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Vauhallan walks
A history of water on the Saclay Plateau
Visorando Member
5.59 mi
+240 ft
-256 ft
2h 45
Easy
Departure from Vauhallan (Essonne)
This is a fairly short hike that allows you to discover two rigoles (small water collection channels) on the Saclay Plateau: the Rigole Domaniale and the Rigole de Favreuse. These rigoles were built in the 17th century to supply water to the Palace of Versailles. The route alternates between woods and cultivated fields, with a rich heritage in Vauhallan.
Bièvre Valley - Château de Versailles
9.44 mi
+817 ft
-623 ft
5h 05
Moderate
Departure from Igny (Essonne) (Essonne)
Hike connecting Igny (Essonne) to the Palace of Versailles. The route follows the Bievre, and 80% of the route is on roads through forests. A calm, cool walk with scenery that will leave you with a unique souvenir.
Following the Bièvre from Igny to the Porte d'Italie
12.49 mi
+167 ft
-236 ft
5h 55
Difficult
Departure from Igny (Essonne) (Essonne)
This second section, dedicated to the Bièvre, begins in a still rural setting but quickly moves into a heavily urbanised area. However, the route favours small streets and public parks. It is also here that the river’s course becomes partly underground, reappearing here and there. There are heritage sites, notably the impressive aqueducts at Arcueil and Cachan, and beautiful views of Paris in the ‘upper’ part of the route.
Vauboyen, Bois de Bel-Air and Bois de Montéclin
4.99 mi
+512 ft
-499 ft
2h 45
Moderate
Departure from Bièvres (Essonne) (Essonne)
A short half-day walk. After a good walk through the woods, the route becomes more heritage-oriented with the hamlet of Vauboyen and the Maison Victor Hugo. The walk ends along the River Bièvre.
In the Verrières Forest and along the Bièvre River.
7.94 mi
+627 ft
-656 ft
4h 10
Moderate
Departure from Bièvres (Essonne) (Essonne)
A circuit with varied landscapes, in the Verrières forest and along the Bièvre river. A breath of fresh air and greenery just a few kilometres from the capital.
From Vauboyen to the Palace of Versailles
5.95 mi
+443 ft
-259 ft
3h 05
Moderate
Departure from Bièvres (Essonne) (Essonne)
A walk through Jouy-en-Josas and the surrounding woods before reaching the Palace of Versailles.
The Promenade de l'Yvette
7.69 mi
+23 ft
-148 ft
3h 35
Moderate
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
In a highly urbanised environment, this is a green space where you can relax and enjoy a pleasant walk along the Yvette river and the Bassins de Saulx and Balizy.
A hike from station to station with a shorter alternative for motorists.
Circular route of the Troche starting from Lozère
5.20 mi
+413 ft
-430 ft
2h 45
Easy
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
This circular route offers the charm of the Lozère district with its wooded hillsides and breathtaking views over the Yvette valley. You can also stroll along the water’s edge, on the banks of Lake Lozère or along the Yvette.
Chemin Charles Péguy: overview
Association / Club / Walk leader
58.91 mi
+1,775 ft
-1,549 ft
3 days
Difficult
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
This marked route follows as closely as possible the path taken by Charles Péguy in 1912 and then 1913 from his home in Lozère (Palaiseau) to Chartres, via Dourdan.
The walking route is 94 kilometres long and is marked with blue and white signposts.
The trail was created by the Amitié Charles Péguy association. It received support from the Eure-et-Loir General Council. Visorando was responsible for its first publication on the Internet.
Chemin Charles Péguy: Palaiseau - Saint-Cyr-sous-Dourdan
18.90 mi
+794 ft
-804 ft
7 hrs
Very difficult
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
First of the four sections of the Charles Péguy Trail: Palaiseau-Chartres, via Dourdan.
It closely follows in the footsteps of the poet Charles Péguy, who made two pilgrimages in 1912 and 1913, each lasting four days there and back.
Circular loop around the Corbeville staircases
1.16 mi
+256 ft
-259 ft
0h 45
Easy
Departure from Orsay (Essonne)
Whilst awaiting the opening of Metro Line 18, those working on the Saclay plateau in the Corbeville area who use the RER B can choose between two long, steep flights of stairs or a steep path, on either side of the former La Troche quarry. This gave rise to the idea for this circular route – short but challenging – which can be completed as many times as one wishes and thus provides excellent training ground before tackling climbs of varying lengths during the summer.
The hillsides of the Yvette from Le Guichet to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse
8.72 mi
+646 ft
-633 ft
4h 35
Moderate
Departure from Orsay (Essonne)
A varied hike where you gain altitude. First, you climb up to the Saclay plateau and walk along the university campus before gently descending into the Yvette valley through the forest. We climb back up the other bank and cross the Gif-sur-Yvette forest from east to west. After an urban section, we walk between fields before descending back into the forest to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse.
From Palaiseau to Le Guichet via Vauhallan Abbey
6.26 mi
+381 ft
-404 ft
3h 10
Moderate
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
A walk from station to station that climbs up to the Saclay plateau, offering a striking contrast between the cultivated fields criss-crossed with drainage ditches and the ever-expanding university campus. A varied route with its share of ascents and descents.
From the Yvette Valley to the Saclay Plateau
7.08 mi
+315 ft
-335 ft
3h 30
Moderate
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
A hike from station to station that alternates between urban and forest passages. From the Yvette valley, we climb up to the Saclay plateau, where the university campus is constantly expanding. At the start of the descent, we visit an old sandstone quarry that has been converted into a climbing school.
