Why go?

Food, art, architecture. If you’re taken by any part of this triumvirate, Metz is worth a trip. Passed between French and German hands over the decades, this small city’s history is etched in the facades of every building, from the golden Jaumont limestone theatre – a cornerstone of French design – to the German granite townhouses spread across the Imperial quarter.

What to do

Step inside Saint-Etienne Cathedral in the main square and hours later, you’ll probably still be stood in the aisle, gazing up. The stained-glass windows that cover this 800-year-old church are so pretty, so intricate, it easily rivals Paris’s Sainte Chapelle. Bathe in the multi-coloured light flooding in from all angles and, when you can drag yourself away, scope out one of the many art galleries clustered nearby. Photographer Anne Delrez preserves anonymously donated family snaps dating back to the turn of the 20th century at La Conserverie while Musée de la Cour d’Or (musee.metzmetropole.fr) is a labyrinth of Gallo-Roman baths, medieval sculpture and fine art from the Renaissance. On the opposite side of town, Centre-Pompidou (centrepompidoumetz.fr), a curved fibre-glass structure – like a huge flying carpet on wooden stilts – houses interactive installations incorporating modern cinema. On the banks of the Moselle River to the west, you’ll find families negotiating the emerald waters in kayaks. Hire a boat to see how you fare. Stick around until nightfall and you’ll see Temple Neuf, the only Protestant church in the city, illuminated in beams of white and blue.

Where to stay

Overlooking the cathedral, former coaching inn Hôtel de la Cathedrale (00 33 387 75 00 02, hotelcathedralemetz.fr) has 17th-century annexe rooms, each dripping with antiques. Mercure Metz Centre (00 33 387 38 50 50, accorhotels.com) is a four-star address a cobbled stroll from the station.

Where to eat and drink

In France, the patisserie is not so much a luxury as a fundamental. With hole-in-the-wall bakeries and tiny cafés on every corner, getting your fondant fill is easy, but a choice few shine out. Stop at Bourguignon (00 33 387 75 23 52, bourguignonmetz.fr) for a quiche Lorraine faithful to the region’s traditional recipe (creamy, deep-filled, not a trace of cheese). Leave with a box of dragées, sugared almonds encased in pastel-coloured shells. Aux Merveilleux (00 33 387 74 80 69, auxmerveilleux.com) only serves two things: cramiques (raisin studded brioche) and delicate merveilleux cakes – meringue bundles coated in flavoured whipped cream and rolled in chocolate shavings. Choose from chocolate, coffee, cherry, praline and caramel varieties, or head to Fresson (00 33 387 36 28 17, fressonchocolatierpatissier.fr) in the centre of town for a famed Boulay macaroon. At least one market lunch is a must while you’re here. At Soupes à Soup’s (00 33 387 06 08 31 11 04, http://soupesasoups.com), owner Patrick Grumberg keeps things rustic with slices of spiced andouillette sausage and hunks of glutinous farmhouse bread, served alongside bowls of chunky gazpacho, and lentil soups. On the fine-dining front, L’Epicurien (00 33 387 36 69 11, lepicurienmetz.fr) offers up regional dishes including frogs’ legs cassoulet, snail and serrano ham salad, and duck breast served with bergamot jam and a puffy, velvet broccoli soufflé. Boasting the sole Michelin star in Metz, Le Magasin aux Vivres (00 33 387 17 17 18, citadellemetz.com) does an incredible chilled avocado and curried prawn soup, and perfectly presented mains. Down a secluded street, Georges A La Ville de Lyon (00 33 387 36 07 01, alavilledelyon.com) is where the best dishes in town are to be found. An aperitif of Mirabelle plum wine sets you up nicely for a menu of foie gras terrine, crayfish broth, lobster with raspberry coulis, jellied rabbit and chocolate torte infused with rhubarb wine, to name but a few incredible plates.

Time running out?

Wander through Jardin Botanique’s (metz.fr) colourful flower gardens, just west of the railway station.

Travel Information

Travel Information

Currency is the euro. Metz is one hour ahead of GMT. Travel time is about three hours.

Getting There

Rail Europe (raileurope.com) has return tickets from London St Pancras International, changing at Paris Gare du Nord.

KLM (klm.com) flies from London Heathrow and London City via Amsterdam on a regular basis.

Resources

Metz Tourism (tourismemetz.com) provides details on visiting, as does the French Tourist Board (us.france.fr)