From Île de la Cité to Porte de Courcelles

Starting point and access: Cité station.
- Metro - Line 4. Take the only exit.
- RER - Line B or C, Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame station. Take exit 5 Hôtel-Dieu/Parvis de Notre-Dame.
- Bus - Lines 21, 27, 38, 47, 58, 70, 75, 96.

The main places and buildings to see are indicated in italics in the description.

(S) When you exit the metro station, turn right three times and head towards the Palais de Justice de Paris with the Sainte-Chapelle on your left. Follow Boulevard du Palais to the right. At the end, turn left to cross the boulevard, pass by the Tour de l'Horloge and continue along the Quai de l'Horloge. Walk past the Conciergerie and then the Cour de Cassation building. At the corner of the latter, turn left into Rue de Harlay and then right into Place Dauphine (17th-18th century mansions).

At the end (opposite the equestrian statue of Henri IV), turn right. Cross Quai de l'Horloge on the right-hand side, then turn left to cross at the pedestrian crossing. Turn right and cross a branch of the Seine on the Pont Neuf. On the other side, cross Quai du Louvre.

(1) Follow the quay to the left, then turn right into Place de l'École. At the end of the church, turn left onto Rue des Prêtres Saint-Germain. At the corner, turn right, pass in front of the entrance to the Church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois (flamboyant Gothic façade) and arrive at the foot of the bell tower of the town hall of the 1st arrondissement (1860).

Then turn left to cross Place du Louvre at the pedestrian crossing. Continue straight ahead, pass under a porch and enter the Cour Carrée du Louvre. N.B. Due to construction work scheduled for completion in February 2023, you will temporarily have to go around the building on the right and enter the Cour Carrée from Rue de Rivoli. Go around the central pond on either side. Pass under a porch, go down several steps and reach the central courtyard where the Louvre Pyramid (1989) stands.

(2) Go around the pyramid on the left. Then cross the Place du Carrousel at the pedestrian crossings and pass under the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (1809; undergoing restoration in 2023). Continue straight ahead, cross a wide gravel path, go down several steps and enter the Jardin des Tuileries, decorated with numerous sculptures.

Follow the central path straight ahead until you reach a circular pond. Then turn right, leaving a sculpture of a centaur on your left. Continue straight ahead, climb a flight of steps and leave the garden at the metro entrance.

(3) Cross Rue de Rivoli at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the right, under the arcades. Take the^first left, Rue Saint-Roch. At the end (opposite the 17th-18th century Saint-Roch Church), turn left into Rue Saint-Honoré and immediately right into Rue de la Sourdière. Take the^first left, Rue Saint-Hyacinthe. At the end, follow Rue du Marché Saint-Honoré to the right. Then go around the large glass building covering the Passage des Jacobins, either on the right (marked route) or on the left.

On the other side, continue along Rue du Marché Saint-Honoré. Cross Rue Danielle Casanova and continue straight ahead along Rue d'Antin. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Avenue de l'Opéra and continue straight ahead to Place de l'Opéra (Palais Garnier opposite).

(4) Go around the square on the left, cross Rue de la Paix and follow it to the left (in line of sight, the Vendôme Column, built in 1810, demolished in 1871 and rebuilt in 1875). Take the^first right, Rue Daunou. At the end, cross Boulevard des Capucines and follow it to the left. At the intersection with Rue Édouard VII, note the four statues of Greco-Roman deities on the penultimate floor of the building opposite.

Turn right onto Rue Édouard VII and walk past the equestrian statue of the former monarch. Pass under a porch and, at the fork, turn right. Go around a statue from 1896 representing the poet riding Pegasus and walk along the Théâtre de l'Athénée (1893). At the end of Square Louis Jouvet, turn right and then right again to follow Rue Auber.

(5) At the crossroads, turn left into Rue Scribe and walk past the Palais Garnier on your right. At the next intersection, turn left onto Rue des Mathurins. Note the Moorish façade of the former Turkish baths built in 1876 at No. 18. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead on Rue des Mathurins and walk past the theatre of the same name. Cross Rue de l'Arcade on the right-hand side (note the clock and sculpted group on the corner).

At the next intersection, turn right onto Rue Pasquier. Walk along Square Louis XVI and the Chapelle Expiatoire (a monument built during the Restoration on the site where Louis XVI was buried after his execution) on your left. Note the Art Deco building (1927) at No. 34, decorated with animal sculptures representing various French colonies of the time. At the end (clock at the top of a building opposite), follow Boulevard Haussmann to the left.

