A paradise for pedestrians: A walking guide to Paris

Heading to Paris? Then pack your walking shoes. Under Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the city is becoming a paradise for pedestrians, with cars increasingly shut out of the city centre. Of course, Paris has always been a city made for strolling, from the long quais lining the River Seine to the elegant Haussmann boulevards. Here are three of our favourite walks through Paris’s most memorable neighbourhoods.

The 2nd arrondissement: avenues and arcades

Enjoy the eye-catching architecture and one of Paris’s best food streets.

Start at Métro Grands Boulevards, then take it slow as you walk down Rue Réaumur and into Rue Vivienne – there is some sensational architecture. Look for imaginative art nouveau facades featuring colourful mosaics, ornate bow windows and more. A complete contrast is the neoclassical Palais Brongniart on the Place de la Bourse, which for almost two centuries housed the city’s stock exchange. Keep walking to the Galerie Vivienne, one of Paris’s loveliest 19th-century arcades.

From here, head east towards Rue Montorgueil. This pedestrianised street is packed with food shops and restaurants. Keep an eye out for Paris’s oldest patisserie, Stohrer, which dates back to 1730, and the building called Au Planteur, with a striking period facade depicting a French plantation owner and his servant.

Round off the day with a dose of art at the Centre Pompidou, an easy stroll from here. Behind that eye-catching facade is a superb art collection – and the scenic escalator ride is a highlight in its own right.

The 5th arrondissement: medieval streets and mint tea

Paris’s oldest district dates back to Roman times and has plenty of treasures tucked into its narrow winding streets.

Start at Pont Saint-Michel, then head towards the Petit Pont and Square René-Viviani, home to what’s said to be the oldest tree in Paris, a false acacia planted in 1602. Stop in for a look at the exquisite icons inside the Greek church of Saint-Julien-Le-Pauvre. As you meander towards the mighty Panthéon, the final resting place of France’s favourite heroes, skip the main boulevards for the smaller streets. Don’t worry about getting lost – there are plenty of bars, boutiques and bistros to discover along the way.

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After stopping in at the Panthéon, peruse the food market on Rue Mouffetard before dropping in at the Grande Mosquée on the Place du Puits de l’Ermite to enjoy a glass of mint tea in the tea house (there’s also an on-site Turkish bath, if that’s your thing). Then take a stroll through the magnificent Jardin des Plantes.

Leave the Jardin des Plantes via Place Valhubert to discover a hidden riverside park. The 600-metre-long Jardin Tino Rossi, filled with paths and plantings, is also home to an outdoor sculpture park with works by the likes of Brancusi and Zadkine.

The 8th arrondissement: barefaced chic

To see Paris as she appears in the movies – rows of grand townhouses decorated with wrought-iron balconies, impeccably dressed dowagers walking their poodles – this is the destination of your dreams.

Start at Métro Alma-Marceau, then skip the designer boutiques and instead get your fashion fix by exploring the area’s two fashion museums: first, Yves Saint Laurent’s former headquarters on the Avenue Marceau, where the Musée Yves Saint Laurent hosts regular retrospectives of his work.

Then stroll down to the Avenue Montaigne to discover Paris’s newest – and largest – fashion museum. Tucked inside Christian Dior’s new flagship, launched last year (it also includes a restaurant and cafe), La Galerie Dior is a 2000-square-metre space that charts 75 years of fashion history through sketches, models and an outstanding vintage couture collection. Or turn into Rue François-1er to continue on to the Petit Palais, a beautiful Beaux-Arts building home to the City of Paris’s fine-arts collection.

Not done yet? Follow Avenue Franklin Delano Roosevelt toward Boulevard Haussmann to visit the sumptuous Musée Jacquemart-André, a 19th-century mansion with exquisite interiors and an impressive art collection. Keep heading north to reach Parc Monceau, a lovely English-style garden originally created for the Duke of Orléans.

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