Épinal

The River Moselle runs through Épinal, in the department of Vosges. The city benefits from a strategic position at the heart of Europe, in close proximity to Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium.

Épinal consists of two separate districts on either side of the Moselle: on the right bank is the historical quarter, and on the left bank is the new town.

In the thousand-year-old historical centre, you will find the charming Place des Vosges lined with Renaissance arcade houses, including the Bailiff's house built in 1604, the basilica, the covered market and the Chapter Museum. A Historic Monument, the Basilica of St. Maurice, built between the 11th and 13th centuries, has been a place of pilgrimage for a long time. Its architecture is a blend of several styles: Gothic, Champenois and Burgundian.

Perched on a hill, the remains of the medieval castle are also listed Historic Monuments. Offering a beautiful view of the city, the pleasant castle park spans 26 hectares and is ideal for a walk with the family. Highlights include a medieval garden, terraced orchards, an animal park and a children's play area!

The Chapter Museum (Musée du Chapitre), based in a medieval tower, tells the story of the city. In the Chapitre district, whose name is a reference to the canonesses who lived in Épinal until the Revolution, there are some beautiful canonial houses from the 16th to 18th centuries. Close by is the history and archaeology museum, based in one of the towers in the old ramparts.

Five minutes' walk from the city centre, Épinal harbour has electric boats for hire, to take you up the Moselle. Pleasure craft are welcome here. There is also a cycle path and the Bicycle House (Maison du Vélo).

Lastly, Épinal is also the city of the renowned "images", the famous little popular prints in bright colours, which you can admire at the Museum of the Image.

His situation :

South of Lorraine, near Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland, Épinal enjoys a privileged location in the heart of Europe.
By train: The TGV connects European Épinal in Paris in 2:15 only, no change. Many TER circulate daily to Nancy-Metz (allowing connections to southern France or northern Europe) to Strasbourg to Belfort-Mulhouse-Basel.
By plane: International airports of Basel-Mulhouse, Strasbourg and Luxembourg are all three within 2 hours Épinal. The Metz Nancy Lorraine Airport is meanwhile at 1:15 (95 km) from the center of Épinal and airport Épinal Mirecourt, 40 km, offers a link to Paris-Orly West.
By car: Épinal is 70 km from Nancy, Metz 130 km, 380 km of Lyon.
By bus: Lines of as regular serving the entire department and the main cities of neighboring departments.
By boat: The eastern channel which, with its 394 km was the longest in France, has been split into two parts. The northern branch follows closely the Meuse to Charleville-Mezieres is now called the Meuse Canal. The southern branch runs through the foothills of the Vosges in a landscape of great beauty and is now called the Canal des Vosges. This network of waterways linking the Burgundy neighboring countries allows the river link with Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany or the Netherlands. Thanks to this privileged position, these waterways are one of the last bastions of traditional skippers and at the same time, a searched route by boaters. The entrance through the Vosges mountains is through the charming town of Fontenoy-le-Château and walks in the Vôge through Lake Bouzey to leave the Vosges at Charmes / Socourt. The Épinal port with 20 rings can accommodate boaters throughout the year.

Épinal city of yesterday and today!

