Green corridors, parks and small streets in Antony

Starting point and access: Antony station.
- RER - Line B, on the section between Paris and Massy-Palaiseau/Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse. Take exit 2 Rue Velpeau.
- Bus - Lines 196, 286, 297, 395. The bus station is located on Rue Velpeau, at exit 2 of the station.

Without signage

(S/E) With your back to the station, head left (towards the bus station), cross Rue Velpeau at^{the first} pedestrian crossing and enter Parc Bourdeau opposite. Pass a pond on your right, then the park pavilion, and continue straight ahead along a gravel path. The path curves to the right and goes around a playground on the left. Then turn left and go through the park exit gate.

Follow a tarmac path at the foot of a building on the left and go through another gate under a porch. You will come out onto a street; follow it to the left. After a few dozen metres, turn right onto Rue du Marché. Walk along the market hall on your left, then continue straight ahead. At the traffic lights, turn right. Take the^first left, Rue Jean Jaurès (beautiful houses).

Red and white markings

(1) At the T-junction, turn right (follow the^GR®11). At the end of the street, turn left. Ignore the arrow pointing to the right towards Passage de la Bièvre: despite what the sign says, this passage is closed a little further on (as of June 2021). When the street turns left, turn right into an alley with a 20 km/h speed limit. Take the tunnel under the railway line and follow the markings. At the stop sign, follow Rue de l'Abreuvoir straight ahead. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the streets on the right and the access roads to buildings on the left.

At the junction with Rue de la Prairie, turn right. Cross the street at the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead. Pass the leisure centre on your left and turn right into Parc Heller.

No signposts

Continue straight ahead (ignore the red and white arrow indicating a left turn). Then turn left towards Château de Sarran. Go around the building on the right, walk past a fountain on your right and continue along a gravel path.

Yellow markings

(2) About twenty metres after the fountain, turn right onto a path that quickly leads to the banks of the Bièvre (dry in June 2021). Then turn left and walk along the river on your right on a path lined with beautiful plane trees.

Further on, you will come to a cemented path. Follow it to the right and now walk along the river on your left. Ignore two footbridges that cross the river and turn right at the corner of a small equestrian centre. Continue straight ahead on a shaded path. Note the tomb of François Molé (1734-1802) on the right-hand side, then go through a gate.

(3) Cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing and continue opposite on a cement path with a fence on the right-hand side. At a crossroads, climb the wooden staircase in the middle. At the top, turn left. Then leave a lake on your left and follow a gravel path. Leave a playground on your left and continue straight ahead.

No markings

Cross a dead end and take a cement path that winds gently upwards (the staircase that cut straight across has been closed off). At the top, cross a street on the right (chains). Then follow a cement path on the left (Chemin de Compostelle towards Chartres). You will quickly reach an intersection where you can see two cement circles in a lawn on the right.

(4) Turn left and follow a gravel path that passes between four benches. Just after the benches, turn left and go down a grassy path (bench). Pass a small plumbing cupboard and come out onto a small car park. Then turn right and climb a steep path. Pass a piece of gym equipment (parallel bars) on your left and continue climbing. Cross a circular path and climb to reach the top of a hill (panoramic view).

Descend on the other side towards a football stadium. Leave the stadium on your left and follow a path diagonally to the right that passes at the foot of a poplar tree on the right-hand side (small wooden post on the left-hand side). Cross a bridge over the Bassin de la Noisette spillway. You will come to a triangular crossroads; turn right twice. Ignore the steps going up to the left and continue straight ahead on a gravel path. Pass the four benches you saw on the way up and return to the intersection with the lawn with cement circles.

Red and white + green markings

(4) Turn left and follow the South Parisian greenway. Stay on the cement path on the left (in June 2021, the entire central section of the greenway was under construction and closed to the public). Pass a small square with a fountain on the left and continue on the cement path to Place Lexington (central obelisk).

No signposts

Then turn right to cross the square. Cross a street and continue along Avenue du Bois de Verrières. At the crossroads (traffic lights), continue along the same avenue towards Antony town centre.

(5) At the "give way" sign, turn right into a street with a 30 km/h speed limit. Then take the^first left, Rue Joseph Bricon (some beautiful houses). At the end, first turn left then right to follow Rue des Augustins.

At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue du Vert Buisson and continue straight ahead. At the end, cross the street at the pedestrian crossing on the left and continue straight ahead on the pedestrian path. Pass the war memorial on the left, turn right, leave a pond on your left and go downhill to reach Place de l'Église.

(6) Turn left and leave the church on your right. Take the^first left, Ruelle à Riou (cobbled). Go to the end (old fountain). Then turn right and pass the "Théâtre-Mairie" bus stop. Cross the D67 at the traffic lights and continue straight ahead into Avenue Léon Blum. Follow this avenue, which curves to the right, ignoring the streets on the left. Shortly after a "no entry" sign, look for the entrance to Parc Raymond Sibille on the right.

(7) Turn right to enter the park (arboretum). Go straight ahead on a gravel path. After about 100 metres, turn left towards a kiosk. Note a monumental purple beech tree on the right, leave the kiosk on your left and then a playground on your right. At the end of the path, follow a tarmac path to the right to leave the park through a gate. Follow the tarmac path, go through another gate and you will come out onto a main road (D67). Follow the road to the left and, at the crossroads, cross at the pedestrian crossing on the left to return to Antony station (S/E).

To return home:
- RER - Line B, towards Paris or Massy-Palaiseau/Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse.
- Bus - Lines 196, 286, 297, 395.

Train timetables: see the Transilien website.

Good trainers are sufficient for this route, which is entirely on stabilised paths or tarmac roads.

Bars, restaurants and shops near Antony station (S/E).

A detailed map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Public park opening hours:
Parc Bourdeau: 7.30am to 9pm.
Heller Park: 5.30am to 10.30pm.
Raymond Sibille Park: 7:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
All other public spaces (green corridors, Parc de la Noisette) are accessible 24 hours a day.

Hike completed by the author on¹ June 2021.

- Some beautiful townhouses along the route.
- Beautiful sequoia tree in Parc Bourdeau, shortly after (S/E).
- Château de Sarran and beautiful fountain in Parc Heller, shortly before (2).
- Parc et Bassin de la Noisette (4).
- Saint-Saturnin Church (15th-16th century) (6).
- Arboretum in Raymond Sibille Park (7).