Start at the Porte Dauphine metro station.
It is very difficult to describe this fine route for several reasons:
- This is an exclusively urban hike and takes many streets,
- for this reason an IGN map at 1/25000 scale is completely unnecessary, and instead you should bring a map of Paris or a particularly detailed topographical guide that can serve to inform hikers about the places they are passing and their history.
However, the track on the map can be helpful as it was made using a Sat Nav and the main points are:
Reach the roundabout at (1) Place du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, and continue to the Avenue du Maréchal Foch.
Enter the Bois de Boulogne, follow the YR (Yellow Red) markings on the GRP (Grande Randonnée de Pays) route to the Avenue de Saint Cloud (2).
Turn left on that avenue until Jardin du Ranelagh and then along Avenue Largillière, Rue des Vignes, Rue Berton, Rue d’Ankara, onto Avenue du Président Kennedy to make your way across the Seine over Bir Hakeim bridge (3).
Turn left at the exit of the bridge to take La Promenade d’Australie, Avenue de Suffren and then head to the big metal cairn overlooking Paris (the Eiffel Tower), then at the end of the Allée Adrienne Lecouvreur turn left, find the Avenue de Tourville which leads to the Palais des Invalides (4).
Take the Avenue Villars to the south, then a succession of left and right turns down streets in the following order: Rue Babylon, Rue Monsieur, Rue Oudinot, Rue Rousselet, Rue de Sèvres, Rue Saint-Romain, Rue Cherche Midi, Rue du Regard to finally arrive at Rue de Rennes (5).
Continue south through the Rue Notre Dame des Champs, reach Rue Vavin, take it left and enter the Rue d'Assas in the Luxembourg Gardens which are well worth a walk around, and leave heading into Place Edmond Rostand (6).
Turn east into Rue Soufflot to reach the Pantheon, in Rue Clovis turn right on Rue Descartes, then take Rue Monge to the left and go through a porch to the right leading to the Arènes de Lutèce amphitheatre (7).
Take Rue de Navarre out of the amphitheatre, and left to Rue Lacépède then enter the Botanical Gardens (8). Leave the gardens with the mosque ahead of you and take a left onto Rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, and left again on Rue Poliveau. Cross Boulevard de l'Hôpital and enter the Hospital La Pitié Salpêtrière complex via Rue Saint Louis (9).
Exit by the Rue Bruand to reach Boulevard Vincent Auriol from the left. Reach Avenue de France, head right to reach the esplanade of the Grande Bibliothèque library (10).
Then cross the Seine on the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge and, passing by Bercy Park, come to the Bercy metro station, the end of the walk (F).
This route is signposted all the way in Yellow and Red as mentioned above, this remarkable effort to provide and maintain route markings is thanks to our Parisians friends the FFRP allowing "urban hikers" to not get lost in this extraordinary maze and to familiarise themselves with the monuments mentioned in the description.
The end of this walk is at Bercy metro station, but the GRP continues to Bois de Vincennes.
A walk through Paris exploring the Left Bank and its quartiers.
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Activity: Walking
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Distance: 16.50 km
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Calculated time: 4h 50
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Difficulty: Moderate
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Return to departure point: No
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Vertical gain: + 54 m
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Vertical drop: - 61 m
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Highest point: 66 m
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Lowest point: 29 m
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District: Paris (75000)
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Start: N 48.87213° / E 2.276985°
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End: N 48.839106° / E 2.380515°
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IGN map(s): Ref. 2314OT
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Description
Waypoints
- S : km 0 - alt. 48 m
- 1 : km 0.16 - alt. 51 m - Place Mal de Lattre de Tassigny
- 2 : km 2.03 - alt. 52 m - Avenue de Saint Cloud
- 3 : km 4.5 - alt. 33 m - Bir Hakeim bridge - Seine [la]
- 4 : km 5.36 - alt. 47 m - Tour Eiffel
- 5 : km 7.28 - alt. 48 m - Palais des Invalides
- 6 : km 9.59 - alt. 53 m - Rue de Rennes
- 7 : km 11.24 - alt. 59 m - Place Edmond Rostand
- 8 : km 12.47 - alt. 52 m - Arènes de Lutèce
- 9 : km 13.14 - alt. 40 m - Jardin des Plantes de Paris
- 10 : km 14.36 - alt. 36 m - Hopital Pitié Salpetriere
- 11 : km 15.65 - alt. 37 m - Bibliothèque François Mitterand - Bibliothèque François Mitterrand
- E : km 16.5 - alt. 44 m
Useful Information
Paris has everything needed for a hike, benches for rest, water fountains for refills.
Take great care when crossing the avenues given the density of traffic.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
During the walk or to do/see around
The GRP passes by a number of widely-known landmarks, of which the key ones are:
- the Eiffel Tower,
- Invalides,
- The Panthéon,
- The Botanical Gardens,
- The François Mitterrand National Library.
Other walks in the area
Le Quartier Latin and Sainte-Geneviève Mountain
Departure from Paris (75 - Paris)
Le Quartier Latin is a labyrinth of streets, each as important as the next, as there is a strong history behind. The Sainte-Geneviève Mountain is home to several prestigious schools, and the presence of numerous students adds to the atmosphere of this magnificent suburb.
On the French Revolution routes in the heart of Paris
Departure from Paris (75 - Paris)
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.
Bièvre Valley - Château de Versailles
Departure from Igny (Essonne) (91 - Essonne)
Hike connecting Igny (Essonne) to the Palace of Versailles. The route follows the Bievre, and 80% of the route is on roads through forests. A calm, cool walk with scenery that will leave you with a unique souvenir.
The Forêt de Montmorency and its Southwest border
Departure from Montlignon (95 - Val-d'Oise)
A walk in the larger Val d'Oise forest, located only 20 kilometres north of Paris. Chestnut trees are plentiful in this hilly area with ponds and historical sites. A walk to the southwest border will let you discover some interesting features of the local heritage.
Following the Bièvre river through Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Igny
Departure from Montigny-le-Bretonneux (78 - Yvelines)
The upstream part of this series of three hikes devoted to the Bièvre river. A very pleasant walk along the river and its bodies of water, in a mostly rural setting. A hike from station to station, which can be used to adjust the length depending on the weather conditions or desires of the hikers.
The Tête Ronde Forest and Saint-Aubin Wood
Departure from Villiers-le-Bâcle (91 - Essonne)
A hike which is mostly in the forest, with lovely sections along the Mérantaise river and the ditches which run down from the Saclay Plateau.
The Viaduc des Fauvettes and the Forêt de Gif-sur-Yvette
Departure from Bures-sur-Yvette (91 - Essonne)
A walk of many faces! On forest tracks interspersed with paths through the city, you follow an old railway line with a tunnel and viaduct, finishing along the course of the river Yvette. A walk to enjoy at any time of year.
Parks and gardens along the Yerres
Departure from Crosne (91 - Essonne)
This walk starts in Crosne, goes through the Grange Forest and then through the town of Yerres before reaching Park Caillebotte where the painter lived. The walk goes along the Yerres River and finishes by going alongside the communal gardens in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.
For more walks, use our search engine.
The GPS track and description are the property of the author.