The Grand Sceaux de la Coulée Verte

(S/E) From the RER B Antony station, you will quickly reach the centre of Antony by turning right onto Rue Maurice Labrousse. Turn left onto Rue de l'Église/Place du Carousel. At the roundabout, take the third exit on the right and then take the third left onto Rue Fondouze until you reach Rue du Moulin.

(1) Turn right and, at the end,turn left onto Rue Prosper Legouté. From the street, enter the Parc Georges Heller. Youwill pass Château Saran.

(2) Then continue straight ahead to cross the entire park.

(3) Then turn right (public toilets are available) and, at the intersection, continue straight ahead towards the football stadium and tennis courts. Continue straight ahead along the Ru des Godets. Then cross Avenue François Molé and Rue du Colonel Fabien and you will find yourself on the Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre.

(4) Then go up the Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre until you reach the Grande Voie des Vignes (third road).

(5) Then turn right and continue for a short distance until you reach the entrance to the Domaine Départemental de Sceaux, keeping straight ahead. You will arrive at the Pavillon de Hanovre.

(6) Turn left at the roundabout, then turn right. Continue on the third road on the left and join Grand Canal.

(7) Then go back up to the castle terraces to reach the embroidery flowerbeds.

(8) Go straight ahead and then take the park exit via the Petit Château.

(9) Exit onto Rue du Docteur Berger and go up the street on the right to reach Rue Houdan on your right (where you will find restaurants and shops). Look for the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Sceaux.

(10) Continue straight ahead and turn left at the next street, Rue de Seignelay, to come out onto Boulevard Colbert.

(11) Turn left and take the second right onto Avenue du Lieutenant Jean Massé. Go straight ahead at the fork, then turn left and continue onto Rue du Lycée, turning left again. The street then crosses Avenue de Verdun.

(12) Continue to Rue Fontenay. Go straight ahead. The street then becomes Rue Bertron. Continue straight ahead until you reach the intersection with Rue Maréchal Joffre.

(13) Turn right, then left onto Boulevard Desgranges. Take Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre on the right until you reach Place Henri Dunant.

(14) Turn right to go down Rue Jean-Noël Pelnard on your right. Then turn left onto Rue François Moreau, then take Rue Gambetta at the end on the left. Join Avenue Lombart.

(15) Continue straight ahead on Rue des Potiers and, at the station, turn right to follow Rue François Villon. Continue straight ahead, at Avenue Jean Perrin, turn left and then right to take Allée Jean Barral and arrive at Rue des Aulnes.

(16) Turn right and then left onto Rue des Coudrais, continue until you reach Avenue Georges Clémenceau.

(17) Cross and turn right until you reach the railway line. Cross the railway line to reach Sentier Lakanal opposite. Continue straight ahead for six crossroads until you reach Avenue Claude Perrault and you will arrive at the Pavillon de l'Aurore.

(18) Go in, walk around the pavilion and join Allée des Clochetons. Turn left to join Allée de la Duchesse. On your right is Domaine de Sceaux, a departmental park and museum. There are magnificent views from Allée de la Duchesse.

(19) Turn left and head towards the waterfalls.

(20) Continue on your left along Allée du Tire, then reach the pond via Avenue de l'Octogone and exit the park via Avenue du Général de Gaulle. When you leave the park, turn right and then left onto Avenue Léon Blum, then take the second left and the first right before turning left back onto Avenue Léon Blum. Take the second left, Rue Augusta, before turning right at the end. Turn left and then right to reach the RER station (S/E).

Water points are available in the park, as well as toilets and bike racks.

Picnic tables are available on the greenway.

Heart of Antony: The route begins in the heart of the town of Antony: from the Maison des Arts, an exhibition centre housed in a former^17th-century mansion, to the Parc Raymond Sibille, known for its arboretum and remarkable trees (cedar, purple beech, judas trees, Virginia tulip trees, sequoias, etc.), the oldest of which were planted in the early^19th century, and passing by the Church of Saint-Saturnin, a former rural church.
Practical information: Water fountain, Avenue Léon Blum, in Parc Raymond Sibille. Cross Antony until you reach the greenway that crosses Parc Heller

(3) Parc Georges Heller: a 9-hectare green lung in the town of Antony, this park is located on the site of the former property of the Marquis de Castries, Marshal of France and Minister of the Navy under Louis XVI. The château was confiscated during the Revolution and demolished in 1815. The current building, the Château de Sarran, now a cultural centre, was built in 1880. After 1945, the park was named after Georges Heller, a municipal councillor who died in deportation in Flossenbürg on 28 December 1944. The park is home to the tomb of François Molé, a member of the Comédie Française in the^18th century, as well as four statues erected in the early 1990s symbolising the four seasons. Among the many trees, a row of maple-leaved plane trees and an impressive Himalayan cedar stand out. This green oasis is also a great place to watch ducks, moorhens and other birds in an enchanting setting.
Practical information: open all year round from 5.30pm to 10.30pm. Food and drink: the park has a children's merry-go-round with a refreshment stand. Water fountains: the park has a water fountain near the Château playground – picnic tables. Cross Heller Park on the greenway to reach the Promenade de la Vallée de la Bièvre, with a cycle path separated from motor traffic

(4) The Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre: a veritable ribbon of greenery in an urban setting, the Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre runs continuously for 14 km from Malakoff to Massy. Designed as a landscaped route for pedestrians and cyclists, offering a succession of green spaces for local residents, it has gradually established itself as a natural space with an ecological vocation. The Véloscénie, a cycle route linking Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel, runs along this promenade.

