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A Quick Guide to the Best Things to do in Metz, Grand Est Region of France

By: Author Sophie Nadeau

Posted on Last updated: 24th January 2022

Categories France

Last Updated on 24th January 2022 by Sophie Nadeau

A small piece of land where German Kings once ruled, Crusading Knights used to build their palaces, and where the French live today, Metz is alive with history and was often the site of many a historical event throughout its long and complicated history. Here’s a quick guide to the best things to do in Metz!

As one of the most underrated cities in France , if not all of Europe, it’s not surprising that Metz often loses out on much of the press it deserves in favour of the fairytale towns of Alsace and Colmar, or the bubbling champagne city of Reims . Filled with warm yellow architecture and one of the highest cathedrals in France, Metz is worthy of a visit on any adventure through the centre of France.

During my three days in Lorraine at the end of last year, I was lucky enough to spend some time in Metz, and highly suggest a trip to the city if you ever get a chance while visiting the Grand-Est region of France. My parents lived in the city just before I was born and so I was excited to see the place where I could have potentially been brought up (in my dreams!)

Centre Pompidou-Metz

Metz art & history museum (musées de metz métropole la cour d’or), place saint-louis, église saint-maximin de metz, porte des allemands, metz cathedral (cathédrale st-étienne), imperial quarter & avenue foch, metz theatre , covered marketplace (marché couvert), romarin restaurant, festivals in metz, temple neuf & jardin d’amour, église saint-pierre-aux-nonnains, take a day trip to luxembourg, enjoyed reading this quick guide on the best things to do in metz pin it now, read it again later:, best things to do in metz.

At under a decade old, the hip and trendy Centre Pompidou-Metz is the younger sibling of the iconic Centre Pompidou in Paris. Located in the heart of the city, not far from the central train station, the art centre hosts various exhibitions year-round. When we visited the cultural hub, we were also lucky to wander into Yayoi Kusama’s shimmering ‘ Fireflies on the Water ‘ light installation.

If you’re looking for a little older set of history to learn about, then you simply must visit the Metz Art and History Museum, which is easily one of the best things to do in Metz. Founded in 1839, the complex comprises of plenty of exhibition spaces, as well as the Small Carmelites Abbey, the Chèvremont granary, and the Trinitaires church.

If you’re heading to Metz to soak up a little history, then the city definitely won’t disappoint. And those looking for medieval architecture in particular simply must head to the old town part of the city where a medieval square populated with stunning renaissance houses can be found. In the winter, the medieval square is the site of an authentic French Christmas market.

The church of Saint-Maximin is in the old town of Metz and is a beautiful old chapel well worth a wander inside. Constructed between the 12th and 18th-centuries, the style of the ecclesiastical building is Gothic. The later stained glass windows are by Jean Cocteau and the church is dedicated to Bishop Maximin of nearby Trier in Germany.

Named for the Teutonic Knights who founded a nearby hospital, and constructed during the middle ages (the same Order who constructed both Bran Castle in Romania, and Malbork Castle in Poland) , the Porte des Allemands is one of those places that’s even more breathtaking in person. Perched above the River Moselle, it’s a beautiful example of well-preserved fortifications dating back to the middle ages.

Metz has a delightful old town, and in the centre of it all, there’s one of the tallest cathedrals in all of France to be found. The Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building was consecrated in 1552 and has one of the highest naves in the world.

What’s more is that one of the most fun facts about Metz is that the Cathedral’s windows cover an area of an impressive 70,000 ft², making them the largest surface area of stained glass in France. Fore more unusual French information, check out our guide to the best fun facts about France.

Inside, stunning and expansive stained glass windows include a picturesque blend of Renaissance, Gothic, and Modernist works by Marc Chagall, Theobald of Lixheim, and Charles-Laurent Maréchal, among others. So extensive are the stained glass windows, that the cathedral has earned the nickname ‘lantern of God’.

When Kaiser Wilhelm II had control over Metz in the early 20th-century, he envisioned creating a whole new imperial city, at the edge of his empire. This grand vision came partially to fruition in the form of the Imperial Quarter of Metz, specifically along Avenue Foch. And one of the best highlights of this part of the city is the Gare de Metz-Ville. The train was opened in 1908 and still contains the imperial apartments of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

As the oldest theatre in France still in operation, it’s worth watching a performance in the Metz Theatre, even if ‘plays aren’t really you’re thing’. After all, it’s not every day that you get to watch a show in the oldest theatre in France, a 750 seat opera house that’s been in operation for well over two hundred and fifty years!

The horseshoe-shaped market sells all manner of fresh produce from throughout the Lorraine area and beyond. The historic marketplace is one of the oldest (and certainly one of the grandest) in all of France.

First built as a bishop’s palace in the 18th-century, the French Revolution actually broke out before the Bishop of the time was able to move in. Following the French Revolution, citizens of Metz decided to transform the palace into a food market instead!

The Marché Couvert has served as a market ever since, and today it comprises of over 40 shops. Rather curiously, it was to nearby Varennes that Louis XVI fled with Marie Antoinette when he attempted to escape the Revolution.

Just by the Château d’eau (in French, water towers have the rather curious name of ‘water castles’), and not far from the Centre Pompidou-Metz, the Romarin Restaurant is open every day apart from Sunday.

Once inside, you’ll find that the restaurant serves a lot of local Lorraine cuisine   (such as dishes including Metz mirabelle, a delicious golden plum used in plenty of jams and alcoholic drinks) with a modern twist.

As is the case in many larger French towns and cities, annual festivities are held in Metz during much of the year. From the balloon festival held just outside the city on an annual basis to the”Le Livre à Metz”, Literature and Journalism Festival which is perfect for bibliophiles, there’s no shortage of things to see and do in the city throughout the year!

In the heart of Metz, overlooking the meandering river and just below the mighty cathedral, the stunning Temple Neuf (new temple) is not far from the city’s theatre.

Just behind it, you’ll find the ‘garden of love’ which is the perfect spot to hang out in the summer months, gaze across the Moselle, and watch the world go by. Of all the Metz attractions listed in this article, the Garden of Love is probably the most peaceful place in the centre of the city.

The oldest church in France can be found in Metz and dates back to 390. Today, the church is used as a cultural centre and exhibition hall and a visit here is easily one of the best things to do in Metz.

As one of the oldest churches in France, Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains was first constructed as part of a Roman bath complex in the 4th-century. In the 600s, it was converted into a church, before being transformed into a warehouse in the 17th-century.

In the 1970s, the former church was turned into a cultural centre, which is the space’s current occupation. If you get the chance to visit, then you definitely won’t be disappointed by the beautiful space and pre-medieval architecture.

The border of the small and landlocked country of Luxembourg lies around half an hour from Metz by car, making a trip to the tiny European country (and last Grand Duchy in the World) an easy visit from Metz. Head to Luxembourg City to experience a beautiful capital city filled with history, museums, and a picturesque old town.

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Monday 9th of September 2019

Another cool thing in Metz is a campus of Georgia Tech! Yes, related to the one in Atlanta! And Metz is a very cool city, one well worth a visit if you're in the NE part of France.

Home » Travel Guides » France » 15 Best Things to Do in Metz (France)

15 Best Things to Do in Metz (France)

The administrative centre of France’s new Grand Est region, Metz has been a base of power for more than 2,000 years.

The Cour d’Or museum, which illuminates eastern France’s late-antiquity and early middle ages, will help you to come to terms with the time when the Merovingian kings of Austrasia ruled their kingdoms from this city.

You’ll notice that Metz’s historic buildings have a singular appearance: That’s because they’re made with Jaumont limestone, mined in the Moselle area and imbued with a yellowy tone by the iron oxide in the rock.

So on sunny days the city is quite literally lustrous! Wander the avenues and gardens where the old walls used to be and get some modern culture at the Pompidou centre.

Lets explore the best things to do in Metz :

1. Metz Cathedral

Constructed across more than 300 years from 1220 to 1552, Metz’s cathedral is one of the tallest in Europe, with breathtaking vaults in the nave soaring to 42 metres.

With more stained glass than any other cathedral in the world the building has earned the name, “La Lanterne du Bon Dieu” (the Lord’s Lantern). The windows have been created by gothic and renaissance master glassmakers, as well as the modern artists Marc Chagall and Jacques Villon.

Adding to this sense of radiance is the yellow Jaumont limestone, which makes the cathedral seem bright, even on dull winter days.

2. Centre-Pompidou  Metz

Metz made history in 2010 when it unveiled the first satellite of the Pompidou centre in Paris.

The building is the work of three architects, Shigeru Ban, Jean de Gastines and Philip Gumuchdijan and easily recognised for its outline, meant to resemble a Chinese bamboo hat.

Exhibits in the vast galleries are all temporary or semi-temporary, with landmark shows along with “Beacons”,  a revolving array of painting, sculpture, photography and illustration from the enormous collection of the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris.

Think Picasso, Fernand Léger, Joseph Beuys, Joan Miró, Anish Kapoor and so forth.

3. La Cour d’Or Museum

In a group of buildings that includes the historic former Petities Carmes Abbey are three museums giving you the clearest picture of Metz’s glorious Gallo-Roman and Merovingian past, as well as its culture since then.

The museum ensemble is named after the palace in which the Austrasian Kings reigned and is an often bewildering maze of chambers and passageways, leading you to unforgettable artefacts, like the 7th-century sculpted chancel from Saint Pierre-aux-Nonnains, or historic architecture in situ, like the Roman baths in the basement.

There’s also a fine arts gallery devoted to the Metz School in the 19th century.

4. Église Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains

Dating to 390, this former church is the oldest in France.

But it didn’t start out life as a place of worship; Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonains was a palaestra where boxers and wrestlers would train, and was also part of a spa complex, traces of which can be seen outside.

The hall became a church as part of an abbey for women from the 7th century, which is roughly the date of the chancel on show at the Cour d’Or museum.

When Metz’s citadel was built the church became a military warehouse and barracks, which it remained until the 1900s.

Now it’s an exhibition hall and cultural centre between the Esplanade and the Arsenal.

5. Porte des Allemands

Spanning the Seille to the east of the old centre, the magnificent Porte des Allemands is the last remaining castle bridge in France and the greatest piece of Metz’s old fortifications.

It is essentially a gate with two sets of towers: Angular, crenellated ones facing towards the east and the Saar in the distance, and circular ones on the city side.

The structure is named after the Teutonic Order of knights who had founded a hospice at that time on the adjacent street.

The gate is the climax of the “Circuit des Remparts”, a walking tour that shows you round the remaining pieces of Metz’s walls.

6. Église Saint-Maximin

The choir, transept and the square tower of this church are all from the 12th century and are seen as a perfect representations of the romanesque style.

On the right arm of the transept, linger by the opening to the chapel of the Gournays to see the two three-centred arches connecting it with the rest of the church.

The stained glass windows were designed by the artist, writer and filmmaker Jean Cocteau in the ealry-1960s and installed posthumously.

In ethereal blue and green pastel shades, they’re the only known windows that he designed so warrant a good look.

The church also has superlative acoustics, so see if there’s a concert scheduled when you’re in town.

7. Place Saint-Louis

The west side of this medieval square in the old centre is one long terrace of renaissance houses over a handsome arcade.

The arches are more reminiscent of somewhere like Tuscany than eastern France, and show how well the city was doing for itself in the middle ages.

Back then many of these buildings would have been occupied by early bankers from Lombard in Italy, which explains the design.

While the square is now where the fantastic Christmas market takes place.

On number five you can spot the engraving of a hand.

Apparently, this was the house of a glover who, after winning a legal dispute against a German, got permission from the city to put an ornamental hand on his building.

8. Avenue Foch

South of the old centre this beautiful avenue has an a diversity of historicist art nouveau villas on the sides and a footpath in the middle, meandering through lawns and between hedges and past flower beds.

It’s not just a lovely place to while away a few minutes, but an interesting part of Metz’s history.

That’s because this is site of the city’s old ramparts and where there used to be a moat filled by the River Seille.

They were removed while Metz was part of Germany, and the buildings you see went up at the start of the 20th century, forming the boundary between the centre of Metz and the Nouvelle Ville to the south.

9. Gare de Metz

The city’s train station is preserved as an historic monument and was also built during Metz’s German era.

It’s a wondrous building but also politically-charged, ordered by Wilhelm II and designed in the Rhenish romanesque revival style.

Rumour has it that Wilhelm himself drew up the plans for the clock-tower, which has a sculpture of the Frankish knight Roland to represent German imperial protection over the city.

The station was designed to be able to move large numbers of troops quickly, and its arrivals hall resembles a Holy Roman palace, which was of course no coincidence either.

Another fun fact is that the SNCF offices are now in Wilhelm II’s private apartments.

10. Esplanade

These marvellous gardens also follow the course of Metz’s old defences, on the site of a vast ditch filled in after the citadel was pulled down in 1816. In these French gardens with geometric lawns and hedges trimmed to right angles you can look out to Mont Saint-Quentin, climbing to the west of the city.

The Esplanade is the life and soul of Metz’s city celebrations; During carnival time the fair takes place in the Esplanade in February and March, and then the Mirabelle Fair is here in late-summer.

And at Christmas there’s a skating rink set up next to Avenue Ney.

11. Le Temple Neuf

Another landmark created in the decades of German control is this romanesque revival church on the Petit-Saulcy river island, just down from the Place de la Comédie.

Le Temple Neuf is where Metz’s protestant congregation comes to worship and is constructed with a dark grey sandstone, giving it a completely different feel to the city’s older monuments, made with yellowy Jaumont limestone.

At night the church’s arcade openings emit light like large lanterns, and the view of the Le Temple Neuf reflected in the water from Pont Moyen is now one of Metz’s unmistakeable sights.

12. Covered Market

Thanks to the French Revolution Metz may have the grandest covered market in France.

The building was begun in the 1760s and intended as the Episcopal Palace.

But after the Revolution at the end of that century it was repurposed as the market after plans to turn  it into the courthouse fell through.

The market is open from Tuesday to Saturday, and on the latter a large assortment of stalls fill this side of the cathedral square.

Along with stalls selling a tantalising range of cheeses, charcuterie, pastries, fruit and vegetables, there are small eateries for lunch, some serving classic moselle specialities and others selling international food like pizza.

13. Musée de la Guerre de 1870

The Franco-Prussian War seems obscure now, but was certainly one of the causes of the First World War and so had a massive impact on the 20th century.

This museum is at the scene of the worst of the fighting and investigates the war’s many causes and consequences.

You’ll get insights about the Treaty of Frankfurt, which annexed Moselle and Alsace to Germany for almost half a century and see how the region changed during that period.

And relevant to the fighting, together with original weapons and uniforms there are contemporary paintings such as pieces of the Panorama de Rezonville by Edouard Detaille, portraying the Battle of Mars-la-Tour.

14. Chapelle des Templiers

On the grounds of the Arsenal cultural centre, Metz’s Chapel of the Templars was built between the late-1100s and early-1200s, and is the last remnant of the commandery that was here.

The octagonal floor-plan, sober absence of ornamentation and narrow windows with semi-circular arches marks it as a romanesque building, but inside the ribbed vaulting and colourful frescos are more gothic.

These paintings were made in the early 1300s and adorn every inch of the walls with images of apostles and other saints.

The Arsenal around it dates to 1864 and the rule of Napoleon III, the central hall was restored and turned into an auditorium in 1989.

15. Local Cuisine

You can’t talk about food in Metz without first mentioning quiche lorraine, a pastry pie made with eggs, crème fraîche and bacon.

The earliest mention of this dish dates to the beginning of the 17th century and it was originally also made with emmentaler cheese, which still appears in some varieties.

The German influence is clear in potée a cabbage stew simmered for hours and served with sausage and boiled potatoes.

The damson and mirabelle plums grown in the countryside appear not just in tarts, brandies and jams, but also some of the charcuterie made in the Lorraine region.

15 Best Things to Do in Metz (France):

• Metz Cathedral
• Centre-Pompidou  Metz
• La Cour d'Or Museum
• Église Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains
• Porte des Allemands
• Église Saint-Maximin
• Place Saint-Louis
• Avenue Foch
• Gare de Metz
• Le Temple Neuf
• Covered Market
• Musée de la Guerre de 1870
• Chapelle des Templiers
• Local Cuisine

• May 21, 2023

One day itinerary of Metz

Updated: Jun 16, 2023

Yellow limestone buildings plastered the landscape of the city, throwing off a golden sand like texture to the city charm. Green manicured lush trees stretched out on the banks of the Moselle river. White swans and sailboats in the distance sailing peacefully to the moor. All manifestations to the peace and calm that Metz offers to its people and tourists alike. Can it be more promising? Let us explore this city of Art and History.

To be honest, I deserved a break. The mundane chores and household responsibilities did get to me and now it was time I took a break from the kitchen and laundry room (blah!) And I should be grateful to myself for planning this holiday, so closeby home and yet not so closeby also.

A reasonable drive away from Amsterdam (4.5 hours) and Paris ( 3 hours), Metz in France is a relaxing weekend getaway for the much needed worked up soul. But a bit of urban exploration was surely up my alley, considering now that I'd known Metz is a 3000 thousand year old Gallo-Roman city and the capital of the Lorraine region.

People in Metz have a natural affinity towards the French language, although Metz is close to Luxembourg and Germany. They predominantly speak French, while the name Metz is German. How interesting is that and there is a history to that. Let’s date back to the Middle Ages.

