19th Century Villages
Discover a green route in an unknown and exotic corner of Paris, nicknamed the villages of the 19th.
Estimated duration of the route: 3h00
Estimated distance of the route: 4.1km
1 -
Meet at Place du Colonel Fabien and take Avenue Mathurin Moreau. Turn at the 4th street on the right, onto GEORGES LARDENNOIS street.
At the top of the Bergeyre hill, Georges Lardennois street offers an unparalleled view of the neighboring Montmartre hill. Shaped like a loop, the street is lined with bourgeois houses whose overgrown gardens are enclosed by small wooden fences. Virginia creepers cover one side of the hill, cats appear in the middle of cobbled streets where few cars pass, and residents cultivate their little gardens at the first ray of sunshine… Life on the Bergeyre hill is as peaceful as that of a village.
As you start your walk, you will immediately feel the calm that permeates the place. Built in the early 20th century on former quarries, the buildings here do not exceed four stories to ensure the stability of the foundations. The hill thus resembles a small village nestled high up and protected from the surrounding urban tumult.
2 -
Continue your walk on Georges Lardennois Street until you cross PHILIPPE HECHT STREET, which you will take.
You are now in the heart of the Bergeyre village, nestled on the most secret hill of Paris, to the west of the Buttes-Chaumont park. Rising to about a hundred meters in altitude, the subsoil of the Butte Bergeyre was once exploited by gypsum and stone quarries, like the Buttes-Chaumont and other hills of the city. Crossed by five small cobbled streets, the Butte Bergeyre offers a peaceful and refreshing stroll just a few steps away from the noisy Boulevard de la Villette. Only accessible via Georges Lardennois Street, the hill is almost free of any traffic. Here, children can play in the street without much danger, and cats bask on the warm cobblestones of sunny days.
A fair used to be held on the hill until the end of the 20th century, brightening the lives of the locals who loved to gather there on weekends. It was dismantled, and in its place, in 1918, the Bergeyre stadium was built to host the Olympique de Paris football team. Nearly ten years later, the stadium was demolished and a housing development took its place, inaugurated by Joséphine Baker who settled here in 1927.
To the west of the hill, walkers discover a magnificent panorama of Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur. Beneath your feet, dozens of virgin vines adorn the slopes of the hill. To your left, a community garden accessible to all allows the residents of the hill to grow fruits and vegetables. A little further, beehives provide them with honey. A few rabbits in a hutch enhance this surprising setting located just a few minutes' walk from the very popular Belleville neighborhood. The change of scenery that this place offers is extraordinary and ideal for romantic Sunday strolls.
As a little anecdote, know that the Butte Bergeyre hosted Michel Gondry's team in April 2012 for the filming of the movie Mood Indigo, an adaptation of Boris Vian's novel featuring Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, and Omar Sy.
3 -
Turn at the first right onto Barrelet de Ricou Street, then follow the first right again to take RUE REMY DE GOURMONT.
Like the other streets that wind around the top of the Bergeyre hill, you will discover here beautiful, charming houses adorned with ivy, flowers, large oaks, and all kinds of plants. Don't hesitate to stroll through the neighboring streets; they are also full of superb bourgeois houses.
4 -
Walk to GEORGES LARDENNOIS street, which you will reach by turning left.
Everything in this street evokes the calm and rejuvenating character of country life: some residents are sometimes busy in their wide-open garage tinkering, while others take advantage of the nice days to trim their thujas or sweep the leaves cluttering the front of their house… Take a moment when you reach the end of the street to sit for a few minutes on the small white bench facing the neighboring hill, on top of which stands the Sacré-Cœur. Further away, scattered at the four corners of the hill, flower-filled and overgrown gardens are maintained by a local residents' association. Finally, the vineyards on the hillside remind us that the Belleville neighborhood was for many years an important wine-producing area in Paris.
5 -
Take the Rue Barrelet de Ricou on the left until the stairs that you will take on the right. Turn left onto Rue Manin and walk along the Buttes-Chaumont until you reach Avenue Mathurin Moreau. On your right, you will find the entrance to the BUTTES-CHAUMONT PARK.
