From Île de la Cité to Porte de Pantin

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, continue 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 take the^{second bridge}, Pont d'Arcole, to cross a branch of the Seine.

(1) On the other side, cross the quay in two stages, then go around a basin on the left. Cross the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville diagonally to the right. At the corner of the building, cross Rue de Rivoli and follow Rue du Temple opposite. At^{the first} crossroads, go straight ahead and note the early 18th-century hotel at No. 22.

At the next intersection (corner turret), turn right onto Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie. Take the^first right, the square of the same name, which soon turns left. At the end (Lutheran Church of Les Billettes, mid-18th century, opposite), turn left. At the traffic lights, continue straight ahead into Rue des Archives and cross Rue du Plâtre on the left-hand side. At the next intersection, turn right into Rue des Blancs Manteaux. Pass the entrance to the Church of Notre-Dame des Blancs Manteaux (second half of the 17th century).

(2) Immediately afterwards, turn left into Square Charles-Victor Langlois. Cross the square at the foot of the church, continue along the short Rue de l'Abbée Migne and, at the end, turn right. At the crossroads (corner turret opposite on the left), turn left onto Rue Vieille du Temple. Take the^first right, Rue Barbette, and note the 18th-century mansions at numbers 12, 14 and 15.

At the end (Swedish Institute garden opposite), turn left. At the intersection shortly after, turn left onto Place de Thorigny. Leave Rue de la Perle on your left and continue along Rue de Thorigny. Pass by the Hôtel Salé (mid-17th century), which houses the Picasso Museum. Then take the^second right, Rue du Roi Doré (with a grimacing mascarone on the corner).

(3) At the end (Église Saint-Denis du Saint-Sacrement, early 19th century, opposite), turn left onto Rue de Turenne, then immediately left onto Rue Debelleyme.

Follow this street to its end, crossing Rue Vieille du Temple, Rue du Poitou and Rue de Bretagne in succession. Note the several mansions and old houses from the 17th and 18th centuries along the way. At the end, return to Rue de Turenne and follow it to the right until you reach a crossroads.

(4) Then take the^second left, Rue Froissart. At the crossroads, turn left into Rue Commines. At the next crossroads, cross Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, continue for a few dozen metres and turn left onto Rue Amelot. Pass by the Cirque d'Hiver and, at the crossroads with Rue de Crussol, continue straight on along Rue Amelot, which has now become a pedestrian street.

At the next intersection (beautiful gate at no. 138), turn right onto Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud. Continue straight ahead, cross Boulevard Voltaire (view of Place de la République on the left) and then Rue du Grand Prieuré. At the traffic lights, cross the odd-numbered side of Boulevard Richard-Lenoir.

(5) Then turn left and take the central esplanade. Cross Avenue de la République at the pedestrian crossing, then first turn left then right. Follow the odd-numbered side of Boulevard Jules Ferry, either on the central Richard-Lenoir promenade or on the pavement.

At the end, cross Rue du Faubourg du Temple (clock with bas-relief on the corner) and turn right into Square Frédéric Lemaître. Walk along the right-hand side of a lock on Canal Saint-Martin. Then walk along the canal on the right-hand side, ignoring the^first footbridge, then the swing bridge on Rue Dieu and the footbridge parallel to it.

(6) Take the next footbridge over the canal, at Rue Beaurepaire. On the other side, cross Quai de Jemmapes at the pedestrian crossing and follow Rue Richerand to the end. Opposite the entrance to the Hôpital Saint-Louis, turn right onto Rue Bichat. At the crossroads (plaque in tribute to the victims of the attacks of 13 November 2015 on the left), take the^first left, Rue Alibert. At the next crossroads, turn right onto Avenue Parmentier.

Take the^second left onto Rue Jacques Louvel-Tissier. Note the old houses at numbers 25-27, the former workshops of Lithographie Parisienne at^{number 27bis} and a former station of the Compagnie de Distribution de l'Électricité at^{number 36ter}. Cross Rue Saint-Maur and continue straight ahead on Rue du Buisson Saint-Louis, ignoring all the streets on the left. You will come out onto Boulevard de la Villette. Turn left and continue for about 100 metres.

