor, where the model trains run while you watch. Allow about an hour and a half.

Ask at the desk whether the puppet theatre is playing during your visit.

Tips

Leave the dog at your hotel, because pets are not allowed inside. Staff speak French, German, Alsatian and English, so ask in whichever suits you.

Themed tours and children's workshops are announced on the museum's social media pages, so check there before you come if you want one.