During the Middle Ages, Metz was a free city within the Holy Roman Empire and grew prosperous. A siege by Henri II in the 16th-century brought Metz under French control, and it remained French until 1870 where the Franco-German war changed the historical dynamics for Metz. Under the Treaty of Frankfurt of 1871, Metz became a German city. Metz was annexed into the newly created German Empire in the Alsace-Lorraine region which being controlled directly by Berlin. The city went through extensive fortifications to protect the Reich. Many such major transformations took place until the end of the First World War in 1918. After First World War, Metz was returned to France. However, after the Battle of France, between 1940 and 1945, during the Second World War, the city was re-annexed by Nazi Germany. and then after a long battle, Metz was liberated to France. Phew! Now that’s some long back and forth going on there !Since it was a planned leisure break, I didn't visit all of the highlights of Metz like the museums and sightseeing points, but I have definitely covered them in my blog post. One day in Metz is definitely doable and even if you are a frenzy, check-it-all traveller, then too 1 day in Metz is good enough.

A lazy stroll in the Place Saint-Louis

We started off early and began our day at Place Saint-Louis in the old town of Metz. Like every European city has an old town, so does Metz. t is an old medieval square from the Middle Ages. At a glance, you’d notice a periphery of yellow limestone built stunning renaissance houses and a sea of ivory coloured umbrellas donning the square centre.

The liveliness is truly unmatched, with a plethora of shopsellers in their boutique outlets selling luxury products, people basking in the sun with their glasses of Auxerrois varietals, and trendy restaurants dotting the square. Even the Maaf insurance company in the square looked stunning in its medieval architecture!

Relish a Crepe at Place Saint Jacques

A 10 minute walk from Place Saint Louis is the Place Saint Jacques. In the center of the square is the column of the Virgin and it is surrounded by restaurants and eateries. It was pretty quiet when we arrived around 11 am so we decided to make a pit stop at the crêperie Crepe Addict to relish a French crepe. Forget relish, I’d say Hog on to the crepes if you have an appetite! The kids made merry eating a crepe with chocolate topped with cream and we settled for a crêpe au jambon au four (pancake with ham in the oven).

Crêpe Addict is your fast food creperie located in Place Saint Jacques in the city center of Metz. Relish youur french crepe and tell me how it was! :)

Address: Crepe Addict

31 Pl. Saint-Jacques

Take a moment at the Metz Cathedral (Cathédrale St-Étienne)

After living these many years in Europe, one thing is known that Europe is not Europe without its cathedrals. The cathedral entrance is from the sculpted door which opens onto Place d’ Armes called the Portail de la Vierge. Before entering the cathedral, I informed the kids that this was a holy abode that was built from the 13th to 16th centuries and that it is a very unique cathedral because of its great quantity of stained glass that entirely fills the upper walls.

Did you know? Metz Cathedral or Saint-Etienne Cathedral (in English as St Stephen) has a vast expanse of stained glass covering 6,496 square meters (approximately 70,000 ft), the largest to say in all of Europe.

No wonder the cathedral has a monicker as ‘La lanterne du Bon Dieu’ or ‘The Lantern of God’. Another noteworthy feature of the cathedral is the astronomical clock that was built in 1453.

The building is made of stone of Jaumont, a local limestone rock and is an impressive 41.77 metres tall, making it the 3rd tallest cathedral in all of France and possessing one of the highest naves of any cathedral in France. The cathedral design takes inspiration from medieval works and it’s sculptures have a a Gothic style. Sadly it is still unknown to a lot of international travellers.

You can avail guided tours at the cathedral, the link for the same is given here - http://cathedrale-metz.fr/visites-guidees/

Monday to Saturday - 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Sunday - 2 PM to 6 PM

Enjoy a sumptuous Lorraine meal

You may want to pick one of the many restaurants specializing in local Lorraine cuisine such as dishes including Metz mirabelle (delightful golden plum used in plenty of jams), Andouillette (French sausage made of pork spare rib, intestines with aromatic herbs), Lorraine hotpot (a vegetable stew with sausages and meat), Quiche Lorraine (French tart made of eggs, heavy cream, bacon, and Swiss cheese), Griotte cherries (sour cherries) to name a few.

For Restaurants in Metz specializing in Lorraine cuisine, please visit the link: https://www.pagesjaunes.fr/annuaire/metz-57/restaurants-cuisine-lorraine

Covered Marketplace (Marché Couvert)

The new bishop’s palace which had started construction in 1785 and then successively stopped due to the French Revolution, is now a beautiful covered market right in front of the Metz cathedral. Constructed between 18th and 19th century, the historic covered marketplace is one of the oldest in all of France. Home to traditional food producers and retailers, this marketplace is situated right in the heart of the historical center of the city, right in front of the Metz cathedral on Place d’Armes. It is a permanent covered structure reminiscent of an architectural beauty of a palace with permanent stalls and shops. Vendors are selling everything to delight the taste buds such as fresh fruit, vegetables and food from local producers. It is basically a great avenue for greengrocers, roasters, regional products, delicatessens, fishmongers, butchers, caterers, on-site and take-out restaurants, all in a historic setting in the city!

Unfortunately since we travelled on Ascension Day, the market was closed.

Tuesday to Saturday - 8 AM to 6 PM

The market is closed on Sunday and Monday.

Soak up some sun on the lawns of Temple Neuf

Another great place to unwind and relax are the back gardens by the Temple Neuf. I saw a pretty girl take a selfie with her friend one minute and the next minute she was reading a book lying down on the soft grass of the temple lawn. The lawn is in the backyard of the temple and is pretty consize. However, the temple is new and pretty sizeable with a capacity of approximately 1200 people.Temple Neuf is a Protestant church in Metz constructed in neo-Romanesque style. It is located on place de la Comédie, next to Opéra-Théâtre, at the center of the Jardin d'Amour. It is surmounted by five towers and consists of a short nave.

With a lovely pink to their door designs in wood and wrought iron, the centenary temple was commissioned by the Emperor William II in the 20th century.

Paddle your worries away

With the wind in our face and little waves splashing against our boat, the sail down the river was the most relaxing bustle of our trip. So, you can take delight in a boat trip on the Moselle (Mosel) river with a battery operated boat, solar boat or a paddle boat, row or even kayak your way through rapids if you are a professional. Whilst doing so, you can appreciate the ecological beauty of the fauna and flora in Metz Métropole.

For bookings, timings and address, you can visit this page - https://www.tourisme-metz.com/en/things-to-see-things-to-do/boat-trips-and-cruises

We rented our electric boat from a boat rental company called La Flottille . They have several boats, colorful ones, paddle and battery operated ones, although quite pricey. For a 30 Minute boat electric boat ride, we paid €48 and €400 advance in case of any damages.

Watch a play at Metz Theatre

I know this is a one day itinerary of Metz, but if you can squeeze in some time, please watch a play in the oldest theatre in France. The Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole was definitely on my to-do list, after all it's been in operation for well over two hundred and fifty years! It's worth watching a performance in the Metz Theatre. But honestl I couldn't fit it in my relaxing itinerary.

Amazing fact: The 750 seater opera house is one of the last French opera houses to have both a permanent choir and a corps de ballet.

Book your plays on the official website:

https://opera.eurometropolemetz.eu/fr/ 

Walk along the banks of Moselle river

Dandelions strewn across lawns, buttercups gleaming in the sun, fountains pouring out white gushes and birds chirping in tandem are all and more that make up Metz. And walking along the banks of the Moselle river is such a peaceful affair. The pleasant promenades and chestnut trees along the banks of the Mozelle river is a delight to the soar eyes.

Halfway across the river, you will notice the Temple Neuf and an array of chestnut trees.

After surrendering our boats back to the rental company, we decided to head back to the parking via the Esplanade garden route. The Esplanade garden or Jardin de l'esplanade de Metz is a French style garden created in the early 19th century.

It was designed on the last remains and ditches of the 16th century Citadel. Located on an area of more than 9200 square meters, it is perfect for relaxation and a leisure walk. No wonder Metz takes pride in being a true Garden City.

The kids found it a tad bit boring considering it had no element of play involved in it. Shrubs, trees, carpeted garden beds and flowers here make for no interesting play for the kids, so they were a tad bit bored. We got them ice creams from a nearby cafe along with some freshly squeezed orange juice for us. We sat on a bench in the garden and gazed at the beautiful Mont Saint Quentin.

Fascinating art at Centre Pompidou-Metz

A site for an extensive collection of modern art, Pompidou Center – Metz opened in 2010 in Metz. This avante-garde building is a regional branch of Paris’s Pompidou Centre, although I haven't been to the latter. This is a present-day architectural monument which is highlighted by an undulating roof. It is built on the site of a Roman amphitheatre. For people fascinated with modern and contemporary art, Centre Pompidou-Metz is a must do. Located in the heart of the city, it's a 10,000 m² of interior surface and 4 galleries are dedicated to various exhibitions.

Buy your tickets here: https://www.centrepompidou-metz.fr/fr/preparer-ma-visite/tarifs-offres

Wednesday to Monday - 11 AM to 9 PM

Tuesday closed

Other noteworthy sights in the One day itinerary of Metz

There are various other sights that are worthy of your time and attention in Metz, however I did not see them all. But I have included the information below for your information.

Revisit history at Porte des Allemands (German Gate)

This is noteworthy tourist attraction in Metz. Porte des Allemands is a superb fortified gate symbolizing Metz's medieval era. It is Metz’s architectural symbol because it is Metz’s last structure of its defensive fortifications dating back to the 13th century. If you wander down rue Maginot, you will head to these German Gates. These massive gates are emblematic to the city of Metz and is a well preserved fort perched above a river. It is definitely worth your time.

Did you know? Porte des Allemands was constructed by the same Order who constructed both Bran Castle in Romania and Malbork Castle in Poland.

2-5 pm on weekdays

2-6 pm on Saturday and Sunday

Mondays closed

Bike your way through the Lorraine capital

After Netherlands, I was amazed to see the immense network of excellent biking paths in Metz. Bike through the city alongside the river Mosel or in the old town on the well constructed bike paths. This way you can enjoy the peace and tranquility of Metz with wind in your hair.

All through the old town, you will notice a typical architectural style and paint to the buildings and houses. Either the materials include yellow limestone (Jaumont) architecture or they include the German architecture in a pink and gray sandstone and granite or both.

Petit Train de Metz (Electric tourist train)

An interesting and very informative way to also tour Metz is by the electric tourist train, positioned right outside the cathedral. It's an hour long tour with a guide and headphones with 6 languages. It costs €7 per person and €25 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 kids). The driver takes you to all the major attractions of the city and gives you valuable information on the same. It departs on the hour, so make sure to be there early to get your seat. After all it's first come first serve basis.

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12 Best Things To Do In Metz, France

By: Author Christine Rogador

Posted on Published: February 29, 2020  - Last updated: April 11, 2023

Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region of France, close to the borders of Germany and Luxembourg. Its name is pronounced as ‘Mess’ and is a city with a long history.

This is seen in the city’s top attractions, from the intricate architecture of its churches to the Gallo-Roman ruins. Metz also takes pride in its vast green spaces and is known as a garden city .

READ MORE: Best Hotels In Metz City.

For the past years, Metz is often listed as one of the best European cities to visit.

If you’re headed this way for a day trip from any French major cities such as Paris or Strasbourg , it’s best to know how you’d make the most of your stay.

Read on to get a few ideas on the best things to do in Metz, France.

Things you'll find in this article

1. Metz Cathedral

2. eglise saint-maximin, 3. eglise saint-pierre-aux-nonnains, 4. musée de la cour d’or, 5. centre pompidou-metz, 6. place saint-louis, 7. chapelle des templiers, 8. see a show at the théâtre, 9. avenue foch, 10. porte des allemands, 11. temple neuf & jardin d’amour, travel tips and resources.

Officially known as Cathédrale St-Étienne, this is one of the tallest cathedrals in France. It is quite unmissable as its right in the middle of the old town.

This Cathedral is among the best places to see in Metz, if only for its incredible stained glass windows.

Built in 1220, the cathedral took 300 years to be completed and a few decades more to be consecrated in 1552.  Cathédrale St-Étienne has one of the highest naves in the world, as well as a massive breadth of stained glass windows.

These windows could easily be a showcase of various art and design periods – from the Renaissance to Postmodernist.

Said to be the largest in the world, the stained glass windows of Ketz Cathedral are also nicknamed ‘the lanterns of God’.

The 12th century Eglise Saint-Maximin looks so unassuming on the outside, but a step inside is literally breathtaking. The bright and colorful stained glass windows easily catch your eyes.

These 24 windows are the masterwork of Surrealist artist Jean Cocteau. Intricate, colorful and whimsical – the eclectic designs and scenes depicted in each window showcase outstanding craftsmanship.

A visit to Eglise Saint-Maximin has to be one of the best things to do in Metz, an experience you won’t  easily forget.

The church is in a quaint neighborhood called Quartier Outre-Seille, located south of the German Gate, which is another Metz attraction.

Constructed in the 14th century as a Roman Basilica, the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains is one of the oldest in Metz. It was later on used for the Benedictine Abbey then as a part of the town’s defenses.

Today, the church is one of the top attractions in Metz, a must-visit for those into ancient history. It is now a cultural center and a venue for concerts as well as exhibitions.

Eglise Saint-Pierre is located in a lovely old neighborhood that’s also worth exploring.

Housed in a building that was named after the palace of Merovignan Kings, Musée de la Cour d’Or is another unmissable Metz attraction.

This is the city’s renowned Art and History Museum, home to extensive antiquities, medieval and fine arts collections.

The museum is located in the historic center of Metz, home to artifacts that go as far back as the Bronze Age. Anyone can spend hours or even an entire day here, as there’s just a lot to see.

Some of the highlights of this museum’s impressive collection include ancient bath remains, Merovingian tombs, religious art, and various paintings from the 16th to 20th centuries.

A museum dedicated to the city of Metz’ collection of contemporary art, the Centre Pompidou is another must-visit in Metz.

Designed by architect Shigeru Ba, this building is known for its roof structure that was inspired by a Chinese hat.

Comprised of an auditorium, a theatre, and three galleries, this museum is a branch of the equally impressive Pompidou art center in Paris.

Being in Place Saint-Louis simply takes you back, as you take in the scenery comprised of medieval architecture and well-preserved Renaissance houses.

If you’re looking for a place to visit in Metz that has that old-world atmosphere, then this is the place for you.

Charming and picturesque, Place Saint-Louis is a lovely introduction to the city’s long history.

These days, it is a favorite gathering place among locals and tourists alike.

During the holiday season, the place is a literal feast for the senses as it hosts the annual Christmas market .

Constructed from 1180 to 1220, this historic monument has a unique octagonal shape – the only one of its kind in the Lorraine region .

The name translates to ‘Chapel of the Knights Templar’ and located close to the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Non­nains in Quartier Citadelle.

This Metz attraction is also a rare monument that showcases the shift between Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Located on Place de la Comédie, seeing a show at the Théâtre is one of the best things to do at night in Metz.

Officially called the Metz’s Opéra-Théâtre, it can accommodate 750 per show and hosts four seasonal productions every year.

It is the oldest, still functioning theater in France, situated in a Neoclassical square that in itself is a lovely place to walk around before or after seeing a show.

One simply doesn’t get enough of the architectural marvels in Metz. There’s just a lot to see, such as the picturesque Avenue Foch.

A walk through this avenue in the Quartier Impérial is definitely one of the best activities to do in Metz.

You’d surely stop every few steps or so to admire faux-medieval castles, Art Deco structures, and grandiose French mansions.

This is a unique place that puts together a variety of architectural styles. It was a collaborative work of architects who wanted to experiment with different styles, completed at the turn of the 20th century.

Avenue Foch is also home to numerous restaurants and hotels, and hands down one of the trendiest places to visit in Metz.

The historic Porte des Allemands or the German Gate is a beautiful example of a brilliantly preserved fortification.

This bridge castle and city gate is situated over the River Moselle,  and dates back to the middle ages.

Porte des Allemands features 13th-century towers and 15th-century gun bastions.

This stunning Metz attraction monument was named for the Teutonic Knights who also built the Malbork Castle‬ in Poland snd the BranCastle in Romania.

Not too far from Metz’s Opéra-Théâtr are two of the best places to see in Metz.

Regarded as a historic monument since 1930, Temple Neuf overlooks the river Moselle. This Protestant church was built in 1901 and one of the prime examples of Romanesque Revival architecture.

Just behind the Temple Neuf is the picturesque Jardin d’Amour, which is located at the tip of Place de la Comédie. It is a lovely place to walk around in after exploring old churches and historic monuments .

Stay here until late afternoon and view the sunset reflected on the surrounding river.

12. Shop at the Marché Couvert

A visit to any place in France isn’t complete without a day or even a few hours at the market.

Wandering around the Marché Couvert is always a fun thing to do in Metz on weekends, where you can stock on delicious food and cooking ingredients.

Comprised of around forty shops, this covered market is where you’ll find a variety of goodies to eat on the go or bring back home.

From fresh produce to freshly baked bread and pastries, gourmet ingredients and sweet treats — Marché Couvert doesn’t disappoint.

This lively place is housed in a building that dates back to the 18th century. It was originally a bishop’s palace, later on, repurposed as one of the best places to visit in Metz.

Travel Insurance: I never leave home without travel insurance. My personal opinion is if you can afford to travel, you can afford to buy a travel insurance. All things can happen while on the road and you can never be too sure. And it's something that you'll be glad to have when you need it. For my preferred travel insurance, I use Safety Wing .

What To Wear: If you want some ideas on what to pack for France, check out this packing list guide for France .

