Mulhouse Car Museum: Prices and Tips

Many people still call it the "Cité de l'Automobile", its name from 2006 to 2022; it has since gone back to its original name: Musée National de l'Automobile – Collection Schlumpf (National Car Museum – Schlumpf Collection). More than 450 exceptional cars are on display in a former spinning mill, a short tram ride from our crêperie.

At a glance: open every day except 25 December. €19 full price, €13 for ages 4 to 17, free for under-4s. Allow at least 2 hours. Tram 1, "Musée de l'Auto" stop, 6 minutes from the Porte Jeune stop.

The story of the Schlumpf brothers

• Two textile industrialists. Born in Italy to a Swiss father and a mother from Mulhouse, Hans (1904) and Fritz Schlumpf (1906) grew up in Mulhouse and built a thriving wool business. Fritz, who raced a Bugatti Type 35, bought his first cars in the 1930s.
• A secret collection. In 1957 the brothers bought a wool spinning mill founded in 1880. Between 1960 and 1963, Fritz secretly bought a great many vintage cars, mostly Bugattis, and had the mill fitted with lamp posts copied from those of the Pont Alexandre III in Paris.
• The "Schlumpf affair". In 1976 the textile company went bankrupt and the two brothers took refuge in Basel. On 7 March 1977 the unions occupied the mill, and the laid-off workers discovered the collection, which was renamed the "workers' museum".
• The national museum. Listed as a historic monument in 1978, the collection can no longer leave France. An association bought it in 1981, and the museum opened on 10 July 1982.

Highlights

• The two Bugatti Royales. Only six were ever built; the museum owns two, including the Coupé Napoléon, Ettore Bugatti's personal car. A 12-litre engine, 300 hp, 3 tonnes: everything about it is larger than life.
• The "Masterpieces" area (Chefs-d'œuvre): 80 of the finest cars of the 1930s.
• The "Automobile Adventure" (Aventure automobile): the history of the car from 1878 to the present day in 243 models, beneath the 600 lamp posts Fritz Schlumpf wanted.
• The Serpollet Type H (1902), a steam car that the museum's workshop got running again in 2014 for the London–Brighton rally.
• The Delahaye 135 M (1949), fitted with sleeper seats and a transparent roof for a honeymoon in the United States.
• Also worth seeing: the "Motor Racing" area, the radiator-cap mascots (including Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy) and the children's cars of the Jammet collection. Outside, the Autodrome regularly hosts car parades.

2026 prices

• Bought online, tickets let you skip the queue and stay valid for one month if you can't come on the chosen day.
• The Mulhouse City Pass (€20, €15 for ages 4 to 17, valid 3 days) includes entry to one site of your choice, this museum among them, discounts at the others and unlimited Soléa public transport.
• The Museums-PASS-Musées is accepted.
• No combined ticket with the Cité du Train.

Opening hours

The museum is open every day, public holidays included, except 25 December.

The dates when the hours change can vary by a few days: check the calendar on the museum's website.

How long to allow?

The museum recommends at least 2 hours; with activities running all day, you can stay longer.

Getting there

• By tram: tram 1 (towards Châtaignier), "Musée de l'Auto" stop. About 6 minutes from the Porte Jeune stop in the city centre, and around 10 minutes from the railway station. A ticket costs €1.60 (payable by bank card on board), and the Ticket Famille €5.20 for a return trip for 3 to 5 people.
• By bus: lines C5a and C5b, "Musée de l'Auto" stop.
• By car: A35 or A36, exit "Mulhouse Centre". Enter 17 rue de la Mertzau in your satnav, not the museum's name. The private car park in front of the entrance costs €4 a day; it also takes camper vans and is closed from 20:00 to 06:00.
• From Switzerland or Germany: trains, motorways and timetables in our day trip to Mulhouse from Basel or Freiburg.

Our tips

• With children: a go-kart track for 4 to 8-year-olds, an engine to start with a crank handle, a rollover car (for heights from 1.40 m to 1.85 m), virtual reality from age 13, an escape game and an activity booklet. More ideas in Mulhouse with kids.
• Keep your coat on: the main exhibition hall is neither heated nor air-conditioned.
• Arrive early: in winter the museum closes at 17:00; to enjoy the recommended two hours, go in by 15:00 at the latest.
• In January, the museum only opens at 13:00 on weekdays: have lunch at the crêperie first, from 11:30, then take tram 1.
• Accessibility: the collection is all on one level; wheelchairs can be borrowed at reception (€20 deposit).

Lunch at the crêperie after your visit

On the way back, take tram 1 towards Gare Centrale and get off at Porte Jeune (about 6 minutes): Crêperie Crampous Mad is a few minutes' walk away, at 14 rue des Tondeurs, a few steps from Place de la Réunion.

We serve all day long, Tuesday to Thursday from 11:30 to 21:00 and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 to 21:30, so lunch at 14:00 or a crêpe at 16:00 is no problem. The crêperie is closed on Sundays and Mondays: to combine the two, come between Tuesday and Saturday.

• A galette made from 100% buckwheat and gluten-free, such as La Complète (€10.50) or La Kassler (€10.80).
• A crêpe Spéciale du Faouët with salted-butter caramel (€6.60), with a glass of Val de Rance brut cider (€3.10).
• For children, Le Menu Bambin at €10, up to age 10.
• Takeaway crêpes and galettes, if you're in a hurry.

Discover our menu, book your table or call +33 3 89 45 79 43. Coming by car? See where to park in our guide to parking in Mulhouse.

Information checked in October 2026 on the websites of the Musée National de l'Automobile (musee-automobile.fr), Soléa (solea.info), the Mulhouse tourist office (tourisme-mulhouse.com) and the Museums-PASS-Musées. Opening hours and prices may change: please check them before your visit.