Nancy

The old capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, with the gilded gates of UNESCO-listed Place Stanislas and École de Nancy Art Nouveau architecture and glass throughout town; Metz is an hour to the north.

Nancy lies in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of the Grand Est region in northeastern France. It is the historic capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, about 1.5 hours from Paris by high-speed train. In the 18th century Stanislas, the exiled King of Poland and Duke of Lorraine, built an ensemble of squares here—Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance—listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Around 1900, Émile Gallé, Louis Majorelle, the Daum brothers and others founded the "École de Nancy", making the city the centre of French Art Nouveau. There are three main areas to explore: first, the World Heritage squares, the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Parc de la Pépinière, all easily linked on foot; second, the medieval old town to the north, where Grande Rue leads past the Palais des Ducs de Lorraine, the Église des Cordeliers and the Basilica of Saint-Epvre to the Porte de la Craffe; third, the Art Nouveau district southwest of the centre, where the highlights are the Musée de l'École de Nancy, the Villa Majorelle and the Brasserie l'Excelsior near the train station. For day trips, Metz, about 55 km north, has its cathedral known as the "Lantern of God" and the Centre Pompidou-Metz, about 40 minutes by train; to the southeast are the Basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port and the Château de Lunéville, and to the west Toul Cathedral. The climate is temperate continental, with cold winters and mild summers. May–Sep is the best time to visit, when Place Stanislas hosts a nightly light and projection show; the Saint Nicholas festival in early December brings parades and a Christmas market. The TGV from Paris Gare de l'Est takes about 1.5 hours, as does the trip from Strasbourg. The city is compact—walking plus trams and buses is all you need. Allow 2 days, or 3 with a day trip to Metz. Local specialities include Nancy macarons, bergamot sweets and mirabelle plums.

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Itineraries