Where To Stay: I personally use Booking.com for all my accommodations. Check out for their latest deals here .

Reading Resources: Check out our best reading resources here .

Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 40 countries and lived in 4 continents in the last 10 years, including France. A self-proclaimed Francophile, I love everything France.

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[…] a visit to the often-overlooked historic city of Metz, in the Grand Est […]

While France may be among the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with the lure of Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre, many travellers sadly don’t venture beyond the nation’s capital.

Yes, it’s easy to fall in love with Paris, but France is full of plenty of other worthy destinations; smaller cities and rural towns that are bursting with authentic French culture and intriguing history.

One such city is Metz.

Known as the “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire” (City of Art and History), and named as one of France’s ‘ Top French Cities ‘ for 2020, Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region in north-eastern France, set along the beautiful Moselle River.

Just three hours by car from Paris, or half that by train , Metz elegantly blends a rich past and priceless monuments with modern innovation, and is especially well suited for pedestrians and bikes. Its lively atmosphere and perfect size makes it ideal for short breaks, though you could easily find more than enough to keep you entertained for weeks.

No idea where to start? Here’s a list of things to do; a full run down of churches, parks, museums, festivals, and food! Before you travel check things like your passport, and do US citizens need a visa for france? etc.

Things to do in Metz: The Best Churches, Museums, Festivals & Food!

Visiting metz in 2020.

With the arrival of 2020 comes the best time to explore the city of Metz  – there are a number of significant events this year, including the 800th anniversary of Saint-Etienne Cathedral, and the 10th anniversary of the Centre Pompidou-Metz art museum.

2020 is also bringing exciting new luxury hotels to Metz.

The future Maison Heler Metz will become one of the newest additions to Hilton’s Curio-Collection, designed by  the great Philippe Starck; a French designer who is responsible for a number of popular hotels and restaurants, and was commissioned to design Steve Jobs’s yacht, Venus (fun fact!).

With a history dating back thousands of years, Metz’s extensive Roman ruins and rich cultural offerings have seen it placed on a tentative list for becoming a future UNESCO World Heritage Site , which we’ll hopefully hear about soon.  In fact, Metz was once larger than Paris if you dig deep into history, back when ancient Paris was known as Lutetia!

With so much happening, Metz is fast becoming one of France’s top trending travel destinations. From delicious food and exciting festivals to relaxing parks and beautiful museums, a Metz holiday can be enjoyed on nearly any budget, and for any interest.

Image: Temple Neuf by N i c o l a (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

Churches to Visit in Metz

Cathédrale saint étienne de metz.

Metz is home to a church so popular it goes by a bunch of different names . While the locals call the city’s most splendid church Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz, it is also called Cathedral of Saint Stephen of Metz, The Lantern of God, or simply Metz Cathedral .

This Gothic style Roman Catholic cathedral displays one of the highest naves and greatest expanses of stained-glass windows in the world. Built during the 13 th  century, the cathedral turns 800 years old in 2020 .

One of Europe’s tallest Gothic buildings , the cathedral sits in the historic centre of the city and cannot be missed. While the exterior is impressive, the cathedral’s interior with its 6,500 square metres of colourful stained-glass windows crafted by Gothic and Renaissance master glass makers are the true highlight.

Image provided by  Inspire Metz

Templiers Chapel

The Lorraine region’s only octagonal-shaped chapel, Templiers Chapel is the last remaining remnant of the Knights Templar in Metz, and features beautiful frescoes that climb the walls and ceiling.

Construction began on the church back in the 12 th  century and it displays a blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Today the chapel forms part of the Arsenal Cultural Centre, and although it may not always be opened to the public, it pays to inquire about the possibility of taking a guided tour.

The chapel is sometimes also used as an exhibition hall.

Image credit: LaurPhil (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

Temple Neuf

Surrounded by the Moselle River and towering high above Petit Saulcy Island, Temple Neuf is a Protestant church constructed in the Romanesque Revival style. While it may only be roughly 120 years old, it is one of Metz most beautiful churches.

The church, which could be mistaken for a medieval castle is especially splendid to see at night when it’s lit up, the lights being reflected off the river below.

Today, Temple Neuf is often used for art expos, music concerts, and as a conference centre.

Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains

The oldest church in Metz and one of the oldest churches in Europe , the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains dates back to the 4 th  century.

The pre-medieval church once formed part of an ancient Roman spa, went on to become a Roman school, and then became a warehouse. The church has recently been transformed into a cultural centre, hosting concerts and various exhibitions.

Best Museums in Metz

Centre pompidou-metz.

A branch of Paris’s Centre Pompidou, Centre Pompidou-Metz features a mix of modern and contemporary art. The museum houses France’s largest temporary exhibition space outside Paris, containing both semi-permanent pieces of art as well as works of art borrowed from the Musée National d’Art Moderne within Paris’s Centre Pompidou.

Centre Pompidou displays Europe’s largest collection of 20th-century art , and the branch located in Metz will celebrate its 10 th  anniversary in 2020.

The museum sees more than half a million people pass through its doors annually, making it the most popular cultural venue in France outside Paris. In addition to admiring art, you’ll find a lovely restaurant where you can enjoy views of the surrounding gardens in the outdoor terrace seating area.

La Cour d’Or

Also known as The Golden Courtyard, La Cour d’Or is Metz’s must-see history museum . The museum explores the city’s rich history, displaying artefacts dating from the ancient Roman times up until the 19 th  century.

The museum’s Gallo-Roman collections were acquired from archaeological finds in the area and are some of the most important discovered in France.

Notable displays include the Mithraic Altar discovered in Sarrebourg and ancient Roman baths. Other displays include European paintings from the 16th to 20 th  centuries as well as medieval and Bronze Age treasures.

The FRAC Lorraine

This public collection of contemporary art is housed in the Hôtel Saint-Livier, which is said to be Metz’s oldest public building.

Displaying nearly a thousand works of art from hundreds of regional, national, and international artists, The FRAC aims to educate the public about today’s art and offers new fresh exhibitions several times a year.

Image credit: Fred Romero (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

Parks & Gardens in Metz

Metz is known for its wealth of green spaces in the form of parks and gardens. The city boasts one of the country’s largest commercial pedestrian areas and offers up nearly 600 acres of parks.

You’ll find the lovely Seille Park near the Centre Pompidou-Metz. Running along the Seille River, this park is especially nice during the spring and summer months when flowers are in bloom and it’s possible to spot otters and various bird species.

Plan d’eau sits along the Moselle River where a lake of sorts is formed, allowing for boating and kayaking. Bask in the sun on the grass and be sure to take in the unique views of Saint-Etienne cathedral and Temple Neuf.

The Jardin botanique de Metz also makes for a nice afternoon in nature, displaying rose gardens and greenhouses containing exotic palms, cacti, and orchids.

Food to Feast on in Metz

Metz offers a food scene filled with both local specialities and international delights. You’ll find plenty of Michelin star restaurants to choose from and a visit to the Covered Market or Marché Couvert is a must.

Considered to be France’s most extravagant market, the Covered Market is home to dozens of local food producers selling fresh local produce and culinary delights. You’ll find the market in the historical centre of Metz.

The region is known for its quiche Lorraine , Moselle wines, Lorrain pâté, potée , and the golden plum known as the Metz Mirabelle which is often used to make jams and fruit brandy.

Don’t forget to sample some suckling pig and maybe a few Metz Balls which are ganache-stuffed biscuits coated with marzipan, caramel, and dark chocolate.

Festivals in Metz

So loved is the Metz Mirabelle plum that the city hosts a festival to celebrate it. The Mirabelle Plum Festival is held every August during the annual plum harvest.

The golden coloured and very flavourful plums are used in all kinds of culinary delights including jams, sweet alcohols, beauty products and cosmetics, and soaps. The festival takes place over several weeks, and you can enjoy concerts, dances, hot air balloons, firework shows, and craft markets. They even crown a Mirabelle Plum Queen!

Also held in the summer is the several month long Constellations digital arts festival. Running from June to September, the festival features projections, art trails, exhibitions, and music acts from both local and international artists. The festival is a rather recent addition to Metz’s line-up of annual festivals, the first taking place in 2017.

Come winter, it’s all about the Marché de Noël . The Christmas markets and festivities of Metz are the second most visited in France ( click here for a full list of French Christmas markets ).

The celebrations kick off around late November and include the Saint Nicholas festival which takes place at Place de la Comédie. You’ll find plenty of Christmases shopping stalls here and can enjoy the annual parade with its many magical floats.

Christmas also brings the Trail of Lanterns where you can see illuminate bears, elves, toy soldiers, and more along the Moselle River as well as take a ride on the giant 60-metre-tall ferris wheel, Europe’s largest temporary big wheel. Check out the open air ice rink and warm up with Mirabelle plum white mulled wine.

Porte des Allemands

Last but not least, we’ll leave you with one of Metz’s medieval structures that’s so prominent it deserves a section of its own.

Porte des Allemands , or “Door of the Germans”, stands prominently in the Quartier Outre-Seille proudly above the Seille River. One of the city’s most loved attractions, the medieval bridge castle with its 13 th  century towers is a sight to behold.

Named after the Teutonic Knights of the day, the fortification provided protection against attacks for centuries. Today, sections of Porte des Allemands have been converted into walking paths, allowing visitors the chance to see this impressive structure from all angles.

Image credit:  LaurPhil  (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

So, whats first on your list for visiting Metz?!  Find out more about Metz by visiting the tourism website  or their official brand,  Inspire-Metz.com .

Metz is part of France’s Top French Cities ; an association of 29 cities, from regional capitals like Bordeaux to important towns like Avignon and Versailles. These cities are perfect for young travelers, families and anyone else looking for fun and authentic French experiences that will fit their budget.

Most of these cities are university towns with a youthful atmosphere, but all of them reflect the heritage and distinctive flavors of the regions to which they belong. Many are forward-looking too, with historic buildings repurposed to house contemporary art and activity centers like Les Docks in Marseille.

Many have created or integrated new, modern museums to contrast with their classical, architectural heritage, like in Nimes, where the cutting-edge Museum of Roman Civilization (Musée de la Romanité) is located across from the historic Roman amphitheater, or in Nantes—and now in Toulouse, where whimsical mechanical creatures are being created, or in the UNESCO World Heritage Site concrete city of Le Havre.

This post was sponsored by France Tourism as part of their Top French Cities campaign. Check out the other French cities that made the list here:

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Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind  Waking Up Wild ; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.

nice blog.Thanks for sharing the information.

You’re welcome Gemmy, so glad you enjoyed reading about Metz! Happy travels :)

Hope to make it there when things get back to normal!

Absolutely – I have no doubt that the travel industry will pick back up again after the craziness of the current pandemic is behind us. All we can do for the time being is hunker down and stay inspired by destinations we’ll visit once we’re able to travel again :)

Thanks for reading Tim!

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Best Things to Do in Metz, France

Article written by Elisa - Travel Writer & Local in France This article may contain compensated links. Please read disclaimer for more info.

Visit Metz, France

Metz is the capital city of Lorraine, a historic region in northeast France, today part of the Grand Est region . Bisected by the Seille and Moselle rivers, Metz is one of those wonderful French cities still overlooked by international travelers.

You will find many historic sites, museums, performance venues, gardens, and leafy promenades. Even the train station in Metz is beautiful to visit, thanks to its dramatic architecture!

Is Metz worth visiting? If you want to see old sites and dive back into history, you will love Metz. The city has a history that dates back centuries to the Romans and even before. It also has cute squares and great food that everyone will enjoy. Since a considerable part of the city center is now turned into a pedestrian zone, shopping in Metz is also like heaven! 

This article is about the best things to do in Metz, France. A city of moderate size, you will find that many of the places to visit in Metz listed in the article are near each other, so it is easy to visit on foot.

Metz is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway. Visit Metz in two days to get a good taste of what the city has to offer and to cover the main Metz attractions. Spend more time if you are willing to explore the city’s surroundings on day trips from Metz. If all of that sounds ideal for your next trip, then here’s what to do in Metz, France.

Are you planning a trip to Metz last minute?

Below are some of the best Metz tours, hotels, and more!

• Book your train to Metz

Top Metz Accommodation and Lodging

La Citadelle Metz McGallery  (top suggestion),  Ibis Metz Centre Gare (budget),  Hotel de la Cathédrale Metz  (mid-range),  Mercure Grand Hotel Metz Centre Cathédrale   (mid-range).

Don’t leave for Metz without travel insurance!

HeyMondo  offers travelers insurance that combines medical and travel-related coverage for single trips (leisure and business trips), annual multi-trip, and extended stays (with COVID-19 coverage included).  Use this link to get a 5% off .

What to Do in Metz, France

If you want to visit Metz, what to do? Here’s the list of the best things to do in Metz, France. This Metz things-to-do list includes historical sites, cultural attractions, and more.

Centre Pompidou-Metz

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is a modern and contemporary art museum in Metz. It has semi-permanent exhibitions as a branch of the Pompidou Art Center. The building itself is also a work of art, designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. The highlight of the building is the roof, which resembles a Chinese hat.

One of the top Metz attractions, you can also find rotating temporary exhibitions here, often featuring works from the French National Museum of Modern Art. The rotating exhibitions are large, as they are in the largest temporary exhibition space in France outside of Paris. They rotate every three to four months and are unique to the museum – Click here to buy your tickets to Centre Pompidou-Metz

Metz Opéra

The city’s Opera-Theater, also called the Metz Opera , is a 750-seat opera house. The theater was inaugurated in 1752, making it the oldest theater in France still operating today. It is also one of the oldest theaters in all of Europe!

There are dozens of performances at the Opera Theater annually, and they are not limited to opera shows. You can visit here to see a play, lyrical poetry, and choreography performances.

You can also take a tour of the opera house, and your guide will show you behind the scenes and teach you about the history of the old theater – Click here to see the Metz Opéra’s program for this season

Temple Neuf

The Temple Neuf , or the New Temple, is a beautiful church in the heart of Metz. The church was built between 1901 and 1904, and in 1930 it was designated as a historical monument for the country. It is called the New Temple since the old one at the same site was destroyed during the Franco-Prussian War.

One of the top things to see in Metz, the Temple Neuf’s location is very picturesque, sitting on one of the islands of the Moselle River. When you visit, you can walk around the church and the gardens around it. You will also want to admire the church from across the water.

Gare de Metz (Metz Train Station)

The Gare de Metz , or Metz Train Station, is well worth a visit, and it may even be where you arrive in town. The train station opened in 1908, and millions of passengers transit through the station every year. Thanks to its grand architecture, it was designated as a Historic Monument in 1975.

The train station was designed by the German architect Jürgen Krögen in Neo-Romanesque style when Metz was part of the Holy German Empire. The building was designed this way to represent the religious and temporal powers of the Holy Roman emperors.

The station building is architecturally reminiscent of the shape of a church in the departure hall area, with a clock tower rising 40m in height (said to be designed by Kaiser Wilhelm himself); on the other hand, the arrivals hall and restaurant echo the form of an imperial palace.

Kaiser Wilhelm appreciated his travels to Metz and the territory of Alsace-Lorraine, under his empire. During his visits to the city, he set his apartments in Metz at the railway station, which are used today as offices for the SNCF railway company.  

Porte des Allemands

The Porte des Allemands , also known as the Germans’ Gate, is a castle bridge and gate on the east side of Metz. It dates back to the 13th century with two round guard towers. In the 15th century, two gun bastions were added to the gate. It was designated as a historical monument in France in 1966.

You will want to visit the gate as it is the only old medieval city gate that remains in Metz today. Inside the Porte des Allemands are seventeen rooms that are used as a museum. It has information about the history of the city, old artifacts, and some archeological remains.

To visit the Porte des Allemands, take the Chemin des Corporations , a beautiful leafy promenade that follows the city’s former ramparts by the Moselle and Seille Rivers. From the Pont des Grilles to the Porte de Allemands and via the hill of Bellecroix, travel through the centuries along 4km of marked and commented walks, rich in an imposing and varied heritage linked to defending the city.

Cathédrale Saint-Etienne (Metz Cathedral)

The Cathédrale Saint-Etienne , or Metz Cathedral, is a French Gothic Cathedral dedicated to Saint Stephen. It took over three centuries to build the Cathedral, from 1220 to 1550, but you will realize why when you see the massive, breathtaking building. Jaumont stone, mined near Metz, was used for the entire monument and gives it its characteristic golden shine.

Inside, the central nave is the third highest in France (41.41m), and there are nearly 6,500 square meters of stained glass to admire during your visit. You can walk around the Cathedral on your own or take a guided tour to learn about the history and architecture of this magnificent building.

La Cour d’Or Museum

The Cour d’Or Museum is right by the Cathedral, and it opened in the 19th century to show off art, sculptures, and natural history from Metz and France. It is officially owned and maintained by the city of Metz.

Within the museum, you will be able to explore four different sections. There is a history and archaeological section that focuses a lot on Gallo-Roman history and artifacts. The other three sections are the Medieval section, the Architecture section, and the Museum of Fine Arts. The museum also has a granary.

The Museum is open from Wednesday to Monday, and it is free to visit.

Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnais

Another beautiful church to visit in Metz city is the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnais . The structure was built in the 4th century when the Gallo-Romans started settling in the city, but it became a church in the 7th century, making it one of the oldest in Europe.

The building is still a church today, owned by the Roman Catholic Church, but it is mostly used for musical performances and other events (there was an exhibition when we visited). You can visit the church, and you will notice that the architecture on the outside is much more Roman than that on the inside.

Place Saint-Louis

Place Saint-Louis is a lovely square in Metz, not too far from the Metz Cathedral. It was named after King Louis IX.

