From the Louvre to the Bastille via the Tour Saint-Jacques

Starting point and access: Louvre-Rivoli underground station.
- Metro - Line 1. Take the only exit.
- Bus - Lines 21, 67, 69, 72, 74, 85.

(S) Upon exiting the metro station, cross Rue de Rivoli and continue straight ahead on Rue du Louvre. Take the^first right, Rue Bailleul, which quickly becomes cobbled. At the end, turn left onto Rue de l'Arbre Sec. At the next intersection (old fountain on the left), follow Rue Saint-Honoré to the left.

Walk past the Temple de l'Oratoire, then turn sharply right onto Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Cross Rue du Pélican on the left, then turn left into the (covered) Galerie Véro-Dodat.
If the gallery is closed (see practical information), take Rue du Pélican and, at the end, turn right then left onto Rue Montesiqueu.
At the end, cross Rue Croix des Petits Champs and continue along Rue Montesquieu. Cross Rue des Bons Enfants and pass under a porch. Cross Place de Valois and then the street of the same name, pass under a second porch and you will reach the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais Royal with the Buren Columns.

(1) Go around the columns on the right, then turn right and enter the gardens of the Palais Royal. Cross the gardens, going around the central pond, then turn right. Leave the gardens by passing under the Péristyle du Beaujolais (columns). Cross the street of the same name and climb the stairs of the Passage des Pavillons opposite. Turn right and you will come out on Rue des Petits Champs.
If the passage is closed (see practical information), at the foot of the stairs, turn left and then right twice to reach Rue des Petits Champs.

Follow the street to the right and, after a few metres, turn left for a short detour into the Galerie Vivienne. Continue along Rue des Petits Champs and Rue de la Feuillade until you reach Place des Victoires (statue of Louis XIV).

Start walking around the square to the right and take the first right, Rue Catinat. At the end (Banque de France), turn left. At the crossroads, first turn right then left to take Rue Coquillière. At the traffic lights, turn right into Rue du Bouloi (at no. 22, note the private passage on the left). At the next intersection, turn left onto Rue du Colonel Driant.

(2) At the end, cross Rue du Louvre and go around the Bourse du Commerce et de l'Industrie on the left, staying as close as possible to the building. Turn left towards the Église Saint-Eustache and follow Allée Saint-John Perse. At the south rose window of the church, turn right onto Allée Jules Supervielle and cross the Jardin Nelson Mandela. At the exit, turn left onto Rue Berger. Cross Place Maurice Quentin and continue along Rue Berger, keeping the Forum des Halles on your left.

Then turn right onto Place Joachim Dubellay, then left onto Rue des Innocents and pass the fountain of the same name on your left. At the corner of the square, first turn right then left and take Rue de la Reynie. Cross Boulevard de Strasbourg and continue straight ahead on Rue de la Reynie. At the end (narrow Rue Quincampoix on the right), make a first turn left then right, cross Place Edmond Michelet and arrive at the esplanade of the Centre Georges Pompidou (Beaubourg).

(3) Turn right and follow Rue Saint-Merri (note the old public baths at no. 33). Then turn right and cross Place Igor Stravinsky (a pond decorated with modern, colourful sculptures). At the end, turn right onto Rue du Cloître Saint-Merri and walk past the church on your left (note the dog-headed gargoyles). At the corner, turn left, walk past the entrance to the Church of Saint-Merri (admire the decorated portal) and follow Rue Saint-Martin. Cross Rue de la Verrerie and continue straight on to Rue de Rivoli. Cross the street at the pedestrian crossing and enter the Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques on the right.

(4) Walk three-quarters of the way around the tower (!) in an anti-clockwise direction: note the gargoyles and statues, and don't hesitate to take a step back to see the statues of the four evangelists at the top of the tower. Take the exit at the corner of Avenue Victoria and Rue Saint-Martin. Cross the street, then Rue de la Coutellerie, and follow Avenue Victoria to the esplanade of the Hôtel de Ville.

Cross the esplanade diagonally to the right and, near a small pond, enter the Jardin des Combattants de la Nueve on the left.
If the garden is closed (see practical information), walk along the Quai de l'Hôtel de Ville.
Cross the garden (statue of Étienne Marcel) and, at the exit, cross Rue Loubau in two stages at the pedestrian crossings. Turn left and walk along the former Caserne Loubau (plaque in memory of the Communards who were shot there in 1871). At the corner, turn right and cross Place Saint-Gervais to the foot of the church of the same name.

(5) Turn right at the church into Passage du Gantelet and walk close to the building.
If the passage is closed (see practical information), go around the church on the left and take Rue François Miron.
At the end, turn left into Rue des Barres (half-timbered house on the right-hand side). At the end, turn right into Rue François Miron. Cross Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe and, at the corner of No. 11 (medieval houses), turn left into Rue Cloche Perce. At the end, turn left into Rue de Rivoli.

