Petite Ceinture in Paris 17e arrondissement

The Petite Ceinture in the 17th district is a green pathway stretching 700 meters between Saussure Street and Alphonse de Neuville Street. The elevated walkway has a gravel surface and is accessed by two staircases that lead up to the former railway line.

This section belongs to a 32-kilometer railway line built around Paris between 1852 and 1869 during the Second Empire. The line was part of a ring rail system connecting the city to its suburbs, and was later converted into a leisure pathway.

The preserved rails and industrial structures serve as reminders of the railway past, now hosting spontaneous plant and animal life. Visitors can observe how nature has reclaimed the old infrastructure and created a new kind of coexistence between heritage and ecology.

Access is provided by two staircases leading to the elevated pathway, which is straightforward to explore on foot. The area is open and accessible, though visitors should be mindful of the gravel surface, especially during wet weather.

The trench configuration creates a distinctive microclimate where nature has developed spontaneously since train operations ceased. This isolated setting has become an unexpected refuge for specialized plants and animals adapted to the sheltered environment.