Place Saint-Louis is one of the finest examples of medieval architecture and the glorious past of Metz. Its magnificent arcaded houses, as well as the memory of the first silver shops of the city, make it a picturesque and historic square.

The square is mainly made up of pedestrians, so you can wander through it and admire the medieval architecture surrounding it. Here you will find many bars and restaurants, so it is a great place to visit after you do all the other fun things to do in Metz on this list.

One of the top Metz things to do, Place Saint-Louis hosts an outdoor market on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you visit Metz in the winter, you can come here for one of the best Christmas Markets in France .

Taste the Local Cuisine

Foodies won’t be disappointed when they visit Metz, France (and Lorraine in general). From starters to desserts, taste the rich flavours of Lorraine’s gastronomy, like the quiche Lorraine, bouchées à la reine, and the Lorraine hotpot.

The region also has excellent cheeses, like the AOC labeled Munster Géromé, Carré de l’Est soft cheese, and Brie de Meaux made in the Meuse.

The Mirabelle plum is Lorraine’s iconic fruit. Indeed, 75% of worldwide production comes from orchards in Lorraine! You can enjoy this juicy fruit alone, in a warm tart, or in jam, candies, syrups, or brandies.

On the drinking side, don’t miss the region’s quality wines (AOC Côtes de Toul and AOC Moselle) and excellent beers from small local breweries.

Take a Day Trip from Metz

There are lots of interesting things to do in Metz, but it is also worth using one day to explore the city’s surroundings on a day trip.

Once you have covered what to see in Metz, Strasbourg and Nancy are two beautiful cities easy to reach by train. Metz to Strasbourg is 1hr 28 min by train – check out what to do in Strasbourg on a day trip . The train ride from Metz to Nancy only takes 38 minutes.

If you have a car, Verdun and its WW1 sites is a 50-minute ride. A bit further, Bar-le-Duc is another lovely town to visit in the Lorraine region, or you can even consider a day trip to Luxembourg from Metz!

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• Mar 16, 2022

What to visit in Metz?

Updated: Aug 1, 2023

A small town in Lorraine, Metz will amaze you. Close to Luxembourg, the city is located on the border between the francophone and German areas. Impressive historical monuments, a picturesque riverside setting, and pretty bridges lend a special charm to the region's capital, named the 'Ville d'Art et Histoire (City of Art and History). Today Metz retains a strong character derived from multiple European influences before becoming annexed to France. Fancy and charming, it’s a cute bonbonniere at the foot of the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers, which run through the entire ancient city.

Metz is the perfect site to enjoy a peaceful visit, admire the large chestnut trees reflected in the still water, and get caught by a seductive light that bounces off beautiful and colored architecture with a Gothic and medieval aura.

Grab your backpack and let's go parrots!

Read on to discover the best of What to visit in Metz..

Discover with us:

🦜 What not to miss?

🗺 What else to visit?

🛩 How to get there?

💶 Average costs ?

🦜 What to eat in Metz?

What to visit in Metz

What not to miss, metz's cathedral.

This catholic church is one of the most famous buildings in Metz. It was built in Gothic style and it’s known for its stained glass windows and its astronomical clock that was built in 1453. Even though the clock is a masterpiece, the most beautiful feature of the cathedral is its stained glass windows that you can see from the inside.

Jardins de l’Esplanade

Located in the heart of downtown Metz, the Esplanade is one of the most popular and beautiful public spaces in the city and offers residents and tourists a quiet retreat from the bustling urban life. The many small gardens and courtyards of the Esplanade are rich in flowers, shrubs, and trees. The gardens are interspersed with statues and fountains.

Le Temple Neuf

The Temple Neuf is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Metz. Surprisingly the building was built in the 20th century, Romanesque Revival-style gives the chapel a medieval look. The Temple Neuf is currently used for cultural events such as art expositions and concerts. The building was constructed to replace an older chapel that was destroyed during the First World War. Surrounded by the Garden of Love and Moselle River, The temple Neuf is a perfect place for a romantic walk.

What else to visit?

Centre pompidou – metz:.

This is a sister organization of one of the top museums in Paris with the same name. It was built in 2010 and nowadays is a modern art museum that hosts many famous artworks. Besides the museum, the visitors can enjoy walking around the beautiful gardens, surrounding the building. The museum is open all year, except Tuesdays. This museum has made the city a key destination giving a touch of modernity and originality.

Avenue Foch

Avenue Foch is a long, wide avenue that runs through the city of Metz. The diversity of architectural styles gives the avenue a rare character. It is not only one of Metz's most beautiful streets. It's also one of the most expensive.

Place Saint-Louis

Place Saint-Louis is the main square of the old center of Metz. The "Place Saint Louis" is a pleasant and quiet square. The square is named after the former church of St. Louis, demolished in 1875. The houses are richly decorated with sculptures and statues.

Porte des Allemands

The german gate is the last relic of the medieval ramparts of Metz. It includes a fortified gate, defense towers, and an ancient bridge. In the thirteenth century, two towers were added to strengthen defense. The name means "Door of the Germans". Porte des Allemands is located in the medieval neighborhood Quartier Outre-Seille which is also worth visiting. However, this is not the only porte present in Metz as the city retains several fortifications such as the Porte Serpenoise, Porte de la Madeleine, and Porte en Chandellerue. What you need to know is that in 1324, the enclosure had more than eighteen gates!

Metz Train Station

This railway station was built between 1858 and 1860 and is known for its architectural style which combines neo-gothic, neo-renaissance, and neo-baroque elements.

How to get there?

To reach Metz, it’s possible to land at the regional airport Metz-Nancy-Lorraine, which is 20 km from the city center, about 30 minutes. In this regard, there is a shuttle bus from/to the city which costs about 10 euros. Alternatively, there is Luxembourg-Findel airport, 70 km away from the center where the trip takes about 1h38. Air France generally offers a stopover in Paris, continuing by TGV to Metz: with the LGV high-speed line, you will be there in 1h20. From London, the train takes 5 hours with a change in Paris, from Brussels 4 hours and Frankfurt 5 hours 47 minutes. And if you come from Paris read our article about visiting Paris to get the most out of your trip to France! By car, if you are arriving from Lyon or Luxembourg the eastern motorway (A4) is the one connected to the A31, being less than 100 km from Luxembourg and 80 km away from Nancy.

Average costs?

Compared to Paris, Metz is cheaper and the cost of leaving is average for other cities around. The average cost for a meal in an inexpensive restaurant is around 15 euros. The meal for 2 people in a mid-range restaurant is 50 euros. We recommend you use public transportation. One-way ticket 1.70 euros. For those who prefer private transportation the average cost for a taxi starting price is about 2.40 euros. For a 1 km ride in Metz, you have to pay about: 1.60 euros. The price of 3 stars hotel for a double room is 80 euros. Hostels are not very popular in the city of Metz, but there can be found many cheaper hotels for 30 euros per night.

What to eat in Metz?

There are plenty of places in Metz to grab a bite; all you have to do is follow your nose! The region offers a variety of local delicacies and specialties to tempt the most discerning gourmet. Go check our article about food in Lorraine to know more about the specialties that you can eat and drink in Metz's region, and here are some specialties:

Quiche Lorraine

Quiches are usually served for lunch or as appetizers. The Quiche Lorraine is one of the most famous dishes made by the Lorrainers. It is a simple recipe but can be very tasty. It includes a dough base that is filled with bacon, eggs, cream, nutmeg, and a dash of salt and pepper. There are many variations on this classic quiche recipe which have been developed over time by different cooks, for examples quiche with vegetables, seafood, or cheese.

Le Paris-Metz

For more than 20 years, this restaurant serves typical cuisine from the region of Metz. The menu is very rich in fish, meat, and desserts. You will find traditional dishes like quiche Lorraine or Mirabelle pie. The service is always very efficient and the prices are not too high.

A typical dessert of the Lorraine region, they are named after Madeleine Paulmier, a pastry chef who lived in the 18th century. The original flavor comes from almonds or lemon, but nowadays there are many variations such as chocolate, vanilla, rose, honey, lavender, and orange. Madeleine is butter cookies great combination with afternoon hot tea.

After filling our bellies, let's have a look at the events taking place in the city:

The Graoully Dragon Parade (June)

ATTENTION! Interesting spot: there is a legend telling the city was subjugated by a dragon: during the Roman empire, a dragon named Graoully lived in the amphitheater at the gates of the city. The only thing that scared him was the water. One day, it was captured and thrown into the river by Saint-Clément, who later became the city's bishop. Since that day, every year the inhabitants of Metz commemorate the death of Graoully by parading in the street and carrying an effigy of the monster. This legend remains anchored in the local memory, that’s why you will find numerous traces of it during your visit. At the parade adults and children are dressed in medieval costumes wandering through a suggested itinerary.

Mirabelle plum festival (June, August)

The Mirabelle plum is a typical Lorraine fruit and a festival is organized in its honor during the plum harvest. Born to help the agricultural world, the festival features dances, parades, street arts, art workshops, local and craft markets, fireworks, concerts, shows and the most exciting thing is the election of the Queen of the Mirabelle as tradition. The latter, together with the Metz Hot Air Balloons (Montgolfiades), a large gathering of hot air balloons held in the city center and along the waterways, create an atmosphere of great excitement.

Festival Constellations de Metz (June, September)

International Festival of Digital Arts in which hundreds of free cultural events and in particular artistic routes light up the summer: night tours capture visitors with concerts, open-air cinema, mapping, exhibitions, and shows where the prominent symbol is the Saint Étienne cathedral illuminated by a light-map.

For those who love music and festival dedicated to a different genre, here are the names of some organized in Metz: Marly Jazz Festival , Mécleuves Lands of Blues Festival, Festival "Musique Sur Les Côtes" . Finally, the Festival “Le Livre à Metz” -- that lasts days during April - for reading enthusiasts. This was our short guide of wht to visit in Metz. Traveling through the imperial quarter, candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site, between naturalness, history, art, culture, cozy streets eating local Mirabelle plum brandy sweets. Never stop exploring beautiful places and check our other articles , and follow our Instagram @thewalkingparrot to be informed about the new articles coming!

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9 Things to do in Metz France: A city guide

Full of history, Metz catches your eye with its iconic cathedral towering above the rest of the town. But there is so much more to the city.

With its green river side, gardens, and parks, medieval old town and fabulous museums, there are so many things to do in Metz France and I’ll take you through the top sights.

I totally fell in love with the city almost before I had visited. I saw the cathedral as I was driving past. Let’s say it ended up with a spontaneous drive off the planned route and later I returned again.

Metz is just one of those cities that wrap you in with history and charm so you don’t want to leave.

Before looking at what to see in Metz, let’s have a look at the practical stuff.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How to get to Metz

Metz is easily reached as a day trip from Paris by train or car, but the enchanting town will surely make you want to stay longer.

Because of its proximity to the border, it’s also really easy to get to Metz from Luxembourg or Belgium.

The main train station in Metz, also a historic monument, is Gare de Metz-Ville. It was built for Emperor Wilhelm II as a strategic place in the Germany-France war and transported soldiers and goods during World War I.

Today, you can travel by train from large parts of France to Metz, with some train lines stopping in Paris for a change of train.

But you can also take the bus to Metz. The main bus station is Gare Routière which is situated next to Gare de Metz-Ville.

If you’re on a road trip in France , I found it pretty easy to find parking in the streets outside the center. There are also several central indoor car parks.

How to get around in Metz

With a lot of green space, walking paths along the rivers, and narrow cobbled streets, Metz is perfect to explore on foot. You can easily get around between the top Metz attractions on foot.

However, the city has become an extremely bike-friendly city too and there are more than 1000 spots where you can park your bike.

There is also a good urban bus network. You can buy a bus card which can be topped up for €1,50 per trip. Alternatively, you can get a Visi’Pass (day pass) for €4 if you’ll be taking the bus more times during the day.

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Where to stay in Metz

There are many great places to stay in Metz, especially apartments. I’ll list up a few hotels that I find great value for money here.

La Citadelle Metz MGallery

A great hotel in the old citadel. While it is in a quiet area, it is still a short walk to all attractions, so you get the best of both worlds. Pets are allowed and they offer private parking for an extra fee.

👉 BOOK YOUR STAY HERE

Hôtel de la Cathédrale Metz

This hotel is perfectly situated in the historic center in front of Metz Cathedral. Can you think of any better place? The historical building is furnished exceptionally nice and it’s almost like traveling back in time.

There is breakfast and a cute terrace. Pets allowed and free WiFi.

Les Chambres de l’Ile

This is a modern, yet cozy place a bit outside the center that will make you feel at home. Perfect for families, with a green garden and swings where the kids can play. Breakfast includes homemade jam! There is free parking and WiFi here and only a kilometer away from Metz Cathedral.

Things to do in Metz

Now, let’s have a look at what to do in Metz, France. There is more than enough to fill up a whole weekend in this wonderful city and it’s actually a perfect weekend getaway from Paris . With old medieval bridges connecting small islands in the rivers Moselle and Seille to the mainland.

Metz Cathedral

Metz Cathedral is one of the tallest in Europe with its 42 meters. The mesmerizing Gothic and Renaissance structure catches ones eye already before entering the city and was the reason I drove off the motorway to visit this beautiful city.

The cathedral was built between 1220 and 1552, its interior is beautifully illuminated through the many stained glass windows where the sun flows abundantly during the day. For this reason, it’s also known as the Lantern of God.

Stroll around the historic center

Taking a stroll around the historic center is one of the top things to do in Metz France. Follow the narrow cobblestone streets and admire the historical buildings.

Have an ice cream or coffee on the 14th century Place Saint-Louis. The beautiful square is surrounded by pastel houses with Mediterranean-style windows. Can you think of anything better?

Oh, it gets better! This square is where the charming Christmas market takes place every year.

Admire Porte des Allemands

Another one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Metz is the medieval Porte des Allemands. The ancient towers, once protected by the fortified gate and ancient bridge, are now open to the public. You find multiple information boards and there’s a nice walking path you can enjoy.

Around Porte des Allemandes you can stroll through charming cobblestone streets with small boutiques and artisan shops.

Visit Centre Pompidou-Metz

Centre Pompidou-Metz is an interesting museum showcasing artwork from 1905 until present day. As it is connected with the Centre Pompidou Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, it gets its exhibits from the more than 100.000 art pieces in Paris.

There are three great galleries spread around the 10.700 square meters museum and you should definitely check it out if you have the time.

Find opening hours and tickets here .

Stroll along the river

A stroll along the river is a must while in Metz. The path is covered in greenery and the river is home to duck families swimming around doing their cute daily ducky things.

You can see amazing city views, Metz cathedral, and the astounding Temple Neuf from the river. Don’t miss out on the sunset reflecting in the green water.

Visit Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole

This 18th century building is the oldest functioning opera house in France. If you have the time, you should definitely experience a classical opera performance in Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole.

The area around the theater is also stunning, starting with the square Place de la Comédie which is surrounded by Neoclassical buildings from the 18th century.

See the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains

What is one of the oldest churches in Europe, started off as a Roman school back in the 4th century AD and originally built as part of a Roman spa complex in the year 380 AD.

The basilica has now been turned into a cultural center and is open to the public daily between 14:00-18:00.

Walk in the Esplanade

The Esplanade is one of the finest gardens in the city and going for a stroll in the 19th century park in one of the best things to do in Metz.

Enjoy the astounding views of Mont Saint Quentin and look for the remains of the 16th century citadel.

Explore Temple Neuf

Surrounded by the Moselle river, Temple Neuf stands tall on the little island,  Île du Petit-Saulcy. It’s actually sitting in the Garden of Love right next to the Opera House by the Place de la Comedie. Connected by bridges from both sides, the little island is well connected to the main land.

The church was built in a Romanesque Revival style in the beginning of the 1900s when Metz was still ruled by Germany.

What to do in Metz as a responsible traveler

In Metz France things to do are plentiful, and as mentioned before, you’ll fill up a weekend without any problem, or even more!

Make sure you leave no other than positive trace in the city. Bring your own water bottle to avoid single use plastic bottles and use the trash bins. Spend money on local markets and shops instead of internationally run businesses.

There are plenty of markets all year around in Metz, and with all the cute locally owned boutiques, there shouldn’t be a hard thing to find unique souvenirs from the city.

Try to learn some basic French sentences so you get around easily and simply respect the language barriers. I found the French are very eager to help if you approach them in a friendly way.

Bon voyage!

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A city guide to Metz, France

Metz, eh? “You’re out of your mind,” my French friends said, as if I’d suggested Swindon. They associate France’s great northeastern city only with military matters — it’s dangerously near Germany — and industry. I assume the British will be more astute. We’re aware that a forceful past adds power to a place. The thing is that Metz wears its robustness with elegance (two rivers, monumental yellow-stone buildings, plenty of parks) and, this year especially, overflowing energy.

For a start, the Saint Etienne cathedral, among the grandest in France, celebrates its 800th birthday in 2020 with a year-long programme. Rooted in the city and reaching for the sky, this is one of the most sublime gothic items, its yellow-tinged Jaumont stone framing more stained glass than any other church in Christendom. When the light hits the one and a half acres of colour, the inner space doesn’t so much sing as exult. They call it “the Lantern of God”. Just stand before the sheer walls of 13th-century stained glass in the transepts. Were you on the brink of faith, this might tip you over.

