La Villette, La Chapelle and the passages of the 18th arrondissement

Starting point and access: Porte de la Villette.
- Metro - Line 7. Take Exit 1, Avenue Corentin Cariou.
- Tram - Line T3b. The stop is very close to Metro Exit 1.

(S) Upon exiting the metro station, head left, then cross to the right at the traffic lights across Avenue Corentin Cariou and the tram tracks. Follow the avenue to the left. Take the bridge over the Canal Saint-Denis, then cross the tram tracks again. Then turn right into Rue de Cambrai.

Walk along the right-hand side of the large buildings of the Espace Pont de Flandre. Go under the bridge of the old Petite Ceinure line (be careful, the pavement is narrow). Then turn right, cross a square and follow Rue Curial (the “TLM” building is on the right-hand pavement).

Before the street turns left, turn left into Rue Bernard Tétu and walk along the Jardin Curial on your right. At the end, turn right into Rue Colette Magny. At the end, first turn left then right to follow Rue Henri Verneuil (pedestrian street) and emerge opposite the Rosa Parks RER station.

(1) Then turn left onto Rue Gaston Tessier (colourful buildings on the right-hand side). At the traffic lights, cross Rue de Crimée and continue straight ahead onto Rue d’Aubervilliers. Then take the first left, Rue de l’Ourcq. At the traffic lights, take the first right, Rue Curial. Go straight on and pass Rue Raymond Radiguet on your right, then continue for about twenty metres.

(2) Then turn left into Passage Desgrais. Next, turn right into the narrow lane. At the end, first turn left then right and follow Rue Archereau. Walk past the base of the tall towers of Les Orgues de Flandre and Prélude. At the junction, take the second right, Rue Riquet. At the next junction, cross Rue d’Aubervilliers.

(3) Then turn left into the Jardins d’Éole. Immediately turn right towards the welcome kiosk and climb three small flights of steps in succession. At the top of^{the third} flight of steps, turn left onto a small concrete path. At the end, continue along a path through the middle of a lawn.

Shortly afterwards, you’ll come to two concrete paths: take the one on the right, which is the wider of the two. Walk alongside a sports ground some distance to your right, then turn right, still on a concrete path. Then turn right, ignore a flight of steps on the left, pass a building on your right and cross diagonally to the left across a wooden esplanade.

Then follow a long footbridge overlooking a large lawn on the left and the railway tracks of Gare de l’Est on the right. At the end, leave the garden.

(4) Then turn right onto Rue du Département and cross the bridge over the railway tracks. At the next Fork in the road, turn left onto Rue Jacques Kablé. At the next junction, turn right onto Rue Philippe de Girard.

At the fork in the road, turn right into Rue Pajol. At the next junction, continue straight ahead along the same street. After about a hundred metres, veer right to walk along the esplanade. At number 12, turn right under a portico and enter the Rosa Luxemburg Gardens.

Go down the steps on the left, continue straight ahead and cross the covered area. Follow the gently sloping concrete path to the garden exit.

(5) Take Rue Riquet on the left, then Rue Pajol on the right. Take the first left, Rue de la Guadeloupe, and follow it to the end (market hall on the right). Then turn right onto Rue de l’Olive. At the square, turn left onto Rue de Torcy. At the end, cross Rue de la Chapelle at the traffic lights.

(6) Follow Rue de la Chapelle to the right as far as No. 17 (private courtyard on the left and a viewpoint on the right overlooking the Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc). Retrace your steps.

(6) Continue along Rue de la Chapelle and, at the next set of traffic lights, turn right into Rue Ordener. Cross the bridge over the railway tracks at Gare du Nord. Cross Rue Stephenson on the left-hand side and, at the next set of traffic lights, turn left, cross Place Louis Baillot and follow Rue Marcadet.

Go straight on, ignoring two junctions. At the crossroads, turn right into Rue des Poissonniers. Cross Rue Ordener and, after a few metres, turn left into Rue des Portes Blanches. At the end, cross Rue Boinod and turn right onto Boulevard d’Ornano.

(7) Take the first right, Rue de Clignancourt, and then the first right again, Rue du Nord. At the next junction, turn left onto Rue Boinod. Cross Rue du Simplon, then take the^first left, Rue Hermann Lachapelle. Go round the Amiraux swimming pool on the left.

At the T-junction, follow Rue des Amiraux to the left. Then cross Rue de Clignancourt and continue along Passage Kracher. Cross Rue Neuve de la Charbonnière and continue along Rue du Roi d’Alger.

Take the^first right, the Passage du Roi d'Alger, then, turning right again, the Passage Championnet. At the end, follow Rue Neuve de la Charbonnière to the left. Cross Rue Championnet and enter the Passage Duhesme opposite. Turn left into the alleyway.

At the fork in the road, continue straight ahead then turn right onto Rue du Mont Cenis. Take the^first left, into Passage du Mont Cenis. At the end, turn right and you will immediately find the entrance to Porte de Clignancourt metro station (E).

To get back home:
- Metro - Line 4.

A good pair of trainers is all you need for this urban route.

Toilets and drinking fountains in the public gardens (shown on the map). Bars, restaurants and shops along the route.

A detailed map is required (at the very least the one accompanying this description).

Opening hours of public spaces:
Jardins d'Éole
- Opening: 7.00 am on weekdays, 8.00 am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing: 5.45 pm to 9.30 pm depending on the season. See detailed opening hours.
Rosa Luxemburg Gardens
- Opening: 8.00 am on weekdays, 9.00 am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing: 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm depending on the season. See detailed opening hours.

- The Canal Saint-Denis, shortly afterwards (S).
- The vertical architecture of the Orgues de Flandre, after (2).
- The Jardins d’Éole, between (3) and (4).
- The Rosa Luxembourg Gardens, partly covered, before (5).
- Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc (6), built in 1930 following a vow made by the Archbishop of Paris during the Battle of the Marne in early September 1914.
- Piscine des Amiraux (1930), after (7).
- Narrow passageways near the Porte de Clignancourt, before (E).

Walk undertaken by the author on 8 May 2018.