Route de découverte de la Petite Pierre

Park in the car park at the entrance to the old town, opposite the tourist office.

(S/E) Leave the old town behind you and head towards the tourist office. Just as you leave the car park, take the path that climbs to the right via some steps and leads to the top of a fortification, offering a view of the outskirts of La Petite Pierre. Cross the park and then take the steps on the left, before turning right onto the Chemin de l’Altenberg, up to the cross and the sign for the “Chemin des Insectes”.

(1) Turn back. At the end of the street, go down Rue du Château. At the stop sign, turn left onto Rue Principale. Pass the town hall and, just after it, turn right into the small square. Then look for the stairs inside a building leading to the garden of the Maison des Païens.

(2) Return to the town hall. At the junction, take the second road on the right (Rue Principale). Then pass four streets on the right and take the fifth, Route de Zittersheim, towards the police station and the cemetery. Then turn right onto Rue du Cimetière to reach the cemetery.

(3) Return to Rue Principale via the same route and head up it to the right until you reach the Napoleonic bench.

(4) Turn back to the previous junction and turn right onto Rue des Bergers. At the fork, keep left. At the end of the street, rejoin Rue Principale, which you should follow to the right until you reach the town hall. Shortly after this, ignore the road branching off to the left and take the lane opposite, then immediately, still facing straight ahead, take Passage Jacques Meyer. This descends slightly and leads to a track at the foot of the old town’s fortifications.

(5) Turn right onto this track and follow the ramparts. You will soon reach an old tower. You can climb it to enjoy the view. Otherwise, continue straight on to the crossroads.

(6) Turn left, go past the fortifications and reach Place Jerrihans. Turn right onto Rue des Remparts. Pass in front of the old shop, now the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions. At the end of the street, almost at the car park, turn left onto Rue du Château. Walk to the end of the street, passing the Chapelle Saint-Louis, which is now the Musée du Sceau. At the end of the street is the entrance to the Château de la Petite Pierre and the Église Simultanée Notre-Dame de l'Assomption.

(7) Head back the way you came and take the first left onto Chemin de Ronde. At the end, turn left and head back to the car park (S/E).

Please note: although this walk is largely urban, it does include a section on dirt tracks that may be slippery (between the second passage by the town hall and (6): it is therefore advisable to wear sturdy footwear

-Cross and information panel ‘Chemin des Insectes’ at (1)

-Maison des Païens and its information panel (2)

-Napoleonic bench (4)

-Fortifications and information panels about them between the Passage Jacques Meyer and (6)

-Petite Pierre Museums (Museum of the Seal and Museum of Arts and Folk Traditions): for those wishing to visit, booking is compulsory through the association that manages them.

-Château de la Petite Pierre, information panels on the history of the château, the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church and information panels on George Jean and Louis Ruffin (7)