Metz Ville d'eau

Leaving the parking lot, turn left onto Boulevard Saint-Symphorien which leads 250 m further to the Pont Saint-Symphorien. Cross the first part of this bridge which spans a branch of the Moselle, called the "Bras Mort".

Then go down the stairs on the right. You arrive at the edge of the Canal de Jouy.

(Shortcut: To save time, you can go down on the left before crossing the canal bridge, and follow the Allée Saint-Symphorien which leads directly to the terminal basin of the Canal de Jouy. Otherwise:)

Turn right along the canal where you can see several colorful barges, some of which are converted into holiday cottages or guest rooms. The path, entering the municipal territory of Montigny-lès-Metz, runs between the canal and the river. At the height of the Montigny-lès-Metz nautical club (small marina on the Moselle), you reach a small road that joins rue des Bateliers. Follow it to the left and cross the bridge over the canal.

At the end of the bridge, turn left onto the towpath running along the Canal de Jouy.

Off route: At the point where the canal widens, you can cross the street below (protected crossing) and take the pedestrian path leading to the very beautiful Metz botanical garden, featuring several remarkable trees and magnificent greenhouses.

Follow the canal for 1.5 km, admiring on the right the beautiful houses of the New Town. After passing under the Pont Saint-Symphorien, turn left onto the small bridge over the Bras Mort, and continue in the same direction on the other bank following the Allée du Bras Mort. After passing under the Avenue Joffre bridge, you arrive at the edge of the terminal basin of the Canal de Jouy (which the Metz Ville d'eau association wants to transform into a natural swimming pool, the Bain des Remparts).

Cross the footbridge where the canal joins the Bras Mort, and continue along the shore. Where the river widens, immediately turn right to reach the Lac aux Cygnes.

At the end of the lake, turn right to reach, along the house of the Société des régates, the edge of the Plan d’eau.

Continue along the pond and the marina. At the point where the pond narrows (beautiful postcard view of the Moyen Pont and in the background the Temple neuf), take the stairs on the right to go up to Boulevard Poincaré. You arrive opposite the fountains of the Esplanade.

If you wish, you can go up the Esplanade by the left stairs to admire the central water feature, and the Naiad Fountain located on the left in front of the facade of the Palais de justice. The normal route continues left on the boulevard, passing in front of the Tour des vignerons, a vestige of the old walls of Metz, offering a panoramic view of the pond and the old town. Slightly further on the right, you discover a new fountain below the square Boufflers.

Continue along the boulevard to the Moyen Pont.

Without crossing the river, immediately after the bridge take the stairs on the left going down to the quay.

Follow the quay towards the Temple Neuf. Before reaching the Pont des Roches, the riverside path interrupts. Take the small tunnel on the right. 60 m further, in rue des Roches, turn left through the porch (GR marking) which leads back to the riverbank via a covered gallery (restaurant). Stay on the same bank, without taking the footbridge.

Follow along the river the Allée des Moulins, which passes under the Pont de la Préfecture, then under the Pont Saint-Georges. This alley, which runs along part of the old walls of the city of Metz, then becomes the Chemin des corporations, named after the towers that line it and were financed by the medieval guilds.

Next, pass under the Pont des Grilles, and, still following the Moselle and GR markings, arrive at the Tour du diable at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille.

Continue to the left following the Seille (Allée de la Tour du Diable). 100 m after the confluence, after making a detour to a small lookout, take a path on the left that descends to a footbridge over the Seille, which you cross. On the other side of the footbridge, take the path on the right with a slight ascent, which leads to the Promenade Louis-Auguste Adrien, which you follow straight ahead. At this point, you leave the GR marking.

You pass by the Frigos Ardents, a summer guinguette set up in former military refrigerated warehouses.

Next is the Porte des Allemands, a fortified bridge over the Seille, built in the 13th century, and which was one of the main gates of the city in the Middle Ages.

After crossing the gate, turn right along Boulevard André Maginot. 100 m further, pass right under a gate in the wall and enter a park between the Seille and the medieval rampart, notably passing in front of the ruins of the pont des Grilles de la Basse-Seille and the Tour des esprits.

Continue along the path on the right bank of the Seille. At the Tour des tailleurs, turn right, and, via rue du Rempart and Boulevard Paixhans, reach the Moselle bank at the Pont des Grilles. You can also return to the Tour du diable and retrace your steps to the Pont des Grilles. Cross this bridge. You thus arrive on Chambière island.

