Nancy in 48 hours, starting from Le 1901
An itinerary built around two nights, written from the door of the flat. The times given are real walking times.
Day 1, daytime: the 18th-century city
Head north. Six minutes later you are on Place Stanislas: Jean Lamour’s gilded gates, Guibal’s fountains, an ensemble listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983 along with Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts occupies the south-west corner of the square. Its basement holds a Daum collection set into the foundations of the old fortifications: allow two hours. Carry on through the Arc Héré and Place de la Carrière to Parc de la Pépinière, 21 hectares, eight minutes from Le 1901. All the distances from the building are set out on our page about the Charles III district.
Day 1, evening: the old town
Walk up the Grande Rue, the medieval axis: Renaissance façades, the palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, the Porte de la Craffe at the northern end. The climb takes about twenty minutes from Place Stanislas, shop windows included.
For dinner, La Bolée and La Maison dans le Parc are in our address book. Book ahead: the centre fills up quickly on Friday and Saturday evenings. You walk back, Place Stanislas being six minutes from the building.
Day 2: the École de Nancy
This is the day people come to Nancy for without always knowing it. The École de Nancy museum and Villa Majorelle are to the south-west, about thirty minutes on foot or fifteen by tram and bus.
The museum occupies the house of Eugène Corbin, the collector who brought together glass by Gallé and Daum, furniture by Majorelle and stained glass by Gruber. Villa Majorelle was built in 1901 by Henri Sauvage for the cabinetmaker Louis Majorelle; visits run in timed slots, so book before you set off. Come back via the Daum shop for the pâte de cristal.
Day 2, late afternoon: macarons and the train
La Maison des Sœurs Macarons keeps up the recipe of the nuns of Rue Gambetta. It is the most portable souvenir in town, and it fits in hand luggage.
Nancy-Ville station is a ten-minute walk from Le 1901, with direct trains to Paris-Est in about 1 hr 30. Check-out is before 11 am and check-in from 4 pm: two nights leave you two full days.
For a working week rather than a weekend, it is all in working from Le 1901.
Le 1901 is at this address
A 50 m² flat for 4 guests, 2 bedrooms, second floor with a lift, in the Charles III district.
See dates and price