Metz travel guide
Chagall glass, Pompidou-Metz and a German imperial quarter
Metz is a Lorraine city on the Moselle where a golden-stone French old town meets a German imperial district, with a cathedral full of stained glass and the Centre Pompidou-Metz. Come between May and September or for the December markets; two days is about right. Costs are high, and many passports need no visa.
Metz stands where the Seille meets the Moselle, close to the borders with Luxembourg and Germany, and that position explains almost everything about it. The old centre is built of golden Jaumont limestone; the station district was laid out by the Germans, who held the city from 1871 to 1918. Few French cities show both sides so clearly in a single walk.
Saint-Étienne Cathedral is the first stop. Its nave is the third tallest in France, and its stained glass covers one of the largest areas of any church anywhere, with windows by Marc Chagall among the medieval panes. Locals call it the Lanterne du Bon Dieu. Across Place d'Armes, the covered market in the old bishops' palace sells Lorraine charcuterie, cheese and mirabelle plum products.
Modern art gives you a second reason to come. The Centre Pompidou-Metz, under a woven timber roof inspired by a Chinese hat, sits behind the station and puts on large rotating exhibitions. Walk the imperial quarter, where the 1908 station looks like a Rhineland castle, then finish on Place Saint-Jacques among café tables set over the old Roman crossroads. In August the city celebrates the mirabelle harvest with its plum festival.
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A stained-glass cathedral, a modern art centre and two very different historic quarters.
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Best time to visit Metz
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Warm days by the Moselle and on Place Saint-Jacques; the mirabelle festival lands in August.
Christmas markets spread across several squares, with vin chaud and short, cold days.
The mirabelle festival takes over the city in late August with markets and parades; book rooms ahead for that week.
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Getting there
Paris-Est TGVs and Findel flights via Luxembourg
Gare de Metz-Ville, the grey sandstone station the Germans built in 1908, sits at the southern edge of the centre and handles almost every arrival. TGVs from Paris Est take under an hour and a half, regional trains run north to Luxembourg and south to Nancy, and there are services to Strasbourg. Some high-speed trains call only at Lorraine TGV, out in the countryside south of the city, which is linked to Metz by shuttle bus. For flights, Luxembourg Airport is the practical choice, under an hour away by car or about an hour and a half by train to Luxembourg City and a bus. Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport, south-east of town, has only a handful of mostly French routes. Drivers arrive on the A31 or the A4.
- TGV from Paris Est
- Under 1 hour 30 minutes to Metz-Ville
- Lorraine TGV
- Countryside station south of the city, with a shuttle bus into Metz
- Luxembourg Airport (LUX)
- Under an hour by car, about 1 hour 30 minutes by bus and train
- Metz-Nancy-Lorraine (ETZ)
- Small regional airport, mostly domestic routes
- Trains between Metz and Luxembourg fill with cross-border commuters at rush hour; travel mid-morning for a seat.
- Drivers can leave the car at the Woippy Saint-Eloy park-and-ride at the end of Mettis line A and ride into town.
Where to stay
Golden-stone lanes, the Imperial quarter or the Amphithéâtre
Metz is compact, and the old town and station are about 15 minutes apart on foot, so pick a quarter by mood.
- Old town by the cathedral
- Jaumont-stone lanes, Place Saint-Jacques and the covered market; narrow alleys are best avoided late at night
- Imperial quarter
- Station, Avenue Foch mansions and wide avenues; handy for trains, quieter in the evening
- Amphithéâtre
- New district behind the station around the Centre Pompidou-Metz, with modern chain hotels; little character
- Outre-Seille
- Quieter streets east of the centre around the Porte des Allemands, a short walk from the cathedral
Getting around
Mettis A to Woippy, Mettis B to Saulcy
Walking covers the sights: station to cathedral takes about 15 minutes through the Imperial quarter, and the Moselle sights are close by. For longer trips, the LE MET' network runs two rapid bus lines, Mettis A and Mettis B, plus ordinary lines. Most routes pass through Place de la République, where the Espace Mobilité office sells tickets and passes. Driving in the centre is slow and parking scarce; use the signed car parks and walk.
- Mettis A
- Woippy Saint-Eloy park-and-ride to Borny or the Hôpital Schuman, via République
- Mettis B
- Hôpital Mercy to Université Saulcy, via République
- Espace Mobilité
- LE MET' ticket office on Place de la République
- On foot
- Station to cathedral in about 15 minutes
- The little white tourist train leaves from in front of the tourist office on Place d'Armes and makes a gentle first loop for families.
Know before you go
What makes Metz worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Saint-Étienne in late afternoon sun, when the Chagall windows throw colour across the yellow stone.
- The covered market opposite the cathedral, for Lorraine charcuterie, cheese and mirabelle jam.
- Place Saint-Jacques with a coffee, on the spot where the Roman city's two main streets crossed.
Good to know
- Leave the car outside the centre, and ignore people in car parks offering to watch it for you.
- Rail pass holders should reserve early: TGV seats from Metz fill well in advance.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Metz, month by month
Metz has a continental edge to its climate: warm summers, cold winters with frost, and December markets in the chill. Click through the months for averages logged at Frescaty, south-west of the city.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Metz - Frescaty (Meteociel, via Wikipedia).
