In the footsteps of Georges Brassens: Madeleine, Louvre and Cherche-Midi

Starting point and access: Saint-Lazare station, Cour de Rome.
- Metro - Lines 3, 9, 12, 13, and 14, Saint-Lazare station, exit 1 Cour de Rome. At the top of the metro exit, turn right onto Rue de Rome.
- RER - Line E (Haussmann-Saint-Lazare station nearby).
- Transilien - Lines J and L (terminus).

Unmarked route

(S) Facing the station, Cour de Rome is on the left (sculpture with suitcases). Turn right onto Rue de Rome. Just after a bus shelter, at the corner of a turret-shaped part of the station, turn left onto Rue de Stockholm. Then turn left onto Rue de Vienne, cross the intersection and continue to Place Henri Bergson. Enter Square Marcel Pagnol and cross diagonally to exit at the far left (aim for the statue of Paul Déroulède, which you will see from behind). Then cross Rue César Caire, passing in front of the Church of Saint-Augustin (note the imposing Army building on the left and the statue of Joan of Arc). Cross Boulevard Malesherbes and immediately turn left onto Rue Laborde. Follow this street to the right for about 20 metres, then turn left onto Rue Roy. Cross Boulevard Haussmann. Further on, cross Rue La Boétie and follow it to the right until the next intersection.

(1) Turn left onto Rue Cambacérès, then right onto Rue de Penthièvre. Then turn left onto Rue de Miromesnil and you will come to Place Beauveau. Turn left and walk past the entrance gate to the Ministry of the Interior (the Elysée Palace is on the right, on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré). Turn left onto Rue des Saussaies. Ignore Rue Montalivet on your right, then cross Place des Saussaies and turn right onto Rue de la Ville l'Évêque. Continue straight ahead until you reach Boulevard Malesherbes. Use the pedestrian crossing on the left to cross the boulevard. Turn right and cross Rue Pasquier. Immediately turn left onto Rue de l'Arcade and, after a few metres, turn right onto Passage de la Madeleine. You will come out onto Place de la Madeleine, with the church of the same name on your right.

(2) Cross the circular boulevard of the square immediately (no traffic lights, just a pedestrian crossing) and walk behind the chevet of the church. At the end, turn left to cross the circular boulevard at the traffic lights. Then continue right into Rue de Sèze. Follow this street to the junction between Boulevard de la Madeleine and Boulevard des Capucines. Follow the latter to the left and pass in front of the Olympia. After about 75 metres, turn left onto Rue Édouard VII and continue to the square and theatre of the same name (equestrian statue of the king). Retrace your steps and continue left onto Boulevard des Capucines. At the traffic lights, turn right onto Rue Daunou. Take the second right, Rue de la Paix, and continue to Place Vendôme (and its famous column).

(3) Retrace your steps and turn right onto Rue Danielle Casanova. Turn right at the first street, Rue du Marché Saint-Honoré. Go around the covered market on the left (you can also go straight through it via the Passage des Jacobins). When you reach the other end of the market, continue south on Rue du Marché Saint-Honoré (to the left if you followed the route on the map, straight ahead if you took the Passage des Jacobins). After about 50 metres, turn left onto Rue Saint-Hyacinthe. At the end, turn right onto Rue de la Sourdière. Then turn left onto Rue Saint-Honoré and cross Rue Saint-Roch. Just after the Church of Saint-Roch, turn left into the passage of the same name. Turn right with the passage and then follow Rue des Pyramides to the left.

(4) At the next crossroads, turn right at an acute angle onto Rue d'Argenteuil. Follow this street to the end, which curves slightly to the right and then to the left. Cross Rue de l'Echelle and follow it to the left. At the corner, cross Avenue de l'Opéra. Then turn right and cross Avenue André Malraux. At the square, leave the fountain on your left and cross Rue de Richelieu in two stages (public clock). Pass the corner of the Théâtre de la Comédie Française and cross Place Colette, keeping to the right (head for the Hôtel du Louvre). Cross Rue Saint-Honoré and continue along Rue de Rohan.

(5) Cross Rue de Rivoli, pass under an archway and walk along the Louvre Museum on your left, with the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel some distance away on your right. At the corner of the building, turn left and go around the Louvre Pyramid on the left. Head towards the Pavillon Sully (large inscription on the pediment), climb the stairs and pass under a porch. Enter the Cour Carrée through its west entrance, turn right and exit through the south exit (porch). Cross the Quai François Mitterrand and take the Pont des Arts opposite to cross the Seine (Ile de la Cité on the left, dome of the Institut de France opposite).

(6) At the end of the bridge, cross the Quai de Conti and follow it to the right for just a few metres. On the left, in a corner of the Institut building, you will see a passageway under a small porch: take it and you will come out onto Rue de Seine (statue of Voltaire on the right). Follow Rue de Seine on the left (south), ignore Rue Mazarine on the left and cross two other streets coming from the right. Turn right into the next street, Rue de l'Echaudé. Cross Rue Jacob and then Rue de Bourbon-le-Château.

(7) At the end of the street, cross Boulevard Saint-Germain and turn right onto Rue du Four. After a few metres, turn left onto Rue Mabillon. Walk along the left-hand side of the Saint-Germain covered market and, before the end of this building, turn right onto Rue Guisarde. Then turn left onto Rue des Canettes and you will come to the foot of Saint-Sulpice Church (on the left). Cross the square in front of the church in an arc, leaving the monumental fountain on your left. Cross Rue Bonaparte and make a zigzag right-left to follow Rue du Vieux Colombier westwards. Cross Rue Madame and then Rue de Rennes to reach Place de la Croix Rouge.

