is divided into twenty districts, each with its own unique historical background and landscape, and every street and alley has its own stylistic characteristics. District 12 is the area with the most extensive green spaces, featuring one of Paris's most unique rural walking paths. Starting from the lush green Bois de Vincennes in the east of Paris, it crosses through Peguy Park, passes along the Vivaldi tree-lined avenue, and spans the modern Renilly Park. It then continues over the Daumesnil elevated walkway (with high-end Parisian artisan shops and busy roads below), proceeding straight ahead to arrive at the Opéra Bastille and its square. This promenade traverses the entire 12th arrondissement, with a total length of 4.5 kilometers, serving as a charming path for Parisians to enjoy countryside scenery while strolling and reflecting.
This verdant promenade is the perfect manifestation of Paris's greening policy, with a level of refinement beyond our imagination. In the mid-19th century, it was a railway line from Bastille to the eastern suburbs, with frequent train traffic serving Paris residents for nearly a century. By the late 1960s, the French National Railway Company sold this line to the Paris City Council, which, under wise planning, transformed it into a picturesque walking path, reviving the tradition of royal tree-lined avenues dating back to the 17th century.
An Engaging Walking Path: This lush green walking path features distinctive landscapes reminiscent of rural fields, with rhythmic and undulating terrain along the way. At times it intersects with other tree-lined paths, at times crossing flower beds, passing over viaducts, iron bridges, through tunnels and caves, and buildings. Starting from a pastoral trail, it ends at the elevated walkway and tree-lined avenue arriving at Bastille. Along the way, one can appreciate rare wildflowers and plants precious to Paris, such as poppies, cornflowers, barley grass, and ground cherry, among others.
The promenade is roughly divided into three natural landscapes: From the lush Bois de Vincennes and Peguy Park to the final tunnel, this section has the most rustic charm, crossing linden tree-lined avenues, with wild flowers and grasses growing thickly, as well as seasonal flower beds and rows of cherry trees. Crossing the viaduct, passing through a series of tunnels (three in total), one emerges into the sparkling fountains, then past the former Renilly train station, now a colorful garden, followed by a cherry tree-lined avenue flanked by modern apartment buildings.
Walking straight past the Renilly indoor swimming pool, one reaches an innovative iron suspension bridge spanning a large circular green lawn below, a place where Parisians relax and sunbathe. The area is surrounded by vibrant flower beds, with a new playground for children on the right, dotted with nude female statues from the 1930s.
Crossing the suspension bridge, passing over viaducts and apartments, one arrives at the ingeniously designed elevated tree-lined avenue, which runs parallel to the Avenue Daumesnil. Along the way are lush small shrubs and flower beds, sometimes crossing babbling waterways, sometimes passing rose gardens, entering archways made of honeysuckle hedges, and bamboo-lined paths. Being immersed in such a poetic scene is hard to imagine, yet beneath one's feet are endless vehicles! The bustling urban landscape seems to be the backdrop of this promenade, providing diverse visual experiences, a characteristic unique to Paris.