Some of the windows were damaged in the Second World War, so the cathedral now has replacement glass from 20th-century artists. The most intense are those by Marc Chagall. It’s almost 10 years since the Centre Pompidou opened its branch office in the city. Amid much hullabaloo, it will celebrate Chagall’s work from October 17 (£10; centrepompidou-metz.fr ).

Back at the cathedral, expect a crescendo when the 200-event programme ( 800-cathedrale.metz.fr ) overlaps with Metz’s summer festival of digital and street art. The night-time city will be blanketed in light and sound (June 25-September 5; constellations-metz.fr ).

Now you need to see the slabs of masonry put up when the German empire annexed Metz (1871-1918). In the station building especially, Kaiser Wilhelm II trimmed his taste for the overbearing with eccentric historical references. Across town, the esplanade is where the citadel trenches once were. Visited variously by Caesar, Attila the Hun and Charlemagne, Metz is one of the world’s greatest fortress cities.

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In the historic centre, the Cour d’Or museum has Roman baths and a shrine to Mithras (£4.25; musee.metzmetropole.fr ). Stroll the old streets to Place St Louis — its arcades hosted 13th-century Lombard bankers — then the bars of Place St Jacques. Try a mirabelle plum eau de vie: 75% of the world’s crop grows in the Lorraine region, of which Metz is the capital. They go into booze, tarts, everything. A glass or two may explain the obsession. But do stop after four.

Take the Eurostar to Paris, then the TGV. Philippe Starck’s Maison Heler opens in late 2020 ( maison-heler.com ); or try the Hôtel de la Cathédrale (doubles from £72; hotelcathedrale-metz.fr )

Discover the best destinations for 2020 with our complete guide at thesundaytimes.co.uk/holidaysfor2020

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Sitting astride the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers, Lorraine’s graceful capital, Metz (pronounced ‘mess’), is ready to be feted. Though the city’s Gothic marvel of a cathedral, superlative art collections and Michelin star–studded dining scene long managed to sidestep the world spotlight, all that changed with the show-stopping arrival of Centre Pompidou-Metz. Yet the Pompidou is but the prelude to Metz’s other charms: buzzy pavement cafes and shady riverside parks, a beautiful old town built from golden Jeumont stone and a regal Quartier Impérial up for Unesco World Heritage status.

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Experience the real Metz. Let a local expert handle the planning for you.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Cathédrale St-Étienne

The lacy golden spires of this Gothic cathedral crown Metz’ skyline. Exquisitely lit by kaleidoscopic curtains of 13th- to 20th-century stained glass, the…

Centre Pompidou-Metz

Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, with a curved roof resembling a space-age Chinese hat, the architecturally innovative Centre Pompidou-Metz is…

Fort du Hackenberg

The largest single Maginot Line bastion in the Metz area was the 1000-man Fort du Hackenberg, whose 10km of galleries were designed to be self-sufficient…

Musée La Cour d’Or

Delve into the past at this trove of Gallo-Roman antiquities, hiding remnants of the city’s Roman baths and a statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis…

Quartier Impérial

The stately boulevards and bourgeois villas of the German Imperial Quarter, including rue Gambetta and av Foch, are the brainchild of Kaiser Wilhelm II…

Place de la Comédie

Bounded by one of the channels of the Moselle, this neoclassical square is home to the city’s 18th-century Théâtre, France’s oldest theatre still in use…

Chapelle des Templiers

Nearly always closed (enquire at the tourist office about guided tours that visit here), this octagonal, 13th-century chapel is the only one of its kind…

Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains

Originally built around AD380 as part of a Gallo-Roman spa complex, Église St-Pierre-aux-Nonnains is a fine example of a pre-medieval basilica, tracing…

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12 Top-Rated Attractions & Things to Do in Metz

Written by Lisa Alexander Updated Dec 26, 2023 We may earn a commission from affiliate links ( )

Author Lisa Alexander spent two years living in France and has traveled the country extensively.

Impressive monuments, a picturesque riverside setting, and atmospheric neighborhoods give Metz its special charm. Within the city's quaint historic center are narrow cobblestone lanes, lovely old buildings, and a magnificent Gothic cathedral.

Because of its exceptional cultural heritage, Metz has earned the title of "Ville d'Art et d'Histoire" (City of Art and History).

Visitors will enjoy wandering the ancient streets, discovering awe-inspiring historic churches, and admiring masterpieces of art at renowned museums.

After sightseeing at the essential tourist spots, travelers can change gears and experience the city like a local by shopping at trendy boutiques and unique shops, strolling through the leafy parks, and relaxing at sidewalk cafés.

Learn about the best things to do in and around the city with our list of the top attractions in Metz, France.

See also: Where to Stay in Metz

1. Cathédrale Saint-Etienne

2. centre pompidou-metz, 3. musée de la cour d'or, 4. porte des allemands, 5. opéra-théâtre de l'eurométropole de metz, 6. eglise saint-maximin, 7. eglise saint-pierre-aux-nonnains, 8. chapelle des templiers, 9. place saint-louis, 10. temple neuf, 11. esplanade, 12. avenue foch, where to stay in metz for sightseeing, day trips from metz, abbaye des prémontrés, château de pange, roman aqueduct.

A jewel of Gothic architecture, the Cathedral of Saint-Etienne soars high above the surrounding buildings of the Colline Sainte-Croix , the historic center of the city.

This splendid cathedral is one of the tallest Gothic buildings in Europe with a nave reaching 42 meters high, while its slender towers and delicate spires ascend even higher towards heaven. The cathedral was built between 1250 and 1380 on a unified plan, incorporating the earlier Church of Notre-Dame-la-Ronde.

The facade features beautiful reliefs, including the Portail de la Vierge (Doorway of the Virgin) created in 1240.

The interior of Metz's cathedral has an overwhelming effect, with its grandiose scale and marvelous stained-glass windows , which allow sunshine to brighten the sanctuary. Because it is so brilliantly illuminated, the cathedral is fondly called "The Lantern of God" (" La Lanterne du Bon Dieu ").

The cathedral has 6,500 square meters of colorful stained-glass windows, dating from the 13th to the 20th centuries. The 14th-century rose window on the west front and 16th-century windows in the choir and transepts are especially noteworthy.

Modern stained-glass windows (created by Jacques Villon in 1957) adorn the Chapelle du Saint-Sacrement . Abstract windows from the 1950s by Bissière grace the towers.

The cathedral also boasts three stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall in 1960 and a marble bishop's throne of the Merovingian period in the choir.

Address: Place d'Armes, Metz

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is the sister organization to one of the top museums in Paris .

Opened in 2010, this daring art museum presents masterpieces on loan from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which has a collection of 120,000 pieces. Representing a wide array of modern and contemporary art, the Centre Pompidou collection contains artworks created from 1905 to the present.

Designed in Surrealist architectural style, the Centre Pompidou-Metz is surrounded by gardens and has 10,700 square meters of exhibition space with expansive windows that allow in natural light.

Despite the association with the Paris museum, the museum in Metz is an independent organization, which offers its own programs (including music concerts, fashion shows, film screenings, and dance performances). Through its engaging exhibits, the museum encourages viewers to interpret and appreciate modern and contemporary art.

The museum is open every day year-round, except Tuesdays and May 1st. Guided tours, led by certified lecturers, are available.

Address: 1 Parvis des Droits-de-l'Homme, Metz

Official site: https://www.centrepompidou-metz.fr/en

This renowned museum is housed in La Cour d'Or, a building named after the legendary palace of Merovingian Kings, which once stood here.

This museum occupies several historic monuments: Gallo-Roman baths; the former Abbaye des Petits Carmes; a 15th-century granary; and the Eglise des Trinitaires, an elegant Baroque church that dates to 1720.

The collections include three main disciplines: antiquities, medieval art and history, and fine arts from the European schools.

An ancient building (thermal baths of the 2nd-century AD) houses the Collections Gallo-Romaines (Antiquities Collections), which are considered the best collections of their kind in northern France. Exhibits display statues, mosaics, and everyday objects from the Gallo-Roman city of Divodurum (present-day Metz).

The Collections M é di é vales (Medieval Collections) feature Merovingian tombs, religious art, and medieval treasures of the 11th century. A highlight of the collections is the chancel from the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, the church of Benedictine monastery that was founded in the 6th century.

The Collections Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Collections) include French, Dutch, German, and Flemish paintings from the 16th to 20th centuries, as well as artworks by Ecole de Metz painters. Masterpieces by Eugène Delacroix, John Singer Sargent, and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot are some of the highlights.

The Musée de la Cour d'Or is in the Colline Sainte-Croix quarter, the historic heart of Metz, where archaeological relics from as far back as the Bronze Age have been found. This enchanting hilltop quarter has many pleasant small squares, winding medieval streets, and elegant old mansions.

Address: 2 Rue du Haut Poirier, Metz

Official site: http://musee.metzmetropole.fr

Between the Boulevard Maginot and the Rue des Allemands stands the most emblematic site of Metz, the Porte des Allemands (which translates to "Door of the Germans"). The monument was named after the Teutonic Knights who had a hospital nearby.

The Porte des Allemands is the last relic of the town's medieval ramparts, which originally included fortified walls, gated entrance doors, and defense towers. From afar, it looks like castle standing above the Seille River.

The Porte des Allemands features two immense 13th-century towers and two 15th-century bastions, as well as a bridge that spans the Seille River. Between the two towers is a terrace designed to accommodate artillery.

It is easy to envision where the drawbridge of the Porte des Allemands once stood, allowing entry to visitors or preventing hostile invaders from attacking. For more than three centuries, the town's ancient walls successfully provided protection against aggression.

Today the Porte des Allemands is open to the public for visits, free of charge. Part of the structure has been converted into a walking path, which starts alongside the Seille River and continues for a short stroll (about 15 minutes) to the Pont des Grilles (bridge) at the Moselle River.

The surrounding area is also worth exploring. The Porte des Allemands is in the Quartier Outre-Seille , a medieval neighborhood with narrow cobblestone streets, interesting old churches, and artisan shops. The Rue Taison in particular has many locally owned boutiques.

One of the most exquisite theaters in France, the Opéra-Théâtre de l'Eurométropole de Metz is also the oldest working opera house in France.

Inaugurated in 1752, the building features Neoclassical architecture typical of the 18th century. The statues depicting the muses (on the rooftop balustrade) were made by the local sculptor Charles Pêtre in 1858.

The opulent auditorium, with its gilded balustrades, exemplifies an Italianate theater. Originally the theater had seating for more than 1,300 guests, however it now has 750 seats after an update in 1963.

Refurbished in 1982 with new velvet upholstery, the auditorium features garnet tones typical of Second Empire theaters. The intimate space offers perfect viewing from any seat.

A full calendar of opera, ballet, and theater performances is presented throughout the year. The program ranges from classical music to modern theater productions. A permanent staff of performing artists and artistic directors stage over a dozen different productions annually (from September through June).

The theater graces the Place de la Comédie , an 18th-century square enclosed by Neoclassical buildings, including the Basilique Saint-Vincent. The Saint-Vincent Church was founded in the 13th century but has a facade that dates from 1768 to 1786. This area, known as the Quartier des îles , is the quarter of Metz that consists of the islands of the Moselle River.

Continuing farther into the neighborhood offers a rewarding experience. Much of this neighborhood is surprisingly undiscovered by most tourists, with quiet narrow lanes that lead to beautiful old buildings and scenic canals.

Address: 4 - 5 Place de la Comédie, Metz

In the charming neighborhood of Quartier Outre-Seille , south of the Porte des Allemands, the Eglise Saint-Maximin is a truly special spiritual site. The simple exterior does not prepare visitors for the uncommon beauty of this breathtaking church, which dates back to the 12th century.

The stunning interior features 24 stained-glass windows made by Surrealist artist Jean Cocteau in the 1960s, which are considered masterpieces of creativity and craftsmanship. The whimsical pastel blue, green, pink, yellow, and lavender-hued windows flood the sanctuary with a brilliant glow, lending an ethereal ambience.

Cocteau had traveled extensively in Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, and these exotic places influenced his creative vision. The windows feature surprising religious motifs, as well as secular symbols such as doves, leaves, flowers, and geometric designs that are not typically found in a house of worship.

Address: 61 Rue Mazelle, Metz

The Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains is one of the oldest monuments in Metz. The original building was constructed in the 4th and 5th centuries, during the Gallo-Roman era, and used as a gathering place or as fitness rooms in a spa complex.

The building was later converted into a Benedictine abbey founded in the 7th century. In the 16th century, the church was incorporated into the town's defenses and served as a military warehouse.

Today, the Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church is an architectural reminder of more than 1,000 years of history. The church has been converted into a cultural center and offers an incomparable setting for music concerts and temporary exhibitions.

Tourists will also enjoy exploring the area around the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, the Quartier de la Citadelle neighborhood, which has many stately old buildings and pleasant green spaces.

Address: 1 Rue de la Citadelle, Metz

In Metz's Quartier de la Citadelle , the Chapelle des Templiers (Chapel of the Knights Templar) dates from the 12th century.

This unusual octagonal-shaped building is the only example of an octagonal chapel in the Lorraine region. Built from 1180 to 1220, this rare monument shows the transition between Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

The Chapelle des Templiers is found near the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains and is part of the Cité Musicale-Metz , which comprises several performance venues for music concerts.

Address: Rue de la Citadelle, Metz

At the historic center of Metz in the Colline Sainte-Croix quarter , this town square dates back to the Middle Ages and is evidence of Metz's prosperity in previous centuries.

With its atmospheric arcades and Renaissance merchants' houses, the Place Saint-Louis has a distinct old-world charm and is filled with things to do. The layout of the Place Saint-Louis resembles public squares in Italy.

The arcades of the Place Saint-Louis are filled with boutiques, restaurants, and cafés, making the square a center of activity during the day and a lively place to enjoy an evening meal. Some of the dining establishments use the square for outdoor seating when the weather is agreeable.

During the holiday season, the Place Saint-Louis becomes a venue for the Marché de Noël . In a lively setting with festive decorations, this traditional Christmas Market features artisans' stalls selling handcrafted items and special gourmet products. The Marché de Noël takes place from mid-November through December.

The Temple Neuf stands in the Jardin d'Amour (Garden of Love) at the end of the Place de la Comédie. The building is best viewed from the Quai Paul Vautrin . From this vantage point, the Temple Neuf is seen soaring above the island of Quartier des îles surrounded by the Moselle River.

When illuminated at night, the building is reflected in the river, offering a spectacular scene. The church was built from 1901 to 1904 in grey sandstone and contrasts with the Neoclassical architecture of the nearby Opéra-Théâtre .

The Romanesque Revival -style of the building was inspired by the cathedrals of Speyer and Worms in Germany's Rhineland region. The architectural elements give the chapel a medieval look, even though it was built in the 20th century.

Listed as a Historic Monument , the Temple Neuf continues to serve as a house of worship for the Protestant community. Religious services are held here year-round every Sunday morning from 10:30am until 12pm.

The Temple Neuf also hosts cultural events such as art expositions, concerts, and conferences.

Address: Place de la Comédie, Metz

One of the best places to visit in Metz for a moment of relaxation, the Esplanade provides refreshing scenery at the heart of the city. Leafy lime and chestnut trees, verdant lawns, and vibrant flowers give visitors the impression of being far from the urban bustle.

The park's wide pedestrian promenade invites leisurely strolls. From the Esplanade's terrace, there are sweeping views of the Moselle Valley and Saint-Quentin Mountain. Visitors can also admire 19th-century and 20th-century statues in various corners of the park.

In the Quartier de la Citadelle , the Esplanade is flanked by monumental buildings. On the north side is the 18th-century Palais de Justice (Law Courts). To the south is the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains . The Chapelle des Templiers is also nearby.

In the Quartier Impérial , the Avenue Foch showcases a striking mix of architectural styles. The avenue surprises visitors with its mishmash of classic French mansions, faux medieval castles, and eclectic Art Deco buildings.

The buildings were all created at the turn of the 20th century by architects who wanted to dabble in experimental styles. The result is an urban landscape that is unique in France and Europe.

Metz is a wonderful melange of different neighborhoods ( quartiers ), each with its own personality. The Colline Sainte-Croix is an enchanting medieval world of winding cobblestone streets, historic churches, and mansions. Tourists will appreciate the parks and cultural center in the Citadelle quarter . The area around Avenue Foch is convenient because there are many restaurants and shops nearby.

Luxury Hotels:

• Ideally situated in the Colline Sainte-Croix quarter near the cathedral, the Novotel Metz Centre offers both luxury and convenience. This four-star hotel features modern rooms, a trendy restaurant, fitness center, and swimming pool.
• The Hôtel La Citadelle Metz-MGallery is a four-star hotel in the Citadelle quarter near the Eglise Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains and the Cité Musicale-Metz. The hotel occupies a 16th-century military building, which has been renovated in sleek modern style with spacious guest rooms and a chic French bistro restaurant.

Mid-Range Hotels:

• In the Colline Sainte-Croix quarter, the three-star Hôtel de la Cathédrale occupies a converted 17th-century townhouse, just steps away from the cathedral and within walking distance of the Musée de la Cour d'Or. The hotel offers delightful guest rooms decorated in vintage style with modern amenities such as satellite television.
• On the tree-lined Place Saint-Thiébault, the Hôtel Mercure Metz Centre is an excellent choice near the Avenue Foch and close to the train station. This four-star hotel has minimalistic modern rooms and a gourmet restaurant. Amenities include 24-hour front desk and room service.
• Another hotel near the Avenue Foch and train station is the Hôtel Le Mondon . This good-value three-star hotel offers recently updated contemporary-style guest rooms. Amenities include a 24-hour front desk and a breakfast buffet.

