Metz

Metz is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Although historically Nancy was the capital of the duchy of Lorraine, it was Metz which was chosen as the capital of the newly created région of Lorraine in the middle of the 20th century, because of its past history as the capital of the region of Lotharingia - an origin found much more republican-friendly than the duchy-related theory, pointing to Nancy as the region capital.

Due to his German heritage, and military tradition, Metz is quite an unliked town in France but most of the criticism about Metz is cliché. In fact, Metz is a unique town in France thanks to a great historical background and features a beautiful old town built using the "pierre de Jaumont", a local yellow colored limestone.

Metz lies along the A31, north of Nancy and south of Luxembourg. From Paris or Strasbourg, take the A4 to the A31; Metz is just to the south. There is a small regional airport for Metz and Nancy, located southeast of Metz. This mainly handles commercial traffic, but there are passenger flights to/from Paris, Lyon, Algiers, and several Italian destinations.

Metz is also reachable by train, with connections to/from Paris, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg. The train station is at the southern edge of the city center. You should note that if you have a eurail pass you will probably not be able to leave for a few weeks.

Driving in the center of town is not recommended. Park in one of the parking areas and walk or use public transport. Everything in city center is easily accessible on foot, and much of the main downtown/shopping area is pedestrianised. Be warned, though, that there are a few hills! Bikes are also a great way to get around, though the same comment about hills applies here too.