From the Yvette Valley to the Saulx Rock Forest
11.39 mi
+692 ft
-692 ft
5h 50
Moderate
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
Hike in the Yvette Valley offering beautiful views of the plain with its market gardens and requiring some effort thanks to the steep wooded hillsides covered in particular by the Rocher de Saulx national forest.
From Palaiseau to Orsay via the Bois des Gelles
4.39 mi
+305 ft
-351 ft
2h 15
Easy
Departure from Palaiseau (Essonne)
A short walk, urban at the start and finish, which, in between, combines a pleasant stroll along the River Yvette with wooded and undulating paths.
From Massy to Saint-Cyr-l'École via the Bièvre Valley
15.09 mi
+476 ft
-233 ft
7h 20
Difficult
Departure from Massy (Essonne) (Essonne)
Second stage of the Grand Tour of Île-de-France via the GR®11, from Massy to Saint-Cyr l'École, behind Versailles.This stage, more bucolic than the previous one, consists of continuing up the Bièvre river in its valley, where it is almost entirely in the open air. Arriving near its source in Guyancourt, the GR® leaves the valley and continues towards Saint-Cyr-l'École.
In the footsteps of the T12
14.28 mi
+276 ft
-299 ft
1.5 hrs
Moderate
Departure from Massy (Essonne) (Essonne)
This hike follows the route of the T12 tram-train, connecting Massy-Palaiseau to Évry-Courcouronnes, and allows you to discover a varied landscape combining urban areas, natural spaces and neighbourhoods undergoing rapid change. The route takes you along the greenway that runs alongside the T12, between Épinay-sur-Orge station and the Évry-Courcouronnes terminus, offering a pleasant and safe section for pedestrians and cyclists. This walk offers an immersion in the areas served by this new line, with opportunities to stop at the various stations to fully enjoy the local heritage and green spaces.
The Saclay Plateau Agricultural Interpretation Trail
3.36 mi
+36 ft
-36 ft
1h 35
Easy
Departure from Jouy-en-Josas (Yvelines)
Just 20 kilometres away, the Saclay plateau is the largest cultivated area closest to Paris. This easy route features numerous information panels explaining agriculture and environmental management in a highly urbanised region.
Tours and detours in Massy
5.90 mi
+148 ft
-167 ft
2h 50
Easy
Departure from Massy (Essonne) (Essonne)
Follow in the footsteps of historian Fustel de Coulanges and discover a city where large housing estates, business districts and detached houses coexist, where wide avenues alternate with urban paths and malls, and where ponds and green spaces are scattered throughout.
The Verrières-le-Buisson Forest
3.97 mi
+33 ft
-33 ft
1h 50
Easy
Departure from Châtenay-Malabry (Hauts-de-Seine)
Short, easy hike in the Verrières-le-Buisson Forest.
Grand tour de la Forêt de Verrières
7.95 mi
+676 ft
-646 ft
4h 15
Moderate
Departure from Verrières-le-Buisson (Essonne)
A beautiful, challenging hike with elevation gain, along trails and paths, away from the main forest roads. A good training route.
Be careful, this is a complex route that is relatively difficult to navigate.
If you are quiet enough, you may come across deer.
This route is best in summer (or all year round if you don't mind water and mud).
Natural, artistic and scientific heritage of Paris-Saclay University
3.73 mi
+335 ft
-348 ft
2h 00
Easy
Departure from Orsay (Essonne)
Discover part of the artistic, historical and scientific heritage of Paris-Saclay University: sculptures, frescoes, scientific instruments, archaeological sites, and more. An easy walk on a campus featuring a large botanical park and the neighbouring wooded hillsides.
The Troche Quarry and Lake Lozère
3.79 mi
+341 ft
-351 ft
2h 00
Easy
Departure from Orsay (Essonne)
A mainly urban, relatively short route with a slight elevation gain. A few steep steps lead up to the Bois de la Troche and the rocks of its former sandstone quarry. The walk ends peacefully along the Yvette.
The Orsay campus and its surroundings
4.25 mi
+354 ft
-354 ft
2h 15
Easy
Departure from Orsay (Essonne)
Discover nature between the River Yvette and the Guyonnerie forest. A family walk where pets are welcome.
Circular loop around Orcéenne through the woods and along the Yvette promenade.
4.38 mi
+272 ft
-285 ft
2h 15
Easy
Departure from Orsay (Essonne)
A short hike that combines urban passages, wooded and hilly trails, and a pleasant walk along the Yvette River.
Balconies and the Yvette plain
10.68 mi
+938 ft
-951 ft
5h 45
Moderate
Departure from Bures-sur-Yvette (Essonne)
A loop in the Chevreuse Valley, with magnificent landscapes, in a wooded and rural setting close to Paris. The first part is a walk through the woods on the plateau overlooking the Yvette Valley. The return journey, parallel to the outward route, is mainly on flat ground. Most of the walk is well shaded and flat, but there are also some fairly steep ascents and descents. The area is very popular with walkers and mountain bikers, but it is well worth a visit.
The Viaduc des Fauvettes and the Forêt de Gif-sur-Yvette
6.56 mi
+712 ft
-741 ft
3h 40
Moderate
Departure from Bures-sur-Yvette (Essonne)
A walk of many faces! On forest tracks interspersed with paths through the city, you follow an old railway line with a tunnel and viaduct, finishing along the course of the river Yvette. A walk to enjoy at any time of year.
More walks in Vauhallan
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