Things to see in Metz often begin with the city’s most famous landmarks.

Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, of course, with its extraordinary stained-glass windows and its immense silhouette dominating the city.

The banks of the Moselle, so lovely when the light settles on the water.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz, which has become one of the symbols of the contemporary city.

Place Saint-Louis, with its medieval arcades and very special atmosphere.

And the railway station, the gateway to the city, built to the glory of the German Empire.

And that is perfectly understandable.

These places are part of the soul of Metz. They deserve their reputation.

But Metz is not limited to its most famous postcard views.

I was recently in Metz at the invitation of Inspire Metz, and I spent two wonderful days wandering through the old town, looking up at the façades, losing myself in the ancient streets, and rediscovering this Lorraine city that truly deserves to be explored slowly.

And as this visit is still very fresh in my mind, I wanted to share with you five places I particularly enjoyed.

Five places that are not necessarily secret, but which can easily be missed if you simply follow the classic tourist route.

Things to See in Metz Beyond the Main Tourist Sights

If you are planning a visit and looking for things to see in Metz beyond the cathedral, the Moselle riverbanks and the main squares, these five places will help you discover a more intimate side of the city.

They reveal different layers of Metz: medieval, imperial, picturesque, architectural and deeply Lorraine.

1. The Governor’s Palace, hidden among the trees

There are buildings you do not discover entirely by chance, but almost.

The Governor’s Palace is one of them.

It is hidden in a green setting, between the Esplanade and Avenue Joffre, slightly away from the movement of the city. You could almost walk past without imagining the scale of what lies behind the trees.

And then, suddenly, it appears.

Massive, elegant, imposing.

With its towers, roofs, elaborate façades and princely appearance, the Governor’s Palace tells another chapter in the history of Metz: that of the imperial city, when Metz was under German rule after the annexation of 1871.

What is striking is this mixture of authority and romanticism. The building seems both military and almost fairy-tale-like. It does not have the lightness of a Loire Valley château, nor the classical restraint of a French palace. It belongs to another world: that of Wilhelminian architecture, with its medieval references, powerful volumes and taste for symbolism.

I particularly enjoyed approaching it from the gardens. You sense that this palace does not try to seduce at first glance like a monument in the heart of the city. It reveals itself gradually, behind the branches, in an almost silent atmosphere.

It is a perfect place to understand that Metz is a city of borders, passages and historical ruptures. A French city, deeply rooted in Lorraine, but also marked by Germanic, imperial and European influences.

And that is precisely what makes it so fascinating.

2. The Porte des Allemands, a mini-castle by the Seille

Yes, I know.

The Porte des Allemands is not completely unknown.

You will find it in guidebooks. You will see it on tourist maps. It is even one of Metz’s emblematic monuments.

And yet, I always have the impression that it remains relatively little visited compared with its importance and beauty.

Which is a shame, because this place is absolutely fascinating.

The Porte des Allemands is not just a city gate. It is almost a small fortified castle, set above the Seille, with its towers, bridge, walls and defensive passages. It immediately makes you want to imagine medieval Metz, its ramparts, its gates, its soldiers, its merchants and its travellers entering the city.

There is something very tangible about it.

The stone is not merely decorative. It was there to defend, to control, to protect. You are not standing in front of a romantic reconstruction of the Middle Ages, but before a real piece of a fortified city.

I particularly like the atmosphere of this district. You gradually leave the shopping streets of the centre, descend towards the Seille, and discover this medieval silhouette that seems almost to emerge from another time.

Metz has softness, light and elegance. But at the Porte des Allemands, you also find a harsher, older, more defensive city.

That contrast really appealed to me.

In just a few minutes, you pass from the garden city to the fortified city.

And if you love ramparts, old stones and medieval atmospheres, this is truly one of the things to see in Metz that you should not miss.

3. Rue En-Jurue, a glimpse of Old Metz

Some streets do not need to be long to be memorable.

Rue En-Jurue is one of them.

It lies in Old Metz, not far from the cathedral and the Musée de la Cour d’Or, yet it seems to belong to a more discreet, more intimate, almost more secret Metz.

What I liked here was its picturesque character.

You find something of the medieval city, not in a frozen or artificial version, but in the irregularity of the façades, the narrowness of the street, and the way the buildings seem to converse with one another.

This is a street where you need to walk slowly.

You need to look at the details. The stones. The windows. The lines that are not always straight. The traces of time. The little irregularities that tell centuries of urban history.

Metz is a city where you need to look up, but also where you need to slow down.

