Tourist Information

In short

• Metz is an ancient town, occupied since the Ancient times. It was also a merchant city during the Middle Ages.
• Metz cultural life is pretty intense, with many festivals taking place during the whole year: Haunt the Chapel, a hard rock and heavy metal music festival, starts the ball in January; the Ciné Klap festival celebrates European short movies in April and during the same month, the Book Fair is an international literature festival that lasts three days; from the end of June to the end of August, Metz en Fête is a free show festival; in August the Fête de la Mirabelle takes place; and in September, the Mongolfiades bring life to the lake; and lastly, in December, you'll have the opportunity to attend the Saint-Nicolas procession.
• Metz numerous monuments recount the history of the city as if you had gone back in time: from the Pont Moyen, up to the town walls and the medieval gates, including Saint-Etienne cathedral and Saint-Constance cloister. As for Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church, it is a religious building dating back from the end of the 4th century.
• Pompidou centre opened in 2010, and it is the annex building of the Parisian Pompidou centre, which displays many contemporary art works.
• Regarding gastronomy, the quiche Lorraine, the pâtés lorrains, la potée Lorraine, and the mirabelle (in all its forms: the fruit, the jam, the pie, the liquor) are some examples of Metz specialties

Climate

Our best tips

• Metz is a very nice medieval town: check which guided tours are available; they are worth it!
• Go for a drink during the summer season on one of the nice squares of the city: Place Saint-Louis, Place Saint Jacques, or Place Jean-Paul 2. In December, they host the Christmas market.
• You could take this opportunity to go on a getaway to Luxembourg, which is only one hour away by car. Nancy, a neighbouring town, is famous for its Place Stanislas, is 30 minutes away. The Vosges are 1h30 away; the distance is the same for Strasbourg.

Average prices for hotels

• Low budget: 34€ per night in low season, and 36€ in high season.
• Mid-range: 53€ per night in low season, and 59€ in high season.
• Luxury: 122€ per night in low season, and 126€ in high season.

Recommended areas for your hotel

• The railway station area is the most convenient, since it is very well connected to the rest of the city (only 10 minutes away by foot), and full of hotels.
• You'd better choose a hotel situated in the pedestrian streets, so that you have everything within easy reach.

Need more information about this place?

We wrote un mini guide for our readers that we hope is coming as handy as possible (also available in PDF format to download, useful while traveling without an internet connexion) :

Metz : Handy Mini Travel Guide