Coulée Verte René-Dumont 12 © French Moments
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Last Updated: 28 April 2021

The Promenade plantée, also known as the Coulée verte René-Dumont, runs through the 12th arrondissement of Paris. This 4.5 km green corridor is Europe’s longest and only elevated park.


The Promenade Plantée or Coulée Verte René-Dumont

Promenade Plantée - Roses on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
Roses on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

The Coulée Verte René-Dumont was designed on an abandoned 19th-century railway viaduct.

Freight trains used the viaduct to link the former Bastille railway station to the eastern suburbs of Paris.

The parkway now runs through the entire length of the 12th arrondissement, from the Opéra Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes.

“This original promenade which stretches from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes will lead you alternatively in the air and underground. Through its unique design, the Promenade in the eastern district of Paris takes place upon viaducts and footbridges, through tunnel to trenches.” (Mairie de Paris)


La Promenade Plantée: birth of a project

Promenade Plantée - Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
On the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

Rail traffic was discontinued from 1969 and the tracks were abandoned for years, devaluing the social and cultural perception of the area.

In the early 1990s, the City of Paris decided to replace the disaffected tracks with a surprising green corridor reserved for pedestrians: the Promenade plantée.

By the 1990s, the 1.5 km viaduct Daumesnil was turning into ruins.

The project of the Promenade plantée definitively saved it from demolition. Since 1998, the restored viaduct has included 45 studios: arts and crafts workshops, galleries, furniture showrooms, a restaurant and a café, hence deserving its new name: Viaduct des Arts.

Easily recognisable with its red brick arches, the viaduct is considered by many as a contemporary landmark of Paris.


Itinerary from Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes

Place de la Bastille © French Moments
Place de la Bastille © French Moments

From the Opéra Bastille to the Jardin de Reuilly, the Promenade plantée runs on top of the Viaduct des Arts for 1.5 km.

Viaduc des Arts seen from rue de Lyon © French Moments
Viaduc des Arts seen from rue de Lyon © French Moments

It consists of a narrow pathway bordered with small trees, shrubs and plants: roses, lavender, bamboo, ivy, vines, wisteria.

Promenade Plantée - On the Viaduc des Arts © French Moments
On the Viaduc des Arts, Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

Some unexpected trees can also be found along the walk: cherry, maples, and lime trees.

Promenade Plantée - On the Viaduc des Arts © French Moments
On the Viaduc des Arts, Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

The elevated promenade sometimes widens when the viaduct crosses a street, and stairs leading to street level can be found here and there along the walk.

Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

Although the pathway runs on the top of the viaduct, the view will rarely embrace typical Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or Montmartre.

But it gives visitors many opportunities to view Parisian habitats from another angle.

At times, the Promenade will seem to float amidst old and new buildings, Haussmannian avenues and dense residential streets.

View on the Paris façades from the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
View on the Paris façades from the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

The belfry of the Gare de Lyon is one of the few Parisian landmarks that can be seen from the Viaduct des Arts.

A glimpse of the belfry of Gare de Lyon from the Coulée Verte © French Moments
A glimpse of the belfry of Gare de Lyon from the Coulée Verte © French Moments

The Gare de Lyon is one of the major 6 Parisian railway stations. It connects the capital to Burgundy, Lyon, and the Mediterranean regions of Provence and Languedoc. It is also an international station with trains to Rome and Milan.

Unexpected architecture

The Promenade plantée is probably the best spot to view the surprising top of the 12th arrondissement’s Police station.

All the balconies of the two last levels of the building are separated by a copy of Michael Angelo’s “The Dying Slave”.

The 12 reproductions might symbolise the number of the arrondissement (the 12th). The original copy of the statue can be seen in the Louvre museum.

Police Station in the 12th arrt © French Moments
‘The Dying Slaves’, Police Station in the 12th arrt © French Moments

Do not be misled: the imposing building with its statues is not at all old for it was constructed in the 1990s!

Between the Viaduct and the Reuilly Garden

Audacious architecture from the 1980s links the Viaduc des Arts to the Jardin de Reuilly.

Promenade Plantée - Between the Viaduc des Arts and the Jardin de Reuilly © French Moments
Between the Viaduc des Arts and the Jardin de Reuilly © French Moments

The Jardin de Reuilly

Jardin de Reuilly, Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
Jardin de Reuilly, Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

An impressive arched footbridge made of metal and wood spans over the round-shaped Jardin de Reuilly.

The garden dates back to 1992 and occupies the site of an old freight station.

A long time ago, an ancient castle for the Merovingian Kings used to stand there beforehand.

Based on the number of people staying in the garden during the summer, it has become a favourite outdoor site for the 12th arrondissement’s inhabitants. There is an open-air café, a children’s playground and a rose garden.

Beyond the Viaduct des Arts

From the Jardin de Reuilly, you can opt to continue the stroll towards the Bois de Vincennes.

The first stage is ‘Allée Vivaldi’, a long lawn bordered by residential buildings.

Promenade Plantée - Allée Vivaldi © French Moments
Allée Vivaldi, Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
Promenade Plantée - Allée Vivaldi © French Moments
Allée Vivaldi, Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

Then the path follows a sort of a mini-canyon.

The old railway tunnel on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
The old railway tunnel on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

Still following the former railway tracks, the Promenade enters a kind of tunnel with five kitsch waterfalls.

From the end of the underpass, the atmosphere of the Promenade radically changes as the path is bordered by outward steep slops covered with foliage… however, some observation towers along the way provide occasional views over residential areas bringing us back to reality: we are still in Paris!

Spring flowers on the Promenade Plantée © French Moments
Spring flowers on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
On the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
On the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
Spring flowers on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
Spring flowers on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

You can exit the Promenade at many times and reach the spacious Place Félix Eboué (métro station Daumesnil). From where you can easily reach other parts of Paris.


How to get to the Promenade Plantée

Spring flowers on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments
Spring flowers on the Coulée Verte René-Dumont © French Moments

► If you decide to start from Place Félix Eboué:

nearest métro station: Daumesnil, lines 6 and 8.

► If you decide to start from Place de la Bastille:

nearest métro station: Bastille, lines 1, 5 and 8.

► You can also start/finish the stroll at Jardin de Reuilly:

nearest métro station: Dugommier, line 6 and Montgallet, line 8.

Find out more!


 

Gems of Paris by French Moments
About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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  1. We are about to get a promenade like this (I hope) in Camden, London! It should be opening in 2024. It will be called the Camden Highline and is designed by the same architects of something similar recently constructed in Manhattan. But of course the French got there first – wonderful to see the original!!

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