The Bestiary of Bastille, Popincourt and République

Starting point and access: Paris-Austerlitz station.
- Metro – Lines 5 or 10. Take Exit 1 onto Boulevard de l’Hôpital.
- RER – Line C. Exit via the Museum wing of the station to reach Metro Exit 1.
- Bus – Routes 24, 57, 61, 63, 89, 91, 215.

The main depictions of animals and the key features to look out for are indicated in italics within the description.

(S) Upon exiting the metro station, walk straight ahead along Boulevard de l’Hôpital, then cross the junction.

(1) Take the Pont d’Austerlitz to cross the Seine. Cross over the riverside track, then the metro line, and cross the Quai de la Rapée. Turn left to cross Avenue Ledru-Rollin and continue along the quay. Cross Boulevard de la Bastille and follow it to the right.

(2) When you reach Rue de Bercy (on your right), turn left into the Jardin du Port de l’Arsenal. Walk slightly downhill to reach the marina, which is in fact the southern end of the Canal Saint-Martin. Walk along the marina on your left, ignoring all the turnings on the right.

At the end, pass under the Pont de la Bastille, which carries a metro line. Climb a large flight of steps, emerge onto the pedestrian area of the Place de la Bastille and make your way to the foot of the Colonne de Juillet (small lion heads all around the stone plinth; cocks at the four corners of the metal plinth; lion heads at the top of the column).

(3) Walk round the column on the right and turn right to cross the boulevard again at the traffic lights. Turn left to cross at the pedestrian crossing, then take Rue de la Roquette diagonally to the right. At the junction, take the second left, Rue Saint-Sabin. At the next junction, turn right into Rue Sedaine (a cat and a rat painted on the shop window at No. 9). Take the first left, Rue Froment, and you’ll soon reach a junction.

(4) Turn left onto Rue Boulle (giraffes painted on the façade of the café on the corner). Cross Rue Bréguet and continue straight on. At the end, turn right onto Boulevard Richard-Lenoir. At No. 42, there is an Art Nouveau-style building with numerous plant motifs on the façade. At the junction, turn right twice to rejoin Rue Froment. At No. 19, there is a gate flanked by two caduceus, each with two snakes. Cross Rue Bréguet again and return to the junction you left earlier.

(4) Turn left into Passage Salarnier. At the end, rejoin Rue Sedaine and follow it to the left. At the next junction, turn left into Rue Popincourt. Continue straight on and, if you wish, make a series of right-hand turns into Passage Lisa (blue-tinted stained-glass windows at^{No. 8bis}), Impasse des Trois Soeurs and Impasse Popincourt.

(5) At the corner of No. 39, turn left into Villa Marcès and pass under a portico. Walk alongside a square on your left. Go through a small gate and immediately turn right under a portico towards “Chemin Vert”. You’ll emerge onto the street of the same name, opposite No. 27, and follow it to the right. Take the first left, Rue Moufle, then the first right, Passage du Chemin Vert. Turn immediately left into Passage de l’Asile. Go under a portico and rejoin Rue Popincourt at No. 48.

(6) Follow the street to the left. At the junction (lion heads framing a window on the building on the corner of Impasse Truillot), turn right to cross Boulevard Voltaire at the traffic lights (lion heads framing the gate at No. 73). First turn left then right onto Rue Lacharrière. Turn left immediately and walk past the entrance to Saint-Ambroise Church.

(7) Follow Rue Saint-Ambroise to the right. Take the second left, Rue Saint-Maur. This leads onto Avenue de la République; follow it to the left. At No. 64, there is a lion’s head above a bull’s-eye window and, higher up on a corner, a statue of a naked man on his knees. At No. 54, there are two wrought-iron ornaments depicting allegorical figures, the one on the right holding a caduceus with two snakes.

At the next set of traffic lights, turn left, cross Avenue Parmentier and follow it to the left. At No. 77, an Art Nouveau building with a façade decorated with plant motifs. Take the first right into Passage Beslay. At No. 23, a hotel sign depicting a giraffe’s head. Cross Rue Pihet on the right-hand side and continue straight on.

(8) You’ll come out onto Rue de la Folie Méricourt; follow it to the left. Take the first right onto Rue Saint-Sébastien. At the traffic lights, cross Boulevard Voltaire and then Boulevard Richard Lenoir in two stages. First turn right then left to enter Passage Saint-Sébastien. At the end (wall murals on the left-hand side), turn right into Rue Amelot. Immediately climb the steps on the left (Rue Charles Luizet).