Budget Hotels:

• On the Avenue Foch near many boutiques including a small artisanal bakery and a fancy pâtisserie shop, the ibis Styles Metz Centre Gare is an affordable choice that doesn't sacrifice style or comfort. The three-star hotel is in a renovated building of the Belle Époque era. Guest rooms feature plush bedding and flat-screen televisions. Accommodations include breakfast.
• The ibis budget Metz Technopole offers basic accommodations at a reasonable price. This two-star hotel has double rooms (with twin beds or double bed) and triple rooms (with a double bed plus a bunk bed). The location is a 15-minute drive outside the city center, but this hotel would be a suitable choice for students or anyone on a budget.

Hidden in the Forest of Coucy, this idyllic abbey was founded in 1121 as part of the Premonstratensian order , one of the great religious orders of the Middle Ages along with the Cistercians and Benedictines.

The abbey was rebuilt in the 18th century and classified as a Historic Monument in 1910. The exceptional architecture features special details, including spiral staircases, ornately decorated halls, and a harmonious cloister. The refectory with a vaulted ceiling exemplifies the beauty of 18th-century architecture.

Often used as a venue for weddings and conferences, the abbey has a three-star hotel that offers comfortable modern accommodations and breakfast. The Abbaye des Prémontrés is 30 minutes away from Metz or Nancy by car, and 90 minutes away from Paris by TGV train.

Address: Abbaye des Prémontrés, BP 125, 54705 Pont-à-Mousson

The Château de Pange was built in 1720 for the Marquis of Pange, Jean-Baptiste Thomas, who came from an aristocratic family of Lorraine. The descendants of this family still own the property. The family's exceptional heritage is on display in the castle's lavish reception rooms.

The château is open to the public for guided tours. It's also possible to just visit the château's park and gardens, which offer the opportunity for a stroll through lush scenery and harmonious landscaping. Entry to the château and gardens require separate tickets.

This elegant château is nestled in the countryside 15 kilometers from Metz.

Address: Château de Pange, 57350 Pange

This impressive ancient site is just a short drive (15 kilometers away) from Metz. The well-preserved remains of the 1,128-meter-long by 25-meter-high Roman aqueduct are evidence of the remarkable scale and design of a 2nd-century CE monument that once provided water for fountains and thermal baths to the Roman city of Divodurum (Metz).

Address: Jouy-aux-Arches, 57130

The little village of Sillegny (25 kilometers from Metz) has a lovely church that is well worth a detour for those traveling by car. The Eglise Saint-Martin is famous for its medieval frescoes that were created in the 16th century.

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

The Beautiful Lorraine Region: The unspoiled countryside of the Lorraine region is dotted with beautiful historic towns. A must-see destination is Nancy (a 50-minute drive or train ride from Metz) with its elegant UNESCO-listed squares and top-notch art museums. Another worthwhile detour is Toul (a one-hour drive away), which boasts a marvelous Gothic cathedral built in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Quaint Villages and Historic Towns of Alsace : Another picturesque rural area nearby is the Alsace region with charming historic towns such as Colmar (a two-hour train ride). The most important city in Alsace is Strasbourg (a 90-minute train ride), which boasts a magnificent cathedral and atmospheric neighborhoods that date back to the medieval era.

Luxembourg and Germany: Luxembourg City in Luxembourg is less than a one-hour drive or a 45-minute TGV train ride from Metz. With its UNESCO-listed Old Quarter and lovely gardens, Luxembourg City is one of the most appealing cities in Europe. For those who'd like to explore some of the highlights of Germany , the town of Mainz in Germany's Rhine Valley is brimming with cultural attractions , including ancient churches and interesting museums.

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A Blog About Life & Travel in France

Is Metz Worth Visiting? Things to Do and Reasons to Visit

• By Jen Ciesielski
• Updated: 6 February 2024
• 25 May 2023

Are you wondering if Metz is worth visiting?

As someone who has lived in France for years and traveled extensively throughout the country, I can confidently say that Metz is worth it. From jaw-dropping cathedrals to indulgent cuisine, this overlooked city has something for everyone.

So, if you’re debating a trip to Metz, this guide will help you make your decision. I’m going to share with you the best things to do, top attractions to visit, as well as some insider tips. And, by the end of this article, I can guarantee you’ll be adding Metz to your France itinerary.

Please note : This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase by clicking on a link (at no extra cost to you). Privacy Policy .

Table of Contents

Is metz worth visiting, 22 amazing things to do in metz, best time to visit metz, getting to metz, best hotels in metz, best restaurants in metz, faqs about visiting metz, conclusion: is metz worth visiting.

Yes, Metz is definitely worth visiting!

This small city in northeastern France sits in the shadows of more popular destinations like Paris, Strasbourg, and Reims. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see visitors jet from Paris to spend a day in Luxembourg without ever giving Metz a look.

But with so many things to see and do, it’s a great place to visit if you’ve never been before.

Throughout its history, Metz has been at the center of conflict between Germany and France. It danced from one country to the other, finally settling in France at the end of the Second World War.

Today, Metz borders three countries (Germany, France, and Luxembourg), so you’ll find a fascinating mix of cultures here. And with attractions like the Metz Cathedral and the Centre Pompidou-Metz, you’ll no doubt have an amazing trip!

There’s no shortage of amazing things to do in Metz.

Here’s a look at Metz’s top 22 tourist attractions and things that I recommend you do while you’re here. There are even a few off-the-beaten-path gems that only locals know about!

1. Marvel at the Temple Neuf

Surrounded by the lush Jardin d’Amour is one of the most beautiful churches in Metz, Temple Neuf. It was built in the early 1900s in a Romanesque Revival style of architecture. And despite its beauty, it was criticized heavily.

For the most spectacular view of this masterpiece head to the Moyen Pont.

Address : Place de la Comédie

2. Visit Centre Pompidou-Metz

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is a modern and contemporary art museum that is part of the renowned Centre Pompidou in Paris. It has become one of the most important art hubs in France, with a gigantic exhibition space.

But that’s not all.

It hosts up to four temporary exhibitions every year. They are entirely unique, and you won’t find them anywhere else in the world. So, make sure to check the events page to see what’s on display.

Needless to say, it’s a must-visit if you’re in town for the day .

Address : 1 Parv. des Droits de l’Homme

3. Admire the Cathédrale de Metz

One of the best things to do in Metz is to visit the Cathédrale de Metz. Alone it stands as a testament to the city’s rich history and is among the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It’s also one of the top churches to visit in France !

From its intricate carvings to its stained-glass windows, it’s easy to see why it took 300 years to build. But that’s not all. Its nave is the third tallest in France and it houses the largest Gothic windows in Europe.

Useful Tip : The Metz Cathedral is often referred to as Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz .

Address : Place d’Armes

4. Appreciate the Porte des Allemands

The imposing Porte des Allemands is a striking structure that has stood in the east of Metz since the 13th century. As a fortified gateway, it once served as a bridge over the Seille River and remains the most significant relic of the medieval ramparts.

You can tour the entire fortress and climb its tower. It’s remarkably intact, and, as a bonus, admission is free!

Useful Tip : There is a small walkway that goes behind the gate. This was my favorite spot to take in the views of this magnificent structure.

Address : Boulevard André Maginot

5. Wonder at Torii Japonais

Located at the edge of Plan d’Eau de Metz is the striking Torii Japonais. Made of wood and painted in bright red, this replica is one of the most unique things to see in town.

It was commissioned for an exhibition about Japan in the 1980s and has since become a popular tourist attraction.

In Japan, Torri gates are found at the entrance to Shinto shrines . And they act as a boundary between two different worlds, one physical and one spiritual. It’s customary to pass through it in both directions. And while you can’t walk through the one in Metz, you can marvel at its beauty and surroundings.

6.  Check out the Maison de l’Éclusier

The historical Maison de l’Éclusier dates to the 19th century. It’s surrounded by small canals from the Moselle River, completely isolating it. Its half-timbered frame is quite unique. And it resembles architecture that is commonly found in Alsatian villages .

It was once owned by a government agency called Voies Navigables de France (VNF), but is, now, abandoned.

Needless to say, there’s a very eerie feeling here. And even though you can’t enter the house, you can visit the grounds.

Address : Quai des Régates

7. Discover Metz’s Street Art

Metz is an amazing place to explore the world of street art. There are several different styles here, ranging from graffiti to more experimental paintings. You can find unique pieces throughout the city.

The most famous is the Mur d’Expression Libre et Artistique where artists can paint without restrictions. But my favorite was the unnamed design at the corner of Rue Holandre Piquemal and Rue Belle-Isle. Its 3D feature pulls you into the painting, creating an engaging experience.

Address : Mur d’Expression Libre et Artistique – 4B Bd Saint-Symphorien

8. Visit the Palais du Gouverneur Militaire

The Governor’s Palace is a fine example of Neo-Renaissance architecture. In fact, it’s one of the most impressive in Metz.

Located at the site of an old citadel, this palace was commissioned by the emperor in 1890. He wanted a place of residence for the commander of the XVI Corps Army, General Stoetzer.

The building itself is breathtaking and sumptuous, with intricate features and detail. You’ll no doubt be left in awe. And while you can’t tour the inside, you can stroll around its beautiful grounds and admire it from afar.

Address : 9 Rue de la Citadelle

9. Gander at the Gare de Metz-Ville

The Gare de Metz-Ville is a historic railway station located in the Imperial Quarter of Metz. After Metz was annexed to the German Empire, Emperor Wilhelm II sought to transform the city. And Gare de Metz-Ville was at the center of his campaign.

Today, the station is still functioning and serves both regional and high-speed TGV trains.

Address : 1 Rue Lafayette

10. Visit the Porte Serpenoise

The Porte Serpenoise is a triumphal arch that has stood as the southern boundary marker for centuries. Originally serving as an outlook, it was later integrated into the ramparts. It was then redesigned by German authorities in the 19th century.

After the ramparts were demolished, the gate was transformed into the arch you see today. It, now, serves to enhance the beauty of the area and provides a pleasant escape from the busy city center.

Address : Avenue Robert Schuman

11. Stop by the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains

Believe it or not but this unsuspecting church is one of the oldest in Europe!

Its history dates to the 4th century when Metz was a thriving city under the Romain Empire.

And since then, it has served several roles including a public bathhouse and a warehouse. It was restored in the 1970s and, today, it hosts events and concerts throughout the year.

While the history of the basilica is quite impressive, its architecture does not compare with the other cathedrals in Metz. I recommend stopping by but then visiting the adjacent gardens. They are some of the most beautiful in town!

Address : 1 Rue de la Citadelle

12. Relax in Jardin de l’Esplanade de Metz

The Jardin de l’Esplanade de Metz is a lush garden overlooking the Moselle River valley. Here you’ll find a wide array of colorful flora as well as sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries. Then, benches are placed around the edges, making it perfect for anyone looking for a peaceful spot.

It’s a green oasis in the middle of an otherwise busy city center.

13. Visit Chapelle des Templiers

Chapelle des Templiers was once part of a large group of buildings that served as both a farm and a monastery. It took nearly 40 years to build. When it was finally finished in 1220, the style stood out and contained a unique mix of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Today, this small chapel is all that remains, and it’s the only circular church of its kind in Lorraine.

Needless to say, it’s unique.

Address : 3 Bis Rue de la Citadelle

14. Peruse Lac des Cygnes

Step into a world of romance and wonder at Metz’s Lac aux Cygnes, where the walls of the ancient citadel still stand. Take a stroll along the treelined walkway that borders the lake. Or if you’re visiting in summer, enjoy the light and water show.

It’s a captivating experience that is the perfect addition to any itinerary!

Address : 3 Quai des Régates

15. Take in the View from Tour des Vignerons

Overlooking the Lac des Cygnes is one of the most unsuspecting spots in Metz, the Tour des Vigerons. From the adjacent boulevard, a hidden staircase leads to a terrace where you’ll have a stunning panorama. On a clear day, you can see the infamous Tour du Temple de La Garnison de Metz and the surrounding area.

It’s easy to miss this attraction so be sure to have something like Google Maps or Maps.me on your phone .

16. Take in the View of the Jardin des Thermes

Hidden in one of the many canals of the Moselle River lies an unsuspecting gem, the Jardin des Thermes. You won’t find anything more than a few benches and a tiny green space here.

So, why bother visiting?

The view from the Pont Saint-Georges (Saint-Georges Bridge) is spectacular, that’s why.

I was in the area and when I stumbled on this viewpoint, I knew I needed to share it with my readers.

Address : 4 Place Valladier

17. Explore the Musée de la Cour d’Or

Metz is home to several world-class museums, one of them being the Musée de la Cour d’Or. Like the infamous Palais Rohan in Strasbourg , this museum is actually three museums.

There’s an archaeological museum that showcases exhibitions on Gallo-Romain and medieval art.

Then, there is the architectural museum that houses some fascinating pieces. My favorite was the Roman thermal complex. It’s almost completely intact!

And finally, there is the fine arts museum that contains pieces dating to the 17th century.

Admission is free, making it all that more enticing to visit!

Address : 2 Rue du Haut Poirier

18. Visit the Tour du Temple de La Garnison de Metz

The Tour du Temple de La Garnison de Metz is the last remaining tower of a once prominent Protestant church. It was built between 1875 and 1881 for two reasons. The first was an attempt to introduce more German-like buildings in Metz. And the second was to provide a place of worship for German soldiers.

It’s styled with several neo-Gothic elements and stands at an impressive 97 meters (318 feet). And believe it or not but it’s taller than the Metz Cathedral!

Today, the Tour du Temple de La Garnison de Metz is a popular tourist spot, offering a fascinating look into Metz’s cultural heritage. While you can’t enter the tower, it’s worth seeing this masterpiece up close.

Address : Corner of Rue Belle-Isle and Rue de la Piscine

19. Shop at the Metz Covered Market

The Metz Covered Market is a must-visit for anyone who loves touring French markets. It’s something I do in every French city I visit !

Here you’ll find tons of different vendors selling a variety of things. From local produce to fresh fish, you’re sure to find something interesting. There’s even a sandwich stand and a bakery so you can grab something on the go.

It’s also the perfect place to check out Metz’s culture. After all, this is where most locals come to do their grocery shopping!

Address : 15 Rue d’Estrées

20. Try Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine is an iconic French dish originating in the region of Lorraine, which includes Metz. If you’re looking to sample the local flavor, then you’re in the right town . It’s a savory egg custard tart made with a flaky crust and filled with bacon, onions, and cheese. And, while it might sound simple, this traditional dish is bursting with flavor.

Given its popularity, you can find it in any restaurant in town, but I recommend going to Chez Mauricette. It’s located in the Metz Covered Market, so spots fill up fast.

I was able to get a table without a reservation, but if you want to guarantee a spot you should book in advance.

21. Visit the Église Saint-Maximin de Metz

Église Saint-Maximin de Metz is a small church most known for its exquisite powder blue stained-glass windows. They were designed by Jean Cocteau in the 1960s, centuries after the church was built.

The sun shines through the window, creating a blue hue throughout the church. And when you enter, your eyes are immediately drawn to them. It’s a serene, tranquil setting that will leave you in awe.

And, since it’s off the standard tourist path, you’ll have the place to yourself!

Address : 65 Rue Mazelle

22. Go for a Stroll in Jardins Jean-Marie Pelt – Parc de la Seille

Metz boasts several parks and gardens. One of my favorites was the Jardins Jean-Marie Pelt – Parc de la Seille.

This ecological park is full of outdoor activities and a great place to spend the afternoon. From bike paths and basketball courts to ping pong tables, you won’t get bored here. I enjoyed strolling along the winding paths and taking in the beautiful views.

And don’t forget to visit the Tremblement de Ciel. This golden statue was only recently installed and represents the flame of freedom. If you visit before sunset, the sun’s rays reflect off its surface, resembling a flame.

Address : Rue Louis le Débonnaire

While you can visit Metz year-round, there are certain seasons that are better than others.

Summer (June – August) – Summer is one of the best times to visit Metz. The weather is perfect, which makes exploring the outdoor attractions more enjoyable. Towards the end of July and the beginning of August, there can be an overwhelming number of tourists. So, make sure to book your accommodation in advance if you plan on visiting during this time.

Spring (April – May) – This is a shoulder season for Metz. Temperatures are mild, but it also rains a lot. Prices are lower and with so few tourists, you’ll have the place to yourself.

Fall (September – November) – Fall is another fantastic time to visit Metz. The weather is perfect, and the summer crowds have left. Then, if you visit in late October, you’ll get to see the beautiful fall foliage.

Winter (December – March) – The weather is bleak and cold. There are more cloudy days than sunny ones. But, if you’re visiting in December, you’ll experience the Christmas market.

Since Metz is so well-located, there are several ways to get there. But it’s easiest to travel from Paris.  Below I’ll cover the different travel options that are available.

The most common way to visit Metz is on a day trip from Paris or as part of an eastern France road trip .

Trains from Paris to Metz take one and a half hours. This is the cheapest and most convenient option.

Book and Purchase your Train Tickets here ➔

Driving from Paris to Metz will give you the most control over your itinerary. You’ll have the freedom to travel at your own pace and even visit off-the-beaten-path spots.

• Distance : 331 kilometers (205 miles)
• Driving Time : 3 hours 40 minutes

Get the Best Car Rental Rates here ➔

There is no shortage of fantastic places to stay in Metz. So, I’ve put together a list of the best hotels to help you plan your trip.

