Bois de Vincennes and the Marne circular loop

You can get there via Metro Line 8 (Écoles Vétérinaires stop). A paid municipal underground car park is available nearby at 24 Avenue du Général de Gaulle. The walk starts at the car park exit on Rue Bourgelat.

(S/E) Head to the traffic lights, turn right, then left at the next set onto Avenue Charles de Gaulle. Cross the Pont de Charenton over the Marne and then over the A4 motorway. Head straight on towards the Bois de Vincennes by taking the cycle path on Avenue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny.

(1) At the edge of the Bois de Vincennes, enter the park on the right (the wilder part), and continue straight on along a small path to the Ruisseau de la Gravelle. Cross the small bridge.

(2) Turn right and, at the next junction, carry on along Avenue des Tribunes until you reach a star-shaped junction.

(3) Take the^second right and follow Route de la Demi-Lune until you reach a roundabout.

(4) Turn right, then immediately left onto Route de la Tourelle. At the end of this road, take a first turn right then left to join the track, just after the stream, which climbs up to the Kiosque de Gravelle and its viewpoint.

(5) Enjoy the view over the south-eastern suburbs of Paris. Head back down the other side and take Avenue de la Gravelle (cycle path) on the left towards Joinville-le-Pont. Cross the motorway bridge, then head left along the D4. Follow the cycle path which crosses the departmental road before passing under the railway bridge and then the road bridge, arriving at the junction by the Joinville bridge.

(6) Cross the bridge and take the first right-hand street after it, Rue Charles Pathé, which is a hairpin bend. The Marne circular route begins on this small road. Along the banks of the Marne, turn left and follow the riverbank for about 5 km until you reach the end of the cycle path (marked by a sign indicating a right of way for pedestrians but not cyclists)

(7) Turn left onto Rue de Champignol, then right onto Rue de Champigny. Continue with caution until you reach the bridge over the Marne.

(8) Cross the bridge by turning right and, on the other side, turn right onto Quai Winston Churchill. At the start of the left-hand bend in the street, take the cycle path on the right, then head right along the Marne. Go under the bridge and continue along the river.

(9) At the end of the cycle path, turn right and carry on along Avenue Pierre Mendes France, which runs alongside the canal. At the end, turn left, go over the Saint-Maur Canal Tunnel (designed for barges to avoid the circular route) and rejoin the cycle path on the left to follow the opposite bank. Then carry on along the Marne until you reach a lock.

(10) Immediately afterwards, take the path branching off to the right and cross the Pont de Charenton. At the other end, turn left, then left again. Pass under the road bridge and then the railway bridge, leaving the banks of the Marne behind as you take a sharp left and then a right onto Rue Bourgelat (S/E).

In summer, there are several small stalls in the parks where you can buy food.

This walk is suitable for the more adventurous, without being too difficult.

This walk is accessible via Line 8 (École vétérinaire). The starting point can be chosen anywhere along the route (nothing specific, apart from starting with the uphill section), and the section through the Bois de Vincennes can be adapted as there are numerous paths and trails.