Essey-Lès-Nancy: Culture, History and Hiking Trails

If you’re looking for a hotel in Essey-Lès-Nancy, asking yourself why you’re visiting can help you get a sense of the destination: Are you mainly interested in architectural and art history, an event, or the landscape and trails? Highlights in these areas include Saint Georges Church, the annual Essey Chantant festival, Butte Sainte Geneviève and several named hiking options.

Church and cultural program

Saint Georges Church was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The artworks inside include an 18th-century marble altar and a painting by Demange Prot from 1672. This gives you three specific points of reference in time: the church’s extended construction period, the year the painting was created and the century in which the altar was made. If you’re interested in architecture and art, these details offer different historical perspectives on the same place.

Essey Chantant takes place every year. The 2025 edition included concerts at the town’s reception hall and in Parc Maringer; the audience also had the opportunity to talk with the performing artists. If you’re making the festival the reason for your trip, check the dates and program information for your travel period.

Panorama and orchard

Butte Sainte Geneviève is shared by Essey-Lès-Nancy and the municipality of Dommartemont. It is an ancient Celtic oppidum, overlooks the Meurthe Valley and offers a remarkable panoramic view. Here, historical significance meets a sense of the landscape: the Butte’s designation as an oppidum goes hand in hand with its described view across the valley.

The heritage orchard contains old and rare apple varieties, and hiking trails run through it. This offers a different focus from the view from the Butte: at the orchard, the apple varieties and trails through the grounds go together, while the Butte is defined by its historical significance and panorama.

Hiking trails and activities

The Chemin stratégique leads uphill to the plateau. This distinguishes it as a named trail from the orchard’s hiking trails, which run through the grounds: the destination of the climb is specified for the Chemin stratégique, while the orchard trails are described by their route through the grounds.

The Association des randonneurs de Saint-Max, Essey, Malzéville (ARSEM) organizes hikes, fitness walks, Nordic walking, walking with dynamic poles and snowshoe hikes. The association also marks hiking trails. So, alongside specific trail features, the hiking options described also include various organized activities.

The Upper Castle

The Upper Castle is a 15th-century building. Its top floor is intended for temporary exhibitions. The Upper Castle park is open daily. When planning your visit, keep in mind that the information about the building, the intended use of the top floor and the park’s opening hours refers to separate things.

Discover more destinations: Bainville-aux-Miroirs, Pulney, Choloy-Ménillot, Igney, Saxon-Sion, Jarny, Froville, Lucey.

For the broader travel overview: Meurthe-Et-Moselle.