klondike

Will have to write the longer detailed version in a couple of days, but for anyone looking for a city within easy access of Paris, Strasbourg or the South West German area, please consider Nancy. I think the tourist office blurb advertised 10 TGV's daily from Paris. What a marvelous city is all I can say!

We were able to book a deal through booking.com for the only hotel located on the exquisite Place Stanislas, Grand Hotel de la Reine for 105 euros/night. We had room #7 which gives onto the inner courtyard (nothing to look at for a view--they actually could take a lesson from Le Clément in Paris at making 4 tiny square walls of a so-called courtyard look interesting/acceptable), but room #7 was very quiet. This hotel is a 4 star with many positives i.e. excellent Concierge service, beautiful public areas including gorgeous marble spiral staircase, crystal chandeliers, bathrobe in bathroom etc. It had a few quirks as well, for example our room didn't have a hairdryer, mini-fridge or safe (even 2 stars have hairdryers for god's sake!) and the advertised Continental Breakfast started at 20 euros! We just walked across the Place and tried breakfast at a different café every morning for a fraction of that cost. For the price, the hotel was a great value and I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again; it is right in the heart of Nancy's social venue...Place Stanislas, and the parking Borès is just one block over from the hotel. Signage is very well done throughout the city so it's hard to get lost.

The goal of the weekend, besides celebrating my husband's birthday by surprising him with this gourmet, food oriented trip, was to explore Art Nouveau. While we did experience some of this era, the weather was so absolutely stunning and the activities on the Place and surrounding area were so numerous, we never quite made it past the 18th century vieille ville area. We got to see the big political demonstration (very civil) on Saturday and to be an up-close-and-personal spectator of the Nancy semi-Marathon on Sunday...breakfast watching +1,500 runners warm up on the Place was great fun! We managed to be at the "Start" line at 10:00 am for the gun to go off and saw the mass of color bobbing its way up rue Stanislas. Runners are a very intense breed of people, for sure.

More details to follow, but can heartily recommend the following restaurants:
La Mignardise, 2 rue Stanislas
Restaurant Les Beaux Arts, just caddy corner to La Mignardise
Brasserie Excelsior (a Brasserie Flo member, but one that happily does NOT rest on its laurels of being an architectural draw, like some do; the cuisine was refined brasserie-style)

Best Time to visit:
If it's action you want, Friday and Saturday are best. Nancy is an University town and so is a very youthful and "happening" place. To see the Place Stanislas in all its glory, time your visit to coincide with an Opera or Concert at the Opera house; that way the Opera house is lit from the interior on all its levels and is the crowning jewel on the crown of lit palaces lining the square. We were able to get last minute tickets for the Opera...very special. First Sunday of each month, all museums are free (but note: they don't offer audioguides on these "free" days either, if that's important to you). Next week-end Oct 9-10 there is a big Marché/Vide Grenier scheduled. And lastly, apparently, St. Nicholas day in early December is a big deal, with lots of floats and local flavor.

Lasting Impressions: The friendliness and relaxed manner of the locals; I can't remember when so many people have interacted with us without being prompted. At art displays, parks, the opera...they just made little comments that led to conversations. The architectural beauty. The pride shown in all the "green" spaces all over the city. Clean, safe, family-friendly. The Daum collection at the Musée des Beaux Arts (right on the Place). Wow!....oh yeah, and did I mention the GREAT food? Will include more details on this aspect soon. We can hardly wait to go back!!!

kerouac

What? No mention of strolling through the Pépinière or taking the tramway down rue Saint Jean?

MLF611

We have been there a few times in the last few years. It is a lovely city - I'm sure it's find in summer, but we like it best in early winter, especially during Advent - the Place Stanlisas is beautiful at night.

We usually stay at the BW Hotel Crystal a short walk from the train station. Rooms are compact, but it's very clean and the beds are very comfortable.

MaineGG

Nancy is our favorite daytrip from Paris, so far. Even though we took an early TGV there, we still really hurried around to try to see everything we wanted to see. You were really smart to plan an overnight. The highlight of the visit, for me, was the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy for the wonderful Art Nouveau pieces. We also enjoyed the Musée de Beaux-Arts and a brief visit to the Musée Lorrain. A 3-Museum Pass is available from the Tourist Office on Place Stanislas. I hope to return some day.

Sue4

I had planned to go to Nancy a few years ago when I visited the Alsace region. Ended up going on to Lyon instead. Will definitely plan an overnight (or 2) in Nancy next time I'm in France.

kerouac

Metz is the exact same distance from Paris as Nancy. And if you are in one of the other city, they are only about 30 minutes apart by frequent commuter train (Metrolor -- which continues to Luxembourg).

Please don't ignore Metz: http://tinyurl.com/38z9det

Or at least the Pompidou Center Metz, which is right next to the train station: http://tinyurl.com/2wxwrlz

nukesafe

Bookmarking

klondike

Yes, thanks for the reminder, kerouac. It was a case of either/or for us, as we like to have time to just "absorb" a city instead of do the "check-off list" type of visit. I have wanted to visit both for some time.

Somehow in my mind, Metz was a big city and Nancy was a smaller town so I was very surprised to read how close in size they actually are. When I read somewhere that Nancy was an university town, as well as being the birthplace of l'Ecole de Nancy, that pretty much tipped the scale towards Nancy for a first visit.

My husband's father was stationed in Toul and Bar-le-Duc during WWII and we have sort of made it a hobby of retracing history's steps (both towns' visits too cursory to please us, but perhaps one day we will return to see more). As My dad was with Patton and passed from the Normandy beaches through Forges-les-Eaux and on to Metz, I am sure we will soon discover her wonders. I am a cathedral-freak and look forward to seeing the one in Metz as well.

kerouac

If you have wheels, you can even see General Patton's grave at Hamm military cemetery in Sandweiler, Luxembourg less than an hour north of Metz. His grave it set alone, facing the crosses and stars of all of his dead troops.

kerouac

it = is (my keyboard keeps malfunctioning!)