Place Carmen walks

A stroll through the 20th and 19th arrondissements of Paris, taking in their diverse neighbourhoods. We cross Ménilmontant, roughly following the old Petite Ceinture railway line, then take a look at the old Belleville aqueduct. The neighbourhood around Rue de la Mouzaïa reveals its sloping streets lined with small houses decorated with flowers. We finish at the edge of the Bassin de la Villette and the Canal Saint-Denis.

This urban route crosses the 20th arrondissement of Paris from north to south in search of animal representations. From Place des Fêtes to Place de la Nation via the charming Église de Charonne, you will mainly walk along quiet streets and a few pleasant passages and alleys.

A very pleasant walk through the parks of north-east Paris, ending in Montmartre.

In this first section of our "Brassens" walk, we first pass through the Belleville and Ménilmontant neighbourhoods, with their narrow streets, footpaths and stairways. Then, after crossing the symbol-rich Place de la République, we walk along the charming Canal Saint-Martin.

Although the title of this hike evokes a route commonly used by protest marches in Paris, the route itself avoids the main roads and favours the narrow streets and passageways where many workshops were once located.

This is an immersion in a historic district of Paris that was largely untouched by Haussmann's urban renewal and has retained many narrow streets, with architecture still dominated by 17th-century mansions. The suggested itinerary winds its way through narrow streets and gardens, allowing you to discover a rich heritage, including the Carreau du Temple, the Hôtel du Grand Veneur, the gardens of the National Archives, the Place des Vosges and the Hôtel Sully.

The René Dumont greenway is built on the platform of the former railway line that ran from the Gare de la Bastille. After briefly following the Canal Saint-Martin before it flows into the Seine, you follow this green space through the city, first at a height and then at ground level or through short tunnels. The Jardin de Reuilly, Square Charles Péguy and the Friche Ferroviaire at the junction of the former Petite Ceinture line add to the charm of this route.

An urban circular walk in search of the French Revolution routes in two Parisian sites: the Bastille, whose capture had a very strong symbolic impact, and the Odéon suburb, where several key figures of the period lived, worked and gathered, including Marat and Danton. It's also an opportunity to discover the signs of other insurrectionary episodes (July 1830, May 1968) and a superb heritage ranging from the Gallo-Roman to the Middle Ages period.

The last stage of this journey takes us to the historic heart of Paris, where we discover a rich heritage. The labyrinthine streets of the Village Saint-Paul are followed by the Île Saint-Louis and its 17th-century mansions. The Île de la Cité is a delight in itself, with Notre-Dame as its highlight. And the Seine is always in the background... The route and description take into account areas closed to the public following the Notre Dame fire in April 2019.

This second section takes us to the old cabaret (Chez Patachou) where Georges Brassens performed in public for the first time. The walk through Montmartre, with its slopes, paths and stairways, is particularly pleasant (best done in the "low tourist season").