(9) At the top, turn right onto Avenue des Filles du Calvaire. Carry on straight ahead, crossing Rue Oberkampf then Place Pasdeloup (a fountain with two shell-shaped basins and a pelican at the top). Then walk past the Cirque d’Hiver (eagles and equestrian statues flanking the entrance; above and all around, bas-relief scenes featuring horses; at the top, bas-relief horse heads).

Continue along the Boulevard du Temple and turn right at the first junction, into Rue Crussol. Keep going straight on and note a metal bas-relief above the door of No. 10. Cross Rue de Malte (on the left, a mural depicting an ostrich) then cross Boulevard Voltaire in two stages.

(10) Follow the boulevard to the left (lion heads at nos. 20 and 19). Cross Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, then the Passage du Jeu de Boules. Then turn right into Rue Rampon (birds at no. 7). Take the first left, Rue de Malte. Cross Avenue de la République at the traffic lights and follow it to the right. Further on, cross Boulevard Richard Lenoir, Place Darno Maffini and Boulevard Jules Ferry in turn.

(11) Follow the boulevard to the left. At no. 140, there is a faience decoration featuring swans, followed by two statues, one of which is of Hercules with a lion’s pelt draped around his waist. Take the first right, back onto Rue Rampon, then immediately left onto Rue de la Folie Méricourt. Continue straight on until the next set of traffic lights. Then cross Rue du Faubourg du Temple.

(12) Turn left into Square Frédéric Lemaître. Walk past a lock on the Canal Saint-Martin on your left. Leave the square, turn left onto Quai de Jemmapes and walk alongside the canal on your left. Cross the canal at the next set of traffic lights, either via the swing bridge or the footbridge. On the other side, follow the Quai de Valmy to the right (lion’s head at No. 67). Ignore a footbridge on the right and you’ll immediately come to a junction (on the left, on Rue de Marseille, there’s an Art Deco-style bas-relief featuring female figures on the brick wall of a school).

(13) Take the third left, Rue Jean Poulmarch. On the wall of the Collège Louise Michel, there is an Art Deco bas-relief, the male counterpart to the previous one. At the end, turn left into Rue de Lancry. At No. 63, there is a building with a decorated façade and a gate framed by two lion heads. Take the first right, Rue Legouvé.

At the next junction (lion’s head on the gate at No. 8; former public baths on the left), turn left into the Passage des Marais. Pass under a portico, emerge onto Boulevard Magenta and cross it at the pedestrian crossing on the right. On the other side, first turn left then right onto Rue Pierre Chausson.

(14) At the end, turn left into Rue du Château d’Eau. At the next junction, turn right into Rue de Lancry. At no. 17, there is a gate surmounted by a bas-relief featuring a lion’s head and two cherubs, one of whom is holding a caduceus with two serpents. At the end, cross Rue René Boulanger, then turn left and take the lane between this street and Boulevard Saint-Martin. Walk past a bust whose base is decorated with symbols of various artistic disciplines and two small lion heads.

Then turn left to stay on Rue René Boulanger. At the end, cross at the pedestrian crossing on the left and step onto the esplanade of Place de la République. Walk to the Monument to the Republic. At its base, a bronze lion symbolises the power of universal suffrage. All around it, bronze bas-reliefs depict various scenes from the history of the Republic, from 1789 to 1880 (note the several horses and two sheep). Continue past the monument and you will immediately come to a metro station (E).

To get back home:
- Metro – Lines 3, 5, 8, 9, 11.
- Bus – Routes 20, 56, 75, 91.

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

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

Alternative starting point:
Bastille metro station (lines 1, 5, 8). Take exit 4 onto Rue de Lyon. As you leave the metro station, turn right and cross Rue de Lyon and then Boulevard de la Bastille. Then cross the esplanade diagonally to the right to reach the foot of the July Column. Then follow the main route from (3).

Opening hours for the public gardens:
Jardin du Port de l’Arsenal: 24 hours a day.
Square Frédéric Lemaître
- Opening times: 8.00 am on weekdays; 9.00 am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing times: between 5.00 pm and 8.30 pm depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).

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

Walk undertaken by the author on 20 October 2024.

The main depictions of animals and notable sites are mentioned in the description itself, though this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Visits to the churches are free during the day, but please refrain from visiting during services.