Metz: A Mélange of Medieval Charm and Modern Greenery

Trip Reports

Travel: September 2025

At a Glance

Duration: A six-night stay.
Home Base: Metz, France, specifically at the Crowne Plaza near the Place de la République Square.
Top Day Trip: Luxembourg.
Memorable Moment: Discovering the hidden gem of a restaurant, Nomade, and its personable owner. The walking paths around the river and lake were also a favorite highlight.
Overall Vibe: Visually interesting with beautiful old architecture, a great vibe during lunch and happy hour, and a pleasant city size that makes it easy to explore on foot.

This Town is Special Because...

Our decision to visit Metz was a spontaneous one, and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. The city has this way of seamlessly blending over 3,000 years of history with a refreshing, modern green sensibility. From its ancient Roman past to its role as a Merovingian capital, it's a place with a rich and complex history. Since it's located so close to the German border, it has changed hands many times over the centuries, and you can really see that influence in its architecture and culture. Today, Metz is known as "The Green City" for its extensive gardens and parks, and it’s become this cool hub for culture and the arts. It’s a city that feels both deeply historic and wonderfully contemporary.

Our Home Base: Metz

We didn’t know much about Metz when we booked it, but I picked it based on its size, its reputation as a "garden city" with many green spaces, its historic architecture, and the ease of train and bus travel. The train station is right on the edge of the city center and had direct travel to places like Luxembourg, which we knew would be one of our day trips. The train ride from Paris's Gare de l'Est to Metz was a direct, hour-and-a-half trip. The Metz train station is a beautiful building and one listed as a key stop on the city architecture and history tour.

We stayed at the Best Western right across the street from the train station—so convenient! We loved the proximity between the train station and the city center, and the staff, who were very helpful, however the rooms are very, very small.

Our Metz Experience: The Day-to-Day

Navigating the City

Our days in Metz took on a comfortable rhythm. We'd start with a long walk, grabbing a light lunch, or a snack during happy hour, and then having a larger dinner later. As in all the cities and towns we experienced in France, lunch is from 12:00 to 14:00/15:00and dinner is from 19:00 to 22:00.

We absolutely loved exploring all the different sections of the city—from the historical center with its grand cathedral to the beautiful greenways along the lake and rivers. The windy streets meant we often found ourselves wandering in circles, but it was a fun way to get lost and always find something new to see.

As with every city or town we visit, we have a purpose to understand the wine scene, meet with any producers we can, and of course, try the wines. In Metz we started right out our first night visiting a very popular and well rated wine bar and restaurant, La Quille. Our waiter, who is from Albania, spent some time with us introducing us to Metz and wines and brought us an amazing charcuterie tray. We also went to a well-regarded wine store to try the local wines from AOC Mosel (Mosel in Germany) since we could not venture out to the wine route and visit directly with any producers due to our last-minute addition of Metz and the fact it is harvest.

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Culinary & Drink Highlights

We spent time exploring other wine bars during our stay, as well as wines offered with our meals. The Bottle Bar was a highlight. We were thrilled with their wines, priced from €7 to €15 a glass, and served at the perfect temperature. Also the Vinodurum wine bar, had interesting architecture and a very nice vibe.

Outside dining, which is so essentially French, was one of the things we love about French cities and towns. Metz did not disappoint, which made for a very pleasant experience to feel part of the community and observe the culture. We were also a little overwhelmed by how many restaurant choices there were. I'd recommend making reservations if you have your heart set on a specific place, but we never had a problem finding a table. We loved the fact the restaurants had a smaller menu printed, but then have a “suggestions” menu with their offerings of the day. This helped them take advantage of what is in season and locally available. Wesaw this repeated in the Alsace region and our Hub location of Colmar, a well.

Nomade: We stumbled upon this inventive restaurant, and it was a true hidden gem. The food was so incredible—made with raw spices the owner harvests and sells himself. He also sources his coffee, beers, and wine locally. The bao buns were so good, we went back a second time! We had a great conversation with the owner, who was so passionate about the area and gave us his favorite restaurant and winery recommendations for both Metz and Colmar.
La Boeuf Paradis: We came across this restaurant while on our walk along the river. We had a late lunch there to try their famous steak frites (with unlimited fries!) while we had an aperitif of a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc on their deck overlooking the river. It was a wonderful experience, and we would highly recommend it.
Other restaurants we visited and would recommend:
- Les Copains D'Abord. A highly rated restaurant I had read about and reserved just before we left North Carolina. with a very interesting menu.
- Carissimi. A nice waiter opened the terrace for us since there were no tables inside. The pizza was very good.

Sightseeing and Attractions

Metz Cathedral: The Cathedral of Saint-Étienne was a definite highlight. We were in awe of its sheer size. Construction started in 1220 and took over 300 years to complete! We were amazed by its huge stained-glass windows, which cover an astonishing 6,500 square meters—the largest in any religious building in the world. They span centuries of artistic styles, including stunning works by the 20th-century master Marc Chagall.
The Museum: We visited the museum on a rainy day, and while it wasn't on our original plan, it turned out to be incredibly interesting. It's now known as the Musées de la Cour d'Or, and it’s built directly over the site of the ancient city’s public Roman baths. During construction in the 1930s, they discovered the remains of the baths, which were once the absolute center of the Roman town. Instead of building over them, they designed the museum to incorporate the ruins, so you can walk right through the original foundations and explore this key piece of Metz’s history. It's an archaeological treasure trove with a rich collection of Gallo-Roman and medieval artifacts.
The Gates and Towers: The city’s history as a fortified town is visible everywhere. The Porte des Allemands ("German Gate") is a striking medieval structure with two imposing towers. Built between the 13th and 15th centuries, it's the last remaining part of the city's old fortifications and offers a great photo opportunity.
Walking Paths: The walking paths around the lake and river were spectacular. They're a mix of paved trails and more rustic paths that made us feel like we were out in the woods. This was easily my favorite part of the day.

Modern Metz: Festivals and Culture

Metz isn’t just about its past; it’s a vibrant, modern city. It has a busy calendar of events and festivals that celebrate its culture. The Mirabelle Plum Festival in August is a major event, celebrating the iconic local fruit with parades, markets, and concerts. During the summer, the city also hosts Constellations de Metz, an international festival that features impressive light shows and digital art installations that illuminate the city’s architectural heritage at night.

Day Trip to Luxembourg

We took a bus from Metz to Luxembourg. It was a quick trip, taking about an hour by bus or train to get to the city center where you can explore on foot both the upper and lower towns. A key highlight was the Casemates, and we also had a great lunch at an amazing Polish restaurant. The views from the upper city of the gorge were amazing! We had a balance of lower crowds on a Sunday, making it ideal for navigating and taking pictures, however we had to trade off being able to visit the Cathedral, which was closed to visitors for mass while we were there and we couldn't see the changing of the guard.

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What We Loved (and Didn’t)

What we loved most about Metz was the perfect balance between its charming old architecture and its beautiful green spaces. The city's size was a huge plus—it felt incredibly easy to explore, yet there was always something new to discover. We learned how important outdoor spaces are to us and have made that a criteria point for our Hub cities or towns going forward. After spending some time in Colmar, (which we visited right after Metz) we really came to appreciate how much we enjoyed being in a city that wasn't just for tourism. In Metz, although there were quite a few tourists, especially from Germany, we felt like we were able to be a part of everyday life. We were also thrilled with the quality of the restaurants and left with a long list of places we wished we had time to visit, which only made us want to return. The main downside was our hotel room. We learned that for us, a very small room for so many nights is something we'll need to avoid in the future.