The municipal museum of Metz is housed in a labyrinthine complex of old monastic buildings, including a 17th-century Carmelite convent and the medieval Cour d'Or — the courtyard of a Carolingian royal palace. The collection spans the city's Roman, medieval, and Renaissance history, with strong holdings of Gallo-Roman archaeology, medieval sculpture, and fine art.
The Roman section is the most impressive: you descend through the building into a reconstructed bath complex, mosaics, and finds from the Roman city of Divodurum, the predecessor of Metz. The fine art galleries include works by Corot, Delacroix, and local Lorraine painters, plus the odd surprise that feels far grander than a regional museum should manage.
Admission is free, which makes the scale of the collection feel almost absurd. The museum is rambling and easy to get lost in — allow at least two hours, and expect some older galleries to have limited English labelling. Closed Tuesdays.