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Le Viaduc des Artsand La Promenade Plantée
ABOVE: Le Viaduc des Arts has shops, galleries, and other businesses within its 64 arches. INSET BELOW: La Promenade Plantée is on top of the viaduct.
In 1859, the Paris-Strasbourg Railway Company began service on a line that required elevated tracks from the Place de la Bastille to the eastern reaches of Paris. The railroad's brick-and-stone viaduct carried suburban trains until the 1970s, when newer SNCF long-distance routes and the new RER "A" commuter line made it redundant. A few years later, in the early 1980s, city officials debated whether to tear down the old viaduct or convert it into a pedestrian promenade. The walkway proposal won, and by 1994, the Promenade Plantée from Bastille to Reuilly was open to the public.
For tourists, the Viaduc des Arts and the Promenade Plantée offer a chance to take a break from city sidewalk and street traffic while seeing how historic preservation and modern urban-design objectives can work in harmony.
Reaching the Viaduc des Arts:
For more information, see the Viaduc des Arts Web site and view our photo tour of the viaduct and its elevated walking path. Next page: Viaduc des Arts photo tour
About the author:
After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (including Paris for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post. For more information, see About our site, press clippings, and reader testimonials.
Main photo copyright © Paris Tourist Office.
Photographer: Amélie Dupont.
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The next stage was to covert the old vaults beneath the rail line into
exhibition spaces and, ultimately, into a series of craftsmen's workshops and
galleries. Today, the restored railroad viaduct--renamed the
When you
walk the 1.5-km or 1-mile distance between Reuilly and Bastille, you'll
understand that Paris is more than a city with a history--it's a city that
continues to develop and grow, combining the old and the new in ways that can
bring excitement and vitality to neighborhoods that are off the main tourist
circuit.
The Viaduc des Arts runs from the Opéra Bastille to the Jardin de Reuilly. The
nearest 
Stairways
lead from the sidewalk to the Promenade Plantée at various points along the
Avenue Daumesnil (which parallels the viaduct), so if you prefer, you can just
head for the avenue, explore the ateliers and galleries in the vaults, and
wander upstairs to the landscaped walkway when you're ready for a stroll or a
picnic. 
Durant Imboden
