Quiche Lorraine was honestly all I associated with this region before I visited. Which, in hindsight, is a bit like only knowing Italy for pizza. The Lorraine is one of those parts of France that most travellers keep skipping, rushing south on the A31 while Metz or Nancy sit quietly off the motorway, completely underestimated. They have a cathedral with Chagall glass, a UNESCO-listed square, Michelin-listed restaurants, a wine region close by and a Christmas event involving 400 handmade lanterns. Lille and Paris get a lot of the northern France attention. Metz and Nancy are the best cities in the Lorraine and deserve some of that too! Which city should you visit first? Keep reading.

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Metz: things to do in this medieval city in the Lorraine

We start our trip in Metz. The cathedral alone is worth the stop: 800 years old, with stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. He used colours you do not expect to see in a church. Bright blue, deep red, acid yellow. They commissioned him in the 1950s and the result is hard to describe. Go inside and look up.

Centre Pompidou-Metz and the city highlights

Our guide Vivienne takes us through the city and every street has something special. Patisserie Fresson does the best pastry in Metz, full stop. We drink mulled wine at the Christmas market, go up in a ferris wheel above the rooftops and visit Centre Pompidou-Metz. The building is designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban: the roof is shaped like a wide-brimmed hat, designed to shelter visitors from rain. It works. Inside, the exhibition Peindre la Nuit is one of the better contemporary shows I have seen outside Paris.

The indoor market and food scene in Metz – city in the Lorraine

Metz smells of mulled wine and gingerbread in December. The indoor market near the cathedral is the kind of place where you go in for ten minutes and leave an hour later with cheese, dried mushrooms and things you cannot name. Morilles cost about 9000 euros per kilo here, in case you needed a reference point for how seriously the French take their ingredients. Every street has a bakery, a butcher and at least one delicacy shop you will want to go into.

Great restaurants: Bistrot de G and La Fleure de Ly. Order something with mirabelles, the small sweet plum specific to this region. They do not travel well, so eat them here.

The indoor market, close to the cathedral in Metz | best cities in the Lorraine

Trail of Lanterns: Metz in December

In December, the Trail of Lanterns takes over the city. Over 400 lanterns, all handmade by illustrator Guy Untereiner, based on stories from the Moselle region. You walk through the streets at night and the whole thing feels like a set from a film. Very calm, very beautiful, completely unexpected.

Best hotels in Metz

Metz is not a city with a huge hotel inventory, but there are some really special accomodations. You can sleep in a converted chapel, wake up to a rooftop view over the cathedral or stay in a Hilton Curio that is pretty unique. Prices are also noticeably lower than comparable cities in France, which means you can often afford to stay somewhere special without it robbing you of your holiday budget. These are my picks!

Maison Heler Metz, Curio Collection by Hilton is the best design option in the city. It has the character of an independent hotel with the reliability of a Curio. Beautiful hotel!

Check rooms and rates at Maison Heler Metz

Hotel de Fouquet is a chambres d’hôtes: small, personal, the kind of place that actually feels like someone lives there and has thought carefully about every detail.

Check rooms and rates at Hotel de Fouquet

Loft de la Chapelle Sainte Blandine is a converted chapel, turned into a loft apartment. Sleeping inside a deconsecrated 19th-century chapel is quite the experience! Book ahead.

Check rooms and rates at Loft de la Chapelle

L’Observatoire has an exceptional view right in the heart of Metz. Waking up to a rooftop panorama is hard to beat. Stunning place.

Check rooms and rates at L’Observatoire

Nancy: things to do in the Art Nouveau capital of the Lorraine

A good friend of mine has been telling me to go to Nancy for years. She was right. Between 1870 and the First World War, artists and French citizens who refused to become German after the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine flooded into Nancy. The city grew rich and ambitious fast, and the architecture shows it. Place Stanislas is UNESCO-listed. The Art Nouveau buildings are everywhere and the streets are extremely photogenic! This city might even be prettier than Paris .

The streets of Nancy | best cities in the Lorraine

Best restaurants in Nancy – city in the Lorraine

Le Bistroquet is listed in the Michelin Guide and it belongs there. Owner Carine Ponsard also cooks in the kitchen; her parents run a Michelin Star restaurant near Metz. The cooking is precise without being pretentious. Brasserie L’Excelsior is the other must: an Art Nouveau dining room so detailed you spend the first ten minutes looking at the ceiling instead of the menu. Order the ‘French classic’ escargots. Nothing scary about it!

A dish at Le Bistroquet in Nancy | best cities in the Lorraine

Place Stanislas and the Saint Nicolas celebrations

Every night in December, Place Stanislas hosts a Saint Nicolas light show. The French approach street theatre with the same seriousness they apply to food. During the official Saint Nicolas parade there was a giant dragon and John Snow from Game of Thrones leading the procession. Pretty impressive. Check my Instagram stories for the footage, because no description does it justice.