With its 25 hectares, the Buttes Chaumont park is one of the largest green spaces in the capital. But it is also one of the most original thanks to its astonishing elevation that makes it a very hilly park. Overlooking the city, the Buttes Chaumont offer magnificent panoramas of the capital, particularly of the Montmartre district. The caves, steep rocks, waterfalls, the suspension bridge, and the large artificial lake give this place a very special charm that cannot be found in any other park in Paris.
Many exotic trees adorn the park and attract a great diversity of birds such as seagulls, moorhens, and mallards. They all share this superb space and coo around the artificial lake in hopes of receiving some breadcrumbs distributed by children. The park is very popular with them thanks to its swings and pony rides. It also has several snack bars to satisfy small appetites. Treat yourself to some cotton candy, a hot dog, or a crepe at the entrance of the garden before setting off to discover this park with a thousand and one facets.
The atmosphere of the Buttes-Chaumont is soothing and family-friendly: on summer weekends, the lawns are taken over by families coming to picnic, couples in love coming to sunbathe, while many cyclists or rollerblading enthusiasts traverse the winding paths all around. We recommend taking the suspension bridge that overlooks the lake. Crossing it, you arrive at the top of the hill on which a beautiful replica of a Greco-Roman temple, the Temple of the Sibyl, has been built. From up there, you can enjoy an unobstructed view of all of Paris, including Montmartre. In the evening, you can go for a drink at Rosa Bonheur, a very nice bar located within the park that, in the summer, gathers the trendy youth of the neighborhood.
6 -
Exit the park via the Avenue de la Cascade to reach Rue du Général Brunet. Go up the street and join RUE DE MOUZAIA.
The main street of the neighborhood, Rue de Mouzaïa is lined on both sides with pretty villas that give it a village charm. This street bordering the north of Buttes-Chaumont leads to beautiful cobblestone alleys housing houses with small gardens that the locals commonly refer to as "the villas of Mouzaïa."
At 9 Rue de Mouzaïa stands a small church with unusual architecture: it is the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, built in the early 20th century in an Italian Romanesque style. Upon entering, you will discover a gigantic Byzantine-style mosaic depicting Christ on the cross. You may even have the chance to attend one of the rehearsals of the Franco-Beninese choir that regularly sings within its walls.
7 -
Turn left into the Villa du Progrès to reach RUE DE L’EGALITE.
You are now in the heart of the "village" of Mouzaïa. All around you, villas open up where it is very pleasant to get lost. The red, blue, and white brick facades of Villa Alexandre-Ribot make it one of the most charming streets. At the end of Rue de l’Egalité, on your left, take a look at Villa Lorraine, which ends in a dead end.
8 - Continue straight on Liberty Street, then join General Brunet Street via Villa Amalia. Turn right and head to the HAMEAU DU DANUBE, the first street on the right.
Housing no less than 28 pavilions built in 1923 around a Y-shaped street, the Hameau du Danube won the city's facade competition in Paris in 1926. The layout of these small houses with gardens recalls the concept and charm of garden cities like those in Stains.
On the south side of the street, you will find the villas of Alsace, Eugène-Leblanc, Emile-Loubet, Bellevue, Les Lilas, Sadi-Carnot, and Félix-Faure. To the north, the villas of Progress and Renaissance are also worth seeing. Our favorite is the Villa des Lilas, whose tranquility, pavilions, and flowering gardens truly give the illusion of being in the countryside.
9 -
Take General Brunet Street on the left and turn right into Hauterive Villa to enter MIGUEL HIDALGO STREET.
To finish this lovely walk, stroll down Miguel Hidalgo Street, which, like all the previous streets, resembles more the main street of a village than that of a capital. There again, you will find villas on either side of the road, including the one in Cronstadt, which is lush with trees and flowers in good weather. At the end of Hidalgo Street, you will find the Danube metro station on line 7bis.