Rue En-Jurue reminds us that the charm of a city is not found only in its great monuments. It is also found in these more modest passages, in streets that retain an atmosphere, in places where you feel the city has not been entirely smoothed over by modernity.

I like this kind of place because it gives the impression of touching the city with your fingertips.

You are no longer just a visitor. You become a flâneur.

And in Metz, flânerie is an excellent way to travel back in time.

4. The Chèvremont Granaries, inside the Musée de la Cour d’Or

Here is a place I found absolutely remarkable.

The Chèvremont Granaries are part of the Musée de la Cour d’Or, and they alone are worth the visit.

But what struck me most was the ground floor of the former granary. There, you discover a wonderfully picturesque medieval-looking space, almost unexpected in the heart of the museum.

The space is divided into four bays and rests on beautiful round arches. Above them, a roof structure made up of massive wooden beams gives the whole place an atmosphere that is at once robust, ancient and warm.

You can easily imagine the activity that must once have filled this place, when this level opened onto an inner courtyard formed with the neighbouring buildings. There is something very evocative about this architecture: you are not simply standing in front of a setting, but inside a genuine fragment of the medieval city preserved within the museum.

Today, this space houses the medieval religious sculpture from the collections of the Musée de la Cour d’Or. And it works wonderfully well.

The sculptures, the arches, the stone, the old beams: everything seems to speak to one another. The setting enhances the beauty of the works, and the works give even more depth to the place.

I love these places where architecture and collections respond to one another naturally. You are not simply visiting a museum room. You are entering an atmosphere.

And then there is one very simple argument: admission to the Musée de la Cour d’Or is free.

So honestly, there is no reason not to go!

Even if you only have an hour to spare, step inside. Let yourself be surprised. Metz has an exceptional heritage here, less spectacular at first glance than a cathedral, but just as revealing of the city’s historical depth.

This is exactly the kind of place I love to recommend: somewhere you may not have planned to visit, but which stays in your memory long afterwards.

5. Avenue Foch, or Metz in all its architectural boldness

Avenue Foch is one of those places where Metz completely changes face.

After the ancient lanes, the pale stone, the medieval memories and the historic squares, another city appears.

A broader, more urban, more theatrical city.

Avenue Foch is part of Metz’s Imperial Quarter, developed during the German period. And what strikes you immediately is the diversity of architectural styles.

Here you find villas, elegant apartment buildings, eclectic façades, and references to Renaissance, medieval, classical and Art Nouveau styles. Nothing is uniform, and that is precisely what makes the walk so fascinating.

Each building seems to want to stand out from its neighbour.

Here, a turret. There, a sculpted façade. Further on, an unusual roofline, an unexpected window, a balcony, a gable, a decorative detail that catches the eye.

Avenue Foch is an open-air book of architecture.

You should not walk through it too quickly. You need to take the time to look at both sides, to compare the styles, and to wonder what each façade is trying to say.

It is also an important place for understanding the transformation of Metz at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. You are no longer in the medieval city of ramparts, nor in the classical French city. You enter an imperial city, ambitious, modern for its time, designed to impress.

And yet today, this avenue is very pleasant to stroll along.

I enjoyed the contrast between the monumentality of the urban project and the simple pleasure of walking beneath the trees, camera in hand, discovering details with every step.

Metz is a city of layers. Avenue Foch is one of the most visible.

Where to Stay in Metz

During this visit, I stayed at La Citadelle Hotel – MGallery Collection, a 4-star hotel set in a former military building that has been beautifully converted.

It is a very comfortable address, both elegant and practical, ideal for discovering Metz on foot. I particularly appreciated the calm of the place, the quality of the spaces, and the feeling of staying in a building that has a history of its own.

The hotel is located close to the Esplanade, the Governor’s Palace and the historic centre, making it easy to reach the main sights while staying in a peaceful setting.

Book your stay at La Citadelle Hotel!

Things to See in Metz: A City to Rediscover Slowly

These five places do not replace the must-see sights of Metz.

They complement them.

They help you understand the city better, step a little away from the most frequented paths, and discover a Metz that is more intimate, more complex and more surprising.

It is a city that is best explored on foot. A city where you can move from an imperial palace to a medieval lane, from a fortified gate to a monumental avenue, from a discreet museum to a walk along the water.

And perhaps that is what I enjoyed most during this stay.

Metz does not reveal itself entirely at first glance. It asks for a little curiosity. It rewards those who take their time.

So if you are looking for things to see in Metz beyond the main tourist sights, slow down, look up, turn into the side streets, and let the city reveal its quieter treasures.

I warmly thank Inspire Metz for their welcome. The photos accompanying this article were taken by me during this visit to Metz at the end of May 2026.