At the end of the bridge, descend to the riverbank, and turn right onto Allée des Thermes, at the end of which is a small washhouse, an element of the thermal site (nice view of the mill of the thermal baths).

After the washhouse, go up through the Jardin des Thermes to rue Chambière, which you take on the left, then immediately turn left onto rue des Bénédictins, which continues as rue du Pont Moreau. After crossing Pont Moreau (beautiful view to the left of the thermal mill), you arrive at Petit-Saulcy island, which has two of the most beautiful 18th century buildings in Metz, the Prefecture and the Opera Theatre.

Cross Place de la Comédie in its entirety following the quay to arrive (9 km) at the forecourt of the Temple Neuf, a neo-Romanesque building constructed between 1901 and 1904 in the style of the Romanesque cathedrals of the Rhine valley.

After going around Temple Neuf via the small Jardin d’Amour, turn left onto Pont Saint-Marcel, which returns to Chambière island. 100 m further, turn right into a small dead-end street to admire the Port Saint-Marcel.

Return on your steps and take straight ahead rue de la Haye. At the end of this street, turn left onto rue du Pont des Morts which immediately leads to the Moyen Pont.

Do not cross the bridge, and go down to the riverside opposite the restaurant "L’assiette au bœuf". You arrive at the Digue de la Pucelle.

Do not cross the footbridge and take the path along the Pucelle branch. After passing under the Université bridge, you arrive at the Pont des Morts.

Immediately after passing under the arch of this bridge, take the stairs on the right to go back up. Cross the bridge, which spans the main branch of the Moselle, and leads to Fort-Moselle island.

At the end of the bridge, turn right onto Quai Paul Wiltzer, and go down the stairs on the right to the river and follow the promenade of the Jardin de la Cavalerie.

After about 200 m, go up left on Quai Paul Wiltzer and cross Place de France opposite. At the end of the square, turn left into rue Georges Aimé. Then take the first alley on the right, which leads to the edge of the Moselle canal, on the Charles le Téméraire cycle route.

Follow the cycle route to the left, passing under the Canal Bridge. You follow the Moselle canal, on a strip of land narrowing between this canal and the wild Moselle. After passing under the motorway bridge, you discover on the left a dam, the Wadrineau dam, which aims to raise the waters of the main branch of the Moselle, and is one of the works that now allows the Metz electricity plant (UEM) to produce electricity locally.

After the dam, a footbridge at the far end of the island allows crossing the canal. Descending from the footbridge, continue left along the Moselle for 200 m. Leave the water's edge to the right through a small tunnel under the railway line, towards the Italian product store SAFI. You are on the municipality of Ban-Saint-Martin. After crossing the parking lot, you arrive on Rue du Général de Gaulle, which you follow to the left to climb by stairs onto the Pont de Verdun, from where you can admire the Moselle in its widest part during the route.

Cross this bridge, which leads to Saint-Symphorien island. At the end of the bridge, go down left to the riverbank, and follow the path past the Portofino restaurant. Continue through Parc du Grand Patural. You follow a branch of the Moselle linking the main branch to the pond. You arrive under the motorway bridge. Immediately after, take the right path that goes up and follow the footbridge running along the motorway. Then descend right to Grand-Saulcy island (or Saulcy), which has been entirely occupied by the University of Lorraine since 1968.

Getting off the footbridge, turn left, and make a full circuit of Saulcy island, following the Promenade du Saulcy. From the northernmost point opens a very beautiful view of the Pont des Morts and Fort-Moselle island, especially in the late afternoon.

(Shortcut: you can save 3 km by avoiding the tour of Saulcy island. In this case, immediately after passing under the motorway bridge, do not cross the footbridge, follow the shore of the pond).

You arrive at the Digue de la Pucelle.

(Shortcut: at the Digue de la Pucelle, instead of making the tour of the pond, cross the footbridge that leads to the Moyen Pont. From there, follow the shore of the canalised Moselle up to the pond, at the end of which turn right onto the bridge crossing the Bras Mort, which you follow to the left by the Promenade Hildegarde.)

Without crossing the footbridge, turn right to go around the pond, crossing again over the motorway footbridge used at point 28. After this footbridge, follow the shore that passes in front of a torii inspired by Japanese design, created in Metz for an exhibition on Japan held in the mid-1980s.

Continue along the shore, and go around the small peninsula where you have, one last time on this circuit, a nice view of the city. Then take Promenade Hildegarde along the Bras Mort. After passing under the road bridge, turn right on the path which, going around the Skate Park, leads back to the starting point.