The cathedral, the old town and the Centre Pompidou-Metz in two days
Plan on two days in Metz. On the first, see Saint-Étienne Cathedral and its Chagall windows in the morning light, eat at the covered market, then walk to the Temple Neuf, the Opéra-Théâtre and the Porte des Allemands. On the second, explore the German Imperial quarter around the 1908 station and the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
Go into Saint-Étienne Cathedral early, when sun lights the east windows. The nave is the third tallest in France, and its glass runs from medieval panels to Marc Chagall. Outside on Place d'Armes, the four buildings around the square stand for church, army, town and law. Eat at a counter in the covered market.
In the afternoon, walk down to the Moselle, where the Temple Neuf, a Protestant church built under German rule, rises from its island. Loop back past the Opéra-Théâtre, the oldest working opera house in France, and on to the Porte des Allemands, a fortified bridge-gate with round towers over the Seille. End on Place Saint-Jacques with a drink above the old Roman crossroads.
Day two belongs to the Imperial quarter. Start at the 1908 station and post office, then walk the mansions of Avenue Foch. Behind the station, the Centre Pompidou-Metz sits under its woven timber roof; give the exhibitions at least two hours and go up to the top gallery, whose window frames the cathedral.
Mirabelles, pâté lorrain and quiche in Metz
Metz serves Lorraine food built on pork, cream and fruit. Order the original quiche lorraine, with no cheese, and pâté lorrain, pork and veal baked in puff pastry. In August and September the mirabelle plum appears in tarts, jam and eau-de-vie. The covered market opposite the cathedral is the best single stop.
The quiche lorraine here is the original: smoked bacon in an egg and cream custard, no cheese, served warm in bakeries and brasseries. Pâté lorrain is pork and veal marinated in white wine and shallots, sealed in puff pastry and baked, eaten warm with a green salad. In cold weather, look for potée lorraine, a slow pot of smoked pork, cabbage and root vegetables.
Lorraine's orchards grow most of the world's mirabelles, which turn up in tarte aux mirabelles, in jam, in compote with the cheese course and as eau-de-vie de mirabelle, a clear, fierce digestif. The Fête de la Mirabelle falls in late August.
At the covered market, look for Lorraine cheeses and mirabelle products. Wash things down with a white from the small Moselle vineyards nearby, and leave room for madeleines from Commercy or the amber bergamotes from Nancy, both sold in the city's confectioners.
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How we research our Metz travel guide
TGV, Mettis and airport details are compared with SNCF and the LE MET' network before each review. Metz city facts follow metz.fr and France.fr, entry rules the EU's Entry/Exit and ETIAS portal.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Metz.
Getting there
Usually, yes. It has far more routes than Metz-Nancy-Lorraine and is under an hour away by car, or about an hour and a half by bus and train.
Gare de Metz-Ville, the grey sandstone station the Germans built in 1908, sits at the southern edge of the centre and handles almost every arrival. TGVs from Paris Est take under an hour and a half, regional trains run north to Luxembourg and south to Nancy, and there are services to Strasbourg. Some high-speed trains call only at Lorraine TGV, out in the countryside south of the city, which is linked to Metz by shuttle bus.
General
It was built in 1908, when Metz belonged to the German Empire, in a deliberately imperial Romanesque style meant to impress.
Most run into Metz-Ville in under an hour and a half from Paris Est. A few call at Lorraine TGV, out of town, which has a shuttle bus.
Marc Chagall designed several windows for the cathedral in the 1950s and 1960s; they sit among the medieval and Renaissance glass. The cathedral's stained glass covers one of the largest areas of any church.
Yes, for its large modern and contemporary art exhibitions and the building itself, with its woven timber roof. It is a short walk from the station.
Yes. They are about a 15-minute walk apart, so a morning in the cathedral and an afternoon at the Pompidou works well.
Pork and veal marinated in white wine and shallots, baked inside puff pastry and served warm. Bakeries and the covered market sell it.
Yes, those outlying districts are best avoided at night, as are the narrow old-town alleys late in the evening. The centre is otherwise generally safe.
A medieval fortified gate and bridge over the Seille, with round towers, on the eastern side of the old town, best seen from the riverbank.
Walking covers the sights: station to cathedral takes about 15 minutes through the Imperial quarter, and the Moselle sights are close by. For longer trips, the LE MET' network runs two rapid bus lines, Mettis A and Mettis B, plus ordinary lines. Most routes pass through Place de la République, where the Espace Mobilité office sells tickets and passes.
Timing & weather
In late August, with markets, parades and a festival queen, timed to the plum harvest. Book rooms ahead for that week.
The best time to visit Metz is May to Sep, Dec. Café terraces and the August mirabelle festival, then Christmas markets in December.
- Summer: May - September (Warm days by the Moselle and on Place Saint-Jacques; the mirabelle festival lands in August)
- December: December (Christmas markets spread across several squares, with vin chaud and short, cold days)
Visa & documents
France belongs to the Schengen area. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime against visitors to France is mostly petty. Pickpocketing is common in Paris on the Metro, especially line 1, and around the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and Gare du Nord. Rail and air strikes and street demonstrations can disrupt transport, so check before travel days and keep away from protests.
