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Starting point and access: Rue de la Pompe metro station.
- Metro – Line 9. Take the only exit, then the stairs on the left.
- Bus – Lines 52 or 63.
(S) On leaving the metro station, go straight ahead, cross Rue de la Pompe and follow Avenue Henri Martin on the right-hand pavement. At the next set of traffic lights, turn right into Square Lamartine and walk to the end of this small garden, where you’ll find the fountains of an artesian well.
(1) Retrace your steps, either along the street or through the square itself. Cross Avenue Henri Martin and continue straight ahead into Rue Mignard. Cross Rue de la Tour. At a small square, turn slightly right into Rue Edmond About. This street leads to Boulevard Emile Augier and a bridge over the old Petite Ceinture railway line (now dismantled).
Turn left onto the boulevard (do not cross the bridge), and walk alongside the old railway line below on your right. Stay on this main road, pass the Italian Consulate and you will emerge opposite the old La Muette station. Cross the avenue, go round the station on the left and turn right onto Boulevard de Beauséjour. Walk along this boulevard for about 200 metres.
(2) Opposite No. 27 (on the left-hand pavement), turn right through an opening in the gate and immediately turn left onto the Sentier Nature (information sign). This well-maintained, shaded path runs along the former railway embankment, where traces of ballast can still be seen in places. Follow the path for 1.2 km; it starts heading south-west, crosses Rue Ranelagh (gate) and gradually curves southwards. At the end of the path, in a more open area, take the stairs on the left.
(3) Turn right onto Boulevard de Montmorency. Pass Rue Poussin, which joins from the left, and walk alongside the former Auteuil railway station on your right. Cross Boulevard Knoll, either at the traffic lights or via an underpass, and walk past the base of the Fontaine d’Auteuil. Ignore the small street leading straight ahead towards the Bois de Boulogne and turn left to cross Avenue de la Porte d’Auteuil at the traffic lights.
Carry on straight ahead towards the Stade Jean Bouin and the Parc des Princes (signposted), keeping to the right-hand pavement. Roughly level with the telephone exchange (roundabout), you’ll find the entrance to the Square des Poètes on your right.
(4) The square is ideal for a leisurely stroll. The route described here is for guidance only: turn left and walk in a circular loop to the bust of Victor Hugo (guardhouse), turn left again and, after passing a statue in the middle of the lawn, turn right, then left, and enter the gardens of the Serres d’Auteuil. There are several possible routes; the main thing is to end up heading west to reach the Serres d’Auteuil (map and information board).
(5) Here too, there are several possible routes, particularly as most of the greenhouses are open to the public and well worth a visit. The route shown on the map includes visits to certain greenhouses: the East Plateau greenhouses (cacti), a detour via the hot greenhouses at the southern end, and the palm house. This route is provided for guidance only.
To leave the Serres d’Auteuil, after exiting the palm house and with your back to it, turn left, go down a flight of steps and turn left again to find the exit on the right onto Avenue Gordon Benett (opposite the Roland Garros stadium), which you take to the left.
(6) At the traffic lights, turn left onto Boulevard d’Auteuil. Walk past the Molitor swimming pool, with its ochre-coloured render, then cross the Boulevard Périphérique. Immediately afterwards, just before a bus stop, turn left towards the entrance to a supermarket. After a few metres, climb a concrete staircase on the left. At the top, enter Square du Tchad, situated on the roof of the supermarket. Go round a sports ground on the left and leave the square via the opposite exit.
Cross Avenue du Général Sarrail at the pedestrian crossing and follow it to the left, slightly uphill. At the top, turn right, cross the bus station and you’ll find the Porte d’Auteuil metro station (E).
To get back home:
- Metro – Line 10. N.B. At this station, all trains go towards Boulogne-Pont de Saint-Cloud. To return to central Paris, towards Gare d’Austerlitz, change at Boulogne-Jean Jaurès station, on the same platform opposite.
- Bus – Routes PC1, 32, 52 or 123.
Visorando Member
Association / Club / Walk leader
Moderate 
