From Villejuif to Pont Neuf

Depart from the Villejuif - Paul Vaillant-Couturier metro station on line 7. Take the Hôpital Paul Brousse exit.

(S) Follow Boulevard Maxime Gorki for a few metres, then turn right onto Boulevard Paul Vaillant-Couturier. About ten metres further on, cross Rue Condorcet (now closed) and continue straight on into Rue Jean-Baptiste Clément (*). Then turn right onto Rue Jean-Jaurès and look for a footpath on the left just before number^10bis.

(*) If Rue Jean-Baptiste Clément is closed for construction, continue along Boulevard Paul Vaillant-Couturier. At the first traffic lights, at the junction with Rue Jean-Jaurès, cross this street and turn right to find the entrance to the footpath.

(1) Take the footpath (on the left if coming from Rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, on the right if coming from Boulevard Paul Vaillant-Couturier). At the end of this path, turn right onto Sentier du Moulin and you will arrive at a small square. Continuing slightly to the right, continue along Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau (not Sentier du Moulin as marked on some maps). Follow this street, going straight ahead at each intersection. You will arrive at an intersection with Rue Reulos.

(2) Opposite, take the footpath that starts to the right of a café. This leads to Rue Ambroise Croizat; turn right and follow this street. Take the^first left, Rue des Guipons. Follow it to the end, to the junction with Rue René Thibert. Continue along the same road and take another pedestrian passage, Passage Lénine, which leads to Rue des Coquettes.

Turn right onto this street, which soon curves to the left. At the crossroads, continue along Rue Anatole France, in the commune of Kremlin-Bicêtre. Follow this street straight ahead. At the end, cross Rue de Verdun - Lazare Ponticelli and, continuing straight ahead, cross an esplanade to arrive in front of one of the main entrances to Bicêtre Hospital.

(3) Enter the hospital by passing under a porch and you will find yourself in the first courtyard. For this route within the hospital, follow the signs for "Urgences" (Emergency Room). A detailed description is provided below.

Continue straight ahead and pass under two porches after crossing large tree-lined courtyards. After the second porch, cross another courtyard and arrive at the entrance to a dead-end street indicated by a sign. Turn left and walk a few metres, then turn right and walk between two hospital emergency buildings; at the end of the building on the right, turn right to find the sign for "Sortie piétons" (pedestrian exit) and follow it. Exit onto a small roundabout and take Rue Condorcet (in the commune of Gentilly) opposite.

(4) At the end, turn right onto Rue Pascla. Enter a housing estate and cross it, continuing straight ahead under a building. Turn left at the corner of the next building, then veer right to reach a crossroads.

Then take Rue du Paroy opposite. At the end, follow Rue Jean-Jaurès to the left and downhill. At the first crossroads, go straight ahead. At the second crossroads, turn right onto Avenue Raspail. Continue along this avenue, ignoring the streets and alleys on either side, and continue along Avenue Gallieni. Cross Rue Jacques Destrée and pass under the Boulevard Périphérique to enter Paris. Continue straight ahead for about 50 metres, passing a square on your left.

(5) Turn left onto Rue de Sainte-Hélène. Cross Avenue Caffieri and continue straight ahead. Then cross Boulevard Kellermann and the tram tracks. On the other side, follow Rue des Longues Raies to the left. When the street turns left, continue straight ahead along the pedestrian extension. At the end, cross Rue de l'Amiral Mouchez and take Rue Liard, which is slightly to the right. Walk up this short street to find the entrance to Parc Montsouris.

(6) Enter the park and immediately take a wide path on the right. Walk along a pond on your left and, at the fork, turn left, still alongside the pond. At the next crossroads, take the^second left, a wide path that leads away from the pond and passes under the railway bridge. At the next crossroads, turn right and leave the park.

(7) Cross Avenue Reille and follow Avenue René Coty opposite. Continue straight ahead, crossing Rue d'Alésia, and you will arrive at Place Denfert-Rochereau.

(8) Go around the square on the left... First cross one lane of Avenue René Coty on the left, then cross another street on the right to reach the central reservation. Turn left and then cross Avenue du Colonel Fabien. Then turn right, walk past a metro entrance, cross another street and walk a few metres to the left. After passing a taxi rank, turn right and cross a large road, which is an extension of Boulevard Raspail.

Turn right, walk past a florist and follow Avenue Denfert Rochereau to the left. After a few dozen metres, cross the avenue and follow it to the left. Cross Rue Cassini on the right-hand side. At the next intersection, cross Avenue Denfert-Rochereau and follow Avenue de l'Observatoire to the right. At the end, cross Boulevard du Montparnasse at the pedestrian crossing on the left.

(9) Go straight ahead and cross Rue d'Assas. Cross another street and enter the Jardin des Grands Explorateurs. Leave the Fontaine des Quatre Parties du Monde fountain on your right and cross the garden straight ahead. Cross Rue Michelet and continue straight ahead into another garden. Cross Place Honorat.

Then enter the Jardin du Luxembourg. First, go straight ahead. Cross an alley and go around the statue of Diane à la Biche on the right. Continue straight ahead (north) and walk along the pond on your left. Then go around the Palais du Luxembourg on the right. Exit the park, cross a street and take Rue Rotrou, which runs alongside the Théâtre de l'Odéon.

(10) Cross Place de l'Odéon and turn slightly left onto Rue Crébillon. When you reach Rue de Condé, turn right. Cross Boulevard Saint-Germain (on the right, statue of Danton) and take Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie opposite. At the crossroads, continue straight on along Rue Mazarine. At the first crossroads, turn right onto Rue Guénégaud. Cross Quai de Conti and turn right.

(11) Immediately turn left onto Pont Neuf and cross one arm of the Seine. Pass by the equestrian statue of Henri IV and cross the second arm of the Seine. You will immediately arrive at the Pont Neuf metro station (E).

The start and finish points are two metro stations on line 7.

Between the suburbs and Paris, there are numerous shops, particularly for food, as well as several quiet places to sit and have a picnic.

Created in April 2021, it can be enjoyed by a large number of people while complying with the current 10 km radius rule (to be checked according to your own home address).

At the present time (April 2021), unfortunately few activities are possible; However, you will pass close to the Catacombs (Place Denfert-Rochereau), the Palais du Luxembourg, the Zadkine Museum (100 bis, rue d'Assas), not to mention all the art galleries around Rue Mazarine and Rue Guénégaud (some of which are open by appointment).
However, an exhibition of drawings by Plantu in tribute to healthcare workers can be seen just after entering the Bicêtre Hospital.
(See https://www.aphp.fr/contenu/plantu-lhopi...)

But it is still possible to stray a little from the itinerary to visit Place Dauphine or the banks of the Seine, for example.
And, of course, you can spend more time exploring Parc Montsouris, Jardin des Grands Explorateurs or Jardin du Luxembourg, which are lovely places for a picnic if the weather permits, or simply
rest and daydream on the grass or on the benches.