The colourful street of rue Crémieux is situated in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, not far from the busy railway station of Gare de Lyon. Off the beaten paths, this corner of paradise is a lovely spot for a picture. Let me take you on a short, but delightful stroll of rue Crémieux.
Discover rue Crémieux
Rue Crémieux is located between rue de Lyon and rue de Bercy. The cobblestoned and pedestrianised street is 144 metres long and 7.50 m wide. Rue Crémieux is bordered by colourful private houses. This place gives the impression that we are outside of Paris, somewhere in a small Provincial town or in a French seaside resort.
Unlike the adjacent rue de Lyon, there are no Haussmann style buildings here. The 35 identical houses that border the street look like English terraced cottages. The residents are proud of their street and have ensured that it is well maintained. It was the residents’ initiative to paint their façades with gentle pastel colours: green, blue, purple, yellow, pink…
At number 8, look for a commemorative plaque in faience. It indicates the level of the water during the 1910 floods: 1.75 m.
On a sunny day, you won’t be the only one taking photos of the charming street! Many fashion bloggers have made rue Crémieux their favourite spot for presenting the latest outfits.
The street in the past
On the site of the street stood the Imperial Arenas, a place of amusement with 1,500 seats that was very popular during the Second Empire.
Rue Crémieux was opened in 1865 and was then named avenue Millaud. Moïse Polydore Millaud (1813-1871) was an entrepreneur, a banker and a press baron. He founded Le Petit Journal, a successful newspaper, ancestor of today’s popular press.
The street took its current name in 1897 after Adolphe Crémieux (1796-1880), a lawyer and statesman. Born in Nîmes to a wealthy Jewish family, he was a defender of the human rights of the Jews of France. Crémieux is buried in the cemetery of Montparnasse.
More photos of the street
Where to find rue Crémieux in Paris?
The nearest metro stations are: Quai de la Râpée (line 5) or Gare de Lyon (lines 1 and 14, RER A and D).
Let’s face it, the street residents would surely prefer that their spot was left unknown. So I do encourage you to be discreet on your visit to rue Crémieux.
Check out this interesting article on Le Parisien about the street being the victim of its success and of the Instagrammers!
Ok, now that I’ve been describing this street in a few lines, don’t you think rue Crémieux is reminiscent of Portobello in London or Burano in Venice? If you agree (or not), leave us a comment below!
Interestly , Google street view ( Rue Crémieux @ rue Bercy ) has a vehicle advertising Paris Tourist Office.
This is a great find, thank you for sharing!! 🙂 I went back to Google street view to have a better look at it! Actually, it is a van from the Mairie de Paris (municipality of Paris) and the “Info” relates to a telephone number intended for Parisians who wish to receive practical information about their city.