If you spend the first weekend in Nancy like we did, you will determine that there is almost nothing to do and that almost every store is closed on Sundays.  A way of avoiding this boredom is to travel.  Trains can take you almost anywhere in France and the neighboring countries so the possibilities are endless.  You would be surprised how far away from Nancy you can get on the weekend and still have enough time to see the sights.  Weekend destinations of students in our group included: Brussels, Amsterdam, Verdun, Interlaken, Munich, Juan-Les-Pins, Lyon, Berlin, Heidelberg, Luxembourg, Ghent, Paris, Geneva, and Metz.  In addition to the weekend traveling, there is also an option for extended travel at the end of the study abroad program.  This allows you to travel further distances including Zurich, Rome, Nice, Barcelona, Madrid, Bordeaux, London, and many others.  I would recommend using www.diebahn.de or www.voyages-sncf.com to plan your train trips.  If you have purchased a Eurail Pass from www.raileurope.com (a highly recommended purchase), you only need your pass and a passport to travel on most trains, using the pass as your ticket.  Seat reservations are recommended and even mandatory on some trains; however, they only cost 1.5€ for an in-country train and 3€ for an international train or the TGV.

Brussels, Belgium	Heidelberg, Germany	Interlaken, Switzerland	Lyon, France	Monaco
Munich, Germany	Rome, Italy	Juan-les-Pins, France	Paris, France	Berlin, Germany