• La Citadelle Metz MGallery – Beautiful rooms with fantastic views of the adjacent park. The restaurant is also amazing!
• Hôtel de la Cathédrale Metz – The best location in town, right next to the Metz Cathedral.
• Hotel de Fouquet – Chambres d’hôtes – Gorgeous rooms with a delicious breakfast. The staff is also helpful and friendly.

The traditional cuisine is quite hearty but that’s not all there is. Here’s a list of the best restaurants in Metz.

• La Fleure de Ly – French gastronomy at its finest. If you want to guarantee a table, be sure to book in advance.
• Les Pas Sages – Affordable, freshly made dishes that are nothing short of tantalizing. The staff is also very friendly.
• Restaurant Le Paris – A traditional French restaurant that is perfect for anyone looking to try some local cuisine.

How many days do you need in Metz?

You can see all the main sights in Metz in one day. But, if you want to take your time and really explore the city, two or three days is ideal.

What is special about Metz France?

Metz is a beautiful and historic city with lots to offer. It is known for its impressive cathedrals, beautiful parks, and magnificent architecture. Additionally, it has several cultural attractions including the Centre Pompidou-Metz.

How do you get around Metz France?

The best way to get around Metz is by walking or biking. Most attractions are within walking distance, so it’s very easy to get around. But there is also an efficient public transportation system with buses running throughout the town.

Metz is a stunningly beautiful city with a ton of things to see and do. From the impressive Metz Cathedral to the enthralling Centre Pompidou-Metz, you won’t get bored here. It’s perfect for anyone who wants a mix of outdoor activities and sightseeing. So, if you haven’t visited before, now’s the perfect time to experience all that Metz has to offer!

Read More Articles About France

I hope you enjoyed my post about whether Metz is worth visiting and found it useful. Here are some other articles that I think you might enjoy.

• 17 Amazing Things to Do in Verdun, France
• One Day in Reims – The Perfect Itinerary

Jen Ciesielski

Jen Ciesielski is the creator of Dabbling in Jet Lag. She has lived abroad for over ten years, traveled to more than 50 countries, and speaks French and English fluently. Her areas of expertise include moving abroad, learning languages, and travel planning. Originally from the United States, she now lives in France, where she has been for more than six years. She has also traveled extensively around the country. She shares her experiences as an expat living in France and helps thousands of people plan their trips every month.

Metz travel guide

Visit Metz (Grand-Est, France)

Metz is a large town in north-east France, to the south of Luxembourg and north of Nancy :  it is the prefecture town for the Moselle department. The border between France and Germany is a short distance to the east.

Metz is an important regional centre with a substantial number of historic monuments and sites. The town has artefacts dating back to the roman era and is best known for its large open squares lined with 18th century townhouses, its impressive cathedral and other religious monuments, and its museums.

Explore Metz

A visit to Metz begins with the Cathedral of Saint-Etienne, a beautiful Gothic-style church. Construction of the cathedral started around 1250, based around a pre-existing Romanesque church, and the project was completed in 1522. The façade was rebuilt in 1903.

Despite the long construction period the cathedral of Saint-Etienne is a successful blending of many different arts, styles of architecture, sculptors and glass-making. The interior of the cathedral measures 123 meters long by 42 metres  high (it is one of the tallest cathedrals in France).

The stained glass-windows at Metz cathedral are well known throughout the world and date from various periods (14th-20th century). The most recent are the works by Jacques Villon (1957) and Marc Chagall (1960-71).

Other religious monuments in Metz include the church of St.-Pierre-de-la Citadelle (built between the 10th-15th century on a pre-existing 7th century structure) with the chapel of the Templars, a small building of Gothic octagonal plan (XII century). The church of Saint-Maximin is best known for its blue windows designed by Jean Cocteau and is one of the main attractions in the city.

Other churches you will see as you explore Metz include the churches of Saint-Martin (12th-15th century) and Saint-Vincent (13th century with additions and alterations in the 18th century), and the churches of Carmine, Assumption (17th - 18th century) and St. Pierre-aux-Nonnais, built on a complex of ancient Gallo-Roman baths that were converted during the seventh century into a Christian church.

The Temple Neuf, built in the early 20th century, stands on a picturesque island in the Moselle river and is best seen from the Pont Moyen.

Other places to visit in Metz

As well as the large squares such as the Place de la Comédie and the Place Saint-Louis with their grand medieval townhouses, Metz also has a substantial historic centre in the surrounding narrow streets. Among other highlights you can see the Recollets cloisters and the Porte des Allemands. The 16th century Maison des Tetes has interesting carvings incorporated in its facade.

A large part of the original ramparts of the town are still intact and there is a walk that follows these for more than a kilometre.

One unusual building is Metz railway station, with sculpted panels depicting warriors, peasants and scenes of everyday life. Next to the railway station the 'Centre Pompidou-Metz' is a centre for contemporary art that features an annual exhibition by such prestigious artists as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, George Braque, René Magritte, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol.

Naturalists will also want to visit the Jardin Botanique, with 80 different varieties of roses, herbs, flowers of every hue and fragrance, in addition to palms, and high trees such as the 140 years old sequoia tree.

In Rue du Haut Poitier you can visit the important Musée La Cour d'Or, a museum with valuable collections of Roman and Medieval art (ancient baths, carved funerary steles, various objects of daily use and tombs of Merovingian kings). In the painting section there are works by J.B. Camille Corot (1796-1875), Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) , Gustave Moreau (1826-1898) and some painters of the 'School of Metz'.

There are many cultural initiatives in Metz, such as the 'Book Day', and the Music Festival. In September the cultural life of Metz comes alive with some theatrical performances, music and dances. One site of cultural interest in the city centre, in the Place de la Comedie, is the ancient Theatre (18ème century), known for its music and choreography, which attracts enthusiasts from across Europe.

Explore elsewhere in the North East France . You can find more travel ideas in the Lorraine guide .

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The medieval centre in the fortified village of Rodemack make it one of the most beautiful villages in the Lorraine region

The centre of Nancy around Place Stanislaus is impressive enough to be classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Longwy has important Vauban fortifications to visit

Tourist classifications for Metz

Metz has received the following tourist classifications: historical protected town centre' (secteur sauvegardé); village in bloom (ville fleurie) 4*

Address: Metz, Metz-Ville, Lorraine, 57000, France || GPS coordinates: latitude 49.1203, longitude 6.1778

Plan your visit to Metz, Moselle

Sightseeing & tourist attractions to visit nearby.

• Parc du château de Pange: remarkable garden (13 km)
• Parc zoologique d'Amnéville: zoo or wildlife park (14 km)
• Rombas: ville fleurie 4* (16 km)
• Lorraine: regional natural parc (27 km)
• Nancy : secteur sauvegarde (46 km)
• Foret de la Reine: site of natural beauty (47 km)
• Muséum-aquarium de Nancy: aquarium (47 km)
• Jardin Alexandre-Godron: remarkable garden (47 km)
• Place Stanislas, Nancy : heritage site (47 km)
• Parc Sainte-Marie: remarkable garden (49 km)
• Toul: recommended detour (54 km)
• Longwy ville neuve (Vauban fortifications): heritage site (54 km)

Market days in Metz, France

Regular market(s) are held in Metz each Wednesday & Tuesday & Thursday & Saturday & Friday. (Markets are held in the morning unless stated.)

The French version of this page is at Metz (Francais)

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Top 10 guide to Metz

W hen the dazzling new Centre Pompidou-Metz museum opens its doors on 12 May, this little-known city in the north-east of France will suddenly become a hot new weekend destination. Only an 80-minute TGV ride out of Paris, Metz is a friendly, utterly untouristy place , not at all geared up for the arrival of visitors from around the world. But like Lille, which was suddenly "discovered" when it became European Capital of Culture, Metz is something of a hidden secret, with a host of great bistrots and gourmet restaurants, bars and clubs, shopping and markets.

1. Hotel de la Cathedrale

This is the ideal place to base yourself, perfectly located opposite the landmark 13th-century Gothic cathedral. It's a friendly rabbit's warren of rooms all decorated with vintage pieces and bric-a-brac from the city's twice-monthly antiques fair. Locals haven't yet jumped on the bandwagon of cashing in by opening chic B&Bs (apart from a fun houseboat ), but frankly the rates at the Cathedrale could not be more reasonably priced. For wine lovers, there is an excellent bar à vin just next door, the Strapontin. 25 place du Chambre, tel: +3 3(0)38 77 50002, hotelcathedrale-metz.fr ; doubles from €58 (£52).

2. Cafe Mathis

This typically French bistrot is one of the most popular hangouts in town and the ideal place to immerse yourself in Metz local life - whether you pop in for café and croissants at the bar, a hearty plat du jour at lunchtime or early evening aperitifs. There are always animated discussions going on, and don't be surprised if you get pulled into the conversation, as tourists are still a relative rarity. In summer, the owners also take over a sunny garden up the road, in front of the mansion where François Rabelais once lived, staging concerts, theatre and poetry readings. 72 en Fournirue, +33 (0)38 71 89467.

3. Chez Mauricette

Right next to the cathedral, the Marche Couvert is one of the oldest, most grandiose covered markets in France. It was originally built in 1785 as the palace for the Bishop of Metz. Sadly for him, the French Revolution broke out before he could move in and afterwards the citizens decided to turn it into their food market.

The fiesty Madame Mauricette is a well-known Metz personality. The half-a-dozen tables outside her market stand are an institution for sampling delicacies from the surrounding Lorraine region. A copious "assiette" of regional products costs €5-7 and includes pate with Mirabelle plums, saucisson, cured ham, pork brawn, local cheeses and a fresh salad. Next door is the equally genial Le Temps, des Soupes , where another character, Patrick Grumberg, serves a choice of 20 different homemade soups every day. Marche Couvert, place Jean-Paul II, +33 (0)38 73 63769, chezmauricette.eu .

4. Rue des Jardins

Metz is not exactly a shopping paradise, but the quaint Rue des Jardins, in the heart of the old medieval city, is worth checking out. There are a couple of bargain antique shops, and Gibus (N°5) is a hip vintage store specialising in handbags, other accessories and 1960's and 70's items collected from all over Europe by owners Karine and Pierre. Across the road, the newly opened Except (N°20) is a split-level concept store that combines the clubbing clothes of local design label 3dx, a futuristic coffee bar, interior design, and changing exhibitions showcasing young artists.

5. Claude Bourguignon

The Lorraine region is famed for its sweet mirabelle plums and no visit is complete without tasting the famous "tarte aux mirabelles". There seems to be a patisserie on every street corner, the windows filled with tempting cakes, meringues, eclairs, macarrons, gateaux au chocolat and the odd-looking "kugelhopf" from nearby Alsace. But the one to track down is Claude Bourguignon, who has a quiet salon in the back where you can indulge in a calorific afternoon tea, or savour the other local speciality, a Quiche Lorraine, which strictly follows the traditional recipe of cooking with eggs, mild and smoked bacon, but never adds cheese. 31 rue de la Tete d'Or, +33 (0)387752352.

6. Le Pop White

Ask any local where people meet in the early evening for an "apero" and the unanimous reply will be the place Saint Jacques. This charming square by the cathedral quickly gets filled with a dozen different bar terraces as soon as it's warm enough to sit outside. A popular rendezvous for students is Cafe des Arts, but Metz now has Le Pop White, its very own cool lounge bar that could just as easily be in Barcelona, Berlin, or, of course, Paris. While local fashionistas make sure they're seen here sipping exotic cocktails, there is also a bar upstairs that livens up later at night when it turns into a clubbing venue. 4 place Saint Jacques, +33 (0)38 73 50646.

7. Le Magasin aux Vives

There are a host of gourmet restaurants in Metz, but this stands out from the rest. Christophe Dufosse, the only chef in town to have a Michelin star, succeeds in highlighting local products while inventing original, creative recipes. His daring quiche lorraine is a "deconstruction" with all the ingredients presented separately; in a creamy risotto he uses pungent black truffles found in the surrounding countryside. The vineyards of the Moselle and the local Gris de Toul are well represented on an extensive wine list. The restaurant is part of a vast 16th-century military citadel that Christophe and his wife Delphine have renovated into a four-star hotel. Plush but reasonably priced (from €185 for a double), it's bound to become a favourite address for art lovers drawn here by the new Pompidou. 5 avenue Ney, +33 (0)38 71 71717, citadelle-metz.com .

8. Les Trinitaires

Hidden away on the St Croix hill that overlooks the town centre, this multi-media arts complex is housed in an ancient convent, whose vaulted cellar and chapel have been the city's prime venue for concerts by jazz greats like Sonny Rollins and Archie Shepp for over 45 years. In summer, the cloisters are converted into an open-air stage, while a new pop art bar is open every evening. Just across from the entrance to Les Trinitaires is another popular venue, the Cafe Jehanne d'Arc, which showcases local bands most evenings, often performing free of charge. 12 rue des Trinitaires, +33 (0)38 72 00303, lestrinitaires.com .

9. Bar Le Flamenco

Delightfully louche and sleazy, with table football (or baby-foot as it's called here) and live rock and punk bands at the weekend. The drinks are cheap too - cocktails €3-5 and a baron (Metz's term for a pint) is only €3, probably the lowest price in town. It's open till the early hours if there's a crowd. Nearby, L'Emile vache (77 rue des Allemands), exhibits eccentric artists and is a concert venue for eclectic music like Luxembourg hip-hop, Metz electro and rockabilly, plus punk bands from across the nearby German border. 4 rue Mazelle.

10. Bar Latino

A pulsating salsa club is the last thing you'd expect to discover in sleepy Metz, but turn up at Bar Latino after midnight at the weekend and the dancefloor is jammed with a couple of hundred clubbers. The barmen mix €5 mojito and caipirinha cocktails, while the DJ mixes Cuban, Columbian and Mexican tracks. The night doesn't end here either, as just down road is Tiffany , a cavernous disco that blasts out house and techno, ragga and R'n'B till 6am. 22 rue Dupont des Loges, +33 (0)38 77 57257, barlatino.fr .

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City Pass Metz Eurométropole

An essential way to explore Metz: the City Pass! Enjoy discounts to visit our unmissable sites... It would be a shame to miss out!

Buy the City pass on the online store

City Pass card 2023 includes:

• 1 guide or audioguide tour of Metz  (in F, D, GB, NL, IT, SP)
• 1 entry into Centre Pompidou-Metz
• 1 Visi Pass’ ticket for unlimited travel on the LE MET’ network for 1 day

+ discounts to enjoy Metz at a lower price: leisure activities, shopping, shows, tastings and gastronomy... (period of validity depending on sites)

+ 5 to 10% reduction on all products from the Inspire Metz - Tourist Office agency shop (excluding stamps, additional LE MET' tickets, Meisenthal Christmas balls, ticket office)

City Pass price 2024: €16

For an optimal experience, a mobile application is available. It allows you to:

- consult all the proposed activities - select the desired activities - follow the use of your City Pass (activities consumed, date of validity, etc.) - geolocate the activities offered in the City Pass

Metz City Pass for iOS

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The City Pass card is valid until the 31st December.    You can make great savings with the City Pass!

Suggestion: discover the Cour d´Or Museum - Metz Eurométropole (free entry)

Price guide (indicatives):  

• Entrance to Centre Pompidou-Metz: from €7
• 1 Visi Pass’ ticket: 4€
• Audioguide tour of Metz: from €10

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Automatic Refunds and No More Hidden Fees: D.O.T. Sets New Rules for Airlines

The Transportation Department issued new requirements on refunds when flights are canceled or delayed and on revealing “junk” fees before booking. Here’s what passengers can expect.

By Christine Chung

The Transportation Department on Wednesday announced new rules taking aim at two of the most difficult and annoying issues in air travel: obtaining refunds and encountering surprise fees late in the booking process.

“Passengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing and should get their money back when an airline owes them — without having to ask,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement, adding that the changes would not only save passengers “time and money,” but also prevent headaches.

The department’s new rules, Mr. Buttigieg said, will hold airlines to clear and consistent standards when they cancel, delay or substantially change flights, and require automatic refunds to be issued within weeks. They will also require them to reveal all fees before a ticket is purchased.

Airlines for America , a trade group representing the country’s largest air carriers, said in a statement that its airlines “abide by and frequently exceed” D.O.T. consumer protection regulations.

Passenger advocates welcomed the new steps.

Tomasz Pawliszyn, the chief executive of AirHelp, a Berlin-based company that assists passengers with airline claims, called it a “massive step forward and huge improvement in consumer rights and protection” that brings the United States closer to global standards in passenger rights.

Here’s what we know about the D.O.T.’s new rules, which will begin to go into effect in October.

There’s now one definition for a “significant” delay.

Until now, airlines have been allowed to set their own definition for a “significant” delay and compensation has varied by carrier . Now, according to the D.O.T., there will be one standard: when departure or arrival is delayed by three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights.

Passengers will get prompt refunds for cancellations or significant changes for flights and delayed bags, for any reason.

When things go wrong, getting compensation from an airline has often required establishing a cumbersome paper trail or spending untold hours on the phone. Under the new rules, refunds will be automatic, without passengers having to request them. Refunds will be made in full, excepting the value of any transportation already used. Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in the original form of payment, whether by cash, credit card or airline miles. Refunds are due within seven days for credit card purchases and within 20 days for other payments.

Passengers with other flight disruptions, such as being downgraded to a lower service class, are also entitled to refunds.

The list of significant changes for which passengers can get their money back also includes: departure or arrival from an airport different from the one booked; connections at different airports or flights on planes that are less accessible to a person with a disability; an increase in the number of scheduled connections. Also, passengers who pay for services like Wi-Fi or seat selection that are then unavailable will be refunded any fees.

