The staircases of Sèvres

Starting point and access: Pont de Sèvres, left bank (first access point below and marked on the map) or right bank (two other access points).
- Tram – Line T2, Musée de Sèvres stop. Take the unnumbered exit located at the rear of the tram when travelling from Pont de Bezons towards Porte de Versailles (if arriving from the opposite direction, cross the tracks carefully at the designated crossing).
- Metro – Line 9 (terminus). Take Exit 1 (Île Seguin) and Bus
- Bus – Routes 169, 171, 179, 291, 426 and 467.
In the latter two cases, walk through the bus station towards the Seine (west), keeping to the right. At the end, cross Avenue du Général Leclerc (on the right) at the traffic lights. Then turn left, cross an access ramp and take the bridge to cross the Seine. Just before the old Pont de Sèvres railway station (a square brick building), go down a flight of steps on the right. At the landing, turn right and go down another flight of steps, keeping the building on your left. You will arrive at the tram station; carefully cross the tracks at the designated crossing and turn right to reach the exit at the end of the platform.

No signposting

(S/E) Head straight on towards the clearly visible National Ceramics Museum. Cross a lane reserved for buses and turn left. At the traffic lights, turn right and cross Rue de Saint-Cloud in several stages. On the other side, climb a flight of steps.

At the top, turn right onto a concrete path leading towards the museum. At the end, turn right and walk past the museum entrance. Continue straight ahead, skirting a car park, and go through the entrance gate to the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud.

(1) Immediately take a path on the left. At a sort of roundabout, veer left and follow the Allée Verte south-west until it ends. You’ll come out at the toll booth for vehicles; turn left and head downhill to leave the park (stone archway). Then follow the D910 (Grande Rue) to the right.

(2) After about 150 metres (information sign), go right under an archway and climb the Escalier Saint-Louis. Cross Avenue Lulli on the right-hand side, cross another street and climb a second section of the Escalier Saint-Louis.

At the next landing, turn left into Rue Félix Braguemond. After nos. 21–23, turn right up the Escalier Ernest Chaplet. At the top, turn left onto Rue Brancas and continue gently uphill. Cross Rue Bernard Palissy on your right. At the next junction, turn right at a 90° angle onto Rue Collas, continuing uphill. At the next junction, carry on straight ahead.

At the end, turn left onto Rue du Guet. You’ll pass Rue des Roullis on your left. At the T-junction, turn right onto Rue de la Porte du Parc and follow it for about twenty metres.

Yellow markings

(3) Then turn left onto Rue des Fontenelles. Follow this street as it winds its way slightly uphill amongst the beautiful houses. Between numbers 50 and 52, turn left as the street bends.

About fifty metres further on, turn right onto Rue du Point de Vue. Turn left as the road bends and head downhill. At the junction, carry straight on down the cul-de-sac. After No. 2, the road gives way to a footpath between two walls.

(Normal route – At the foot of a street lamp, turn right onto the footbridge spanning the railway line. At the end of the footbridge, follow the road to the left. Walk straight down to Sèvres-Ville d’Avray station).

(4) Carry on straight downhill and follow the railway line, which runs above on the left-hand side.)

(N.B.) Due to works to stabilise the railway embankment, access to the footbridge is prohibited. Until further notice, follow the alternative route below.

Follow the footpath, ignoring the footbridge on the right (as it is closed). At the end, continue straight on along Rue des Soupirails. At the end, turn right and follow Rue Brancars. At the end, turn right and go under the railway bridge.

Then cross the D407 at the pedestrian crossing and take the Sente des Lilas. Walk straight up between two fences and cross another path on the right-hand side.

No signposts

At the top, turn left onto the bridge over the railway line. At the next junction, turn right onto Rue des Hauts Closeaux. At the end, head down Rue de la Croix Bosset on the left. You’ll pass two streets on the left-hand side.

At number 28, head down to the right along the Escalier Albert Glatigny. The staircase turns right (painted walls) then left. At the bottom, follow the Grande Rue to the left until the next set of traffic lights.

(5) Then turn right and cross the Grande Rue in two stages. Next, follow a diagonal street on the right. At a hairpin bend to the left, leave the street and head uphill along Rue de la Garenne, which is partly pedestrianised (a central kerb separates the two carriageways).

Cross Rue Ernest Morlet (note a large pagoda on the left) and climb a flight of steps, still on Rue de la Garenne. At the top, cross Rue des Bois on the left-hand side and continue along Rue de la Garenne, which becomes tarmac-surfaced.

