From Chaville to Saint-Cloud through the forest, ponds and park

Starting point and access: Chaville Rive Droite station.
- Transilien - Line L, on the section between Paris-Saint-Lazare and Versailles Rive Droite.
- Transilien, line U, on the section between La Défense and Versailles-Chantiers.
Take the Rue Carnot exit at the front of the train when travelling from Paris or La Défense to Versailles.

Red and white + yellow signage

(S) When leaving the station, turn right onto Rue Carnot, preferably on the left-hand pavement. At the stop sign, cross Rue du Coteau and turn left onto the path that starts after a forest barrier (benches along the path). At the crossroads, turn right between forest plots no. 131 (on the left) and 133 (on the right). Follow a wide path uphill.

No markings

(1) At the next crossroads, take the second path on the left, leaving an ONF information sign on your left. Continue straight ahead on a slight incline and ignore a path on the left. Then start a slight descent, ignore a path on the right and arrive at Carrefour de la Vrise.

(2) Cross a bridle path, continue straight ahead and descend steeply. At the next two crossroads, go straight ahead downhill. This will take you to the Ville-d'Avray ponds. Turn right to follow the southern bank of the lower pond (do not take the dyke that separates the two ponds). Immediately leave the wide path and turn left through a small hedge onto a path that runs close to the pond.

(3) At the end, turn left and follow the dyke. Ignore a red and yellow arrow pointing to the left and continue straight ahead. Go through a forest gate, walk up a small street and climb a staircase. Cross Rue de Versailles at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left. Shortly afterwards, climb a staircase on the right and then follow a path parallel to the street below. Cross a small car park and, at the exit, you will come to a forest gate on the right.

Red and white + yellow markings

Turn right and, back in the forest, follow the path that starts after the barrier (join the^GR®2).

Yellow + horseshoe markings

(4) At the crossroads, take the third path on the right (north), which is less obvious than the others, and follow the PR®4 (do not follow the GR®2 or PR®10 further to the left, which are more obvious). After about 200m, at a vague crossroads, turn left (west). Cross the PR®10 and continue straight ahead on a path that winds through the undergrowth. After about 300m, turn right and you will soon reach a crossroads.

No markings

(5) Take the second path on the right and continue straight ahead (north-east).

Red and white + yellow markings

At the end, turn left and walk along the wall of a cemetery on your right. Turn right at the corner of the cemetery and ignore a path on the left. At the end of the path (entrance to the cemetery on the right), follow a street on the left.

(6) You will come out onto Avenue Thierry; follow it to the right. Take the first left, Rue Neuve Thierry, which further on becomes Rue Jean Minaud. Before the end of the street, turn left following the road sign arrow and pass by the church of Marnes-la-Coquette. After about 50 metres, turn right between the town hall (on the left) and the church (on the right) and you will come out onto Place de la Mairie.

(7) Cross Place de la Mairie and you will arrive at the foot of the old post office. Continue straight ahead and take a detour through the garden where there is a monument in honour of Louis Pasteur (who lived and died in Marnes-la-Coquette). Retrace your steps.

Red and white markings

(7) Turn left at the corner of the old post office (right if you skipped the Pasteur tribute) and follow the^GR®1up Rue de la Porte Blanche. Enter Parc de Saint-Cloud through the gate.

Once through the gate, leave the road and turn right onto an uphill path. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. When a tarmac road comes in from the right, follow it to the left. When it turns left downhill, continue straight ahead on a flat path. At a crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead for a few metres (esplanade on the right) then turn left and wind downhill to rejoin the tarmac road (signposted "Colline de la Brosse").

No markings

(8) Turn left with the^GR® and leave it after a few metres to descend to the right (red and white cross). Turn right and stay parallel to a lawn below on the right. Come out onto the lawn (large basin in the middle) and continue towards the clearly visible park gate. Go through a gate, go around a roundabout and cross a road (be careful, busy road) and go up to another entrance to the park.

Yellow markings

(9) Once through the gate, turn right and walk along it for a few dozen metres. Turn left onto the path and head east with a wall on your right a short distance away. At the crossroads at Porte des Vignes, turn left and you will come to a large crossroads (Rond de Chasse).

(10) Go around the roundabout on the right and take the fourth lane on the right, which starts at the foot of a "Parking" and "No Entry" sign on the left (note the view of the Eiffel Tower from the start of the third lane on the right). Walk gently down this very wide lane to the Bassin de la Grande Gerbe.

