Nancy travel guide
Place Stanislas, ducal Lorraine and Art Nouveau villas
Nancy is the old ducal capital of Lorraine, 90 minutes from Paris by TGV. Come for Place Stanislas, the medieval Vieille Ville and the Art Nouveau of the École de Nancy; two days is right, and May to September gives the best evenings on the square. Prices are high, and Schengen rules apply.
Ninety minutes from Paris by TGV, Nancy was the seat of the Dukes of Lorraine and is now the hub of the largest urban area in Lorraine. The main event is Place Stanislas, an 18th-century square of gilded wrought-iron gates, fountains and matching facades laid out by Emmanuel Héré in the 1750s. UNESCO lists it together with the neighbouring Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance.
Walk north through the Arc Héré, along the tree-lined Place de la Carrière, and into the Vieille Ville. Here the Ducal Palace stands on Grande Rue, cafés ring Place Saint-Epvre and its basilica, and the 14th-century Porte de la Craffe, with its two round towers, closes off the old town to the north.
A second Nancy belongs to Art Nouveau. The École de Nancy movement left villas, shopfronts and glasswork across the newer districts, and Villa Majorelle (Wednesday to Sunday afternoons, booked online in advance) is the house to see inside.
Eat on Rue des Maréchaux, which locals call rue Gourmande for its run of restaurants, or graze at the covered market on Rue Saint-Dizier. Students keep the bars of the old town busy in term time, and evenings tend to end on foot, since city buses stop early.
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Top things to do in Nancy
An 18th-century square, a ducal old town and Art Nouveau houses, all within walking distance.
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Best time to visit Nancy
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 20 to 26C, café terraces on Place Stanislas and a sound-and-light show on the square on summer nights; September adds the Livre sur la Place book fair.
Highs of 5 to 9C and the wettest month in December, brightened in early December by the Saint Nicolas parade and market.
Nancy celebrates Saint Nicolas, patron saint of Lorraine, in early December with a parade and events across the centre; it is the liveliest weekend of the winter.
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Getting there
Gare de l'Est TGVs to Nancy Ville
Most visitors reach Nancy by train. TGVs from Paris Gare de l'Est reach Gare de Nancy Ville, right in the centre, in about 1 hour 30, and regional trains link it with Strasbourg in about 1 hour 15, Luxembourg in about 1 hour 30 and Metz in well under an hour. Some TGVs, including services from Charles de Gaulle airport, Lille and western France, stop instead at Gare Lorraine-TGV, built in open country about 30 km north between Nancy and Metz; an SNCF shuttle bus connects it with Nancy Ville, or take a taxi from the rank. From Charles de Gaulle by RER B, Gare du Nord is ten minutes' walk from Gare de l'Est. Luxembourg's airport is another option, with trains from Luxembourg station. FlixBus coaches stop at Porte Sainte-Catherine by the marina, and drivers arrive on the A31 or A33.
- Gare de Nancy Ville
- TGVs from Paris Gare de l'Est in about 1 hour 30; 20 minutes on foot to Porte Sainte-Catherine
- Gare Lorraine-TGV
- About 30 km north, shuttle bus to Nancy Ville in about 35 minutes
- Metz-Nancy-Lorraine (ETZ)
- About 35 km north, a few North African and seasonal routes
- Porte Sainte-Catherine
- FlixBus coach stop near the marina
- Check which station your TGV uses before booking: arriving at Lorraine-TGV adds a road transfer of about 35 minutes.
Where to stay
Stanislas, Vieille Ville or the Saurupt villas
The station, Place Stanislas and the old town lie within 15 minutes of each other on foot, so a central room means no transport at all. Choose by noise level and by how much Art Nouveau you plan to see.
- Around Place Stanislas
- Central and quiet at night, steps from the square's evening light show; rooms go fast in summer
- Vieille Ville
- Lanes around Grande Rue and Place Saint-Epvre with bars and restaurants; atmospheric, noisy on student nights
- Station and Rue Saint-Jean
- Shopping streets and the covered market; practical for trains, busy by day
- Saurupt and Parc Sainte-Marie
- Quiet residential streets lined with Art Nouveau villas; for repeat visitors, 20 to 30 minutes on foot from the centre
- Skip the Plateau de Haye and Vandoeuvre, which are far from the sights and have a poorer reputation.
Getting around
Walking the Carrière, STAN trolleybuses after
Most of Nancy is best seen on foot. Many central streets are pedestrian, and a walk from Gare de Nancy Ville through Place Stanislas and the Carrière to the Porte de la Craffe takes about half an hour. The local network, STAN, runs buses and line T1, whose new trolleybuses took over the old guided-tramway route in April 2025 and reach the suburbs and the university campuses. Regular service winds down around 9.30 pm and is thin on Sundays and holidays; later on, Flexo soirée buses run until about half past midnight, and night buses run on Thursday to Saturday nights. Tickets are sold on board and at machines, and you validate each time you board. The VélOStan'lib bike-share is useful for reaching the Art Nouveau streets of Saurupt or the Parc de la Pépinière. Taxis wait outside Nancy Ville.
- Walking
- Station to Porte Sainte-Catherine in about 20 minutes
- STAN buses and trolleybuses
- Regular service until about 9.30 pm, then Flexo soirée and late-week night buses
- VélOStan'lib
- Bike-share stations across the centre
Know before you go
What makes Nancy worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Place Stanislas at night, when the gilded gates catch the light and the summer show plays across the facades.
- Villa Majorelle, the Art Nouveau house built for the furniture maker Louis Majorelle.
- Place Saint-Epvre, a square of café tables at the foot of the neo-Gothic basilica in the old town.
Good to know
- Regular buses wind down around 9.30 pm and Sunday service is poor; in the evening, walk, use the Flexo soirée buses or budget for a taxi.
