From Île de la Cité to Porte de Montreuil

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, go straight ahead along Allée Célestin Hennion between two sections of the flower market. At the end, turn right onto Quai de la Corse. Pass the^first bridge on your left and continue along the quay. At the^second bridge, turn right onto Rue d'Arcole. Take the^first left, Rue Chanoinesse, and then immediately left onto Rue de la Colombe (note the bas-relief depicting a pair of doves at No. 4). Turn right onto Rue des Ursins. Note the Paris Seminary at No. 15, a fountain on the left-hand side and a Renaissance-style hotel at No. 1.

Leave the street, climb the stairs on the left, reach Quai aux Fleurs and follow it to the right (beautiful mansions; Abelard and Heloise lived at No. 9 in 1118). Then take the Pont Saint-Louis, cross a branch of the Seine (on the left, beautiful view of Paris City Hall and the Tour Saint-Jacques) and step onto the Île Saint-Louis.

(1) Turn left immediately, go down a staircase and reach the banks of the Seine (in case of flooding, turn left but stay on the quay). Walk along the river on your left and pass successively under the Pont Louis-Philippe and the Pont Marie. Further on, go down a staircase and then climb another one to return to the quay.

Then take the Pont de Sully bridge on the left to cross a branch of the Seine. Cross the Quai Henri IV and walk along the left-hand side of a square where the remains of the Bastille were transported. At the next traffic lights, continue straight ahead and follow Boulevard Henri IV for about 30 metres.

(2) Then turn right to cross the boulevard and continue along Rue de Sully. Walk along the right-hand side of the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal. At the end, turn left into Rue Mornay. Continue straight ahead and ignore the side streets. At the traffic lights, cross Boulevard Bourdon and take the footbridge over the Port de l'Arsenal, which is none other than the Canal Saint-Martin just before it joins the Seine.

On the other side, go down a spiral staircase. At the bottom, join the quay of the port. Walk along the port on your left and ignore all the exits on your right. At the end, pass under the Pont de la Bastille, which supports a metro line. Climb a large staircase, which leads to the pedestrian part of the Place de la Bastille and the foot of the Colonne de Juillet.

(3) Go around the column on the right, cross the boulevard at^{the first} traffic lights and reach the foot of the Opéra Bastille. Then take the^first right, Rue de Charenton. Just after No. 53, turn left into the Passage des Chantiers. At the end, pass under two successive porches, cross Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine (old fountain on the left) and continue along Rue de Charonne. Stay on this street, which curves to the right, ignore the streets on the left and note the numerous private passages and courtyards on either side.

At the corner of No. 34, turn right into Passage Saint-Antoine. Turn left along this street and, at the crossroads immediately ahead, go straight on into Passage de la Bonne Graine. Cross Avenue Ledru-Rollin (Art Nouveau building opposite on the right) and continue opposite into Passage de la Bonne Graine, which soon turns right. At the end, go under a porch.

(4) Return to Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine and follow it to the left. Take the^first left, Passage de la Main d'Or. At the next intersection, turn right onto Rue de la Main d'Or. Cross Rue Trousseau and continue along Rue de Candie. Then cross Passage Saint-Bernard and, at the T-junction, turn left into Rue de la Forge Royale.

(5) At the next intersection, first turn right then left to enter Square Raoul Nordling. Then turn right, walk along the Église Sainte-Marguerite (17th century) on your left and exit the square on the other side. You will come out onto Rue Charrière (not signposted here) and follow it to the left. At the end, you will come to Rue de Charonne. Turn right and follow this street.

Cross Rue Faidherbe and walk past the Palais de la Femme (a women's shelter dating from 1910). Continue straight ahead and note the remains of former 17th-century convents, including the Madeleine de Traisnel (17th century) at No. 100 and the Benedictines of Bon-Secours at Nos. 99-101. You will arrive at Place du 8 février 1962 (named in memory of the victims of police repression during an anti-OAS demonstration on that day at the Charonne metro station).

(6) Cross Boulevard Voltaire at the traffic lights and follow it to the left. Take the^first right, Cité de Phalsbourg, which becomes a pedestrian street further on. At the end, turn left onto Rue Léon Frot. At the corner of No. 62, turn right onto Passage Courtois. Cross a street on the left and continue straight ahead (dead end). Shortly before the end of the street, turn left into Jardin de la Folie Régnault. Cross the garden and, at the exit, continue along Rue de la Folie Régnault.

Immediately take the^first right, Rue de Mont-Louis. At the next intersection, turn right into Impasse de Mont-Louis (former workshops) and then turn right again. Continue along the main street, cross Impasse Lamier on the right-hand side and you will come to a crossroads.

(7) Then turn right and cross Boulevard Philippe Auguste. Next, turn left to cross Boulevard de Charonne in two stages. Continue straight ahead on Rue Pierre Bayle. At the end, turn right onto Rue du Repos (we are at the corner of Père Lachaise Cemetery). At the end, rejoin Boulevard de Charonne and follow it as it continues.

At the next crossroads (Alexandre Dumas metro station), turn left onto Rue de Bagnolet. Take the^first left, Cité Aubry, a picturesque street that soon turns right.

(8) At the end, turn left and go through the pedestrian gate of Villa Riberolle (if it is open). Walk up this cobbled street lined with old workshops which, after two left turns, ends in the courtyard of a restaurant. Retrace your steps.

(8) Continue straight ahead and go down a tarmac road. You will soon come to Rue de Bagnolet. Follow it to the left and take the^first left, Rue Ligner. Walk gently uphill along this street lined with beautiful houses, turn right twice and walk back downhill. At the end, first turn right then left onto Rue des Orteaux. Cross the cul-de-sac of the same name on the right-hand side and, at the next crossroads, turn right onto Rue de la Réunion.

Then cross Place de la Réunion (central fountain) and turn left onto Sentier de la Pointe. At the crossroads shortly after, continue straight ahead into Passage Josseaume. Cross Rue des Haies and continue along Passage de la Providence.

(9) At the end, turn left onto Cité Champagne. Come out onto Rue des Pyrénées and follow it to the right. At the next traffic lights, cross Rue d'Avron, turn left to cross Rue des Pyrénées and follow it to the right for about 20 metres. Then turn left onto Rue du Volga. Cross Rue des Maraîchers and continue straight ahead. Go under the bridge of the old Petite Ceinture railway line, then walk along the right-hand side of the Jardin de la Gare de Charonne. At the end of the street, turn left to quickly reach the Porte de Montreuil (E).

To return home:
- Metro - Line 9.
- Tram - Line T3b (stop at the end of Rue du Volga).
- Bus - Lines 57, 215, 351.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

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

Public garden opening hours:
Raoul Nordling Square
- 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).
Jardin de la Folie Régnault
- 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).

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

Hike completed by the author on¹ 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.

Visit to the Père Lachaise Cemetery:
This route passes close to the Père Lachaise Cemetery. It can therefore be complemented by a visit to this famous cemetery, for example by taking the walk A tour of the Père Lachaise Cemetery (add about 5 km). With this in mind, at point (7) of this walk, there are two options:
- Cross Boulevard de Ménilmontant and follow it to the left until you reach the starting point of the other walk, just before the Père Lachaise metro station. Then retrace your steps to the junction with Rue Pierre Bayle, which you should follow to the left for this walk.
- Continue on this walk until you reach the T-junction with Rue du Repos. Then follow this street to the left and, when it turns left, take one of the entrances to the cemetery on the right. Join the other route on Avenue Casimir Périer, near its point (2). Once you have completed your tour of the cemetery, exit onto Rue du Repos, follow it to the left and rejoin this route.