La Petite Ceinture

Where to Walk Along the Train Tracks in Paris
- 101 Rue Olivier de Serres ,
- 75015 Paris
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La Petite Ceinture, or Little Belt, was the brainchild of Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann, who together razed much of France’s capital to create the Paris we know today with its grand boulevards, butter-hued buildings, tree-lined avenues, and open spaces.
The idea was not only to have a means of carrying goods all around Paris without having to cross the busy city, but also to connect the outlying suburbs with major train stations in central Paris. This circular railway running within the old city walls was supposed to have stations in all the outlying villages and at cross points with the main lines coming out of Paris, making connections easier for people and for cargo.
In December 1851, upon Napoleon III taking office, the first section of this intramural rail track circling Paris was granted. At its peak, the Petite Ceinture carried up to 90,000 passengers a day on its six trains per hour, circumnavigating the city in just an hour and a half. Then came the metro in 1900 and then the car, and bit by bit, the Petite Ceinture became redundant and forgotten.

Today, many parts of the abandoned railway have been destroyed or taken over by the RER. While some of the train tracks have quite literally gone to seed and been taken back by nature, other places along the rails have been done up and opened to the public as green spaces where people can walk, wild flowers can grow, and bees can buzz freely.
One such spot is in the 15th Arrondissement. Start by Place Balard, walk along the path, high above the surrounding streets, past the former station Vaugirard, and saunter on as far as the often over-looked but lovely Parc George Brassens, with its vineyard, art, and a fabulous second-hand book market every weekend. Although it’s not a long stretch of the Petite Ceinture, it’s enough to give you a taste and have you searching out the others.
La Petite Ceinture
Frenchie
Poinçon
The Hardware Société
Le Saint-Régis
Pantagruel
Brasserie La Lorraine
Du Pain et Des Idées
Brasserie Dubillot
Granite
Giorgio
Bouillon Julien
FIEF
Fluctuat
Le Four du 12
Café A
Aux Petits Oignons
Le Coupe-Chou
Les Vins des Dames
Bouillon Chartier
Lapérouse
Monsieur Bleu
Chez Gladines
Le Voltaire
Misso
Bambou
Septime
Il Cottage
Le Chalet de Neuilly
Georges
Le Pantruche
Le Radis Beurre
La Felicità, Station F
Le Comptoir du Relais Saint Germain
Vaudeville
Le Troquet
Le Grand Bain
Ralph’s
Terra
Can Alegria
Bisou.
Paname Brewing Company
Mezcaleria
Berthillon
Willi’s Wine Bar
Dose – Dealer du Café (Batignolles)
Rosa Bonheur – Buttes Chaumont
Mr Culbuto
Boca Dos
Le Comptoir Général
Anticafé
Dragon
Candelarìa
La Péniche Antipode
Castor Club
La Belle Hortense
Le Mary Celeste
Fitzgerald
Café de Flore
Le Syndicat
Night Flight
Tiger
Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Le Bar Dix
Le Bouclier de Bacchus
CloudM
Strada Café
Le Perchoir de l’Est
Divine
Le Renard Bar
Wild & the Moon
Le Peloton
Le Pavillon des Canaux
Dose – Dealer de Café (Mouffetard)
Café Kitsuné – Palais Royal
Angelina
L’Abribus Café
Le Perchoir Marais
La Samaritaine
Eataly
Antique & Used Book Market, Marché du Livre
La Cure Gourmande
Marché Belgrand
Bercy Village
Les Puces de Vanves
Liquides
Passy Covered Market
Le Bon Marché
Printemps
Le Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville
Koshka Mashka
Galeries Lafayette
Librairie Galignani
Buly 1803
Androuet
The Frankie Shop
Shakespeare and Company
Assouline – Saint Germain
Fromagerie Quatrehomme
Legrand Filles et Fils
Empreintes
The Abbey Bookshop
Aujourd’hui Demain
Artazart
CityPharma
Verbreuil
TWINS Concept Store
Merci
L’Eau et Les Rêves
Alix D. Reynis
Marché Saint-Pierre
L’Eclair de Génie
Matières à Réflexion
Erotokritos
L’Appartement Sézane
Musée Carnavalet
Square Marcel Bleustein Blanchet
Bourse de Commerce
Square Édouard VII
Musée de Montmartre
Rue Denoyez
Le Village Saint Paul
Square des Batignolles
Wall of ‘I Love You’
Les Champs-Elysées
Galerie Perrotin
Fluctuart
Galerie Kamel Mennour
Atelier des Lumières
Fondation Louis Vuitton
Institut du Monde Arabe
59 Rivoli
Parc de Belleville
Square Barye
Rue des Eaux
Parc Monceau
Arènes de Lutèce
Musée Nissim de Camondo
Musée Jacquemart-André
L’Hôtel de Sully
Centre Pompidou
La Sainte-Chapelle
Cimetière du Montparnasse
Galerie Vivienne
Maison de Balzac
La Conciergerie
Gertrude Stein’s Apartment
Musée de l’Homme
Place Dauphine
Notre Dame Cathedral
Maison de Victor Hugo
Rue Cler
Musée Marmottan Monet
Rue Daguerre
Musée des Arts Forains
La Seine Musicale
Aquaboulevard
Supersonic
BAM Karaoke Box
Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione
Moulin Rouge
Crazy Horse Paris
Folies Bergère
Le Grand Rex
Théâtre Michel
Gossima Ping-Pong Bar
Playground Duperré
‘Oh My God, She’s Parisian’ Comedy Show
Les Petites Flèches
Le Louxor
La Gare
Théâtre du Châtelet
Café Oz – Denfert
Bus Palladium
Open-Air Cinema at La Villette
Les Bains du Marais
Aux Bains Montorgueil
Hammam Les Cent Ciels
Free Persephone
Spa My Blend by Clarins
Peninsula Spa
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Paris
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101 Rue Olivier de Serres
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75015 Paris