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Starting point and access: Place de la Nation.
- Metro – Lines 1, 2, 6, 9. Take Exit 1 onto Avenue du Trône.
- RER – Line A.
- Bus – Routes 26, 56, 57, 71, 86, 215, 351.
The main animal depictions and key features to look out for are indicated in italics within the main text.
(S) As you exit the metro station, turn left. Just before a lift leading to the RER station, turn right and cross the inner lane of Place de la Nation at the traffic lights. Continue straight on until you reach the Monument to the Triumph of the Republic (Jules Dalou, 1899). The Republic stands perched on a globe, which in turn rests on a chariot drawn by two lions representing the strength of the people, whilst the Genius of Liberty lights the way with her torch. There are also two scallop shells on the south side and a beehive on the north side.
Walk slightly past the monument and turn left towards a clearly visible metro entrance. Cross the inner lane of the Place de la Nation again, pass a newskiosk on your right and cross the outer lane of the square. Then turn right and cross Boulevard Diderot and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine in succession.
(1) Follow this street to the left. At the first junction (opposite, on the left, a mural depicting a bird in a nosedive), turn right into Rue des Immeubles Industriels (which takes its name from the buildings lining it, all of which share the same architectural style). At the end, turn right to cross Boulevard Voltaire and reach No. 95 Rue de Montreuil (a building decorated with bas-reliefs, several of which feature sphinxes and two bearing the motto ‘Fiat lux’ (let there be light)). Turn left, follow Rue de Montreuil along the right-hand pavement and cross Boulevard Voltaire again (at No. 247, a butcher’s shop with cattle heads in the window and on the awning; on the corner, small lion-headed mascarons).
Cross Rue Chevreul on the left-hand side (lion-headed mascarons on the corner). Continue along Rue de Montreuil (lion-headed mascarons at No. 66) and cross Rue des Boulets. At No. 52, a building with statues in niches and a richly decorated gateway (two birds pecking at ears of corn). At No. 51, a bistro with a façade covered in humorous plaques, including one featuring a rooster. At No. 43, a butterfly on the metal roller shutter of a grocery shop. At No. 37, a metal roller shutter featuring a large stuffed rabbit. AtNo. 28bis, a lion’s head above the door.
(2) Turn right into the Cité de l’Ameublement. At the end, turn left into Rue Cesselin. At No. 13, a plaque depicting a nativity scene with a teddy bear. Emerge onto Rue Paul Bert and follow it to the left (a caduceus with snakes at No. 8). At the end, turn left into Rue Faidherbe.
At the traffic lights, turn right to cross this road (a bar with metal sculptures of horses and elephants). Then turn left to cross a small square (metro entrance), then Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, and left again to cross Rue Chaligny. Then turn right into Rue de Reuilly. At No. 19, there is a building dating from 1904 with a gate framed by two lion heads.
(3) Immediately afterwards, turn right into the Jardin Martha Desrumaux. Turn left straight away, cross the garden and exit via the Passage Marie Rogissart. You’ll emerge onto Boulevard Diderot (opposite, at No. 104, there are lion-headed mascarons). Follow the boulevard to the right, running alongside the fire station. At the traffic lights, turn left into Rue Chaligny. At No. 22, there is a laundrette decorated with a teddy bear, fish and an octopus, all trapped inside washing machines (!). You’ll come to a square with a fountain.
(4) Walk round the square to the left and take the second street on the left, Rue de Charenton (on the corner, a bar whose awning is held up by metal tie-rods anchored in small lion-headed mascaron ornaments). Carry on straight ahead until you are directly opposite a footbridge (on the façade of No. 171, there is a mural by Anna Pricoupenko, in homage to Arthur Rimbaud). Then turn left into Rue Montgallet. Take the first left, Rue Ebelmen.
(5) At the end, first turn right then left to enter Square Saint-Éloi. At the Fork in the road that appears immediately, turn right until you reach a small pond adorned with a sculpture of a whale. Continue straight on, then go round a playground on the right (wall mural with a bird on the right). Carry on straight ahead, go through a small gate and climb a flight of steps to leave the square. “On the left, a titmouse and a newt, and on the corner facing Rue d’Artagnan, a cosmonaut with Native American feathers – both murals are by Rubén Carrasco. Turn right onto Rue du Colonel Rozanoff.
(6) At the end, turn right onto Rue de Reuilly and pass the Church of Saint-Éloi on your right. On the wall of No. 60, there is a trompe-l’oeil depicting a greenhouse full of exotic plants, by Gérard Puvis (1990). Carry on straight ahead past some rather charmless high-rise blocks… Opposite No. 121, note a brick kiosk designed by the architect Camille Formigé, featuring an enamelled frieze by Gilardoni (erected by EDF in the 1920s to house transformers). You’ll arrive at Place Félix Éboué , in the centre of which stands the Château d’Eau Fountain, adorned with lions.
(7) Walk round the square to the left and take the first left, Rue Lamblardie (on the corner, high up, ram’s heads and bas-reliefs depicting owls). At No. 8, still on the upper level, there are more ram’s heads and owls. The street is lined on the right-hand side by a series of richly decorated buildings by the same architects (Boutterin and Landes), dating from 1925 to 1930. At the end, turn right onto Rue de Picpus until you reach a roundabout.
(8) Go round the roundabout on the left, cross the Boulevard de Picpus in two stages and follow it to the left. After a few dozen metres, turn right down the Sentier Montempoivre. At the end, turn right into Rue de Toul (at no. 32, there is a mural marking the former home of the composer Pierre Henry). At the next junction, turn left into Rue Louis Braille (building decorated with mosaics at no. 21). At the traffic lights, cross Avenue du Général Bizot and pass a small square on your left (Wallace Fountain).
(9) Turn right onto Rue de la Vega. At the junction, turn left onto Rue Rottembourg. Pass successively under a pair of old railway bridges (the second is that of the former Petite Ceinture line). At the traffic lights, cross Boulevard Soult and the tram tracks. Follow the boulevard to the right and take the first left towards the Saint-Mandé South Cemetery.
At the junction, turn right onto Rue du Général Messimy and walk along the cemetery wall on your left. Cross Rue Ernest Lefébure on your right and walk between a primary school and a secondary school. Continue along Avenue Armand Rousseau, walking alongside the Palais de la Porte Dorée on your left.
(10) At the corner (traffic lights), turn left (note the lioness statues flanking the gate on the edge of Avenue Daumesnil). Enter the forecourt of the Palais de la Porte Dorée (free entry; security checks in May 2024). The palace was built in 1931 to house a museum of the colonies; today it is home to the Museum of the History of Immigration.
The façade is decorated with a gigantic bas-relief by the sculptor Alfred Janniot, in the Art Deco style. Strongly influenced by the views of the time, this bas-relief depicts the flora, fauna and economic activities of the colonies in the Americas (on the far left), Africa (on the left), Asia (on the right) and Oceania (on the far right). You can view it from a distance or up close whilst walking along the gallery at its base. Apparently, there are 215 animals in total, and 157 human figures, spread over 1,130 m²!
Retrace your steps back to the traffic lights.
(10) Cross Avenue Armand Rousseau and turn left immediately to walk past the base of the statue of the goddess Athena, which is said to represent France (she is wearing a Gallic helmet). Viewed from behind (and even from the front), you can clearly see behind the shield the snake with which Athena is often depicted. Walk round the statue on the left and follow the fountain on your right-hand side. At the end, turn left, cross at the pedestrian crossing and you’ll immediately find the Metro station and the tram stop (E).
To get back home:
- Metro – Line 8.
- Tram – Line T3a.
- Bus – Routes 46, 201.
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