The Bestiary of La Villette and Belleville

Starting point and access: Porte de Pantin.
- Metro – Line 5. Take Exit 1, Avenue Jean Jaurès.
- Tram – Line T3b. Walk to Avenue Jean Jaurès and follow it to the metro station.
- Bus – Lines 75 and 151.

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

(S) As you leave the metro exit, turn right and head towards the Fountain of the Nubian Lions (the former watering trough of the La Villette abattoirs). Retrace your steps back towards the metro exit and follow Avenue Jean Jaurès to the right. Cross the avenue at the first set of traffic lights and follow it to the right. At No. 188, there is a hotel-restaurant whose façade is adorned with bovine-headed mascarons. On the left-hand side, you’ll cross Rue du Hainaut, then Rue Georges Thill. Take the next left onto Rue de Lunéville.

(1) At the end, turn right onto Rue Petit. Continue straight on and pass under the bridge of the old Petite Ceinture railway line. Immediately afterwards, turn left into Rue André Daujon. At the end, first turn left then right to cross Rue de Crimée (on the corner, two Atlantean figures representing construction workers). Continue along Rue Meynadier. At numbers 13 and 11, note two buildings dating from 1890 with animal sculptures on the second floor: above the windows, two wolf heads at number 13 and four lion heads at number 11; in the ironwork of the balcony, four lion heads at number 11. Further on, note a dragon above the gateway at No. 4.

You’ll come out onto Place Armand Carrel and walk past the 19th arrondissement town hall on your right (lion heads on the pediment). Turn left to cross the square, then cross Rue Manin in two stages at the traffic lights.

(2) Enter the Parc des Buttes Chaumont and immediately turn right onto a wide tarmac path. Shortly afterwards, at a Fork in the road, turn left and head down to the lakeside. Then turn left and walk along the right-hand side of the lake, dominated by the rocks of the central island (access to which is closed for works, as of July 2024). After a playground on your left, and just before a kiosk, turn sharply left onto a concrete path, interspersed with steps, which climbs through the woodland.

(3) At the top, turn right and walk gently uphill (Avenue Édouard Petit). Ignore a path coming from the left. At the junction, take the main road to the right, Avenue des Lacs, and ignore the side paths. At the next junction, turn left onto Avenue Jacques de Liniers. At the fork in the road, keep left and walk past the base of a beautiful cedar tree on your right. At the junction shortly afterwards, turn left at the corner of a house and leave the park.

(4) Cross the road at the traffic lights and follow Rue Fessart straight ahead. Take the second right, Rue Clavel (mosaic sign at no. 35). Then turn right into Square Bolivar and walk down this tree-lined path. At the bottom, cross Avenue Simon Bolivar, follow it to the left and immediately go down a flight of steps on the right (Rue de l’Équerre). At the bottom, carry on straight ahead, still on Rue de l’Équerre. At the junction, take Rue Rébeval, which is more or less opposite. Pass the Passage Gauthier on your right, then the Cité Jandelle, and take the next right onto Rue Lauzin.

At the end (on the left, a mural with an equestrian statue), climb a flight of steps. Cross at the traffic lights, go under a portico and climb a steep flight of steps leading up to the Butte Bergeyre. At the top, turn left onto Rue Georges Lardennois, lined with townhouses (note the sculpture of a cat and a rat facing each other on the small roof above the door of No. 90). Reach the top of the Butte Bergeyre, bordering a shared garden and vineyard (a lovely view of Montmartre).

(5) Head back down and cross Rue Philippe Hecht on the right-hand side. Shortly afterwards, turn left into the unassuming Rue Michel Tagrine. Go down a flight of steps and, at the bottom, continue along the street opposite (once again Rue Georges Lardennois). At the end, turn left onto Rue Mathurin Moreau and walk past a car dealership where one of the brands is represented by a sculpture of a South American feline.

At the traffic lights, cross Avenue Simon Bolivar and follow it to the left. The wrought-ironwork adorning the gate at No. 105 features no fewer than 20 small lion heads. Cross Rue des Chaufourniers on the right-hand side (on the left, a view of the lushly vegetated lower slopes of the Butte Bergeyre). Just after a block of brick-built flats, turn right into Rue Henri Turot (discreet signage). Walk down this street, which winds its way along the foot of the brick-built blocks.

(6) At the bottom, cross Boulevard de la Villette in two stages, using the pedestrian crossing on the left. On the other side, follow the boulevard to the left. Then turn right into Rue Henri Feulard. Cross Rue de Sambre et Meuse and continue along Rue Jean et Marie Moinon (wall mural depicting an elephant). Just before a mural featuring meerkats on the right, turn left into a narrow street whose walls are richly decorated (paintings, graffiti, mosaics).

At the end, turn left onto Rue Sainte-Marthe. Walk along the square of the same name and turn right into Rue du Chalet. At the end, first turn left then right onto Rue Civiale to rejoin Boulevard de la Villette.

(7) Cross the boulevard in two stages, using the pedestrian crossing on the left. Then walk across Place Jean Rostand, turn right under the trees and climb a flight of steps. At the top, pass under a pergola. You’ll emerge onto a street (Rue Jules Romains).

At the end, cross Rue de Belleville and follow it to the left. Walk up this lively street, whose walls are often decorated with murals. Note the lion’s head above the gate at No. 51. At the corner by a bakery, turn right into Rue Piat.

(8) At No. 48, turn right into Parc de Belleville and walk slightly downhill. Go through a small gate and, at the Fork in the road shortly afterwards, veer to the left. Go through another small gate, ignore a flight of steps on the right and stay on the higher path. Leave the park, rejoin Rue Piat, follow it to the right and you’ll come to a sheltered spot (painted walls, lovely view over Paris).

(9) Continue along Rue Piat, passing the blue-painted Wallace Fountain on your right, and take the first left onto Rue des Envierges. Note the glazed ceramics on the façade at nos. 25–27. Walk slightly downhill and , at no. 41, note a metal shutter decorated with an unwelcoming cobra.

Go round a roundabout (with a mural of an elephant on the left) and follow Rue Levert, running alongside a school. Climb a flight of steps, cross Rue des Pyrénées at the traffic lights and carry straight on. Cross Rue des Rigoles and continue along Rue Levert, which slopes upwards (with a mascaron at no. 8).

(10) At the end, turn left onto Rue Olivier Métra. Join Rue de Belleville, cross it at the pedestrian crossing on the left, and continue along Rue des Fêtes. Note, at no. 7, a building with a façade adorned with plant motifs and, at no. 11, a house decorated with mascarons. Cross Rue Petitot on the right-hand side and you will immediately reach Place des Fêtes (E).

To return home:
- Metro – Lines^7bis and 11.
- Bus – Routes 20, 48 and 60.

A good pair of trainers is sufficient for this urban route.

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

Opening hours of the public gardens:
Buttes Chaumont Park
- Opens: 7.00 am every day.
- Closing time: 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).
Belleville Park
- Opens: 7.00 am or 8.00 am on weekdays, depending on the season; 8.00 am or 9.00 am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, depending on the season.
- Closing times: from 7.30 pm to 9.30 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 6 July 2024.

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