Shopping and museums in Nancy – Lorraine

Musée des Beaux Arts has a huge glassware collection worth an hour of your time. After that, go for a city walk. Le Boudoir des Arts is a vintage shop stocked with Dior and Givenchy pieces at prices that make you feel like you found a special treasure. Every street has a delicacy shop and you can buy so many delicious specialties!

The unique vintage shop Le Boudoir des Arts

Wine tasting at Domaine Lelièvre – things to do in the Lorraine

Just outside Nancy, two brothers run Domaine Lelièvre. They grow, press and bottle everything themselves and you taste exactly that in the wine. My personal favourite is the Brut. I bought one bottle for my parents and one for myself, which tells you what I thought of it. If wine regions interest you, my guide to Savoie Mont Blanc covers another French region worth visiting purely for the wine.

Glassblowing workshops in the Lorraine – things to do

The Lorraine has a long tradition of glassblowing and you can try it yourself at the European Centre de Recherches et Formation aux Arts Verriers. It is harder than it looks. Your hands will shake, the glass will not cooperate and the instructor will be very patient. Still one of the better afternoons I have spent in France.

Best hotels in Nancy

Hôtel Littéraire Stendhal et Spa is themed around the writer Stendhal: books on the walls, a reading room, a spa below. Literary hotels either pull this off or feel like a gimmick. This one is a winner!

Check rooms and rates at Hôtel Littéraire Stendhal

Nancy Vieille Ville Stanislas is steps from Place Stanislas in the old city. Excellent location and beautiful design. The one-bedroom apartment feels like a home away from home.

Check rooms and rates at Nancy Vieille Ville Stanislas

Maison d’Hôte de Myon is a classic maison de charme: small-scale, personal and classic Art Nouveau in atmosphere. Lovely guesthouse, with cosy rooms!

Check rooms and rates at Maison de Myon

Nancy Gare Centre Parking is the practical pick: central location, easy train access, parking included. Useful if you are arriving by car or combining both cities on a road trip.

Check rooms and rates at Nancy Gare Centre

Thionville: the bonus stop on your Metz or Nancy road trip

On the way back, stop in Thionville. Pâtisserie Fisher is the reason. Have dinner at Les Sommeliers and you will not regret adding the detour. And if you have a few extra days, the Alsace region is about an hour east and makes for a natural extension of the same trip.

Pâtisserie Fisher in Thionville | best cities in the Lorraine

Getting around between Metz and Nancy

The two cities are 55 kilometres apart. A direct train connects them in 35 minutes, which makes visiting both on one trip super easy. You can also rent a car to explore the wider Lorraine at your own pace; the countryside between the two cities is worth seeing. Pick up a Saily eSIM before you travel so you have data from the moment you land.

Conclusion: Metz or Nancy, which do you pick?

Metz is intimate. The medieval scale, the Chagall cathedral, the indoor food market and the Trail of Lanterns in December make it a city for slow days and good eating. It is also less visited than Nancy, which is a real advantage if you prefer somewhere that does not feel like a destination.

Nancy is grander and more assured. The Art Nouveau architecture makes this city a true gem. Place Stanislas is one of the most impressive squares in France. The restaurant scene is strong and the wine country just outside the city is also a great day trip.

If you have time, take the train and do both. Thirty-five minutes between them. Start in Metz, end in Nancy. You will leave wondering why this region does not get more attention, and probably already planning to come back.

Metz or Nancy: Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Metz or Nancy?

Both cities have their own character. Metz is more intimate, medieval and food-focused; Nancy is grander, with strong Art Nouveau architecture, a UNESCO square and a livelier restaurant scene. Visitors with time for both consistently say: do not skip either one.

How far is Metz from Nancy?

About 55 kilometres by road. The direct train takes around 35 minutes, making it very easy to visit both cities on one trip.

What is the best time to visit Metz and Nancy?

December is exceptional: the Trail of Lanterns in Metz and the Saint Nicolas celebrations in Nancy run simultaneously. Spring and early autumn are also good, with smaller crowds and easy walking weather.

Luxembourg is less than an hour from Metz by car, and if you are extending the trip, my guide to things to do in Luxembourg City is worth a read before you go.

Is Nancy worth visiting?

Yes. Place Stanislas alone justifies the trip. Add the Art Nouveau architecture, the Michelin-listed restaurants and Domaine Lelièvre just outside the city, and Nancy is one of the most underrated stops in northern France.

How do you get to Metz and Nancy from Paris?

Both cities have direct TGV connections from Paris Gare de l’Est. Metz is about 1 hour 20 minutes; Nancy around 1 hour 30 minutes. Easy to add to any longer France itinerary.

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