Coulée Verte René-Dumont

Overview

Long before New York built the High Line, Paris created the Coulée Verte (the Green Walkway). This deeply romantic, 4.7-kilometre linear park is built entirely on top of an obsolete railway viaduct, offering a completely elevated, incredibly green walk through the 12th arrondissement.

Highlights

• The Perspective: Walking exactly three stories above the bustling Parisian streets offers a remarkably quiet, voyeuristic view into massive Haussmann apartments and hidden courtyards.
• The Landscaping: It is wildly and deliberately overgrown with cherry trees, weeping willows, and massive rose bushes forming completely enclosed tunnels of foliage.
• Viaduc des Arts: The massive brick arches directly beneath the elevated walking path have been brilliantly converted into glass-fronted studios for the city's highest-end artisans and craftsmen.

History

The Vincennes railway line operated from 1859 until it was abandoned in 1969. While facing demolition in the 1980s, landscape architect Jacques Vergely brilliantly proposed turning the massive, ugly structure into an elevated promenade, saving the brick arches below for creative industries. It was completed in 1993.

Visitor Tips

• Starting Point: Do not attempt to find the start at Bastille—the most dramatic entrance is via the stairs behind the Opéra Bastille at Rue de Lyon.
• The Route: You do not have to walk the entire 4.7 kilometers. The most scenic and elevated section is the first 1.5 kilometers closest to Bastille.
• : 1–1.5 hours depending on how far you choose to walk.