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Starting point and access: Place Balard.
- Metro – Line 8.
- Tram – Line T3a. Pass under the bridge of the old Petite Ceinture to reach the square.
(S) With your back to Avenue Félix Faure, climb the metal staircase on the right which starts at the base of the old railway bridge, at the entrance to Rue Leblanc (signpost). At the top, turn left twice. Then follow the old railway line for about 1.3 km, either along a compacted track or on the wooden decking covering it. As you approach a tunnel that is not open to the public, cross the tracks and climb a series of metal staircases interspersed with wooden walkways on your right.
(1) Cross Rue Olivier de Serres at the pedestrian crossing. First turn left then right to climb a flight of steps and follow the Passage de la Petite Ceinture. Walk alongside a brick wall on your left, go slightly uphill and follow a narrow tarmac path between two wire fences. At the end, keep to the right, follow a hard-standing path and pass under a painted archway. Continue along the hard-standing path until you come out onto Rue de Dantzig. Cross the street and first turn right then left to cross Place Romain Gary and reach the entrance to Parc Georges Brassens.
(2) Enter the park and turn right at the first fork. Walk alongside the vineyard that has been planted, make a circular loop to the left and take a stepped path leading down towards the central bandstand (belfry). Walk up under the arbour (wisteria) and come back down on the other side. Walk round the pond on the right-hand side (lawn) and head towards the statue of Georges Brassens, which stands against a bush. Make your way to the exit, which is marked by the old Baltard-style horse markets.
(3) Continue straight ahead onto Rue Fizeau. Note, on the left-hand side, a mosaic depicting a horse’s head (in memory of the horse markets). Cross a small square, then Rue de Lieuvin, and carry on straight ahead. At the end, follow the street to the left and, shortly afterwards, turn sharply right onto Rue Jacques Baudry. After about fifty metres, turn left into the narrow (lit) tunnel which passes under the railway tracks of the Montparnasse station network and leads to a flight of steps leading to the former Ouest Ceinture station (sign at the tunnel entrance).
N.B. If you do not wish to use this narrow tunnel, see an alternative route in the practical information section.
(4) Cross Rue Vercingétorix and follow Rue Paturie opposite. Cross Rue Raymond Losserand at the traffic lights and first turn right then left onto Promenade Jane et Paulette Nardal. Follow a cobbled path between a playground on the left and the foot of a block of flats on the right (red and white markings).
At the fork in the road at the foot of a post bearing the name of the promenade, turn left, walk alongside a community garden on your right and pass under a pergola. On the other side, at a fork in the road, turn left. Cross Rue Huguette Schwartz and continue straight ahead along a footpath at the foot of a large brick building on your left. At the end, cross Rue Didot at the pedestrian crossing.
(5) Go through the gate leading to the 14th arrondissement’s Petite Ceinture and go down a large metal staircase. At the bottom, turn left and follow the old railway line between the two tracks, which runs in a cutting between the two adjacent streets and is now covered with wood chips. Pass under the bridge on Rue des Plantes, then under the one on Avenue Jean Moulin. Then enter the (lit) tunnel on Rue Friant.
At the end of the tunnel, directly opposite the former station on Avenue du Général Leclerc, climb a flight of steps on the right to reach the old platform. Turn right, then left again to climb a flight of stairs. You’ll emerge onto Rue de Coulmiers; follow it to the left. At the next junction, turn right onto Avenue du Général Leclerc and you’ll immediately reach the Porte d’Orléans (E).
To get back home:
- Metro – Line 4, with direct access from Avenue du Général Leclerc just past Rue de Coulmiers.
- Tram – Line T3a, with a stop in the middle of Boulevard Brune.
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