Nancy France - French Holidays
Alsace Lorraine: Introduction > Colmar > Metz > Mulhouse > Nancy > Strasbourg > Strasbourg Hotels > Verdun > Vosges
NancyOn the River Meurthe, the town of Nancy escaped Prussian rule in 1870 and so the main road, rue Stanislas, and vistas leading off it, have retained a distinctly neo-Classical 18th-century style. This is particularly evident on place Stanislas, which is named after Stanislas Leszczynski (father-in-law of Louis XV) who remodelled the centre in 1750, and whose generously proportioned statue adorns the square.
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Map of Nancy
http://www.ot-nancy.fr/ - Official tourist site for Nancy. (See top right button for English).
Mentz airport information - www.metz-nancy-lorraine.aeroport.fr
The gare SNCF is at the southwest end of rue Stanislas, and the tourist office (03 83 35 22 41) is housed in the Hotel de Ville on place Stanislas at the other end of the road. The Hotel de Ville is a lavish building with wrought iron gates and ornamented roof. For more artworks head to the Musée des Beaux-Arts (€5) opposite. The ground floor is of most interest with its 19th - and 20th-century paintings from the likes of Matisse and Picasso, but the dramatically lit basement contains an elegant display of Daum glassware. For €6.10 you can buy joint entry into the Musée de l'École de Nancy on the southwest of town at 36 rue Sergent-Blandon, which is a house and gardens inspired by and filled with Art Nouveau.
Most decent hotels are within 10 to 15 minutes of the station. The Grand Hotel de la Reine (03 83 35 03 01) is the most upmarket in town, and at 2 place Stanislas it has the best location, with rooms from €150. The Hotel de Guise on rue de Guise (03 83 35 75 63) has antique-filled rooms from €40-55, or the smart budget hotel 4A, 32 avenue du XXe Corps (03 83 37 99 66) has en-suite rooms from €30-40.
The best spot for people watching in Nancy is from the Grand Café Foy (or similar) in place Stanislas: order coffee or an apéritif here and enjoy the chic surroundings. There are some good restaurants around the Grand-Rue and rue des Ponts. Try Chez Bagot, 45 Grand-Rue (03 83 37 42 43) for their €12.50 menu and fish done in the Breton style, in Breton surroundings. Or, at 25 rue des Ponts, sample excellent bistro fare at Les Pissenlits (03 83 37 43 97) with menus from €15. L'Excelsior at 50 rue Henri-Poincaré (03 83 35 24 57) is a fashionable Art Nouveau brasserie with €20 and €27 menus. For real gourmet food, go to La Toque Blanche at 1 rue Mgr-Trouillet (03 83 30 17 20), where you can order à la carte from €60 or sample the extremely underpriced and delightful €21 menu.
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