The wildlife of Grenelle and Vaugirard

Starting point and access: Javel station.
- Metro - Line 10. Take exit 1 Quai André Citroën.
- RER - Line C. Take the Pont Mirabeau exit, at the front of the train when travelling towards Versailles/Saint-Quentin, at the rear of the train when travelling towards Paris-Austerlitz. First turn left then right to cross Quai André Citroën at the pedestrian crossing and reach Avenue Émile Zola.
- Bus - Lines 30, 62, 88.

The main animal representations and key features to observe are indicated in italics in the description.

(S) When you exit the metro station, turn around and follow Avenue Émile Zola in the direction of increasing numbers. Cross Rue de Javel on the left-hand side and take the next left onto Rue des Quatre Frères Peignot. At the traffic lights, cross Rue de Linnois and follow it to the left. At the end, cross Quai de Grenelle and take the bridge of the same name over the Seine.

(1) In the middle of the bridge (replica of the Statue of Liberty on the left), go down a ramp on the right to reach Île des Cygnes. Go straight ahead on a paved path (Allée des Cygnes) and pass under a railway bridge. At the end of the path, climb a staircase and step onto the Pont de Bir-Hakeim (caduceus with snakes on the arch of the viaduct).

(2) Here, you have two options:
- Turn immediately right and, at the end of the bridge, cross the Quai de Grenelle.
- As shown on the map, cross the road in two stages, passing under the elevated metro viaduct (please note, there is no protected crossing) and reach the foot of an equestrian statue called "La France renaissante" (1930). Then turn right and, at the end of the bridge, cross the Quai de Grenelle. Then turn right to cross the boulevard of the same name, passing under the elevated metro line again.

(3) Follow Quai de Grenelle on the left-hand pavement with your back to the Eiffel Tower. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Rue du Docteur Finlay (at the corner, there are ram's heads framing a window). Cross Rue Nélaton on the left-hand side and, at the next intersection, take the second right, Rue Sextius Michel. Pass in front of the entrance to an Art Nouveau nursery school and turn immediately left to cross at the pedestrian crossing.

(4) Then follow Rue Viala to the left and continue straight ahead. At the end, cross Rue de Lourmel to the right, then Boulevard de Grenelle to the left and pass under the elevated metro line again. On the other side, take Rue Humblot diagonally to the right. This will take you to Rue Daniel Stern, which you should follow to the right.

Cross Rue Auguste Bartholdi on the right-hand side and walk along a square on your left (look for the crabs above the door at No. 22). At the next intersection, turn left and you will arrive at the foot of the bell tower of Saint-Léon Church.

(5) Then turn right onto Place du Cardinal Amette and walk along the church on your left. At its chevet (Maison des oeuvres, a pretty little Art Deco theatre), turn right into Square de la Motte-Picquet. At the crossroads, turn left into Rue du Général de Larminat (at no. 7, you will see the entrance to a hotel framed by two medallions with horse heads). Then turn right, still on Rue du Général de Larminat.

At the end, turn left. At the next intersection, turn right to cross Avenue de la Motte-Picquet (two leopards on the façade of^{No. 53bis} and, on the first floor, five small lion heads). Take Rue de la Cavalerie and turn left with this street (note the Art Deco-style garage building on the corner).

(6) At the crossroads, turn right at an acute angle onto Rue du Laos. Cross Square Théodore Jublin on the right-hand side. At no. 31, look for a lion's head high up and, even higher, four cattle skulls. At the end, turn left and walk along Square Garibaldi on your left (statue of Garibaldi). Cross Avenue Roger Chaen, turn left into Square Cambronne and you will come to a sculpture of a lion roaring on a rock, under which a man is trying to hide. Above, to the left and opposite, are eagles on the facades of buildings; lower down are unidentified birds.

Exit the square on the other side and follow Boulevard Garibaldi, walking alongside the elevated metro line on your right. Then turn left onto Avenue de Ségur. Immediately cross a street on your left (foliage and pumpkins on the façade of the corner building). At the traffic lights, cross Avenue de Suffren and follow it to the right. Cross Rue Pérignon on the left-hand side and continue to the crossroads.

(7) Turn left onto Rue Valentin Haüy. At^{No. 11bis}, you will see lion heads framing the windows and, on the left-hand side, a mascarone with a female face. At the crossroads, go straight ahead (there is a fountain in the centre with the faces of Valentin Hauy, Dr. Bouchut, Rosa Bonheur and Louis-Georges Mulot, named after four streets in the neighbourhood) and you will come out onto Place de Breuteuil. In the centre is a monument in honour of Louis Pasteur with, on each side of the base: a woman with a bunch of grapes; oxen and a young cowherd; sheep and a shepherd; Death holding his scythe and a woman with a staggering child (presumably the first beneficiary of the rabies vaccine).

Then turn right twice to take Rue Rosa Bonheur (namedafter the famous 19th-century animal painter). At No. 10, a fox and a cat frame a door, then a bird and a squirrel frame a window. At the end, turn right onto Avenue de Suffren to reach the junction with Rue Valentin Haüy.

(7) Turn left to cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing, then first turn left then right to follow Boulevard Garibaldi along the elevated metro line on your left. At the traffic lights, turn left and cross Boulevard Garibaldi, passing under the metro line one last time. Opposite, take Rue Miollis. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue François Bonvin. After the post office, turn right under a porch and follow Rue du Colonel Colonna d'Ornano along small lawns on the right-hand side and at the foot of a building on the left-hand side. At the end, turn left into Villa Poirier.

