Route des parcs et jardins de Paray-le-Monial

Park in the small car park at the junction of Avenue Jean-Paul II and Place du Cardinal Perraud.

(S/E) Head towards the basilica. Enter the cloister garden at the vertical flag on the façade. This garden is designed to evoke the atmosphere, charm and mysteries of medieval gardens.

On leaving the cloister garden, turn left onto Avenue Jean-Paul II, continue along it, then turn right into the Jardin Saint-Hugues (behind the Tourist Office). It is home to over 500 fragrant roses. These include single-flowered and double-flowered roses, climbing roses, shrub roses, tea hybrids, English roses, and both old and contemporary varieties.

On leaving the park, head round to the back of the basilica (at the apse) and enter the Parc des Chapelains. In 1890, two avenues of plane trees were planted to form a cross and create a veritable cathedral of greenery.

(1) Return to the park entrance, then turn right onto Rue de la Visitation. At the junction, turn right onto Rue de la Paix, then continue straight on along Avenue de Charolles. On the left, a metal gate leads into Verneuil Park. It is lined with plane trees planted in 1769 on the orders of^{the 62nd} and last abbot of Cluny, Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld. Together, they form a majestic canopy, often compared to a ‘cathedral of greenery’.

(2) Leave the park via the main entrance and turn right onto Avenue de Charolles; continue along Rue de la Paix, then go round the Tour Saint-Nicolas on the right. Take Rue Dargaud, then at the junction continue straight on along Rue Louis Desrichard. On the left is the Square du 19 Mars 1962. It is adorned with a mosaic commissioned in 1997 by the town from members of the Paul Charnoz Association. This mural is composed of 165,141 ceramic stoneware tiles and depicts the architectural, industrial and economic heritage of Paray-le-Monial.

(3) Walk back down the street and, at the crossroads, turn right onto Rue du 8 Mai until you reach the bridge. On your left, you’ll find the post office garden. The stunning sage plants, renowned for their healing properties, offer a vast array of shapes, colours, heights and scents. The delicate viburnums provide year-round decoration and enchant with their fragrance. In the centre stands a mosaic depicting a peacock.

As you leave the Post Office Garden, turn right onto Rue des 2 Ponts, cross the Bourbince and turn right again to walk alongside the Bourbince riverside garden. This garden, planted with a variety of white-flowering shrubs, offers a fresh view of the basilica. Every summer, the different varieties of plants used for the town’s floral displays are showcased here.

Walk along this garden and then turn left onto Rue du 8 Mai. Follow this street until you reach the Canal du Centre.
Stretching 112 km, it links the Loire to the Saône. Formerly used to transport goods by barge, it is now mainly used by pleasure boaters. The greenway running alongside it offers a pleasant walk or cycle ride.

(4) Cross the bridge, continue straight on along Avenue de la Gare, go over the footbridge, then take Rue de Bellevue as far as the school.

(5) Turn left onto Rue du 22 Août and continue to the Bellevue Gardens and the PLM housing estate.
Set in the heart of this 1930s architecture, this ‘garden of gardens’ draws inspiration from the railway workers’ gardens of yesteryear and the nearby allotments. Each garden is associated with a colour that gives it its identity.

Cross Rue Pierre Semard, carry on straight ahead, then turn right onto Rue Pierre Cambon. At the end of the street, turn left onto Rue du Colombier. After the bend, take the first left to reach the junction with Rue Denis Papin.

(6) Turn left onto this street. Cross the canal, then turn right onto Quai du Bassin. Follow the canal along the Voie Verte until you reach the entrance to Parc du Moulin Liron.

(7) Turn slightly left and enter the park. The park takes its name from an old mill dating back to the 15th century. It became a renowned inn in the 18th century, but was destroyed during the construction of the Canal du Centre. The 15-hectare park was created to mark the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1986. Today, nearly 850 trees line the walkway.

Leave the park via the main entrance and take the footbridge to reach the car park on Avenue Jean-Paul II (S/E).