(7) Then turn left onto Rue de Sambre et Meuse. Take the^first left, Rue Sainte-Marthe. Walk slightly downhill, cross Rue du Chalet on the left-hand side, then turn right at the next street. You will soon come to Rue Jean et Marie Moinon. Walk up this street to the right. You will come back to Rue de Sambre et Meuse and follow it to the left. At the traffic lights, cross Avenue Claude Vellefaux and continue straight ahead. At the T-junction, at the corner of a square, turn right onto Rue Juliette Dodu and walk along a small triangular square on your left.

At the crossroads, take the^second right, Rue de la Grange aux Belles. Turn into the^first right, the short Rue Charles Robin. At the end, turn left and you will immediately reach Place du Colonel Fabien. Go around the square on the right, crossing Avenue Claude Vellefaux, Boulevard de la Villette and Avenue Mathurin Moreau in succession. Note the building on the right, designed in 1971 by architect Oscar Niemeyer, which has since housed the headquarters of a well-known political party.

(8) Then turn right onto Rue de Meaux. Pass Cité Lepage on your left and take the next left, Passage de la Brie (cobbled street). At the end, turn right and, at the next intersection, right again onto Avenue Secrétan. At the traffic lights, turn left and walk along an old market hall on your right. Continue straight ahead along Rue de Meaux and cross Rue Bouret and Rue Armand Carrel. Pass Passage de Melun on your left and you will arrive at the Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption des Buttes Chaumont on your right.

(9) Go back a little and, at the corner of a Savoyard-style wooden chalet, turn right onto Passage de la Moselle (no entry). Cross Avenue Jean Jaurès at the pedestrian crossing and continue along Rue de la Moselle. At the end, cross a quay and a cycle path and take the footbridge over the Bassin de la Villette.

(10) On the other side, turn right and walk along the basin on your right (there are many moored boats). Then go around a restaurant and a hotel on the left and walk past the foot of a tall tower. At the T-junction (with a kiosk opposite), turn right into Rue de Crimée. Take the lift bridge (or the parallel footbridge if it is closed), cross Quai de Loire and continue along Rue de Crimée. Turn left into Rue de Thionville, then take the^first right into Passage de Verdun. Go under a porch and follow the street to the right.

Return to Rue de Crimée and follow it to the left. At the fork, turn left onto Rue de Lorraine. Then cross Avenue Jean Jaurès and continue straight ahead, still on Rue de Lorraine. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue Petit. Cross Rue André Danjon, pass under the old Petite Ceinture railway line and immediately turn right onto Rue Georges Auric. At the end, turn right and pass in front of the entrance to La Villette Cemetery.

(11) At the corner, turn left onto Allée Darius Milhaud (pedestrianised). Cross Rue Goubet and continue straight ahead along the alley. Further on, you will come to Rue Petit. Follow it to the left and immediately turn right onto Rue Eugène Jumin. Follow this pedestrianised street lined with early 20th-century buildings. You will come out onto Avenue Jean Jaurès. Turn right and you will soon reach the Porte de Pantin metro station (E) on the other side of the entrance to Parc de la Villette.

To return home:
- Metro - Line 5.
- Tram - Line T3b (continue along Avenue Jean Jaurès and you will soon reach the stop on Boulevard Sérurier).
- Bus - Lines 75, 151.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

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

Public garden opening hours:
Square Charles-Victor Langlois
- 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 Frédéric Lemaître
- 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).
Promenade Richard-Lenoir: 24 hours a day.
La Villette Cemetery
- Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. on weekdays; 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays; 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:30 p.m. from 6 November to 15 March; 6 p.m. from 16 March to 5 November.

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

Hike completed by the author on 4 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 hours of other places to visit:
Picasso National Museum-Paris: weekdays (except Mondays, when it is closed), 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: Tuesday to Saturday, 9.30am-6pm; Sunday, 9.30am-7pm; closed on Mondays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December; booking recommended.

Visit to Parc de la Villette:
Once at Porte de Pantin (E), you can continue your walk through Parc de la Villette (cross Avenue Jean Jaurès). For example, you can follow the Un tour au Parc de la Villette walk in reverse and take the metro (line 7) or tram (line T3b) at Porte de la Villette station.