Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ducedbyHenriIVin1605—thesameyearthePlacedesVosgeswasbuilt.Year-round,the
place is always beautifully lit after dark.
The mayor of Paris, who has one of the most powerful positions in France, presides
here.Mayorshipisseenasastepping-stonetotheFrenchpresidency(asitwasforJacques
Chirac).
This two-mile-long, narrow garden walk on an elevated viaduct was once used for train
tracks and is now a good place for a refreshing stroll or run. Botanists appreciate the well-
maintained and varying vegetation. From west (near Opéra) to east, the first half of the
path is elevated until the midway point, the pleasant Jardin de Reuilly (a good stopping
point for most, near Mo: Dugommier), then it continues on street level—with separate
paths for pedestrians and cyclists—out to Paris' ring road, the
périphérique.
Cost and Hours:
Free, opens Mon-Fri at 8:00, Sat-Sun at 9:00, closes at sunset
(17:30 in winter, 20:30 in summer). It runs from Place de la Bastille (Mo: Bastille) along
Avenue Daumesnil to St. Mandé (Mo: Michel Bizot) or Porte Dorée, passing within a
block of Gare de Lyon.
Getting There:
TogettotheparkfromPlacedelaBastille (exittheMétrofollowing
Sortie Rue de Lyon
signs), walk a looooong block down Rue de Lyon hugging the Opéra
onyourleft.Findthelow-keyentryandstepsupthered-brickwallablockaftertheOpéra.
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Père Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père Lachaise)
Littered with the tombstones of many of the city's most illustrious dead, this is your best
one-stop look at Paris' fascinating, romantic past residents.
