From Bastille to the river Marne

Take the stairs by the Viaduc des Arts, on the Daumesnil avenue to access the Coulée verte.

Pour une balade pittoresque et insolite dans le 12ème arrondissement, découvrez la Coulée verte René-Dumont.Traversez l’Est de Paris, de Bastille jusqu’au Bois de Vincennes grâce à la Coulée verte. Tout au long du parcours, la promenade est rythmée par une succession de jardins et de vestiges du passé ferroviaire du lieu comme des viaducs et des tunnels en tranchée. Dans ce décor aujourd'hui bucolique végétation sauvage et aménagement paysager moderne cohabitent en harmonie. Au détour du chemin, vous trouverez également des aires de jeux pour les enfants.

Located in the heart of Saint-Mandé, Notre-Dame Church is one of the town’s key landmarks and a symbol of its 19th-century urban expansion. The church was built between 1883 and 1885 by architect Edmond-Charles d’Albrizio, replacing an 18th-century chapel that had become too small for the growing local community.Designed in the Neo-Romanesque style, the building is dominated by a massive bell tower-porch, giving it a distinctive and monumental presence. Inside, visitors can discover several listed historic artworks and furnishings, including a beautiful statue of the Virgin and Child from the early 14th century, one of the oldest treasures preserved in Saint-Mandé.

Among the four lakes of the Bois de Vincennes, Lake Saint-Mandé is the only one located on the site of a former natural body of water.The original Saint-Mandé pond, formed by a stream flowing down from the heights of Montreuil, served during the Middle Ages first as a fish pond and later as a mud pit. Having become unhealthy and foul-smelling, it was filled in during the 18th century. The current lake was created in 1860 as part of Napoleon III’s transformation of the Bois de Vincennes into a public park. It covers an area of 1.5 hectares (about 3.7 acres). On its shore stands the Chalet du Lac, once Napoleon III’s hunting lodge, later converted into a guinguette (open-air dance hall) in 1904, famous for its lively dance floors and festive atmosphere. Just a short walk away, the puppet theatre, carousels, and pétanque grounds make the area a much-loved family destination for leisurely strolls and outdoor fun.

Aujourd’hui, environ 8 km de rivières parcourent le bois de Vincennes. Avec les quatre lacs du Bois, ces cours d’eau forment un réseau artificiel qui témoigne des vastes travaux hydrauliques réalisés dans la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle.Voulus par Napoléon III pour l’aménagement du Bois en promenade publique à l’image des grands parcs londoniens, ces travaux furent réalisés à partir de 1858 sous la direction de l’ingénieur Eugène Belgrand. Celui-ci avait été appelé à Paris dès 1854 par le préfet Haussmann pour y travailler à la mise en place d’un réseau d’approvisionnement et d’assainissement d’eau pour la Capitale. Paris lui devra notamment ce qui fut à l’époque le plus grand réseau d’égouts du monde. Pour le Bois, Belgrand conçoit un réseau approvisionnant celui-ci en eau de la Marne depuis une usine élévatoire établie en bordure du canal de Saint-Maur, en contre-bas du plateau. L’eau, envoyé environ 35 m au-dessus du niveau de la rivière, étaient ensuite stockée au lac de Gravelle, point culminant du Bois, avant d’être distribuée par les rivières jusqu’aux 3 autres lacs du parc. Depuis Belgrand, le réseau hydraulique du Bois a subi changements et adaptations. L’eau qui y circule ne provient plus de l’usine de Saint-Maur, mais directement du réseau parisien. En revanche le principe de son stockage dans le lac de Gravelle, puis de sa distribution par les rivières, reste en usage aujourd’hui.

Housed in the former pavilions of the 1931 Colonial Exhibition, the Grande Pagode is home to Buddhist places of worship and the largest Buddha in Europe, covered in gold.The Grande Pagode is located in two buildings built for the International Colonial Exhibition of 1931, the Cameroon and Togo pavilions. The two buildings, managed by the International Buddhist Institute, are now dedicated to Buddhist worship. In the 1980s, a Tibetan Buddhist temple, the Kagyu-Dzong, was added to the complex. The interior of the site is not usually open to visitors. The Grande Pagode is exceptionally open to visitors during major events such as the Buddhist Festival (in May), the Tibet Festival (in September), or other ceremonies throughout the year.