Airlines must give travel vouchers or credits to ticketed passengers unable to fly because of government restrictions or a doctor’s orders.

The vouchers or credits will be transferable and can be used for at least five years after the date they were issued.

Fees for checked baggage and modifying a reservation must be disclosed upfront.

Airlines and ticket agents are now required to display any extra fees for things like checking bags or seat selection clearly and individually before a ticket purchase. They will also need to outline the airline’s policies on baggage, cancellations and changing flights before a customer purchases a ticket.

The rules, which apply to all flights on domestic airlines and flights to and from the United States operated by foreign airlines, have varying start dates.

For example, automatic refunds must be instituted by the airlines within six months. But carriers have a year before they’re required to issue travel vouchers and credits for passengers advised by a medical professional not to fly.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Christine Chung is a Times reporter covering airlines and consumer travel. More about Christine Chung

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Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

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The blogger turned uhnw travel agent.

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Tom Cahalan in St Barths recently

Today’s top private travel agents spend months on the road, road-testing trips or meeting property-owners and hoteliers at conferences, including the International Luxury Travel Market events. For clients who want to be the first to check-in, they have to keep ahead of new openings - and when to drop a property that has lost its magic. Some charge membership fees, none of them advertise. If they have websites, they contain almost no information on them. But if you can find one that will take you on, they will deploy infinite amounts of personal charm to get you into the world's most desirable hotel suites and villas.

Some work for just one family, others for a handful of clients. London-based Earth states on its website that membership is ‘currently restricted to recommendations from existing clients or by invitation’. I know of one who was fought over in a divorce settlement. (The wife won.)

According to Deloitte last year, the luxury market - already worth $1.3 trillion - is set to grow by 7.6 % until 2030. While the concept of private travel agents started with Bill Fischer in the 1970s, their numbers are expanding fast.

And the career path? Often, it's completely unorthodox. For those on the U.S. West Coast, a stint in the entertainment industry is often a springboard. In some dynasties, it can be a keen grandchild who starts organizing travel for the family. In Europe, particularly Britain, private agents often start in high-end tour operators including Cazenove & Loyd and Black Tomato . However, no private travel agent has made the leap that Tom Cahalan has. After creating a highly successful ecommerce site for clothing retailers in 2013, he started blogging about his holidays. Paying his own way, his pithy critiques became cult reading in the hospitality industry. Interest in the blog posts led Cahalan to set up Dorsia Travel (named after the fictional restaurant in American Psycho where it’s impossible to get a reservation) in 2017 with his wife Lucie.

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Let’s start with the blog. Why did you set it up? The Good, The Bad And The Luxurious was just a hobby at first and nobody knew anything about me so I enjoyed being brutally honest.Then I started to gain a following perhaps because there were so few platforms back then where the reviewer was remaining totally anonymous and paying their own way.

Soneva Jani in the Maldives

You always paid for your stays.

I’m glad I’m not beholden to anyone. I don’t want to write mean things for no good reason, but people pay lots of money to stay in these hotels so sharing honest feedback with readers and Dorsia Travel’s clients are always my priority. It isn’t always the done thing in Britain, where Dorsia Travel is based, to be so upfront with negative feedback. I wrote about a number of my main hotel bugbears recently, and things guaranteed to annoy me include a charge for water or overly fussy staff who check up on you every three to four minutes.

Your reviews became cult reading for their trenchant opinions. How did hotels react?

I’ve only been banned from one hotel - a few years back I stayed at Sirai Beach in Kenya and loved it but I highlighted a few things I felt could be improved. When I wanted to stay in its sister property Sirai House I learned the owners didn’t want me to stay as they didn’t want to see anything critical about that property - one of their homes - on the internet. Given they had decided to commercialize these residences I thought their inability to accept criticism from paying customers was a bit pathetic, but ultimately I don’t mind if people are unhappy with my reviews as they’re always fair and honest. I thought Italy's Il Pellicano was hideous even though lots of people revere it. And I hated every single thing about Nairobi’s Giraffe Manor but it is completely booked out so I can’t imagine they’re concerned about my review .

The Bulgari hotel in Paris

Now you have a wife and young family, how has that affected your travel?

Since Lucie and I had our two daughters, aged one and three, holidays are a lot louder but it has really broadened our focus at Dorsia Travel. We always dealt with families, but now we’re even more attuned to parents’ needs because we know firsthand just how cautious you need to be when you’ve got little accident-magnets roaming around a property. We’re also much more likely to travel to beach resorts and exclusive-use properties - handily, alongside family travel and safaris these are two of our other specialisms at Dorsia Travel. We’re also really appreciative of hotels that show they genuinely care about children and their parents. I love places where under-5s eat free, for example, because it seems so wasteful to pay inflated prices for dishes they’re going to spill on the floor rather than eat - we were so unimpressed at Bulgari Paris when we were charged €102 for a portion of fish for our eldest when she was only a year old.

Velaa private island in the Maldives

And you now have a travel agency, Dorsia Travel? How did that start?

My wife Lucie previously took care of VIP clients at The Connaught hotel in London. As my blog attracted increasing numbers of readers, more and more people asked for advice and then increasingly asked me to book their holidays so we realized we could combine her industry expertise and my hotel knowledge to give hands-on assistance to the community of people that grew around the blog. It’s been an enjoyable process because we traveled at the same level as them before we started working as travel agents, and we still do now. And we’re hands-on for every part of the process - we oversee every aspect of every booking personally. What’s sometimes challenging now is explaining to clients how ridiculously expensive a lot of hotels - particularly in Europe and the US - have become. We don’t charge fees, but our clients spend a minimum of $5,000 a night - you’d think it goes far but then at the highest end of the market you have places like Italy’s Villa Treville Positano charging €9,800 for a 61 sqm suite this summer.

The Zeffirelli Suite at the Villa Treville Positano

How has your travel changed now?

I’m off to One&Only Kea Island in Greece soon and I expect it’ll be nice but I doubt it’ll be exciting. I’m also planning a trip to the new Soneva Secret. I feel it’s unlikely to be too different from the other two Sonevas in the Maldives but I want to have first-hand knowledge of all the major properties in the country so I can advise our clients. These days I prefer to stay at exclusive-use properties that are less known - I’m going to Ol Jogi wildlife conservancy and seeing the work they’re doing to help protect wildlife is much more enjoyable to me than going to another generic luxury resort.

How do you cope with honest feedback from your guests

Regarding feedback, of course we’re fine with it! Usually it’s great, but of course there are times when a hotel doesn’t deliver as expected - and for the amount of money people pay to stay at the world’s top hotels it’s unacceptable if things go seriously wrong. If that happens, we want to know about it as soon as possible so we can immediately intervene to make things right while they just focus on enjoying their holiday.

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Cybersecurity Insights

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Take A Tour! NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: Small Business Quick Start Guide

The U.S. Small Business Administration is celebrating  National Small Business Week from April 28 - May 4, 2024. This week recognizes and celebrates the small business community’s significant contributions to the nation. Organizations across the country participate by hosting in-person and virtual events, recognizing small business leaders and change-makers, and highlighting resources that help the small business community more easily and efficiently start and scale their businesses. 

To add to the festivities, this NIST Cybersecurity Insights blog showcases the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 Small Business Quick Start Guide, a new resource designed to help the small and medium-sized business (SMB) community begin to manage and reduce their cybersecurity risks. You’ve worked hard to start and grow your business. Are you taking the steps necessary to protect it? As small businesses have become more reliant upon data and technology to operate and scale a modern business, cybersecurity has become a fundamental risk that must be addressed alongside other business risks. This Guide is designed to help. 

Understanding the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 

Let us first take a step back. Before we talk about the CSF 2.0 Small Business Quick Start Guide, it is important to first understand its foundation. The CSF is voluntary guidance that helps organizations​—regardless of size, sector, or maturity— better understand, assess, prioritize, and ​communicate their cybersecurity efforts (those stages of understand, assess, prioritize, and communicate are going to come back into focus in just a moment). 

The CSF describes what desirable cybersecurity outcomes an organization can aspire to achieve. And because every organization is different, the CSF does not prescribe outcomes nor how they may be achieved. The framework is flexible so that each organization can tailor their implementation to meet their own unique needs, mission, resources, and risks.  It is particularly useful for fostering internal or external communication by creating a common vocabulary for discussing cybersecurity risk management. 

First published in 2014, the CSF recently underwent a significant revision.  CSF 2.0 was published on February 26, 2024. Along with the updated document, NIST published new supplementary materials meant to help different audiences better understand and put the CSF 2.0 into action. 

Introducing the CSF 2.0 Small Business Quick Start Guide 

The Guide provides small-to-medium sized businesses (SMB), specifically those who have modest or no cybersecurity plans in place, with considerations to kick-start their cybersecurity risk management strategy using the CSF 2.0. 

The CSF is often discussed in terms of transportation— “Travel through the CSF 2.0” or “Journey to the CSF.” Why? Because cybersecurity is a continuous journey. Consider the SMB Quick Start Guide as an on-ramp to that journey. 

The information included within this Guide is not all encompassing or prescriptive; it is meant to offer a good starting point for a small or medium-sized business. The Guide is also not meant to replace the CSF. It is meant to be an introduction to it. Or, as mentioned earlier, an on-ramp to it. 

How is the SMB Quick Start Guide Organized? 

The Guide is organized by Function—1 page per Function. What is a CSF Function, you may ask? These are categorizations of cybersecurity outcomes (what you want to achieve) at their highest levels. They are: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover. These Functions, when considered together, provide a comprehensive view of managing cybersecurity risk. 

• Govern : The organization’s cybersecurity risk management strategy, expectations, and policy are established, communicated, and monitored
• Identify : The organization’s current cybersecurity risks are understood
• Protect : Safeguards to manage the organization’s cybersecurity risks are used.
• Detect : Possible cybersecurity attacks and compromises are found and analyzed.
• Respond : Actions regarding a detected cybersecurity incident are taken
• Recover : Assets and operations affected by a cybersecurity incident are restored.

On each page of the Guide, readers can expect to find information to help you better understand the Function and put it into action. Each page is organized into four primary sections: Actions to Consider, Getting Started, Questions to Consider, and Additional Resources. Let’s explore each section in more depth: 

1. Actions to Consider : As mentioned earlier, the CSF helps organizations better understand, assess, prioritize, and communicate their cybersecurity efforts. That is why the Guide’s “Actions to Consider” are organized into those stages.

• The Understand and Assess sections provide actions to help readers understand the current or target cybersecurity posture of part or all of an organization, determine gaps, and assess progress toward addressing those gaps. 
• The Prioritize  section will include actions to help readers Identify, organize, and prioritize actions for managing cybersecurity risks that align with the organization’s mission, legal and regulatory requirements, and risk management and governance expectations.
• The Communicate section provides actions for communicating inside and outside the organization about cybersecurity risks, capabilities, needs, and expectations. 

Following each Action to Consider is a parenthetical (see image below), which documents what part of the Cybersecurity Framework Core the action referencing. The Core is a set of cybersecurity outcomes arranged by Function, Category, and Subcategory. In the case shown below (GV.OC-01) “GV” is the Function (Govern), “OC” is the Category (Organizational Context), and “01” is the Subcategory designation. Every Action to Consider ties back to the Cybersecurity Framework Core.

2. Getting Started:  This area drills down into a specific concept within the Function. For instance, as shown in the image below, two planning tables are provided to help businesses begin thinking through documenting their governance strategy. Businesses will, of course, need to customize these tables to meet their own needs, but these provide a reference point for getting started. 

 For those who want to delve deeper into NIST guidance on a specific topic, a Technical Deep Dive is also included on every page. These resources are an important component because this SMB Quick Start Guide is not intended to be the final destination on a business’ journey to improved cybersecurity risk management. As a business grows, as their needs change, and as their reliance upon connectivity and technology increases, their approach to cybersecurity risk management will need to become more sophisticated. These resources can help in that journey.  

3. Questions to Consider:  This section is included on every page to encourage readers to engage with the content and begin thinking through important questions related to cybersecurity risk management. They aren’t all the questions a company should be asking themselves, but provide a starting point for discussion. These questions, and the Guide as a whole, can also serve as a discussion prompt between a business owner and  whomever they have chosen to help them reduce their cybersecurity risks, such as a managed security service provider (MSSP). 

4. Related Resources:  This final section provides a few additional resources for continued exploration of the topic. Each resource was chosen because it specifically expands upon the content on the page or adds additional insights or tools that are actionable. All resources are from NIST or other federal agencies and are tailored specifically to the small business community.  Want to learn more? 

• The final page of the Guide highlights additional resources that you can access on the CSF 2.0 Resource Library:  https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework .  
• View the recording of our March 20, 2024 webinar : “Overview of the NIST CSF 2.0 Small Business Quick Start Guide.” 

Get Engaged in our NIST SMB Cybersecurity Work

• Join the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Community of Interest (COI) . This COI was established to convene the public and private sectors to share business insights, expertise, challenges, and perspectives to guide our work and assist NIST in addressing the cybersecurity needs of the small businesses community.
• Submit comments on   NIST IR 7621 Rev. 1, Small Business Information Security: The Fundamentals . NIST has issued a Pre-Draft Call for Comments to solicit feedback. The public is invited to provide input by 12 p.m. ET on May 16, 2024 . 
• Visit the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Corner to view our library of small business cybersecurity resources, to register for upcoming events, and much more. 

About the author

Daniel Eliot

Daniel Eliot is the lead for small business engagement within the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Applied Cybersecurity Division. In this role, he works across NIST's cybersecurity and privacy program to advise and support development of cybersecurity resources, communication materials, and collateral tailored for use by small businesses. He also regularly works directly with the small business community and their advocates through external outreach and engagement. 

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My Prediction For The 2024 RSA Conference: Proactive Security Will Dominate Use Cases

Erik Nost , Senior Analyst

The RSA Conference is upon us again, and many are planning their travel to San Francisco next week and determining which talks to attend (including talks from our own Heidi Shey , Jinan Budge , Jeff Pollard , and Joseph Blankenship ). But a trip to the 2024 RSA Conference won’t be complete without a stroll through the Moscone Center to see what security vendors are up to, complete with enthusiastic messaging and wacky antics. And while generative AI is sure to be prevalent throughout vendor demos this year, I am predicting that you will find yourself challenged by many vendors asking “How proactive are you?” as they eagerly scan your badge.

We covered proactive security during our Security & Risk Forum last year , but I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just published two reports that discuss the meaning of proactive security along with the steps required to achieve it. We define proactive security as:

A strategic approach to controlling security posture and reducing breaches through strong visibility, prioritization, and remediation.

The Three Principles of Proactive Security covers how visibility, prioritization, and remediation are the foundational building blocks of your proactive program, and The Four Steps For More Proactive Security breaks down the tactical steps that organizations should take to get there.

At the 2024 RSA Conference next week, I expect to see vendors offering products such as attack surface management, exposure management , and continuous security testing, all touting themselves as proactive security solutions (expect to see vague, ill-defined phrases with words like “continuous,” “threat,” and “exposure” accompanying these products’ marketing). But before assessing whether these products will help your program, you must first understand how well your organization is currently aligned toward the three principles of proactive security:

• Visibility. Security pros must know what they’re dealing with before they can understand their risks. Visibility extends to asset and vulnerability enumeration and context.
• Prioritization. The size and scale of discovered assets and their exposures means teams need to filter down to actionable objectives. Tools that enable assessment and validation of threats, weaknesses, and controls all support prioritization .
• Remediation. Remediations are the most convoluted part of a successful proactive program due to scattered inputs, metrics, and processes (or lack thereof). Inputs toward remediation must shed light on root causes.

While you’re wandering Moscone, remember that vendors claiming to be proactive are not doing enough. Ask vendors how and why they support the above principles. Press vendors on how their solution supports the three principles but also on how they would support and integrate with your current security stack. This will help hone your focus for deploying potential proactive solutions.

Want to hear more? Get in touch with me! Schedule an inquiry or hit me up on LinkedIn .

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Lakers battle past nuggets to force game 5, lebron's big-time 4th quarter helps lakers avoid sweep, lebron splits the defense for a scoop layup, lebron knocks down the post fadeaway, showtime d-lo lobs lebron with a no-look alley-oop dime, lebron scores 30, and the lakers avoid 1st-round elimination with a 119-108 win over champion denver.

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• Michael Porter Jr. makes 2-foot driving dunk (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists)
• Peyton Watson misses 22-foot three point jumper
• Michael Porter Jr. makes 1-foot dunk (Nikola Jokic assists)
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• Jamal Murray makes 16-foot step back jumpshot
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• Michael Porter Jr. misses 26-foot three point jumper
• Aaron Gordon makes 15-foot two point shot (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists)
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• Michael Porter Jr. makes 1-foot dunk (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists)
• Nikola Jokic makes layup (Jamal Murray assists)
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes 23-foot three point jumper (Nikola Jokic assists)
• Jamal Murray makes driving layup
• Aaron Gordon misses 26-foot three point jumper
• Nikola Jokic makes two point shot
• Aaron Gordon makes 2-foot alley oop dunk shot (Nikola Jokic assists)
• Jamal Murray misses 19-foot two point shot
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DEN leads 3-1

2023-24 northwest standings, 2023-24 pacific standings, bronny james among 78 prospects invited to nba draft combine, cavaliers' jarrett allen, magic's gary harris ruled out, nuggets, wolves meet in a round 2 matchup pitting team builder tim connelly's twin masterpieces.

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