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Our UNESCO-listed sites

And how about getting to know the Grand Est through its sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List? Thousand-year-old cathedrals, military fortifications, prestigious historical town planning, Creative City, World Biosphere Reserve… our region has no lack of outstanding sites.

Alsace
Vauban
Lorraine
Champagne
Northern Vosges

Outstanding sites in Alsace

The city of Strasbourg contains two neighbourhoods on the UNESCO List. Between its half-timbered houses and quays, surrender to enchantment on the Grande Île, and be well and truly dwarfed by Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral.

On the other side, the Neustadt neighbourhood stands out for its Imperial German architecture. The University Palace and its National Library, Saint Paul Church, the National Theatre of Strasbourg, Place de la République and the Botanical Gardens all await your discovery there.

Then take a 40 minute journey down south to Sélestat! This delightful Alsace municipality’s colourful little streets harbour the Beatus Rhenanus Library (housed in the Humanist Library), which is listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register due to the many medieval works and 15th- and 16th-century print materials it contains.

Around Alsace’s UNESCO-listed sites

Explore the city by bike or even by boat, go hiking in the midst of the Grand Est’s magnificent landscapes, or visit the region’s most beautiful monuments – what will you be including on your programme?

Vauban is well worth going out of your way to see

Vauban, the Sun King’s military architect, started building his first fortified towns in 1666. And it was in Neuf-Brisach that he introduced what was to become known as the “Vauban system”.

Acquaint yourself with the town’s impressive architectural heritage, which is still fully intact, or take to the skies on a helicopter ride and enjoy unrestricted views of its famous star-shaped stronghold.

Further north, in Longwy in Meurthe-et-Moselle, make your way along the 3 kilometres of Vauban ramparts and admire the many military buildings and their amazing architecture: the Siege Well, Saint Dagobert Church, the Porte de France gate, the cross-shaped bunker and the military bakery.

Beauty in all its forms in Lorraine

Music lovers? Then why not pay a visit to Metz? The city has been a UNESCO Creative City of Music and one of the 246 members of the Organisation’s “Creative Cities” network since 2019.

Next stop: Nancy, the French capital of Art Nouveau. Not to be missed out on as it boasts one of the world’s most beautiful squares, Place Stanislas, with its royal architecture, gilded gates and (super)natural incandescence. And be sure not to leave out Place de la Carrière or Place d’Alliance either – its little sisters also have some admirable secrets to reveal…

Around Lorraine’s UNESCO-listed sites

In Champagne, Reims with 4 UNESCO listings

Reims boasts no fewer than four UNESCO sites. You start off with a visit to the cathedral, known by one and all as “the Cathedral of the Kings of France”, and its remarkable stained-glass windows designed by Marc Chagall. Then on to the former Saint-Rémi Abbey to admire its impressive nave, and then to the Palace of the Tau and its priceless treasures.

Don’t go on your way without making the utmost of the region and its bubbles! What with oenological walks, visits to Champagne’s hillsides, houses and cellars, the winegrowing hillsides stretching from Cumières in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ to the Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims, and Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, your holiday will be a truly sparking affair!

Around Champagne’s UNESCO-listed sites

A World Biosphere Reserve

Rocher du Saut du Chien - La Petite Pierre

The Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park

Classified by UNESCO as a “World Biosphere Reserve”, Vosges, Moselle and Bas-Rhin share over 40 Châteaux, 122 historical monuments; 28 museums, a nature reserve and a regional nature park between them, all waiting for you to come and explore the history of this rich territory.