Tours and detours in Saint-Ouen

Starting point and access: Mairie de Saint-Ouen station.
- Metro - Line 13 or 14. Take exit 1 Mairie de Saint-Ouen or exit 4 Esplanade Jean Moulin (in this case, turn left at the metro exit, cross Avenue Albert Dhalènne at the traffic lights and rejoin the main route).
- Bus - Lines 85, 137, 140, 166, 173, 237 and 274.

For the most part, this route is not signposted but follows a PR® in places. In the following description, signposting is only mentioned when useful.

(S/E) With your back to the town hall, cross Place de la République diagonally to the right and continue along Boulevard Victor Hugo. At the traffic lights, cross Rue du Docteur Bauer in two stages (ice rink on the right). On the other side, turn left to cross Boulevard Jean Jaurès and follow it to the right. Take the second left, Rue du Docteur Léonce Basset.

(1) Then take the first right, Rue Paul Langevin. At the end, turn left onto Rue du Landy (not signposted here). Take the first right, Rue Rabelais (a few townhouses). At the end, follow Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau to the left. At the traffic lights, turn right onto Rue Saint-Denis (not signposted here; yellow arrow; mural on the right).

(2) Take the first left, Rue Francis de Pressensé (yellow arrow). At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue Fernand Hainault and walk alongside a higher education establishment. Ignore a street on the left and continue along Rue des Châteaux alongside a school (under renovation in September 2025). At the corner, turn right, pass a chicane and follow a path to a viewpoint over the Seine (vineyard plot).

(3) Turn left, pass the entrance to the Church of Saint-Ouen and cross Place de l'Abbé Grégoire. Turn into the first street on the left, Rue du Moutier (signposted further on). At the end, turn right and cross Place d'Armes (sculpture). Cross at the traffic lights and continue along Rue Saint-Denis. At the next traffic lights, cross the wide road at the pedestrian crossing on the right-hand side (marked on the map) or on the left-hand side. Depending on which side you choose, turn left or right to reach the entrance to the Grand Parc (this is the name marked on site).

(4) Enter the park, go down a flight of steps and leave a large cubic building on your right (Château de Saint-Ouen). At the corner, turn right. Opposite a memorial to the Appeal of 18 June 1940, go through a gate on the left and take a footbridge. Continue along a gravel path. Shortly afterwards, at the first crossroads, turn left onto a cement path (water point). Cross a stream and pass between two shared gardens. At the next crossroads, turn right, still between gardens. Continue along a cement path and note a chicken coop on the right-hand side. Then go around the Serre Wangari (theatre) on the left.

(5) Go through a gate, leave the park and take a footbridge over a pond. On the other side, turn left and cross an esplanade. At the end, first turn right then left to cross a street at the pedestrian crossing and enter Rue des Bateliers (yellow marker). Continue straight along this road, sharing the pavement with a cycle path, and note the industrial chimneys on your right. At the end, cross the D410 (Boulevard Victor Hugo) at the traffic lights and follow it to the right.

(6) Shortly afterwards, take the second left, Rue Parmentier. Follow this narrow street lined with small houses to its end. Then turn right into Rue Henri Barbusse (not signposted here). At the end, follow Rue Louis Blanc to the left and pass under a railway bridge. At the next traffic lights, cross Avenue Gabriel Péri on the left and pass in front of the entrance to the Church of Notre-Dame du Rosaire.

(7) Just after the church, turn left into Square Marmottan. Cross the square via a cement path (yellow markings). Opposite the entrance to a playground (water fountain), turn right, pass a covered playground on your right, go through a gate and leave the square. You will come out onto a street; follow it to the left. At the end, turn right onto Rue des Rosiers. Turn right onto Rue Eugène Lumeau.

(8) At the first crossroads, turn left onto Rue Kléber (yellow markings). Cross Rue Mathieu, then turn left onto Rue Lécuyer (yellow arrow). Take the first left, Rue de la Gaité. At the crossroads, turn right onto Rue des Bons Enfants. Immediately turn right along this street, then left onto Rue Jules Vallès. Pass two successive entrances to the Jules Vallès Market. Immediately afterwards, turn left into the Jardin Éphémère. Continue straight ahead along a wooden walkway lined with murals.

(9) At the garden exit, turn right onto Allée n°1 of the Marché Paul Bert, between shops n°144 and n°73. At the end of the aisle (toilets), turn left and you will immediately come to a T-junction. Then follow Aisle No. 2 to the left. Pass Aisles No. 3 and No. 4 on your right. Then turn right into Aisle No. 5. At the end, turn left to exit the market and you will immediately come to a crossroads. Find Rue des Rosier and follow it to the left towards the Garibaldi metro station. Take the first right, Rue Myrtille Beer, lined with trees. Note the murals on the left-hand side of the Cour des Myrtilles (cultural centre).

(10) At the end, turn left onto Rue Étienne Dolet. Cross a dead-end street that leads to Stade Bauer on the right-hand side and continue straight ahead. Take the next right, a one-way street (Rue Blanqui, not signposted here). At the end, turn left onto Rue du Docteur Bauer, walk past a fire station and go under another railway bridge. Immediately after, turn right onto Rue Godillot and follow it to the old Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine station (information sign).

(11) Then turn left onto Rue Alphonse Helbronner. Cross Avenue des Maronniers and continue straight ahead (ignore any yellow markings). Shortly afterwards, turn left and follow Rue Claude Monet. At the traffic lights, cross Rue du Docteur Bauer and follow it to the right. Take the first left, Rue Ampère, and walk past a secondary school on your right. At the corner, turn right onto Rue Diderot (not signposted here). Continue straight ahead and you will soon see the Saint-Ouen town hall on your right (S/E).

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

Water fountain in the Grand Parc, between (4) and (5), and in Square Marmottan, shortly after (7). Public toilets in the Marché Paul Bert, shortly after (9). Bars, restaurants and shops all along the route.

Opening hours for gardens and public spaces:
Grand Parc
- Opening: 8:00 a.m. every day.
- Closing time: 7:00 p.m. from 1 October to 31 March; 9:00 p.m. from 1 April to 30 September.
Square Marmottan
- Opening: 8:00 a.m. every day.
- Closing time: 7:00 p.m. from 1 October to 31 March; 8:00 p.m. from 1 April to 30 September.
Jardin Éphémère
- Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
Paul Bert Market
- Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Monday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
If closed, in (9), continue straight ahead until you reach Rue des Rosiers.

Useful detailed map (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 14 September 2025.

- War memorial at the foot of the town hall (S/E) (it is not often that this type of monument depicts a woman).
- Viewpoint over the Seine and Saint-Ouen Church (3).
- Saint-Ouen Castle (early 19th century) and Grand Parc (4).
- Notre-Dame du Rosaire Church (20th century) (7). The stained glass windows on the right side of the nave depict the generation, birth and childhood of Christ, while those on the left side depict his passion.
- Marché Paul Bert (9), one of the markets that make up the Marchés aux puces. This passageway is ideal for strolling and exploring.
- Stade Bauer (10), the legendary Red Star stadium, built in 1909 and now enclosed within the city.
- Former Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine railway station (early 20th century) (11).