Viaduc des Arts

Viaduc des Arts, in the 12th arrondissement, near place de la Bastille, accommodates professional artists, craftspeople and designers in the historical vaults of the former train line between Paris, Bastille and Vincennes. Above the workshops is the Promenade Plantee, a linear park, which runs for 4.7 km. The Viaduc itself consists of 64 vaults, made of brick and stone, and is about 10 metres high. The train line was originally opened in 1859 and operated until 1969. The decision to repurpose the Viaduc was taken ten years later. The Viaduc itself offers an attractive facade onto Avenue Daumesnil. The full occupation of the vaults by artisans did not occur until 1997. 

Place d'Aligre

Place d'Aligre in the 12th arrondissement is the location of Paris's second oldest markets and one of its most well known (behind Enfants Rouges) (having existed since 1779). It is divided into a covered market set out in three beautiful halls (called Marche Beauvau), with food stalls and a mixture of stores, and an uncovered market (called Marche d'Aligre), which is pictured above. The uncovered market continues down rue d'Aligre and includes a food section, a flea market and many antique shops. These markets are a popular destination for Parisians, with its 'poetic square', its old provincial, village like atmosphere, as well as the variety and cheapness of its goods.    

Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir

The Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir is a pedestrian bridge over the River Seine, linking the Parc de Bercy (in the 12th arrondissement) with the Bibliotheque Francois-Mitterand Library (in the 13th arrondissement). The bridge is named after the French philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir and was inaugurated in July 2006, in the presence of her adoptive daughter Sylvie Le Bon-de Beauvoir. Its innovative modern design is described as following a 'lenticular' structure, that is, shaped like a lentil, with the eye or lens in the middle of the bridge. With its undulating wave-like structure, it is popular with rollerbladers and skateboarders (so pedestrians beware!). It is the 37th bridge in Paris.

Bercy Village

Adjacent to the Parc de Bercy, the Bercy Village in the 12th arrondissement is located along an attractive paved street and courtyard lined with stone storehouses and large terraces. The Village was once the site of the world's largest wine market which operated for over a century. Cour Saint-Emilion and its 42 storehouses are listed as a Historical Monument and have been transformed into a village with shops, bars and restaurants. It is a lovely destination to explore and experience. 

The July Column, Place de la Bastille

The July Column stands at the centre of the Place de la Bastille. The Place is a square where the Bastille prison once stood until the French Revolution, and the famous 'storming of the Bastille' in 1789. The July Column or the Colonne de Juillet commemorates the events of the 1830 July Revolution.. At the top of the column is the Genie de la Liberte (Spirit of Freedom), a gilded bronze sculpture made by Augustin Dumont in 1836. It is an allegorical statue which depicts Liberty with male features, as a winged genius, brandishing a torch in one hand and broken chains in the other, while leaping into the air off one foot. 

Michelangelo’s Dying Slave

One of the unexpected sights along the Promenade Plantee are 14 reproductions of Michelangelo’s Dying Slave. Located on the top floor of the police station in the 12th Arrondissement, they are part of an Art Deco style building which was designed in 1991.

Parc Floral de Paris

The Parc Floral, as part of the Bois de Vincennes, had originally been part of a royal park and hunting domain.The park occupies 31 hectares, making it the fourth largest park in Paris.

Promenade Plantee

The Promenade Plantee or Coulee Verte Rene-Dumont is a 4.7km elevated linear park built on top of obsolete railway infrastructure in the 12th arrondissement. Provides a perfect bird's eye view of Paris.

Rue Cremieux

Rue Cremieux is a one-block pedestrian street in the 12th arrondissement, originally built as workers' housing. The street has been widely recommended to tourists for its quaint painted house fronts, and has become a popular spot for filming and for social media photos (like this one!!).

Bassin de l'Arsenal

Bassin de l'Arsenal is a boat basin which links the Canal Saint-Martin, and begins at the Place de la Bastille. It is part of the Parisian Canal Network and forms part of the boundary between the 4th and the 12th arrondissements. From the 16th century until the 19th century, an arsenal existed at this location. It is now a marina, for approximately 180 pleasure boats. 

Parc de Bercy

Parc de Bercy is located on the site of an old wine depot. As a ‘garden of memory’, remnants of its past remain, including old rail lines, and a vineyard. At one end stands the Bercy Arena, the largest concert venue in Paris, and at the other a lake pavilion and terrace, ducks and lilies. Spread over 14 hectares, it is a lovely place to walk, all year round.