Practical information: walk up the Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre to the Grande Voie des Vignes, then a short distance to the entrance to the Domaine départemental de Sceaux.

The Pavillon de Hanovre: this garden pavilion was built in Paris for the Maréchal de Richelieu, a descendant of the cardinal, in the^mid-18th century. It was dismantled and its façade was reinstalled in the park at the convergence of three perspectives in the early 1930s. You will notice a long balcony lined with a beautiful wrought iron balustrade; it extends along the front of the upper floor, which is pierced by large, tall windows flanked by pilasters decorated with rich ornamentation. The cornice of the entablature supports a balustrade crowned by four groups of children symbolising the seasons. The façade is listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments. The Hanover Pavilion is not open to the public and is due to be renovated. Pass in front of the Hanover Pavilion, then point of interest with a view of the Grand Canal.

(7) The Grand Canal
The Grand Canal was created at the end of^{the 17th} century at the request of the Marquis de Seignelay. The drainage of marshy land and the capture of two small streams, the Ru d'Aulnay and the Ru de Châtenay, enabled André Le Nôtre to create a long stretch of water one kilometre long. The construction work took nearly two years (1687-1688). Several rows of elm trees were planted around the lake, which was stocked with carp, while a fleet of wooden rowboats from Cyprus was built. Since the^19th century, Italian poplars have replaced the elms on the banks of the canal.

(8) The embroidered flowerbeds
The Hauts-de-Seine Department is restoring the grand perspective from the château by returning to a more authentic layout: the creation of embroidery parterres of boxwood and lawns based on André Le Nôtre's design. The reintroduction of these parterres, faithful to the historical layout of^{the 17th} century, restores the original perspective.

(9) The Petit Château
The Petit Château on the Domaine départemental de Sceaux was the residence of Jean Baptiste Colbert's distinguished guests in the^17th century. It is one of the oldest buildings and the surrounding park is also very old, with its rectangular ponds and shaded areas. The Petit Château currently houses the preview pavilion for the Grand Siècle museum. It is open to visitors on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

(10) The Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Sceaux
Listed as a historic monument since 1929, the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste contains several remarkable and classified works of art. Extensive renovation work was completed in 2022, so don't hesitate to step inside to discover the vestments, stained glass windows, painted decorations, organ and many other restored features. Arrival near the Sceaux Tourist Office.
Practical information: Food and shops are available if you continue east along Rue Houdan in the pedestrian street. There is a lively market on Saturdays. Velib bike station and bike parking available. Cross the Jardin de la Ménagerie and pass through the residential neighbourhoods to rejoin the Promenade des Vallons de la Bièvre. Walk back up to the Fontenay RER station. Please note that you will need to cross the RER tracks via a footbridge with steps. Electric bikes can avoid the station by leaving the promenade before the blue bridge over the RER. Return to Parc de Sceaux on the Lycée Lakanal side. Cross the RER tracks via a sloping footbridge. Pass in front of the Pavillon de l'Aurore and descend to the Grand Canal via the Octogone basin.

(18) The Pavillon de l'Aurore, Sceaux Departmental Estate
The Pavillon de l'Aurore is inspired by the great Italian classical models and offers visitors a sumptuous dome painted by Charles Le Brun showing the goddess Aurora working at dawn and chasing away the dark powers of Night. Two paintings by Nicolas Delobel decorate the ceilings of the two cabinets flanking the central rotunda: they depict Vertumnus and Pomona and Flora and Zephyr, alluding to the fifth Grande Nuit de Sceaux, organised here by the court of the Duchess of Maine. It is open to visitors on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

(19) The Domaine de Sceaux, departmental park and museum
The Colbert family acquired the seigneury of Sceaux in 1670 and turned it into a jewel of French taste by calling on Jules Hardouin-Mansart, André Le Nôtre and Charles Le Brun Today, the museum of the Domaine départemental de Sceaux traces the history of the estate and presents collections of paintings, graphic arts, ceramics, furniture and also the French art of living from Louis XIV to Napoleon III. The château was renovated in 2019 and has offered a new tour route since September 2020. Each year, a temporary exhibition explores a theme related to its history. Open to visitors on Tuesday afternoons to Sunday.

Practical information: food and drinks are available at a kiosk opposite the south façade of the château. Le Trévise restaurant is located in the château's outbuildings, to the right of the esplanade. Toilets are available near the Orangery. Picnics are permitted on the lawns.

(20) The waterfalls, Sceaux Departmental Estate
The old waterfalls, completely destroyed during the Revolution, were rebuilt in 1930. The architect Léon Azéma, who was responsible for renovating the park, drew inspiration from the general design of the waterfalls by Le Nôtre and Le Brun, but built them in the monumental style that was in vogue in the 1930s. Built in Clamart stone, they consist of two niches, a water buffet and nine small waterfalls. Grotesque mascarons by Rodin, created for the 1878 World's Fair, were reused here. The water supply system now operates in a closed circuit thanks to a system of electric pumps restored by the Hauts-de-Seine Department. From the waterfalls to the Grand Canal via the Octagon, the Domaine départemental de Sceaux has just undergone a major restoration of its water features. A new footbridge and a landing stage for boats have been created.

Practical information: exit the park at Croix de Berny. Due to tram works, use the pedestrian crossings opposite the RER station to cross the road, then head south to the Jean Zay student residence. Take the RER B train to Antony.