City of history and city of the future, and affirms the capital of the Vosges! It is on the banks of the Moselle, beautifully nestled in lush greenery that has built Épinal, ancient city but also attractive cultural center and sports and leisure privilege.
With an exceptional natural environment, with an omnipresent forest that places the city at the forefront of the most forested cities in France, Épinal itself as the kingdom of green space, flowers, pedestrian areas, trails cycling, ventilated areas... that allow him to combine harmoniously urbanism, historical heritage and quality of life.
This is the site of Spinal dominated by a castle, that of Thierry Hamelant, Bishop of Metz, creates a church and a monastery in the late fifth century. The village soon became a small town which, over the centuries, will win the size of large economic and cultural attraction we now know it. From its rich past, Épinal keeps many architectural traces: The Basilica Saint-Maurice, one of the first examples of Gothic art in Lorraine, the arcades of the place des Vosges, the beautiful Renaissance mansion called "house of the bailiff" the chapter of the neighborhood at the foot of the walls of the medieval city, the modern Notre Dame...
But the best testimony of Épinal history are of course pictures, which carried the fame of the city around the world. At the heart of the popular tradition, they are now the focus of attention, as at the sides of the famous imaging took up the image of the museum that has a collection of nearly 100,000 images, woodcuts and lithographic stones. But imaging and museum (which together form the city of the image) are not the only symbol of cultural and tourist development of the city. It should also dwell on the county museum of ancient and modern art, which houses one of the most brilliant French collections. Épinal also increases throughout the year, major events such as St. Nicolas, St. Fleur or musical Floreal, the Imaginales, tears of laughter, and company streets that complement a wide range of Street festivals, fairs and jumble sales.
Sports activities, facilities abound: 18 hole golf course just outside the town, gymnasiums, an Olympic pool and summer pools, ice rink, golf canoeing, climbing stage, dojo, tennis courts, park ' Adventure, 480 km of marked hiking trails and over 900 km of mountain bike trails etc. Enough to satisfy the most demanding!
And stopover, within a few hours or days, to the Épinal friendly, you can even play the originality of the river access: the port offers mooring berths, entertainment and water sports to fans of family escape many who find it the most beautiful days of the year.

Gastronomy:

Some gastronomic specialties: spina gold, Lorraine pie, fried grated, Munster, honey, candy of the Vosges, etc...
Épinal (with the participation of fifteen restaurants) is part of Terroir Club of Cities and Heritage includes the cities offering a privileged discovery of their gastronomy and wealth of their territory.

Épinal has many monuments:

The Basilica Saint-Maurice eleventh-thirteenth and fifteenth century.
The Roman House, house type Hellenistic villas in the south of Roman Italy in the late 19th century.
The park and the castle Épinal.
The houses of the Place des Vosges.
The area of the Chapter.
The church of Notre-Dame-au-candle.
The Chapel of St. Michael the 15th century.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Consolation (called "Chapel of the forty weeks").
The Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua.
The Chinese tower.

Museums of the City of the Image:

The Museum of Image.
The imaging.
The Museum of the Chapter.
The Old and Departmental Museum of Contemporary Art.

Art in the Street: Many representations of contemporary art exhibit in the city as:

Freedom, cast bronze sculpture of Caesar.
Indefinite line, work steel Bernar Venet.
The passing stranger, two bronze busts of Braco Dimitrijevic ...

Épinal enjoys an international reputation on the expertise of its gardeners and green spaces. The city has also received the Laureate International Cities of the most ornate and still four flowers on the city outskirts panels.

The Park Course.
The Roman House Rose Garden.
The Castle Park.
The Marina Épinal.
The Garden of 5 senses.

Épinal offers various sports and leisure activities:

SpinaParc: just minutes from downtown, located on an old sandstone quarry of 5 ha in the forest and has a cliff, the SpinaParc invites you to the joys of Acrobatic course in the trees and rocks. It offers courses for all children (under 6 years), a park child (from 6 years) with 6 courses, a zip line and a 70-meter cliff and a course in adults and adolescents with 6 golf park, a zip 170 m.
Planetarium.
Olympic Pool.
Cruise on the Canal des Vosges.
Cinema.
Rink.
Bowling.
Karting.
Walks.
Escalade.
Canoeing.
Golf.
Rowing.
Cycling.
Swimming.
Athletics.
Ice Hockey.
Archery.
Football.
Basketball.
Volleyball.
Handball.
Tennis.
Rugby.
Sailing.
Table Tennis.
Thai Boxing and American boxing.
Judo.
Moto-cross.
Dancing on Ice.
Badminton.
Petanque.
Fitness: fitness, gym, squash courts, sauna, karate, self defense.

Information points	Tourist Office of Épinal
Leisure centres	Golf Course of the Images d'Epinal Museum of Art Ancien et Contemporain Museum of L'Image Skating Rink of Epinal-Golbey
Monuments	Basilica Saint-Maurice Castle of Épinal
Natural sites	Forest of Épinal Forest of the Ban d'Uxegney
Performance halls	Auditorium of La Louvière Conference Centre of Épinal La Plomberie - Espace Contemporain Municipal Theatre of Épinal Plateau de la Justice Scènes Vosges Stadium of La Colombière Theatre Georges Brassens - Lavoir
Transport	Train station of Épinal