(6) At the crossroads, cross Boulevard Malesherbes and note the Église Saint-Augustin (1871) and the Cercle des Armées (1927) on the right. Continue straight ahead into Rue La Boétie. Continue straight ahead, crossing Rue Daumesnil (among other streets) and note the Salle Gaveau at no. 47 and the Maison De Wally (1776) at no. 57. Cross Rue de Courcelles on the right-hand side and continue to the crossroads.

Turn right onto Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and pass in front of the Église Saint-Philippe du Roule (1784). Cross Avenue Myron Herrick on the right-hand side and take the next right, Rue Paul Cézanne (pedestrianised). At the end, rejoin Rue de Courcelles and follow it to the left. Cross Boulevard Haussmann and walk up to Place Gérard Oury (opposite on the right is Maison Loo, a mansion converted into a large pagoda in 1926). Then take the^second right, Rue Rembrandt, and continue straight ahead to the entrance to Parc Monceau.

(7) Enter the park and follow the path opposite. At the T-junction, turn right. At the fork that appears shortly afterwards (columns), turn left. Cross a tarmac path and continue along the path opposite. At the fork, turn right and leave a small pyramid on your left. At the next fork, turn left. Cross a tarmac path and pass under a stone arch.

Turn into the^first path on the left, leaving a colonnade on your right and walking alongside a lake on your right. You will come to a tarmac lane. Follow it to the right for about 20 metres and take a small bridge on the right over the lake's spillway. On the other side, go straight ahead at the junction immediately ahead. Pass a sculpture in homage to Guy de Maupassant on your right and turn left. You will immediately come to a tarmac path. Turn right and leave the park, leaving the rotunda on your left.

(8) First turn right then left, cross Place de la République Dominicaine at the pedestrian crossing and turn right onto Rue Georges Berger. At the next intersection, note the Hôtel Gaillard on the corner , built in the Neo-Renaissance style between 1878 and 1882. Then turn left onto Place du Général Catroux and walk along the right-hand side of a square decorated with several sculptures, paying tribute to a number of artists: the actress Sarah Bernhardt and the writers Alexandre Dumas père and fils.

At the end of the square, continue along Avenue de Villiers. Cross Rue Fortuny on the left and walk past the Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner. Turn left at the next street, Rue Cardinet. Take the^first right, Rue Édouard Detaille. At the end, note a building from 1892 decorated with a large, colourful arched façade. Turn right onto Rue Édouard Detaille.

(9) At the end, cross Avenue de Villiers at the pedestrian crossing on the left and continue along Rue Viète. Note the numerous mascarons on the façades at numbers 11 and 13. At the end, return to Boulevard Malesherbes and follow it to the left. At the crossroads, take the second left, Rue Ampère. Pass in front of the Church of Saint-François de Salles (1913).

Cross Avenue de Wagram (distant view of the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile on the left) and continue along Rue Ampère. Note several Haussmann-style buildings, as well as a neo-Louis XIII style hotel at No. 53 and neo-Gothic style hotels at Nos. 61, 65 and 68. At the end (RER station opposite), turn left. You will immediately reach Place du Maréchal Juin, chosen as the end point of this urban route because it is close to the Porte de Courcelles mentioned in the title and has much better public transport links (E).

To return home:
- Metro - Line 3.
- RER - Line C, towards Paris-Austerlitz or Pontoise. The station is located at the end of Rue Ampère, just before Place du Maréchal Juin.
- Bus - Lines 84, 92, 93, PC, 163, 341.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

There are numerous bars, restaurants and shops along the route. Water fountains and public toilets are available in the Tuileries Garden and Parc Monceau.

Public garden opening hours:
Tuileries Garden:
- October to March: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- April, May and September: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- June to August: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Parc Monceau
- Opening time: 7:00 a.m.
- Closing time: 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).

Useful detailed map (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 15 January 2023.

The main places and notable buildings are mentioned in the description itself, without any claim to exhaustiveness.

Visiting churches:
- Visits are free during the day, but please refrain from visiting during services.

Opening days and times of other places to visit:
Sainte Chapelle: October to March, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; April to September, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Louvre Museum (booking recommended): open every day except Tuesday, from 9 a.m.; closes at 6 p.m., except Friday, when it closes at 8:45 p.m.
Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner: open every day except Tuesdays and public holidays, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.