Tour of the ponds in the Hauts-de-Seine

This circuit is of moderate difficulty due to the elevation gain and starts from Garches - Marnes-la-Coquette station.

(S/E) From the station, with the station behind you, turn left onto Avenue Pasteur and continue along Allée de la Porte Verte to enter the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud.

(1) At the end, continue right on Allée de la Porte Verte until you reach Place de la Mairie.

(2) Turn left, then right onto Rue de Marnes, then right again onto Rue Yves Cariou. Go under the A13 motorway, then turn right and left. Continue straight ahead to reachthe Escadrille La Fayette memorial.

(3) Go around it on the right and take the lane on the right. At the crossroads, keep left to reach the Domaine de Villeneuve-l'Étang.

(4) Turn right and join Boulevard Raymond Pointcaré. Continue to the right and turn left onto Rue Pasteur. Continue straight ahead until the fourth intersection, where you will arrive at the junction with Avenue Henri Bergon and Rue de Marnes.

(5) Turn left at the roundabout and turn slightly right to follow the avenue. Continue straight ahead until you reach Rue Raymond Poincaré.

(6) Turn left, then at the roundabout, take the second exit on the right onto Ancien Chemin de l'Empereur and join Allée des Grandes Fermes.

(7) Turn right onto Avenue de la Celle Saint-Cloud and follow it to the left.

(8) At the roundabout, continue straight ahead, then turn slightly left and then right to reach the Maison Forestière de Saint-Cucufa, which will be straight ahead.

(9) Keep going straight ahead until you reach a forest road junction.

(10) Turn right twice and follow Route de la Côte Grise until you reach the roundabout.

(8) Continue straight ahead, then quickly turn left onto Allée de Saint-Cucufa, then left again onto Rue de Surennes, and you will arrive at Rue du Professeur Victor Pauchet. Turn right and continue until you reach the roundabout.

(11) Turn left onto Rue du 19 Janvier, then take the first right onto Rue de la Côte Saint-Louis, then take the second right. Turn right and left onto Rue de l'Église, and you will arrive at Grande Rue.

(12) Turn right, then left onto Grande Rue, then left again. At Rue de l'Abreuvoir, continue left until you reach Avenue Foch.

(13) Keep right to reach the station (S/E).

1 - Saint-Cloud National Estate

Listed as a Historic Monument and awarded the "Remarkable Garden" label, the National Estate of Saint-Cloud is a 460-hectare park considered one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe. Designed by Le Nôtre, it showcases the elegance of classic French garden design, with its interplay of perspectives, a grid pattern punctuated by roundabouts and ponds, and a combination of wooded squares, hillside terraces and geometrically shaped flowerbeds.

2 - The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial

The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial commemorates the American pilots and their sacrifice during the First World War. Designed by architect Alexandre Marcel, this neoclassical triumphal arch was inaugurated on 4 July 1928, American Independence Day, in the presence of Marshal Foch and Senate President Paul Doumer. The 68 aviators of the Lafayette Escadrille and the Lafayette Flying Corps are buried in the crypt decorated with 13 remarkable Art Deco stained glass windows. Behind the monument, you will find the beautiful Villeneuve pond with numerous birds and picnic facilities.

3 - Villeneuve-l'Étang Estate

The Parc de Villeneuve-l'Étang, laid out as a picturesque "English-style" park between 1810 and 1815, became the holiday resort of Napoleon III, who created a lake on the site. After the fall of the Empire, Villeneuve-l'Étang became public property in 1878: assigned to the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, the Pavillon des Cent Gardes, occupied by Napoleon III's soldiers, was given to Louis Pasteur in 1884 to enable him to continue his research into the rabies vaccine. It was there that he died on 28 September 1895 in his bedroom. The museum is currently closed.

4 - Malmaison State Forest

This 200-hectare forest was acquired in 1800 by Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I. The estate covered a thousand hectares, stretching as far as the woods of La Celle-Saint-Cloud. The Empress particularly enjoyed this place for walking and often took her guests there for carriage rides. Near the Saint-Cucufa pond, she had a sheepfold and a stable built. Since 1966, it has been managed by the National Forestry Office. It is mainly composed of trees such as chestnut, oak, ash, cherry, sycamore, beech and birch. Walk down to the beautiful pond on the left (caution: steep descent with many walkers and dogs – which are usually kept on a leash) where you can admire many birds (woodpeckers, moorhens, herons, etc.). Access to the pond is via an unpaved path for 100 metres.