- Book the opera early: the Opéra national de Lorraine fills one of the pavilions on Place Stanislas, and good seats go well in advance.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Nancy, month by month
Nancy-Essey station records the averages below, handy for timing the summer light show on Place Stanislas.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Nancy - Essey (Meteociel, via Wikipedia).
Place Stanislas and the Art Nouveau trail across two days in Nancy
Two days suit Nancy. Spend the first around Place Stanislas, the Arc Héré, Place de la Carrière, the Ducal Palace and the Porte de la Craffe, staying for the summer light show. Give the second to Art Nouveau at the Musée de l'École de Nancy and Villa Majorelle, booked online and open Wednesday to Sunday.
The tourist office is in the town hall on the square. Look for Jean Lamour's gilded gates, the Neptune and Amphitrite fountains in the corners and Stanislas pointing north; the Musée des Beaux-Arts holds Daum glass in its basement. After lunch on Rue des Maréchaux, try the Parc de la Pépinière or Place d'Alliance, whose fountain is modelled on those of Piazza Navona.
At the Musée de l'École de Nancy, furniture, glass and a complete dining room show the movement indoors. The Brasserie Excelsior near the station has a 1911 interior. Concerts at Salle Poirel and the Opéra national de Lorraine need booking.
Bergamotes, Nancy macarons and mirabelle plums
Nancy is known for its sweets: bergamotes (amber bergamot boiled sweets), plain almond macarons from the Maison des Soeurs Macarons, and mirabelle plums in late August and September. Savoury food is Lorraine cooking, from quiche lorraine to pâté lorrain and potée. Rue des Maréchaux has the densest run of restaurants.
Bergamotes are sold in tins all over the centre. The macarons de Nancy are cracked almond biscuits baked on paper, to a recipe credited to two nuns who sheltered in the city during the Revolution. Legend also credits Stanislas with the baba au rhum, said to have been invented when he soaked a dry kougelhopf in alcohol.
Traditional quiche lorraine has cream, eggs and smoked bacon and no cheese; pâté lorrain wraps marinated pork in pastry, and potée is a winter stew of cabbage, roots and pork. Mirabelles go into tarts, jams and a clear brandy. The covered market on Rue Saint-Dizier is the place for cheese, charcuterie and a stand-up lunch. For wine, look for the pale gris de Toul from the Côtes de Toul, just west of the city.
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How we research our Nancy travel guide
Villa Majorelle opening days and the dates of the light shows are confirmed on nancy.fr each season. General travel and entry facts follow France.fr and the EU's Entry/Exit System and ETIAS pages.
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Checked against trusted sources:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Nancy.
Booking
Nancy Ville whenever you can: TGVs from Paris Gare de l'Est arrive in the centre in about 1 hour 30. Lorraine-TGV is about 30 km out and needs a shuttle bus or taxi.
Getting there
Rarely: it has only a few routes, mostly to Algeria, Morocco and seasonal holiday spots. Most international visitors fly to Paris and take the TGV, or use Luxembourg and the train.
Most visitors reach Nancy by train. TGVs from Paris Gare de l'Est reach Gare de Nancy Ville, right in the centre, in about 1 hour 30, and regional trains link it with Strasbourg in about 1 hour 15, Luxembourg in about 1 hour 30 and Metz in well under an hour. Some TGVs, including services from Charles de Gaulle airport, Lille and western France, stop instead at Gare Lorraine-TGV, built in open country about 30 km north between Nancy and Metz; an SNCF shuttle bus connects it with Nancy Ville, or take a taxi from the rank.
General
Yes. Two days covers the UNESCO squares, the Vieille Ville, Villa Majorelle and the Musée de l'École de Nancy. One day is enough for the squares alone.
Villa Majorelle is the best house to visit; it opens Wednesday to Sunday afternoons and must be booked online. The Musée de l'École de Nancy and the streets of Saurupt add furniture, glass and villas.
Clear amber sweets flavoured with bergamot oil, a Nancy speciality since the 19th century and sold in decorated tins. Pair them with the plain almond macarons of the Maison des Soeurs Macarons.
Yes, in about half an hour, passing Place Stanislas and the Carrière on the way. Many of the streets are pedestrian.
Furniture, glass, ceramics and complete rooms by Émile Gallé, Louis Majorelle and others in the movement, shown in a villa with an Art Nouveau garden.
Most of Nancy is best seen on foot. Many central streets are pedestrian, and a walk from Gare de Nancy Ville through Place Stanislas and the Carrière to the Porte de la Craffe takes about half an hour. The local network, STAN, runs buses and line T1, whose new trolleybuses took over the old guided-tramway route in April 2025 and reach the suburbs and the university campuses.
Timing & weather
In summer a sound-and-light show plays on the facades of the square every night, late in the evening once it is dark.
Rue des Maréchaux, the rue Gourmande, is at its fullest on Friday and Saturday evenings, when tables on the most popular terraces need booking or an early arrival.
On the weekend closest to 6 December, with a night parade of floats through the centre, fireworks and a market. Rooms fill quickly that weekend.
The best time to visit Nancy is May to Sep. Warm evenings on Place Stanislas and the nightly summer light show on the square.
- Best overall: May - September (Highs of 20 to 26C, café terraces on Place Stanislas and a sound-and-light show on the square on summer nights; September adds the Livre sur la Place book fair)
- Winter: November - February (Highs of 5 to 9C and the wettest month in December, brightened in early December by the Saint Nicolas parade and market)
Visa & documents
France belongs to the Schengen area. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime against visitors to France is mostly petty. Pickpocketing is common in Paris on the Metro, especially line 1, and around the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and Gare du Nord. Rail and air strikes and street demonstrations can disrupt transport, so check before travel days and keep away from protests.