At the traffic lights, cross Rue de Rivoli to the right and follow Rue Vieille du Temple. Cross Rue du Roi de Sicile, then turn right into Rue du Trésor (dead end) and turn back. Continue along Rue Vieille du Temple and turn right onto Rue des Rosiers. Then turn into the first street on the right, Rue des Écouffes. At the end, join Rue du Roi de Sicile.

(6) Continue left on this street and, at the end, turn right and then immediately left along Rue de Rivoli (Saint-Paul and Saint-Louis Church on the other side of the street). After about 50 metres, turn left onto Rue de Sévigné, then take the first right onto Rue d'Ormesson. Then cross Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine to the left. At the end, turn right onto Rue de Jarente and immediately right onto Rue Necker. At the end, turn left again onto Rue d'Ormesson and, shortly after, right onto Rue de Turenne.

At the end, turn left onto Rue Saint-Antoine and, after No. 64, turn left under a porch and enter the courtyard of the Hôtel de Sully. Pass through a^second porch, enter a garden and turn right to exit through a third porch. Cross the street and walk diagonally to the right across the Jardin de la Place des Vosges, passing two fountains and the equestrian statue of Louis XIII.

(7) When you leave the garden, turn right onto Rue du Pas de la Mule. Take the first right, Rue des Tournelles, and follow it to the end (statue of Beaumarchais on the right). Cross Rue Saint-Antoine and continue straight ahead on Rue de Lesdiguières. At the traffic lights, cross Boulevard Henri IV and follow it to the left. This will take you to Place de la Bastille and its metro station (E).

To return home:
- Metro - Lines 1, 5 and 8.

Trainers are sufficient for this route, which is entirely on tarmac roads or, in some places, on stabilised paths. The time indicated is walking time, which does not include the numerous breaks you can take, any visits you may make and, quite simply, time spent strolling.

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

Opening days and times for gardens, squares and passageways:
Galerie Véro-Dodat - Every day except Sunday, 24 hours a day.
Jardins du Palais Royal - Every day, 24 hours a day.
Passage des Pavillons - Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques - Opening hours: 8 a.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Closing time: 5 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. depending on the season: see detailed opening hours.
Jardin des Combattants de la Nueve - Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only. Opening: 9:00 a.m. Closing: 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. depending on the season: see detailed opening hours.
Passage du Gantelet - Opening: 8 a.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Closing: 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. depending on the season.

N.B. In 2017-2018, the Esplanade des Halles, after (2), was under construction. The route described here was obviously passable... In case of changes, adapt to the context and follow the directions.

A detailed map is always useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

The author has completed this hike three times, with various variations, the first on 9 December 2017 and the last on 28 September 2019.

Between the Louvre-Rivoli station (S) and the Bourse du Commerce et de l'Industrie (2):
- The Louvre-Rivoli metro station is beautifully decorated with reproductions of statues from the Louvre Museum, from all periods.
- Galerie Véro-Dodat.
- Place de Valois.
- Palais Royal (17th century), Buren Columns (1985) and Jardin du Palais Royal.
- Galerie Vivenne (1823).
- Place Sainte-Victoire, which pays tribute to the military victories of Louis XIV and is adorned with an equestrian statue of the monarch erected in its centre in 1822.

Between the Stock Exchange (2) and the Saint-Jacques Tower (4):
- An astronomical column dating from 1572 is attached to the Bourse building.
- Saint-Eustache Church (16th-17th centuries).
- Forum des Halles.
- Centre Georges Pompidou (1977) (3).
- Saint-Merry Church (16th-17th centuries).
- Saint-Jacques Tower (early 16th century, restored in the 19th century) (4). At the top of the tower stand the statues of the four evangelists: on the Rue de Rivoli side, the lion of Saint Mark to the east and the eagle of Saint John to the west; on the Avenue Victoria side, the bull of Saint Luke to the east and the man (angel) of Saint Matthew to the west.

Between the Tour Saint-Jacques (4) and the Place de la Bastille (E):
- Paris City Hall. Seat of the municipal administration since the 14th century, it was burned down in 1871 during the Commune and rebuilt identically between 1874 and 1882.
- Saint-Gervais Church (15th-17th centuries).
- 14th-century houses at the intersection of Rue François Miron and Rue Cloche Perce.
- Rue des Rosiers and Rue des Ecouffes.
- Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine.
- Hôtel de Sully (17th century).
- Place des Vosges: Louis XIII-style mansions, arcades, square with fountains, birthplace of the Marquise de Sévigné.
- Place de la Bastille (E): July Column (1840), Opéra Bastille (1989).