Metz Travel Guide, France

Metz Travel Guide – Location

Metz is the capital city of the Lorraine province and is located in the north eastern part of France 90 miles from Strasbourg and 137 miles from Dijon.

Metz Travel Guide – Topography and Climate

Metz is a picturesque city reminding the visitor about the art nouveau movement, while its surroundings offer a relaxing atmosphere so characteristic for the French countryside.

The local topography is represented by the plain area on which the town is located with an average elevation of 170m and by the Moselle River. The continental influence is strongly felt here determining high temperatures in the summer and tough winters. The area receives important quantities of rainfalls in summer and snow in winter, very important in the growth of the forest vegetation. Due to the locals’ preoccupation in protecting the environment, the presence of abundant vegetation and of a wonderful topography, Metz is very popular among hikers and nature lovers.

The most important element in the city’s hydrographic network is the Moselle River, its valley splitting the town in two.

Metz Travel Guide – Flora and Fauna

There is a richness of flora and fauna here, hard to find elsewhere in France, represented by deciduous species of trees and abundant wildlife. The waters of the Moselle house numerous carp species, some of them of impressive dimensions, very attractive for tourists who enjoy fishing trips.

Metz Travel Guide – Population

Metz travel guide mentions 124.000 inhabitants, most of them French Catholics. Population here is rather young, about 25% having less than 20 years old and only 19% with ages of 60 and up.

The vast majority is employed in industry, commerce and tourism which is in a continuous development. The city also houses a prestigious university of national importance, the Paul Verlaine University, part of the Nancy and Metz Academy.

Metz Travel Guide – Culture and Arts

Metz is a city with a very rich cultural life, a place where artisans and craftsmen are very present. Local artists create unique pieces of ceramics, glass, furniture and music instruments like nowhere else. One can admire their work in one of the many art galleries open throughout the city.

The city also houses the Metz Opera Theatre, the Bernard-Marie Koltes Theatre, the Pompidou-Metz Center, the Arsenal concert halls and more.

Metz has a busy cultural life supported by the numerous artists from various domains and their intense creative activities.

Metz, Travel Guide – Transport

The city is a very accessible one by any means of transport no matter where you are coming form. Metz has an international airport, the Regional Airport Metz-Nancy-Lorraine located about 10 km away, or you can choose the nearby Luxembourg International Airport. The city is crossed by an important highway connecting the northern shore of the Mediterranean with the Eastern Europe, Paris, Amsterdam and so on.

You also have the option of traveling by train through the national high speed line or by boat on the Moselle River.

Metz, Travel Guide – Accommodation

Once decided to visit Metz you have countless possibilities for finding good accommodation fit for every taste and budget. Many tourists choose hotels that offer a high standard of service like the Novotel Saint Avold, located nearby the wonderful Saint Avold forest. Its location near a main highway and also the abundant nature that surrounds the hotel are elements that make it very attractive to tourists. Besides the fully equipped rooms and local hospitality the hotel also offers a bar, café – restaurant, conference rooms and swimming pool.

Another option for the most adventurous ones is the camping places. The most picturesque one in Metz is the Camping La Croix du Bois Sacker, located on the shores of a typical countryside lake and surrounded by a beautiful forest. The place can offer you an extremely relaxing vacation especially in the summer months.

Metz, Travel Guide – Festivals

Metz houses every year the international Air Balloons Festival gathering almost a thousand competitors from seven continents. With every year that passes by the festival becomes more and more appreciated and waited, reaching the performance of gathering about 350.000 spectators at each show. The event takes place in the summer months, usually in the last week of July and it lasts for a week.

The first such events took place here for the first time twenty years ago with less contestants and spectators but now welcomes air balloon drivers from all over the world.

Another significant event held in Metz is the Open de Moselle, an important professional tennis tour, part of the French ATP International Series. The tour takes place in a local indoor tennis court every year in October since 2003 and gathers the best tennis players in France and Europe.