From Île de la Cité to Porte de Gentilly

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 look out for are indicated in italics in the body of the description.

(S) When you exit the underground station, turn right twice, then cross Place Louis Lépine diagonally to the left. When you reach Rue de la Cité, turn right and follow the street. At the traffic lights, cross the street and follow it to the right. Walk along the forecourt of Notre-Dame Cathedral on your left and take the bridge over a branch of the Seine. On the other side, cross Quai de Montébello at the traffic lights.

(1) Follow the quay to the left. Cross Rue Saint-Julien le Pauvre and enter Square René Viviani opposite. Head towards the central roundabout, then turn right towards the Church of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre (12th-13th century). Turn right again, walk along the church and leave the square. Follow the street to the left and pass in front of the church entrance.

At the three-way junction (on the left, view of the 13th-15th century Saint-Séverin Church), turn left onto Rue Galande. At the next intersection, go straight ahead. Then turn right onto Rue Lagrange and immediately turn right onto Rue des Anglais.

At the end, cross Boulevard Saint-Germain at the pedestrian crossing on the left and continue along Rue Jean de Beauvais. Go straight ahead and pass in front of the Church of the Holy Archangels (14th century). At the end of the street, climb a staircase. At the top, cross Rue des Écoles and continue straight ahead on Rue Jean de Beauvais. Take the^first left, Rue de Lanneau, and cross Rue de l'Écosse on the right-hand side.

At the crossroads (on the right, view of the Panthéon), continue straight ahead along Rue de l'École Polytechnique. You will come to Placette Jacqueline de Romilly (with the façade of the former École Polytechnique opposite) and take the^first right, Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. Continue straight ahead to Place de l'Abbé Basset (opposite, the Panthéon, late 18th century; on the left, the Église Saint-Étienne du Mont, 15th-16th century).

(2) Turn left at the corner of the church and follow Rue Clovis. At the traffic lights, turn right into Rue Descartes. At No. 50, note the location of the former Porte Saint-Marcel, which was located within the walls of Philippe Auguste. Cross Rue Thouin and continue along Rue Mouffetard. Cross Place de la Contrescarpe and continue along Rue Mouffetard. Take the^first left, Rue Saint-Médard.

After No. 17, turn right into Square Marius Constant (if closed, continue straight ahead). Go down a concrete path at the foot of the buildings. Ignore an exit on the right, continue through the square and leave via another exit. Then follow Passage Jaillot to the left and climb a staircase. At the top, you will find Rue Saint-Médard again; follow it to the right. At the end, turn right onto Rue Gracieuse.

(3) Immediately cross Rue Ortolan on the right-hand side and cross Place Monge diagonally to the left (market in the morning on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays). Leave the escalator to the metro station on your left, join Rue Monge at the traffic lights and follow it to the right. Take the^first right, Rue Pestalozzi, then the^first left, Rue Gracieuse.

At the end, turn right onto Rue de l'Épée de Bois. Take the^first left onto Rue des Patriarches. After about 30 metres, there are two lanes on the right: take the^{second one}, Passage des Patriarches. At the next intersection, turn left and then immediately right into Square Vermenouse. At the end, turn left down Rue Lhommond.

At the bottom (opposite the former building of the Institut National Agronomique), turn left onto Rue de l'Arbalète. At the crossroads, rejoin Rue Mouffetard and follow it to the right and downhill to the Church of Saint-Médard.

(4) At the crossroads, take the^first right, Rue Édouard Quénu. At the traffic lights, cross Rue Claude Bernard and continue straight ahead into Rue Broca. Keep going straight ahead and pass under the Boulevard de Port-Royal bridge.

At the traffic lights, cross Boulevard Arago at the pedestrian crossing on the left, then first turn right then left to enter Rue Maurice Nordmann. At the fork, turn left into Rue Corvisart. Take the^first right, Rue Magendie. This leads to Rue des Tanneries. Follow it to the left and walk alongside the Couvent Saint-Jacques.

At the end, first turn left then right onto Rue Vulpian. At the end, cross Boulevard Auguste Blanqui in two stages, passing under the elevated metro line. Follow the boulevard to the left for about 100 metres.

(5) Take the^first right onto Rue Le Dantec. Go up and turn left with the street. At the T-junction, first turn right then left to go up Rue Alphand (several murals). At the end, turn right into Rue de la Butte aux Cailles (murals). You will immediately come to a small square (Place de la Commune de Paris) and turn left twice to go down Rue Buot.

At the bottom, turn right and walk past the neo-Byzantine Sainte-Anne Church (19th-20th century). Immediately turn right and go up Rue Michal. At the crossroads, turn left down Rue de l'Espérance. Cross Rue de la Providence and Rue Tolbiac in succession. At the end, cross Rue Barrault and turn right into Rue de la Colonie (townhouses on the right-hand side).

At the T-junction (former building of the Free French Foundation on the corner, building with arched windows opposite on the right), follow Rue Vergniaud to the left. At the traffic lights, turn left into Rue Boussingault. At the next traffic lights, turn right into Rue Auguste Lançon.

(6) Take the^second left, Rue des Glycines, and enter Cité Florale (a group of small houses built in 1928). Immediately turn right onto Rue des Volubilis. Turn left at the end of this street and then left onto Rue des Iris.

You will immediately come out into a small courtyard. Find Rue des Glycines and follow it to the right. Turn right immediately onto Rue des Liserons. Cross Square des Mimosas on the left. You will come out onto Rue Brillat-Savarin. Follow it to the left.

(7) Go around Place de Rungis on the right and cross Rue de Rungis. Go up the stairs opposite. On the^first landing, go up the stairs on the right and, on the^second landing, go up the stairs on the left. Continue straight ahead, walk past a barber's shop on your left, go up another flight of stairs and continue straight ahead.

Cross Rue des Longues Raies and go up Rue Cacheux opposite. At the end, turn right onto Boulevard Kellermann and you will soon reach Porte de Gentilly (E).

To return home:
- Tram - Line T3a (stop in the middle of the boulevard, at Rue Cacheux and at the foot of the Charléty Stadium).
- Bus - Lines 21, 67, 216.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

There are numerous bars, restaurants and shops along the route.

Public garden opening hours:
Square René Viviani
- Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. on weekdays; 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).
Square Marius Constant
- Opening hours: 9:30 a.m. on weekdays; 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 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 18 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.