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Washington, DC to north-eastern France: Nancy and Reims

Washington, DC → Nancy → Reims

Nancy
"Nancy Cathedral BW 2015-07-18 16-31-28.jpg" by Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
La Tour Eiffel vue de la Tour Saint-Jacques, Paris août 2014 (2) (Paris)
Photo: Yann Caradec from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An Art Nouveau city & the cathedral of coronations Best season (general guide): Apr–Oct

North-eastern France has two cities that are often passed on the way somewhere else. This route spends three nights in Nancy and three in Reims. From Washington, DC you'll fly to Paris, then take the fast train east. Nancy's origins go back to a fortified town of the eleventh century.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Nancy: day one, train from Paris; day two, Place Stanislas; day three, Art Nouveau museum. Then spend days four to six in Reims: day four, train to Reims, then the cathedral; day five, Champagne cellars; day six, Saint-Rémi basilica.

Nancy was also the home of the École de Nancy, a movement of Art Nouveau designers and glassmakers around 1900. Reims, founded by the Gauls, became a major Roman city and was the traditional place where the kings of France were crowned.

Reims Cathedral, the former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and the Palace of Tau are listed together by UNESCO. Reims is one of the centres of the Champagne wine region, and the Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars were added to the UNESCO list in 2015. Spring to autumn is the best season for walking the cities and the vineyards.

The Musée de l'École de Nancy, in a villa, displays furniture and glass by Émile Gallé and others. Reims is the most populous city in the Marne department and the twelfth most populous in France.

Nancy's Place Stanislas is named after Stanisław Leszczyński, the last Duke of Lorraine and a former king of Poland. Several Champagne houses in Reims offer cellar tours in chalk caves under the city.

Safety: Canada's advice for France is to exercise a high degree of caution (updated 11 Aug 2026), and the US rates France Level 2 (28 May 2025).

Suggested outline

  1. Washington, DC

    Start

  2. Nancy

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    Lorraine's elegant capital.

  3. Reims

    By train · 3 nights suggested

    The coronation city of Champagne.

    Reims
    "Saint-Remi Reims Rose Façade 05 02 2012.jpg" by Vassil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Nancy — Arrive; train from Paris· Washington, DC → Paris (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day, then Paris → Nancy (overland)
  2. Day 2 · Nancy — Place Stanislas
  3. Day 3 · Nancy — Art Nouveau museum
  4. Day 4 · Reims — Train to Reims; the cathedral· Nancy → Reims (by train)
  5. Day 5 · Reims — Champagne cellars
  6. Day 6 · Reims — Saint-Rémi basilica
  7. Day 7 · Reims — Travel home from Reims· Reims → Paris (by train), then Paris → Washington, DC (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Nancy

Nearest airport: Paris Search fares · Paris ↗

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