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Departure from Provins station (one of the terminus stations on the Transilien P line, Paris-Est sector).
Yellow signposting
In several places, twoPR® trails, both marked in yellow, cross each other, which may give the impression of conflicting instructions. In such cases, stick to this description and, when indicated on site, follow thePR® "Provins cité médiévale".
(S/E) On leaving the station, cross the bus park and turn right into Avenue Jean-Jaurès. At the crossroads, turn left and cross the Fausse Rivière (that's its name). Immediately after the bridge, turn right, go through a barrier and follow a hard-surfaced path lined with trees.
Go through another barrier, cross Rue de Changis and continue straight ahead on the path. When a street comes from the left, follow it as the path continues. Cross Avenue de la Libération (twoPR® signs here) and continue on Boulevard Pasteur (gravel path), which gradually turns left.
(1) Cross Rue Courloison (two pillars of an old gate on the right) and follow Boulevard d'Aligre opposite, a wide tree-lined avenue along the Fausse Rivière. At thefirst street on the left, take the bridge on the right over the Fausse Rivière and continue straight ahead on Rue des Boulançois.
Then take the first right, Route de Nanteuil. At the first pedestrian crossing, turn left into Rue du Barreau. After No. 14, ignore Sentier du Barreau on your left and, continuing along the street, take a path that climbs gently between walls, fences and hedges. Ignore another path on your right and turn left onto the path. At the end, turn right onto Rue de Fontaine Riante.
(2) At the next crossroads, turn left onto Sentier du Jardin Certeau. When the lane turns right, leave it and continue along a grassy path, keeping a wall on your left.
At the corner of the wall, turn left onto a path, keeping the wall on your left (do not enter the enclosure, even though the sign before the corner of the wall seems to invite you to do so). The path ends at a gravel driveway (under construction in September 2016) and leads to Rue André François-Poncet. Turn right onto the street and, at the corner of the car park, take a path on the left that descends, leaving the Couvent des Cordelières chapel on your right.
The path soon gives way to tarmac, still descending. At the bottom, return to the wide Route de Nanteuil, make a right-left zigzag and take a wide tree-lined lane that passes between football pitches (on the right) and tennis courts (on the left). At the end, cross the Fausse Rivière again.
(3) Return to Boulevard Aligre, follow it to the right and walk along the river on your right. At the end of the lane (ramparts visible in line opposite), make a left-right zigzag to cross the Durteint. Follow a gravel path and, at the next crossroads, continue straight ahead up a steep hill along the rampart on your right.
Go under a stone arch and, at the next intersection, continue climbing along the rampart. When you reach an EDF power station on the left, leave the yellow markings for a moment and climb thefirst staircase on the right, which will take you up onto the rampart (protective barrier). This will take you to the "top" of the Porte de Jouy (view of the Upper Town on the left and the surrounding countryside on the right).
(4) Go down the few steps on the other side and take the first staircase on the left, which will take you back to the foot of the rampart, inside the city walls. Turn left twice to pass under the Porte de Jouy and exit the walls (information sign).
Then turn left onto Allée des Remparts (tarmac) and, after a few metres, take the wooden staircase on the left that descends into the old moat. At the bottom, turn right and walk along the ramparts on your left. Turn left at the corner of the Tour des Engins. Ignore the stairs on your right and gently climb up Allée des Remparts, following it to the left.
(5) At the crossroads, turn left and pass under the Porte Saint-Jean (commemorative plaque marking the ceremony for the site's inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 31 January 2002). Continue straight ahead into Rue Saint-Jean. At the stop sign (twoPR® signs here), turn left onto Rue de la Chapelle Saint-Jean. Then take thesecond right, Rue de la Nasse. Shortly before the end of this street, turn right onto Rue de l'Éperonnerie.
After crossing Rue du Fiort Cadas, the street becomes a narrow passage. At the end, make a zigzag left-right turn to follow Rue Couverte towards the César Tower in sight. Cross the Place du Chatel on the right-hand side (large cross) and continue along Rue de l'Ormerie. At the end of this street, turn right towards the Tour César. Cross Rue Maufranc coming from the right and, after a few metres, follow a small paved alley on the left.
(6) Pass at the foot of the César Tower and go around it on the right. Continue straight ahead on Rue de la Pie and you will come to Place Saint-Quiriace in front of the entrance to the collegiate church of the same name.
(7) Go around the collegiate church on the left (do not follow the arrow that tells you to go around it on the right, as the passage that led to the Sentier du Rubis in the original itinerary has been closed). Immediately turn left onto Rue Pierre Ythier. At the end, turn right onto Rue du Palais.
At the corner of the school entrance, turn left onto Rue du Collège. Stay on this street as it descends, ignoring the side streets. When the street turns right and begins to climb (at this point it is called Sentier du Rubis), turn left and take the stairway downhill (Rue des Petits Lions). At the bottom, turn left onto Rue Christophe Opoix. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead onto Rue du Moulin de la Ruelle.
At number 15 (on the left), turn right into a narrow passage. At the end, cross the Durteint and immediately turn right, then immediately left into Rue du Durteint. Take thefirst left, Rue Toussaint Rose. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead into Rue du Petit Cimetière and walk alongside the Sainte-Croix church on your right.
At the corner of a car park, turn right onto Avenue Alain Peyrefitte. Then take the first left onto Rue Vieille Notre-Dame. Continue straight ahead and, when you reach the Tour Notre-Dame du Val (on the left), turn right onto Rue Notre-Dame and head for the entrance to the Church of Saint-Ayoul.
(8) Turn right and cross Place Saint-Ayoul. At the end, turn left onto Rue du Minage. Cross Rue Garnier Pagès and turn slightly right onto Rue du Commandant Genneau.
At the crossroads, follow Rue du Four des Raines to the left. Ignore two small streets on the right, then turn slightly right to cross the Voulzie. Follow Rue Hégésippe Moreau opposite and cross Boulevard Carnot. Cross the Fausse Rivière one last time, cross Avenue Jean-Jaurès and you will arrive at the station opposite on the left (S/E).
Visorando member
Difficult 
Moderate 
