Promenade Plantée

Starting near the Opéra Bastille, the elevated Promenade Plantée opens into a leafy corridor formed from the former Vincennes railway. Originally built in 1859 to link Gare de la Bastille and Verneuil‑l’Étang for freight transport, the line fell into disuse as trains grew larger and faster. By the late twentieth century, the tracks—some ten meters above street level—were derelict.

In the late 1980s, landscape architect Jacques Vergely and architect Philippe Mathieux conceived a plan to convert the disused viaduct into an elevated linear park; construction began in 1991, and it opened two years later. The Promenade Plantée stretches for 4.7 kilometers from Bastille to Bois de Vincennes, with green spaces, quiet seating areas and the adjacent Viaduc des Arts featuring workshops and boutiques.

The park invites visitors to blend nature with culture and local dining. Summer opening hours run from 07:30 to 21:30, winter from 08:00 to 17:45, with spring hours between 17:00 and 21:00 depending on daylight. Admission is free, and access via stairs or lifts along Avenue Daumesnil is convenient. Metro stations Bastille, Gare de Lyon and Bercy are nearby. The Promenade Plantée exemplifies innovative urban renewal and heritage repurposing.