The Elevated Park, Elevated promenade in Paris, France
La Promenade Plantée, also known as the Coulée Verte René-Dumont, is a raised walkway in Paris that runs from the Place de la Bastille eastward to the Bois de Vincennes, sitting about 33 feet (10 meters) above street level. The path alternates between open garden sections, shaded tunnels through old railway cuts, and a cable footbridge over the Jardin de Reuilly.
The route was built in the late 1800s as a railway line connecting Bastille to the eastern suburbs of Paris, and it closed in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the city and two designers began converting the abandoned viaduct into a walkway, which opened in 1993.
Below the walkway, the Viaduc des Arts runs along avenue Daumesnil, where the old brick arches have been turned into studios for craftspeople like violin makers, glassblowers, and jewelers. Walking above and then stepping down to street level gives you two very different views of the same structure.
The main entrance is near the Place de la Bastille, where stairs and a ramp lead up to the walkway, with further access points along avenue Daumesnil. Elevators near the Jardin de Reuilly make access easier, but they are not always working, so using the stairs as a backup is a good idea.
A drinking fountain on the promenade called La Pétillante dispenses free sparkling water so that walkers can refill their bottles instead of buying plastic ones. Some Parisians make a point of stopping there just to fill up their bottles.
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