(8) Leave the Centaur sculpture on your right and turn sharply left into the first street, Rue du Cherche Midi. Follow this street to Boulevard du Montparnasse, i.e. for 1.1 km. You will cross Rue d'Assas, Boulevard Raspail and Rue de l'Abbé Grégoire, among others. Finally, cross Boulevard du Montparnasse.

(9) Turn left immediately and walk along the boulevard. Cross Rue de Vaugirard, let the boulevard veer left and follow Avenue du Maine towards the prominent Montparnasse Tower. Cross Rue Antoine Bourdelle and walk up the side street to Avenue du Maine (which passes under a tunnel). Pass a metro station (you can stop here to take the metro back, as the walk is almost over) and then a sign for "Place Bienvenüe". You will arrive at Rue de l'Arrivée, which is aptly named for our purposes. Follow this street to the right to find the pedestrian crossing (traffic lights) which allows you to cross in two stages. Pass in front of the Porte Océane (list of cities served by the western branch of the TGV Atlantique) and finish on the esplanade of the Gare Montparnasse (E).

To return home:
- Metro - Lines 4, 6, 12 and 13.
- Transilien - Line N.

Public transport is by far the best way to get to this walk! The large number of metro and bus stations nearby means you can shorten the walk as you wish, depending on how much time you have or how you feel.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route. The time indicated is the actual walking time and does not include breaks or any visits.

The space is shared with many other users. You will be using regulated crossings (traffic lights, pedestrian crossings), which you should respect for your own safety.

There are numerous bars, restaurants and shops along the route, offering plenty of opportunities to quench your thirst or grab a bite to eat.

Although street names are almost always indicated on site, a map is always useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 19 February 2016.

In this section, there are three types of points of interest: (i) places associated with the life of Georges Brassens, (ii) places associated with his songs, the titles of which are in italics, and (iii) other key heritage sites.

There are benches everywhere, which we know are there for lovers of public benches.

Between Gare Saint-Lazare (S) and Rue La Boétie (1):
- Cour de Rome and Rue de Rome - La mauvaise réputation, where Brassens admits to following "the paths that do not lead to Rome"; Le pornographe, where he evokes "the love that leads there".
- Rue de Rome, architecture of Gare Saint-Lazare.
- Square Marcel Pagnol and Académie Française - In a book paying tribute to her husband, Jacqueline Pagnol recounts that Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974) was a great fan of Brassens' songs. It was thanks to the patronage of Marcel Pagnol and Joseph Kessel that Brassens won the Grand Prix de l'Académie Française in 1967. Marcel Pagnol even tried, unsuccessfully, to convince Brassens to accept his nomination to the prestigious institution.
- Statue of Joan of Arc in front of Saint-Augustin Church - Ballade des dames du temps jadis.
- Rue La Boétie - Les copains d'abord.

Between Rue La Boétie (1) and Place de la Madeleine (2):
- Place Beauvau, headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior. In many songs, Georges Brassens refers to police officers of all ranks, whom he clearly does not hold in high regard and whom he most often refers to as "cops": Le nombril des femmes d'agents ( The Navels of Police Officers' Wives); Corne d'Aurochs (Auro chs Horn); Le mauvais sujet repenti (The Repentant Bad Boy); La complainte des filles de joie (The Lament of the Prostitutes); La rose, la bouteille et la poignée de main ( The Rose, the Bottle and the Handshake); L'épave ( The Wreck)... Let's not forget the gendarmes who, although military personnel, are also under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior, and are mocked by Brassens in Hécatombe ( Massacre) and Brave Margot.
- At 11 Rue des Saussaies, Gestapo headquarters from 1940 to 1944.
- Place de la Madeleine, around which the prostitute in Le mauvais sujet repenti "hunted for men".

Between Place de la Madeleine (2) and Pont des Arts (6):
- At 19 and 21 Rue Danielle Casanova, buildings partially listed as historic monuments.
- At 18 Rue de la Sourdière, the building where Elsa Triolet and Louis Aragon lived from 1935 to 1960.
- At 28 Boulevard des Capucines, the Olympia, a famous concert hall where Brassens performed many times between 1954 and 1962.
- Place Vendôme and the column of the same name.
- The Louvre, the Pyramid and the Cour Carrée; the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
- Pont des Arts - The wind.

Between the Pont des Arts (6) and the Rue du Cherche Midi (8):
- Quai de Conti, Institut de France (which includes the Académie Française).
- Rue de Seine, old buildings and old houses. The river is mentioned in several songs: Ballade des dames du temps jadis, Le vin, Les ricochets, etc.
- Rue des Canettes - La canne de Jeanne - On the façade of number 18, sculptures of cans, hence the name of the street.
- Saint-Sulpice Church - Mélanie. On the square opposite, a Wallace fountain - The bistro.
- Rue Bonaparte - The 1914-18 war.
- Rue de Mabillon, right-hand side, courtyards below and footbridges providing access to the buildings.
- Place de la Croix Rouge, Le centaure, metal sculpture by César (1985).

Between Rue du Cherche Midi (8) and Gare Montparnasse (E):
- At 18 Rue du Cherche Midi, the Hôtel de Marsilly.
- At 40, the Hôtel de Rochambeau, named after the commander of the French troops engaged in the American War of Independence.
- At 44, the house where Abbé Grégoire (1750-1831) lived.
- At number 88, the former Cour des Vieilles Thuilleries.
- At number 100, the building where Henri Queille lived, who was several times minister under the Third Republic and several times President of the Council under the Fourth, to whom we owe a good number of aphorisms, including "There is no problem that a lack of solution will not eventually overcome"...