Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [87]
Guise.
¢-$ | Deep in the shuttered Vieille Ville, this quiet and convivial hotel is in an 18th-century nobleman’s mansion with a magnificent stone-floor entry and a delightful walled garden. The newly renovated rooms are furnished with period pieces and charmingly incongruous floral patterns. Breakfast on the once-grand main floor and an excellent location make this a good choice if you’re a bargain-hunting romantic—and you can splurge on a suite for affordable luxury and an extra bed. Some self-catering accommodation is also available. Pros: tidy rooms; central location; helpful staff. Cons: no air-conditioning; heady decor. | 18 rue de Guise, Vieille Ville | 54000 | 03–83–32–24–68 | www.hoteldeguise.com | 48 rooms, 6 suites, 2 studios | In-room: no a/c, Wi-Fi. In-hotel: some pets allowed | AE, MC, V | BP.
NIGHTLIFE AND THE ARTS IN NANCY
Nancy has a rich cultural life that includes ballet, opera, and a highly renowned symphonic orchestra. The Orchestre Symphonique and Lyrique (03–83–85–33–11 | www.mairie-nancy.fr) organizes concerts from fall through spring. The Opéra National de Lorraine (03–83–85–33–20 | www.opera-national-lorraine.fr) is the fifth-ranked national regional opera of France, with a repertoire ranging from ancient to contemporary music. The Ballet de Lorraine (03–83–85–69–01 | www.ballet-de-lorraine.com) was created in 1978 to assume the mission of a national ballet; performances are staged in the Opéra de Nancy in the Place Stanislas.
Les Caves du Roy (9 pl. Stanislas, Ville Royale | 54000 | 03–83–35–24–14) attracts a young upscale crowd that comes to dance. Le Chat Noir (63 rue Jeanne-d’Arc, Ville Neuve | 54000 | 03–83–28–49–29 | www.lechatnoir.fr) draws a thirtysomething crowd to retro-theme dance parties. HW (1 ter rue du Général-Hoche, Ville Neuve | 54000 | 03–83–27–07–16) is a popular dance club.
SHOPPING IN NANCY
Ancienne Librairie Dornier (74 Grande-Rue, Vieille Ville | 54000 | 03–83–36–50–62), near the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires, is an excellent bookstore that sells engravings as well as old and new books devoted to local history. Daum Boutique (14 pl. Stanislas, Vieille Ville | 54000 | 03–83–32–21–65 | www.daum.fr) sells deluxe crystal and examples of the city’s traditional Art Nouveau pâté de verre.
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Vaucouleurs | Domrémy-la-Pucelle | Épinal
Lorraine is the country of France’s patron saint, Joan of Arc. Follow D64 that winds between Contrexéville and Void, and you will be on Joan’s native soil, almost unchanged since the Middle Ages. In fact, she would probably find much of the countryside today familiar. Various towns bear witness. At Neufchâteau, then a fortified town guarding the region, the inhabitants of Domrémy sought refuge in 1428 from the English armies that menaced their village. It was in Domrémy that Joan was born in 1411, or a year later. Moving on, Vaucouleurs recalls Joan’s arrival in May 1428 to ask the help of the governor to see the king to plead for France’s cause—and achieve her destiny.
VAUCOULEURS
73 km (41 mi) southwest of Nancy on N4 and D964.
Above the modest main street in the market town of Vaucouleurs, you can see ruins of Robert de Baudricourt’s ancient medieval castle and the Porte de France, through which Joan of Arc led her armed soldiers to Orléans. The barefoot Maid of Orléans spent a year within these walls, arriving on May 13, 1428, to ask the help of the governor Baudricourt. After wheedling an audience with Baudricourt, she then convinced him of the necessity of her mission, learning to ride and to sword-fight. Won over finally by her conviction and popular sentiment, he offered to give her an escort to seek out the king. On February 23, 1429, clad in page’s garb and with her hair cut short, Jeanne d’Arc rode out through the Porte de France. A train route runs to Vaucouleurs