(11) Go around the basin on the right, pass a restaurant and then a road on your right, and descend to the right onto the path that starts after a forest barrier and at the foot of a large basin on the left. At the bottom, you will arrive at the Bassin des 24 Jets (statue of Jupiter on the right). Turn left, pass by the statue of Neptune and then Venus, and enter a small car park on the left.

No markings

After a few metres, turn sharply right (red and white arrow), pass through a forest barrier, follow a wide path heading east and pass through a chicane. Continue straight ahead with a wooden barrier on your left and the Montparnasse Tower in your line of sight. You will arrive at a superb viewpoint over the Val de Seine and Paris.

(12) Let the path turn left, go through a gate in the railing at the viewpoint and go down a small staircase. At the bottom, follow a path on the left with a small chain on the right-hand side. At the end, go down three successive staircases on the right. At the bottom, turn left into a path between two flowerbeds, with the bell tower of the church of Saint-Cloud clearly visible opposite.

Go around a small amphitheatre on the left and continue between two flowerbeds (small ponds below on the right). At the end of the flowerbeds, there are two options for reaching the park exit at the Grille des Écoles:
- Option marked on the map - Ignore the steps on the right and continue straight ahead along a path under the trees. At the end, turn right to reach the exit.
- Second option - Go down the steps on the right. At the bottom, turn left and follow a path to the exit.

Red and white markings

(13) When you leave the park, follow a narrow street and walk along the wall on your right. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead into Rue des Écoles.

No markings

Just after the primary school, Place de Silly, turn right at an acute angle into Rue Royale. After No. 68, go down the steps on the left and you will arrive at the chevet of Saint-Clodoald Church. First turn right then left to go down another set of steps and walk along the church on your left. At the corner, turn left, walk past the church entrance and then past the town hall.

At the crossroads, take the left branch of Rue de la Libération. At the next crossroads, turn left at a 90° angle and go up. Cross Rue Gaston Latouche, go up Rue Charles Lauer and pass under the porch connecting the two hospital buildings. Take the underground passage directly, or cross Rue Dailly and enter the underground passage opposite, which joins the first one, and reach the stairs leading to Saint-Cloud station (E).

To return home:
- Transilien - Line L, towards Paris-Saint-Lazare or Versailles Rive Droite.
- Transilien - Line U, towards La Défense or Versailles-Chantiers.

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

Hiking boots are recommended, especially in winter when there may be muddy patches in the forest.

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

Saint-Cloud Park opening hours:
- Opens at 7:30 a.m.
- Closing times: November-February, 8:00 p.m.; March-April and September-October, 9:00 p.m.; May-August, 10:00 p.m.

Alternative:

- Jardin du Trocadéro - After the small car park at the Bassin des 24 Jets (between (11) and (12)), after the chicane, take the first gate on the left and cross diagonally through the English-style garden of the Trocadéro to rejoin the main route at the Grille des Écoles (13). N.B. This garden is not open all year round; it is closed in winter.

- Return by tram (line T2) - After (13), when you arrive at the Église Saint-Clodoald, turn right onto Rue de l'Église (poorly marked on the map). After a few metres, turn left onto Rue du Docteur Desfossez. Cross Rue de la Faïencerie and go straight down. Cross Rue Dailly at the pedestrian crossing and first turn right then left to go down another flight of steps. You will arrive at the Parc de Saint-Cloud tram station: take the stairs on the left to return to Issy-les-Moulineaux and Porte de Versailles; to return to La Défense and Pont de Bezons, take the footbridge over the tracks and then go down the stairs on the left.

This walk was completed three times by the author, the first time on 10 February 2018 and the last time on 10 February 2024.

From Chaville Rive Droite station to Parc de Saint-Cloud:
- A pleasant walk through the Fausses Reposes Forest, between (S) and .
- Ville-d'Avray ponds. Monument in tribute to the painter Jean-Baptiste Corot (1796-1865), at the north-east corner of the lower pond.

In Saint-Cloud Park:
- La Brosse forest trail.
- French gardens.
- Ponds and fountains, prettier when they are working, i.e. "in the summer months" according to the official website, without further details...
- Numerous statues inspired by Greek and Roman mythology.
- Superb panorama of the Val de Seine and Paris from the Terrasse su Château (12).

After the Parc de Saint-Cloud:
- Saint-Clodoald Church (19th century), between (13) and (E).