From Montreuil to Les Lilas through alleys, paths and gardens

Starting point and access: Robespierre station, in Montreuil.
- Metro - Line 9. Take exit 2 Rue Barbès.
- Bus - Line 318.

Without markings

(S) When you exit the metro station, turn right and follow Rue de Paris. Take the^first right, Rue Arsène Chereau. At the traffic lights, turn right and walk along Place de la Fraternité. Cross Rue Étienne Marcel and enter Rue de la Fraternité. Take the^first left, the narrow Rue Étienne Dolet. Turn right with the street, cross Rue Victor Hugo and continue along Rue de l'Égalité. At the next crossroads, follow Rue de la Liberté to the right and go slightly uphill.

At the end, cross the boulevard (D37) in two stages, go down the steps opposite and turn left onto a path between the walls and fences of houses (Passage de la Fraternité, signposted further on). At the end, turn right. At No. 30, take the Sentiers des Ravins on the left (note the shared garden on the right). Go uphill and, at the end, climb the steps. You will quickly reach an intersection (on the right, there is a viewpoint overlooking the eastern suburbs and the rock of the Vincennes Zoo).

Yellow markings

(1) Continue straight ahead and climb a few more steps. Return to the tarmac and, at the T-junction, turn left (Rue Blanche, signposted further on). Cross Rue Désiré Viénot on the left-hand side. At the T-junction, turn right.

After about 40 metres, turn right and enter Parc Jean Moulin - Les Guilands, following the^PR®8(ignore a yellow arrow indicating a left turn; two different^{PR® routes} pass through here). Follow Allée des Charmes, stay on this main tarmac path and ignore any paths branching off to the sides. Note the unobstructed view of the eastern suburbs of Paris on the right.

No markings

Ignore a tarmac lane coming from the right and turn left onto Allée des Charmes, which will quickly lead you to a T-junction.

Yellow markings

(2) Then turn left towards the Maison du Parc, following a cemented lane, the Quai des Guilandes. Walk along a lawn on your left, ignore a path on your right and pass by the Maison du Parc. Continue straight ahead, crossing the bridge over a street. Continue straight ahead on Quai Jean Moulin, walk along the allotments on your right and cross Allée de la Fosse aux Fraises on your right.

At the next intersection (note a metal sculpture opposite on the left), turn right onto Allée des Bouleaux. After about 30 metres, turn left and walk along a sports field on your right (closed in January 2022). At the corner, turn right. Before the end of the field, turn left. Leave the park and take the bridge over the A3 motorway. At the end of the bridge, turn left towards the town centre and, after about 150 metres, you will come to a crossroads (with a memorial to General Leclerc).

No signposts

(3) Turn left, walk past a sequoia tree and then go through a chicane (for an alternative route, see the practical information section). Follow a tarmac path between the A3 motorway below on the left and allotments on the right. Turn right at the foot of two metal chimneys and go down a staircase.

At the bottom, cross Rue du Général Leclerc at the pedestrian crossing on the left and, on the other side, go through a turnstile and enter Square Schnarbach. Go up, leave a playground on your left, go through a chicane and leave the square. Continue opposite into Avenue des Arts, lined with small houses.

(4) At the crossroads, turn left onto Avenue de Bellevue and walk gently downhill. At the next crossroads, go straight ahead and pass through a chicane. At the T-junction, turn left. After about 50 metres, turn right to cross the street at the pedestrian crossing, then turn left and pass between a bus stop (on the left) and the church of Bagnolet (on the right). At the corner of the church, follow Rue Sadi Carnot to the right. Go straight ahead and, at the stop sign, continue straight ahead for a few dozen metres.

(5) Just after the junction with Rue du Moulin (on the right-hand side), turn left into Parc Josette et Maurice Audin. Turn right immediately and leave a large pergola on your left. Then climb a flight of steps on the left and follow a cement path on the right. At the two successive crossroads, go straight ahead. Stay on the main path and ignore any vague traces on the sides.