The largest lake in the Bois de Vincennes, with a circumference of 2 km, Lake Daumesnil is recognizable by its two accessible islands connected by a footbridge.The larger of the two, Île de Reuilly, features a cave and an artificial waterfall, overlooked by an antique-style rotunda designed by architect Gabriel Davioud. The smaller island, where dogs are not allowed, serves as a refuge for numerous geese and peacocks.

Édifié en 1889, le temple actuel de Charenton-le-Pont perpétue l’histoire protestante de la région.Le temple protestant de Charenton s'inscrit dans la longue histoire de la Réforme en Île-de-France. Il s’agit du troisième édifice construit sur les communes de Charenton-le-Pont et Saint-Maurice depuis le début du XVIIe siècle, témoignant de l’importance du protestantisme dans la région parisienne. Le premier temple fut édifié en 1607, suite à l’édit de Nantes signé par Henri IV en 1598, qui garantissait la liberté de culte aux protestants. Construit sur l’actuelle commune de Saint-Maurice, ce lieu de culte fut d’abord saccagé en 1615, puis incendié en 1621. En 1623, un second temple plus vaste fut bâti au même endroit grâce au soutien de la communauté réformée. Durant plus de 60 ans, ce lieu fut un centre spirituel et culturel majeur du protestantisme. Il fut détruit suite à la révocation de l'édit de Nantes par Louis XIV en 1685. Il faudra attendre 1889, soit deux siècles plus tard, pour voir reconstruire un temple à Charenton. Construit à l’occasion du bicentenaire de la révocation, il est réalisé autour d’une structure métallique à 12 colonnes type Eiffel. Toujours en activité, il continue d'incarner la pérennité de la présence protestante francilienne.

Bronze statue of Henry IV, a 20th-century copy of the original by Nicolas Cordier in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in the Vatican.Created by sculptor Michel Bourbon, the monument was installed next to Charenton Town Hall in 1985, commemorating Henri IV's stays in the town, particularly in the pavilion built by banker Cenamy, which is now part of the town hall. It also commemorates the place of the Reformation in Charenton's history.

Since 1838, Charenton Town Hall has been housed in the pavilion built in the first quarter of the 17th century for Nicolas de Verdun, president of the Parlement de Paris (the main court of justice), who had acquired the domain from the family of the banker Barthélémy Cenamy, a close associate of Henry IV.The only remaining part of a large estate, whose subdivision forms the heart of the current center of Charenton. Known as the Pavillon Gabrielle or Pavillon de Navarre, it is characteristic of the brick and stone buildings of the late 16th / early 17th century, modeled on the current Place des Vosges in Paris.

Although the current Charenton Bridge dates only from 1974, it marks the site of a crossing over the Marne River that has held major economic and strategic importance since Antiquity.Caesar, in the Gallic Wars, already mentions the crossing by his lieutenant Labienus at this spot, as he prepared to attack the Parisians with four legions, crossing the Marne thanks to its many islands. The existence of a wooden bridge is first recorded in the 7th century. Carried away by storms and damaged by wars, it was rebuilt many times—first in wood, then in stone, and later in concrete. At one time fortified, its towers were destroyed by Henry IV. In 1664, d’Artagnan passed over it, escorting Nicolas Fouquet as a prisoner to Paris. On March 3, 1814, students from the Alfort Veterinary School resisted the coalition armies there. Like many bridges, it also supported mills, the last of which disappeared in 1811. The bridge’s significance contributed to the gradual formation of the present-day communes of Charenton, Saint-Maurice, and Maisons-Alfort. From the bridge, you can reach the right bank of the Marne by following the path alongside departmental road 6, either upstream or downstream.

The current Quai Fernand-Saguet follows the route of the old Alfort towpath. Long dominated by automobile traffic, the first section of the quay was redesigned as a landscaped promenade between 1994 and 2000 by the landscape architect Jacques Coulon.Opening onto the Marne, the towpath quay became, at the end of the 19th century, a leisure destination for Parisians arriving from boats operated by the Compagnie des Bateaux-Express. Continuing from the Bercy warehouses, it also developed into a site of significant industrial activity, notably related to the alcohol trade. One of the most important establishments was the Suze distillery, located at number 10 Quai d’Alfort from 1875. Once you reach the banks of the Marne, you have two options. If you want to take a break from your walk, you can take Rue Nordling to find public transport at the Maisons-Alfort Ecole Vétérinaire stop. Alternatively, you can also continue along the Marne by following the Promenade Paul-Cézanne, which starts at the foot of the Charenton Bridge and extends to Joinville and Créteil. Enjoy the discovery!