(8) You will come out onto Rue Lecourbe; follow it to the right. At the traffic lights, take the second right onto Rue Mademoiselle. At numbers 76 and 78, there are two identical doors, framed by lizards and topped by a cat and a dog with a long tail. At the crossroads, turn left at an acute angle into Rue de l'Amiral Roussin. At the next intersection (former workers' housing estate from the early 20th century on the left), turn right into Rue de Viroflay.

At the end, turn right onto Rue Péclet (at No. 10, a bird). Then turn left onto Rue Léon Lhermitte. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue du Docteur Jacquemaire-Clemenceau. At no. 15, there is a bird feeding its chicks and, at no. 17, two birds (pigeons?) beak to beak. On the other side, in the square, there is a sculpture of two bear cubs playing together.

(9) At the crossroads, turn right into Square Saint-Lambert. Immediately turn left and pass a merry-go-round on your right. Go through a gate to enter a playground (statue of a lying dog). Turn right immediately, go through a gate and leave the playground. Follow a wide path to the left and walk along a large lawn below on the right. When the path turns right, turn left, pass a gatehouse on the right, go down some steps and leave the square. Turn left into Rue Jean Formigé and walk along the square.

(9) At the crossroads you took earlier, turn right into Rue Léon Séché. Cross a small square and then Rue Lecourbe. Then cross Rue Pétrel on the left and turn right to reach the 15th arrondissement war memorial (in the background, two soldiers of the Revolution on horseback). Opposite the monument, turn left to reach the 15th arrondissement town hall (gate framed by lion heads). Turn right and cross a square. Cross Rue Blomet and enter Square Jean Chérioux. Walk up the square, preferably along the right-hand path (the building façades are more interesting on this side).

(10) Come out onto Rue de Vaugirard and follow it to the right. Cross Rue Maublanc (lion heads framing the door at no. 18) then cross Rue de Vaugirard to the left. Then first turn right then left to take Rue d'Alleray. Take the first right, Rue François Villon, then the first left, Rue Léon Delhomme. At No. 3, at the top, there are two windows, each framed by two felines (panthers, big cats?). At the end of the street, turn left onto Rue Yvart, then right onto Rue d'Alleray. Cross two private driveways on the left-hand side, then Rue de Quintinie.

(11) Turn right onto Rue Corbon and walk past a school complex on your left. At the end, go around a small square on the right, cross Rue de la Convention and turn right onto Rue Dombasle. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue de Dantzig. Walk gently uphill to No. 27.

(12) Then turn left under a porch to quickly reach the Church of Notre-Dame de la Salette. Retrace your steps.

(12) Continue uphill along Rue de Dantzig. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Rue des Morillons. Walk along Parc Georges Brassens to its main entrance at Place Jacques Marette.

(13) Turn right, pass between two tall sculptures representing a bull and enter the park. Immediately first turn left then right to take a wooden walkway that crosses a pond towards the auction bell. At the end, pass under the bell and follow a small path. You will come to a paved path; follow it to the left. At the T-junction that appears shortly afterwards, turn left onto a stabilised path. Note a mascaron on the ground on the right-hand side, then ignore a footbridge on the right. At a fork, turn right to reach a sculpture representing a harnessed donkey.

(14) Then turn left and leave a lawn on your right where a bust of Georges Brassens has been erected. At the crossroads (water point), go straight ahead. At the next crossroads (stone sculpture representing a sea lion; there is a second one nearby), turn left. Turn right, leave a merry-go-round on your right and walk along the pond you crossed earlier. At the first crossroads, turn right. Follow a wide path that curves to the left and ignore the paths on either side. Leave the park, turn right and go under a stone gate decorated with a horse's head (on the other side).

(15) Follow Rue Brancion to the right and walk alongside the old horse market (Baltard style). At the junction with Rue Fizeau, note the bronze statue of a market porter on the right at the park entrance and a donkey on the roof of a bakery on the left. A little further on, on the right, there is a bust of Opposite, there is a bust of Émile Decroix (1821-1901), promoter of horse meat consumption. Continue along Rue Brancion until you reach Boulevard Lefèbvre and Porte Brancion (E).

To return home:
- Tram - Line T3a. Station immediately on the right.
- Metro - Line 13. Follow Boulevard Lefebvre on the left, pass under the railway bridge and go to Porte de Vanves station.
- Bus - Lines 58, 59 (Porte de Vanves only) and 95.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

There are numerous bars, restaurants and shops along the route. Public toilets and water points are available in some squares, as indicated on the OSM map.

Public garden opening hours:
Île des Cygnes: 24 hours a day.
Square Cambronne
- Opening hours: 9.30am on weekdays; 9am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).
Square Saint-Lambert
- Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. on weekdays; 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).
Square Jean Chérioux
- Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. on weekdays; 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).
Parc Georges Brassens
- Opening hours: 8 a.m. on weekdays; 9 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).

Useful detailed map (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 5 November 2023. The author would like to thank hiker jaco948 for his additional observations, which helped improve the description of this hike.

The main animal representations and notable places are mentioned in the description itself, without claiming to be exhaustive.

The districts of Grenelle and Vaugirard correspond to two former communes that were incorporated into Paris in 1860. The name Grenelle, which has been given to several roads on this route, is an alteration of the common name garenne, a grassy and/or wooded area rich in game, particularly rabbits.

Parc Georges Brassens was named in honour of the artist who lived nearby, on Rue Santos-Dumont, during the last part of his life. It occupies the site of the former Vaugirard slaughterhouses, which explains the nature of several sculptures found there. Under the former horse markets, a second-hand book market is held on Saturdays and Sundays.

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