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The walk starts at La Folie-Info, the Parc de La Villette visitor centre at its entrance on Avenue Jean Jaurès.
Access by Metro (line 5) or Tram (line T3b): Porte de Pantin station.
(S) Keep the Fontaine aux Lions on your right and walk between the Théâtre Paris-Vilette (on your left) and the Grande Halle (on your right).
(1) At the corner of the Pavillon Paul Delouvrier (Little Villette), turn left to begin the cinematic walk. Follow a path paved with blue slabs and lined with trees, accessible to all (a few sections of cobblestones may be difficult for wheelchairs with solid tyres).
Go round the back of Little Villette (on the left) to reach the Jardin des Miroirs. Pass a playground on your right and walk alongside it. Go round the Jardin des Vents et des Dunes on the left to reach a junction with the Galerie de La Villette.
(2) Cross this path and walk alongside the Pavillon des Maquettes (Hall de la Chanson) on your right. At the corner of the pavilion, turn left and go round the artwork by Francis Hyber entitled “l’Artère” on the left. Walk alongside the Jardin des Dessins on your right.
Cross the Allée du Cercle and enter the Jardin de la Treille. Wind your way through this garden. At the exit, cross the Allée du Cercle again, then the Allée du Belvédère (on the left, the Folie P6, which offers a beautiful view). Enter the Bamboo Garden, then turn left to cross it to the Sound Cylinder.
(3) Cross the Allée du Zénith to continue along the cinematic walkway and admire the Philharmonie on the right. Cross the Folie Trabendo (accessible via steps or a gentle slope) and the Jardin des Équilibres. Cross the Allée du Belvédère to reach the Jardin des Ombres.
Cross the Allée du Zénith again and turn right, leaving the Blue Trail. Walk along the left-hand side of the Jardin des Frayeurs Enfantines. Leave the Zénith on your right and join the walkway at the Jardin des Voltiges. Cross this garden and, at the exit, head towards the banks of the Canal de l’Ourcq at the foot of the footbridge.
(4) Turn right and follow signs for Pantin. Walk along the canal on your left: the path is flat but the ground is often cobbled. All along the way, look out for information panels on the town’s history, street art and architectural gems.
Pass under the Boulevard Sérurier bridge and those of the Périphérique, then under the tram bridge. On your right, look out for the site of the former Rouvray farm and the street art on the living wall. Next, note Pantin Town Hall on your left, go under the bridge on Avenue du Général Leclerc and walk alongside the Centre National de Danse. You’ll reach a footbridge spanning the canal.
(5) Here, you have two options:
- Take a “detour” (not marked on the map) to discover Frédéric Louis’s former furniture factory: turn right onto Rue de la Distillerie and follow Avenue Victor Hugo to the left. Then retrace your steps.
- Continue along the canal and pass under the bridge on Rue Delizy (note on the right a monumental work of street art, entitled “Nühuáng the Empress”, by Fin Dac).
Further on, following the canal, you’ll reach Place de la Pointe, at the end of which stands the large, raw concrete building of the Magasins Généraux, now a creative hub. At the corner of Rue Mail Hélène Brion, take in the view of the TDF tower and Fort Romainville. You’ll arrive in the Newport district, with its colourful brick buildings.
Continue to the street art piece, a portrait of Marion Cotillard by BK Foxx. Cross the bridge (Rue Raymond Queneau) and, a few metres further on, leave the canal and turn right at the junction towards the Tôlerie Générale, then turn right again immediately. You will come out onto Rue Raymond Queneau.
(6) Follow Rue Raymond Queneau to the left. Cross Avenue de Paris at the pedestrian crossing on the left and take Avenue Gaston Roussel. After about 400 m, turn left onto Rue de la Commune de Paris. Take thefirst right and walk past Komunuma and the Fiminco Foundation. Then turn right and rejoin Avenue Gaston Roussel.
Follow the avenue to the right. At the end, cross Avenue de Paris again and follow Rue Raymond Queneau.
(6) Turn left with the street, then right, to cross the canal. At the junction, follow the Chemin Latéral au Chemin de Fer to the right. At the end, turn right to reach the canal bank.
(7) Turn right and follow the canal on your left. Please note that a large part of this path is shared by cyclists, scooters and pedestrians, so it has a smooth surface that is easier to navigate than cobblestones.
Continue straight ahead on the old towpath. Pass the Elis factory, the Chanel premises, the Grands Serres, and the Théâtre du Fil de l’Eau, adorned with a street art piece—a portrait of Olympic boxing champion Sarah Ourahmoune by Marko 93—on your right. You’ll arrive at the bridge on Rue Delizy.
(8) Here, you have two options:
- Take a “detour” (not shown on the map) by turning right onto Rue Delizy towards the Thaddaeus Ropac Modern Art Gallery. Then retrace your steps.
- Continue along the canal and pass under the Rue Delizy bridge. Pass under the Avenue du Général Leclerc bridge (Pantin Town Hall on the right). Further on, pass by the Grands Moulins de Pantin. Then pass under the tram bridges and walk alongside Jardin 21.
Pass under the bridges of the Périphérique and Boulevard Macdonald to reach the Parc de La Villette. A further detour to the right allows you to explore Périphérique, the space dedicated to urban cultures. This “detour” (not marked on the map) is accessible by turning right after the Périphérique bridges.
Continue along the canal and walk past the Cabaret Sauvage. You’ll soon reach the cinematic promenade at the footbridge you crossed on the way there.
(9) Then turn right, follow the blue-tinted slabs and cross the Jardin des Îles. Turn left, pass Folie 4. Leave the Argonaute and then the Géode on your right. Enter the Jardin du Dragon. At the exit, you’ll reach the Galerie de La Villette.
(10) Follow the gallery to the right and walk alongside the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie on your right. Pass the Pavillon Villette WIP (the former veterinary rotunda) on your right and emerge onto Avenue Corentin Cariou. Follow the avenue to the right until you reach the “Porte de la Villette” station (Metro 7 or Tram T3b) (S/E).
Visorando Member
Moderate 