Pass the toilets and then a wooden dovecote on the right-hand side, and continue along the main path. At a clearly marked junction, turn left. At the fork that soon appears, turn right and pass a greenhouse on the left. At the next junction, turn left and leave the park.

Yellow markings

(6) Then turn right. At the traffic lights, turn left to cross Avenue Gambetta (D20b). Then cross Avenue de la Dhuys and, on the right, Avenue Pasteur (D20a), and follow it to the left towards Paris. Take the^first right, Rue Socrate. At the end, turn left onto Rue de Noisy-le-Sec. Take the^first right, Rue de l'Est. At the end, follow Rue de Romainville to the left.

No signposts

At the stop sign, turn left onto Passage des Sablons. At the end, rejoin Rue de Noisy-le-Sec and follow it to the right. At the corner of no. 143, turn right onto Passage des Lilas. At the end, this street becomes very narrow (difficult for vehicles to pass each other). This leads to Rue de Romainville. Turn right and follow this road for about 40 metres.

Yellow markings

(7) Turn left into Parc Lucie Aubrac. Pass a shared garden on your left and turn right. After about 20 metres, turn left onto a cement path. Then turn right onto a covered path and walk along a playground on your left. At the end, turn left and exit the park.

No markings

Turn left (ignore the signpost on the right) and walk past the Romain Rolland School on your right. At the corner (note the mural and a quote from Danton), continue straight ahead on a pedestrian street (Rue Romain Rolland). At the crossroads, continue along Allée Jean Yanne and, at the next crossroads, go straight ahead into Rue Georges Pompidou. At the end, turn right.

At the traffic lights, cross the D117 (Rue de Paris) and continue opposite towards the church. Walk past the foot of the modern Notre-Dame du Rosaire Church. Then take the^first right, Rue Esther Cuvier. Turn left along this street and, at the end, turn right. At the next intersection, turn right onto Rue de la République. At the end, turn right and then immediately left to cross Rue de Paris at the pedestrian crossing and reach the Mairie des Lilas metro station (E).

To return home:
- Metro - Line 11.
- Bus - Lines 105, 129.

Good sports shoes are sufficient for this entirely urban route.

There are several bars, restaurants and shops along the route. Public toilets are available in Josette and Maurice Audin Park and Lucie Aubrac Park.

Public park opening hours:
Jean Moulin Park - Les Guilands
- Opening time: 7:30 a.m.
- Closing time: 5.30pm from¹ November to 14 February; 7.30pm from 15 February to 30 April and in October; 10pm from May to September.
Jardin des Buttes and Square Schnarbach: 24 hours a day.
Josette and Maurice Audin Park
- October to March: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- April to September: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Lucie Aubrac Park
- Opening time: 8:00 a.m.
- Closing times: 5.30pm from November to February; 7pm from March to May and in October; 9pm from June to September.
- Park closed all day on 25 December and¹ January.

Variation:
Hikers are advised that the Jardin des Buttes is used by some inconsiderate individuals to dump their rubbish and, as a result, it is not as clean as one might wish (situation as of January 2022). If you wish to avoid this section, turn right at the crossroads (3) and, at the triple fork that immediately follows, take the middle path along Avenue de Bellevue. You will rejoin the main route at the next crossroads (4).

This urban route partly follows^PR® trails designed and marked by the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental committee of the FFRP. A detailed map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 27 January 2022.

- Passage de la Fraternité and Sentier des Ravins, between (S) and (1).
- Views of the eastern suburbs of Paris between (1) and (2).
- Allotments and lush vegetation after (3).
- Saint-Leu and Saint-Gilles Church (16th-18th centuries), between (4) and (5).
- Josette and Maurice Audin Park (5), in tribute to the mathematician who died in Algiers in 1957 under torture administered by the French army, and to his wife, who tirelessly sought recognition of this murder, which was officially granted in September 2018, five months before her death.
- Passage des Sablons and Passage des Lilas.
- Notre-Dame du Rosaire Church (21st century).