Pass under the railway bridge, then take the^first left onto Rue Ernest Renan. Further on, take the^first left again onto Rue des Rossignols. After a few houses, walk alongside the railway line on your left and head downhill.

At the end, first turn right then left to follow Rue Henri Duveyrier and head uphill. At a fork in the road, take the left-hand path, which leads downhill to Sèvres Rive Gauche station.

(6) When you reach a small footbridge, turn left into the underpass that runs beneath the railway line (yellow arrow). At the end, take Exit 1 on the left onto Rue Georges Bonnefous. Then cross the street to the right at the pedestrian crossing, go down a flight of steps and cross Square Bonnefous towards the town centre.

Turn left and continue along the Sente de Grande Haie. Follow this footpath, which is interspersed with steps. Ignore another path coming from the left; continue downwards until you reach a flight of steps. At the bottom, turn right onto Rue des Fontaines.

Cross Rue des Binelles, then walk past a children’s playground on your right. At the corner of the playground, turn right onto a tarmac path (with a painted wall opposite). Immediately go down a flight of steps on the left and cross Place du Théâtre (Wallace Fountain).

Then turn right and, at the roundabout, head straight on along Rue des Combattants d’Afrique du Nord. Pass under a concrete footbridge, then turn left. At the traffic lights, cross Rue Lecointre to the right. Cross the Parvis Charles de Gaulle, keeping the secondary school on your right. At the end, turn right into Rue Victor Hugo.

(7) At the entrance to the large building of the Centre International d’Études Pédagogiques, turn left, cross Avenue Camille Sée to the right and enter Square Carrier-Belleuse. Pass a sports area on your right, follow a wide gravel path and pass a lawn with a bust on your left.

At the roundabout, turn right and walk alongside a playground. At the end, go down a flight of steps and continue along Rue Anne Amieux. At the end, first turn right then left to cross Avenue de la Division Leclerc at the traffic lights, then Rue Diderot. First turn left then right again and follow Avenue de la Cristallerie.

Carry on straight ahead, pass under the^first archway, cross Place du Marivel and pass under a^second archway. Immediately after this, pass the entrance to an underground car park on your left and, straight after that, turn left onto a narrow, paved path leading towards a bank. At the end, turn right and walk alongside the conservatoire on your right. Continue straight ahead between the bars and restaurants.

When you reach a sign for “Rue du Vieux Port”, turn left under an archway. At the other end, turn right and walk for a few metres. At the traffic lights, cross the Grande Rue to the left in several stages. After using all the pedestrian crossings, turn right towards the T2 tram.

When you reach the sign for the D910, climb the steps on the left. At the top, carry on straight ahead along a tarmac path. Then head down the steps on the right that you climbed on the way up. Cross Rue de Saint-Cloud in several stages. Turn left and, after the bus stop, turn right to return to the tram station (S/E).

To get back home:
- Tram – Line T2, towards Porte de Versailles (direct access) or La Défense and Pont de Bezons (cross the tracks carefully at the designated crossing).
- Metro – Line 9.
- Bus – Lines 169, 171, 179, 291, 426 and 467.
In the latter two cases, when crossing the Grande Rue, before the last pedestrian crossing, turn right onto the path leading to the Pont de Sèvres. Take this bridge to cross the Seine and reach the station.

A good pair of trainers is sufficient for this urban route.

No water points were spotted along the route. There are bars and restaurants around Sèvres-Ville d’Avray station (4) and on Rue du Vieux Port, just before the end of the circular route.

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

Opening hours for the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud:
- Opening: 7.30 am.
- Closing: November–February, 8.00 pm; March–April and September–October, 9.00 pm; May–August, 10.00 pm.
N.B. Between 10 August and 5 September, access is restricted due to the ‘Rock en Seine’ music festival and related preparations. During this period, at the start of the walk, at the top of the first flight of steps, turn left, join the D910 and follow it to the right until you reach the (2).

Alternative starting points and access routes:
- Transilien – Line L or U (Saint-Lazare area). Get off at Sèvres-Ville d’Avray, take the Jardies / Riocreux exit, and start the walk at (4).
- Transilien – Line N (Montparnasse area). Get off at Sèvres-Rive Gauche, take exit 1 (Rue Georges Bonnefous), and start the walk at (6).

Walk completed by the author on 20 December 2019.

- National Ceramics Museum, at the start of the circular route.
- Stairways and footpaths in Sèvres.
- Beautiful houses in a spacious setting, between (2) and (4).