The Parc départemental du Plateau and the banks of the Marne

Starting point and access: Villiers-sur-Marne – Le Plessis-Trévise station.
- RER - Line E, on the section between Paris and Tournan.
Take the Rue Robert Schumann exit, on the right after the turnstiles.

No signposting

(S) On leaving the station, follow Rue Robert Schumann to the right. Go round the roundabout on the left and take the^2nd left, the D233 towards Champigny. Then take the^1st right, Avenue des Maronniers. After about 300m, at the^1st junction, turn right into Rue de l’Amitié. Follow the railway line running high up on your right.

(1) At the corner of No. 15, turn left into Allée des Oeillets. Go straight on along this paved path and cross three perpendicular streets (not signposted). At the end, cross Avenue des Luats, pass a small car park on your right and continue along Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Pass two small streets on the right-hand side, then turn right with the street.

You’ll come out onto a wider street; follow it leftwards uphill to a set of traffic lights (where you’ll learn that this street is called Rue du Regard des Luats). Then cross the perpendicular street, Rue de Bernau, and follow it to the right. Pass Rue du Professeur Paul Milliez on your left and continue straight on alongside the construction site for the future Grand Paris Metro (this isn’t the most pleasant part of the route; see an alternative route in the practical information section). At the end, go round the roundabout on the left and cross Avenue Ambroise Croizat.

Yellow markings
In some places, several^PR® routes cross, which may suggest conflicting instructions. Stick to the map and the description.

(2) Enter the Parc départemental du Plateau, turn immediately left and pass a playground on your right. Follow a tarmac path uphill and, at a fork, take the concrete path on the left. Ignore a path on the right and continue south.

Go round the monument to Louis Talamoni on the right, ignore a yellow arrow pointing to the right and proceed to the information board opposite the monument. Turn back and walk alongside the D145 on your left, keeping a short distance away. After about a hundred metres, turn left and cross the D145 at the traffic lights. Continue straight ahead and you will come out onto Rue Alfred Grévin.

(3) Enter the Plateau Regional Park again: ignore the Sentier des Pendants on the left and follow a tarmac path. Pass a fountain and continue straight ahead. Cross a small street and continue straight ahead into the park.

When you reach a playground on the left, turn right (bamboo). Pass a small area with metal deckchairs on your left, follow the tarmac path as it curves to the left and ignore the paths branching off to the right. You’ll come out onto a street; follow it to the left until you reach the monument commemorating the Battle of Champigny.

(4) Then turn right and enter the Parc départemental du Plateau once more. Follow a winding descent along a paved path surrounded by low stone walls. When you reach a rotunda (viewpoint), head down to the right.

At the bottom, take a sharp left and follow the Chemin du Bassinet. Stay on this flat, gravel path; ignore a path leading downhill to the right between the low walls and follow the fence on your left. Pass through the park’s exit gate and continue along a narrow lane. At the end, cross the avenue at the traffic lights and follow it to the left. Pass in front of the Musée de la Résistance Nationale.

(5) Just after a traffic light, turn right onto the Sentier de la Mocane. After just a few metres, at the corner of No. 151, go down a path on the right, interspersed with steps.

Yellow + Red and Yellow markings

Cross a narrow lane (Sentier des Savanes on the map) and continue down an uneven path interspersed with steps. Take the footbridge over the railway line (viewpoint) then continue down.

At the bottom, take the^first alleyway on the left, the Sentier du Roc. After a small car park on the right-hand side, turn right and go down a path. At the end, first turn left then right to take Rue de Champignol. You’ll end up at the banks of the Marne.

(6) Turn right; you have two options:
- Follow a wide, slightly elevated tarmac path.
- Follow a narrow concrete path along the riverbank. N.B. This path is impassable during floods and remains muddy for a long time in winter.

Walk along the Marne on your left and ignore all turnings on the right. Note several islands in the middle of the river. At the foot of the Pont de Champigny, climb a flight of steps on the right to reach road level.

(7) Turn left and cross the bridge over the Marne. At the end of the bridge, follow the Quai de Champignol to the left.

No signposting

Take the^first right, Rue Saint-Benoît. At the end, cross Avenue du 11 Novembre and then a car park. Turn right to quickly reach Champigny station (E).

To get back home:
- RER - Line A, towards Paris or Boissy-Saint-Léger.

Train timetables: check the Transilien website.

Good walking shoes are sufficient for this route, which is mainly on tarmac, concrete or gravel paths.

Bars, restaurants and shops near the departure (S) and arrival (E) stations.

A detailed map is useful (at the very least the one accompanying this description).

Opening hours of the Plateau Departmental Park:
- Opening: 08:00.
- Closing: 5.00 pm from November to January; 6.00 pm in February; 7.00 pm in March and October; 8.00 pm in April and September; 9.00 pm from May to August.

Alternative route:
- To avoid walking past the metro construction site - After (1), at the end of Allée des Oeillets, cross Avenue des Luats and turn right immediately after the small car park. At the end of the street, turn left onto a path and emerge onto a main road (Rue du Regard des Luats). Follow this street to the right and walk alongside the car park of a shopping centre. Then, turn left into Rue Alexandre Fourny. At the second junction, turn left onto Avenue Ambroise Croizat. Go round the roundabout on the right and cross Rue de Bernau. Rejoin the main route at the entrance to the Parc départemental du Plateau (2).
N.B. The roads taken on this alternative route are very busy; it is not certain that you will find it any quieter...

Walk completed by the author on 12 February 2019.

- Parc départemental du Plateau, between (2) and (5). Between the 1950s and 1970s, the largest shanty town in France was established on this plateau, home in particular to a large Portuguese community. Off the route, in the park before crossing Avenue Ambroise Croizat, a modern sculpture pays tribute to this community.
- Shortly before (3), a monument in honour of Louis Talamoni, who was Mayor of Champigny-sur-Marne from 1950 to 1975.

- (4) Memorial to the Battle of Champigny (Siege of Paris, 1870–1871).
- A winding path through the park just beyond the monument.

- A pleasant walk along the banks of the Marne between (6) and (7).