From the Butte du Chapeau Rouge to the Wall of Love

A very pleasant walk through the parks of north-east Paris, ending in Montmartre.

Details

81976
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.35 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 159 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 164 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 128 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 51 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Paris (75000)
  • ⚑
    Start: N 48.879459° / E 2.401176°
  • ⚑
    End: N 48.884498° / E 2.338079°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2314OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the Hôpital Robert Debré tram stop.
(S) Cross the square at the tram exit and head towards the Parc de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge.

(1) Cross the park, exit via Avenue Debidour, then take Rue David d’Angers. Turn left onto Villa du Danube, then onto Villa de la Renaissance, before climbing up Villa des Lilas to reach Rue de Bellevue on the right. Turn left onto Rue Compans, which leads to Square de la Lanterne. Return to Rue du Pré Saint Gervais.

(2) First turn left then right to follow Rue Levert, then Rue des Envierges, which ends at Parc de Belleville.

(3) Leave the park via Rue de Pékin, turn right onto Rue Jouye Rouve, then take a right-left turn onto Rue de Belleville to turn onto Rue Rebeval, then Rue Pradier and finally Avenue Simon Bolivar to enter Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

(4) Cross the park via the various paths to exit onto Rue de Crimée. Head right onto Rue de Lorraine, cross Avenue Jean Jaurès, before returning to Rue de Crimée. Follow it to Quai de l’Oise, running alongside the second Bassin de la Villette.

(5) Turn left, walk along the Bassin de la Villette via Quai de la Seine to reach Boulevard de la Villette and Stalingrad metro station.

(6) Take the metro to Anvers station.

(7) Opposite, take Rue Steinkerque, which climbs up to the Basilica of Montmartre, reached after a series of steps.

(8) Take Rue d’Azaïs to begin a stroll along the edge of the Montmartre vineyards, passing through Rue des Saules, Rue Saint-Vincent, Rue Lepic, Rue d’Orchampt and finally Rue des Abbesses, where the Mur des Je t’aime (E) is located – the final stop on this journey through north-east Paris.

The description of this exclusively urban walk does not claim to list every single street name along the route. However, the essentials are included, making it easy to find your way; a map of Paris is nevertheless advisable to help you locate the streets and places mentioned. You will find the red and yellow (RJ) markings used by Parisian signposters a great help.

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 93 m - Robert Debré metro station
  2. 1 : km 0.52 - alt. 94 m - Butte du Chapeau Rouge
  3. 2 : km 1.89 - alt. 109 m - Rue du Pré Saint Gervais
  4. 3 : km 2.77 - alt. 84 m - Belleville Park
  5. 4 : km 3.61 - alt. 86 m - Buttes Chaumont Park
  6. 5 : km 6.51 - alt. 52 m - Bassin de la Villette
  7. 6 : km 7.57 - alt. 52 m - Stalingrad Metro Station
  8. 7 : km 9.33 - alt. 68 m - Anvers metro station
  9. 8 : km 9.92 - alt. 119 m - Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
  10. E : km 11.35 - alt. 82 m - Wall of ‘Je t’aime’

Notes

Everything is there in Paris: fountains, benches, refreshment stations.
Take care when crossing the wide avenues.

Worth a visit

There are numerous parks along the route:
La Butte du Chapeau Rouge, Parc de Belleville and, above all, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont.
Montmartre, Place du Tertre, the Montmartre vineyards.
The Wall of ‘Je t’aime’ is made of blue cobblestones on which ‘Je t’aime’ is written in (almost) every language in the world.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
ozogiminy
ozogiminy

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 26, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The description of this walk could do with being expanded.
It’s unclear at Place des Fêtes, there’s no explanation in Belleville Park, it’s hard to know where to exit, and there are no explanations in Buttes Chaumont Park either (for your information, the Belvedere Island is closed indefinitely).
In Montmartre, it mentions taking Rue d’Azas? Apparently this street doesn’t exist!
After that, there are no further directions at all until the end of the walk.
In short, the description is far too brief; it’s a shame, as this walk is lovely.

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libertysurf
libertysurf

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I set off from Porte des Lilas; the Butte du Chapeau Rouge park and the Buttes Chaumont were undergoing construction work in certain areas, forcing me to change my route in places.
There were crowds of people at Sacré Cœur, which contrasted with the rest of the walk; in any case, it was too oppressive for me!
What sets this route apart are the unexpected and pleasantly surprising elevated views of the capital.

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Rose7514
Rose7514

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't do the last part between Stalingrad and Sacré-Coeur. Very pleasant route and a great way to discover Paris. Thank you.

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danduchene
danduchene

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An urban hike that takes you through quite different areas. The sections through the parks are enjoyable.
One small downside: once we arrived in Montmartre, we had a little trouble finding the streets mentioned (Rue des Saules, Rue Saint-Vincent and Rue Lepic) and figuring out which direction to take them in. I do think that a detailed map of Paris or a GPS would be helpful, if not essential.

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Philbart
Philbart

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

good walks

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Rct92
Rct92

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful walk in north-east Paris. A hilly and varied route. The only slight downside is the "tedious transfer" between the Bassin de la Villette and Montmartre. The charm of Boulevard de La Chapelle is somewhat limited. In these times of Covid, there were few people in Montmartre.

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okillh
okillh

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike to discover the parks of north-east Paris, with many stunning views, particularly at Bellevile and Buttes Chaumont parks. The section in Montmartre is also very interesting, especially once you've passed the ultra-touristy areas, with the vineyards being a particular highlight. It's important to note that there are significant elevation changes throughout the hike.

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mila.75
mila.75

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I had trouble finding Square de la Lanterne because the route seemed to go through Square Eugène Cotton.
In any case, between Rue Campans and Square de la Lanterne, you have to cross Place des Fêtes, which isn't mentioned in the description. (It is true that it is indicated on the map, but it's hard to read).
Other than that, it's a very nice walk and Belleville Park is worth seeing!

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Eonie
Eonie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

After scouting this hike with my hiking club, I decided not to start from the Robert Debré Hospital tram stop, but rather from the Pré Saint Gervais underground station.
I have also replaced the metro section with a short walk from the Canal de l'Ourcq to Montmartre, passing by La Goutte d'Or and climbing a few steps to reach the Sacré-Cœur.
Thank you for this walk idea.

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Marc-T
Marc-T

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A great tour of Montmartre. A must-do!

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plaam
plaam

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk in the hills above Paris, allowing you to discover Parisian landscapes off the beaten track.

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bernardino
bernardino ★

I have just carefully reviewed the description of this hike and corrected the error regarding Avenue du Danube, which is in fact Villa du Danube. Thank you for this information. As for the rest of the route, it is perfectly described and the streets to take are completely accurate (verified on two map projections: OSM and IGN). I would also like to add that at the end of the description, I took care to mention that it is necessary to bring a detailed map of Paris, as the map from Visorando is not sufficiently accurate.
Your last comment confirms one thing: it is much easier to describe and, above all, to follow a mountain trail than city streets. However, city hiking is also particularly enjoyable.
And now that you have tried the Visorando website, please let us know about your outings.

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patiras34
patiras34

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The hike was impossible to complete because the information provided was largely incorrect. For example, there is no such thing as Danube Avenue; it is Danube Villa... We met other hikers with the same descriptions as us, and they were just as lost as we were. As experienced hikers and walkers in general, especially in the mountains, we were disappointed.

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