From the Île de la Cité to the Porte de Versailles

Starting point and access: Cité station.
- Metro – Line 4. Take the only exit.
- RER – Line B or C, Saint-Michel – Notre-Dame station. Take exit 5 (Hôtel-Dieu/Parvis de Notre-Dame).
- Bus – Lines 21, 27, 38, 47, 58, 70, 75, 96.

The main places and buildings to look out for are indicated in italics within the description.

(S) As you exit the metro station, turn round and cross Place Louis Lépine diagonally to the right (note the flower market on your left). You will come out onto Rue de la Cité; follow it to the right. When you reach the entrance to the Police Headquarters, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and then follow the road to the right. Cross a perpendicular street, walk on for a few dozen metres and turn left to reach the forecourt of Notre-Dame Cathedral (access restricted until the end of restoration work following the fire in April 2019).

(1) Turn right, then take the bridge over the Seine on your left. Cross the Quai de Montebello at the traffic lights and turn right to follow the Quai Saint-Michel.

(2) Take the^first left into Rue Xavier Privas. Shortly afterwards, you’ll cross Rue de la Huchette; carry on straight ahead. At the end, turn left, then immediately right into Rue des Prêtres Saint-Séverin and walk past Saint-Séverin Church. Cross Rue de la Parcheminerie and continue straight ahead into Rue Boutebrie. You’ll come out onto Boulevard Saint-Germain; follow it to the right. When you reach Rue de la Harpe, cross the boulevard at the pedestrian crossing. On the other side, first turn right then left to follow Boulevard Saint-Michel, walking alongside the ruins of the Cluny Baths on your left.

(3) At the corner, turn left into Rue du Sommerard and walk past the entrance to the Cluny Museum. Turn right into Place Paul Painlevé and walk alongside Square Samuel Paty on your left. Cross Rue des Écoles, follow it to the right and immediately take the^first left, Rue Champollion. At the end, turn right into Place de la Sorbonne (Chapelle Sainte-Ursule on the left). Cross Boulevard Saint-Michel at the pedestrian crossing on the left.

(4) From there, follow Rue de Vaugirard to its end, 4.4 km further on. In the description below, only major junctions, metro stations (for those wishing to shorten the walk) and points of interest (in italics) are indicated.

So, continue straight ahead along Rue de Vaugirard. Cross Rue Monsieur le Prince. Then cross Rue Corneille, walk past the rear of the Théâtre de l’Odéon and cross Rue Rotrou. Walk past the Palais du Luxembourg on your left, which houses the Senate. Walk past the Musée du Luxembourg and cross Rue Bonaparte. At the corner of Rue Madame, note a café-bookshop housed in a former butcher’s shop (the street-facing decorations are a reminder of the premises’ former use). Continue straight on until you reach the entrance to the Église Saint-Joseph des Carmes, at No. 70.

(5) Continue straight on and cross Rue d’Assas, then Boulevard Raspail. Next, cross Rue Saint-Placide (metro station) and then Rue de Rennes, and continue along Rue Vaugirard. At^{No. 71bis}, note a building with verandas featuring central balconies. Walk past the entrance to the Notre-Dame des Anges Chapel and look out for a carved bas-relief on the corner of Rue Littré. At No. 95, note an Art Nouveau-style building.

Next, cross Boulevard du Montparnasse and then Avenue du Maine in turn. On your left, you’ll pass the Villa de l’Astrobale, flanked by small buildings. Walk past Falguière metro station and continue straight on along Rue de Vaugirard. Further on, cross Boulevard Pasteur in two stages (metro). Then walk past the Volontaires metro station and continue straight on. At No. 226, note the former Auberge du Soleil, whose gateway bears the name.

(6) Pass the Vaugirard metro station. Note the Art Deco façade at No. 272 and, on the corner of Rue Gerbert, note the Church of Saint-Lambert on the right. Further on, on the left-hand side, note the façades of the buildings on Rue Victor Duruy and then Rue Fourcade. Cross Rue de la Convention (metro) and immediately note, at No. 349, a former cinema now occupied by a well-known fast-food chain. Continue straight on, passing under the bridge of the old Petite Ceinture railway line, until you reach the Porte de Versailles (E).

To get back home:
- Metro – Line 12 (direct access).
- Tram – Lines T2, T3a (cross Boulevard Lefebvre).
- Bus – Route 80.

A good pair of trainers is all you need for this city walk.

There are plenty of bars, restaurants and shops all along the route.

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

Walk undertaken by the author on 3 December 2022.

The main places and notable buildings are mentioned in the description itself, though this is by no means intended to be exhaustive.

Visiting the churches:
- Visits are permitted during the day, but please refrain from visiting during services.
- Following the fire in April 2019, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is closed to the public until restoration work is complete.

Opening days and times for other places to visit:
Archaeological Crypt of the Notre-Dame Forecourt: temporarily closed.
Cluny Museum: daily except Mondays, 9.30 am–6.15 pm.
Musée du Luxembourg: during exhibitions, every day, 10.30 am–7.00 pm.