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Voykit pocket guide · France
Metz
Give Metz one full day and one night: cathedral, Centre Pompidou-Metz and the covered market on foot, then move on by train.
Metz is a compact Lorraine city on the Moselle, 1 h 25 min from Paris by TGV and 40 min from Nancy. The centre is walkable and the headline sights — the cathedral with its Chagall windows, the Centre Pompidou-Metz and the Marché Couvert — sit within 15 minutes of each other. Most travellers use it as a one-night stop between Paris, Luxembourg and Strasbourg rather than a base.
- Country
- France
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, fewer locals), mid-Dec weekends (Christmas market crowds)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at a café | €1.50–3 |
| Kebab or pizza in the centre | €6–10 |
| Crêpe and cider at a crêperie | €12–20 |
| Beer: happy-hour pint / normal pint | €2–3 / €5–7 |
| Museum entry (Musée de la Cour d'Or) | €4.60 |
| Centre Pompidou-Metz entry | €7 |
| Train Metz → Luxembourg, one way | about €16.50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ETZ · Metz–Nancy–Lorraine
- Small regional field southeast of the city; few routes, mostly domestic. Check current destinations before booking.
- LUX · Luxembourg Findel
- About 1 h by road; by rail, train to Luxembourg City then bus to the terminal, roughly 1.5 h door to door.
- CDG · Paris Charles de Gaulle
- TGV from the airport to Metz takes about 1 h 30 min; check direct departures, some routes require a change in Paris.
Typical fares
- Train Metz → Luxembourg
- about €16.50 one way, about 1 h
- Train Metz → Nancy
- about 40 min by TER or TGV
- Bike rental, per day
- about €10, plus a deposit of about €100 per bike
Get around
Walk. The centre is compact and largely pedestrian, and walking beats hunting for parking. Le Met' buses cover the wider city if you stay outside the ring; buy tickets at the Espace Mobilité on Place de la République. Bikes rent near the station and opposite the cathedral, about €10 per day, with a deposit of about €100 per bike. Driving into the centre is not recommended — park on the edge and walk in.
See and do
Known for
- St-Étienne Cathedral and its stained glass
- Centre Pompidou-Metz
- Marché Couvert in the old bishop's palace
- Place d'Armes and the yellow Jaumont limestone
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Nancy | TER or TGV from Gare de Metz-Ville, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Verdun | TER from Gare de Metz-Ville, about 1 h 15 min, then walk or bus to the battlefield sites | 1.5–2 h |
| Saint-Dié-des-Vosges | TER via Nancy or direct regional trains, roughly 2 h | About 2.5 h |
| Épinal | TER via Nancy, about 1 h 45 min | About 2 h |
| Vittel | TER via Nancy, about 2 h | 2.5 h |
| Liverdun | TER from Gare de Metz-Ville, about 20 min | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Old town / Place d'Armes
- Walk to the cathedral, market and museums in under 10 minutes; quietest option for one night.
- Around the station (Gare de Metz-Ville)
- Best if you arrive late or leave early; the imperial 1908 station building is at the south edge of the centre, 10–15 min walk to Place d'Armes.
- Centre / Rue Serpenoise axis
- Main shopping street between the station and the old town; hotels, bars and restaurants on the doorstep.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| How much is it? | C'est combien ?say kom-BYEN |
| Can I pay by card? | Je peux payer par carte ?zhuh puh pay-YAY par kart |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON seel voo pleh |
| Where is the station? | Où est la gare ?oo ay la gar |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- Avoid the Borny and St-Éloi suburbs, and the old town's narrow alleys late at night.
- Expect requests for money or cigarettes in the centre; a plain no is enough.
- Don't walk from Lafayette to the Résidence Arts & Métiers (Resam) area late at night.
- Some parking areas attract people offering to watch your car or approaching you at ticket machines — keep your wallet out of sight.
- Metz has 5G on all French carriers; coverage is not an issue.
Metz is a safe city by day and in the centre at night. The real risks are petty: avoid Borny and St-Éloi after dark, skip the old town's narrow alleys late, and keep your wallet out of sight at car parks.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Metz yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- St-Étienne Cathedral and its stained glass
- Centre Pompidou-Metz
- Marché Couvert in the old bishop's palace
- Place d'Armes and the yellow Jaumont limestone
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Metz Tourist Office: www.tourisme-metz.com/fr
- City of Metz: metz.fr/
- Le Met' (Metz public transport): www.lemet.fr/
- Centre Pompidou-Metz: www.centrepompidou-metz.fr/
- Wikivoyage: Metz, revision 5287454 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5287454
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Metz
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Metz; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in Paris. Consulates-general are in Strasbourg and Lyon.
Service is included by law in French restaurants; round up or leave 5–10% for good service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/metz). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.