Walk: “Exploring the 20th Arrondissement”
What if you stepped away from postcard Paris to discover a city of hills, vanished vineyards, songs, and memories—where every street corner hides an unexpected story? From Square Édouard-Vaillant to the heights of Ménilmontant, from Place Gambetta to Père-Lachaise Cemetery, this walking tour leads you through the little-known history of the 20th arrondissement: former villages absorbed by Paris, social struggles, street art, and lives worthy of a novel. Along the way, you’ll even learn what Paris might have become if this working-class neighborhood hadn’t existed.
Your walk begins at Square Édouard-Vaillant, a leafy oasis with its bandstand, statue of Gambetta, and monumental greenhouse—just steps from Tenon Hospital, where Édith Piaf was born. Do you know what “La Môme” truly owed to this hillside? You’ll also meet Édouard Vaillant, a figure of the Paris Commune and advocate for education for all, as well as a moving memorial to the Jewish children of the 20th arrondissement deported during World War II—one of those places people pass without seeing… until someone tells them its story.
You then walk up Avenue Gambetta toward the square of the same name: a contemporary glass fountain, the monumental 20th arrondissement town hall, and the tale of the famous balloon flight that allowed Gambetta to escape besieged Paris in 1870. You’ll discover how a balloon ride changed the course of history, and why this seemingly quiet square is actually a hub of politics, war—and daring. Continuing along Rue des Pyrénées—one of the longest streets in the city, carved between Belleville and Charonne and renamed after once honoring the Battle of Puebla—you’ll learn why a Mexican victory ended up on Parisian street signs.
A short detour brings you to Passage des Soupirs, a hidden staircase with a countryside feel, once a lovers’ meeting place where legend claims time would stop. The audio guide reveals the origins of its name and what people used to whisper there at nightfall. A little further on, the post office at 250 Rue des Pyrénées hides two huge ceramic panels by Ossip Zadkine—an allegory of earthly and airmail communication, created by one of the great sculptors of the 20th century. A public art treasure many locals have never noticed.
The walk continues to the Pavillon Carré de Baudouin, a former country villa now turned free art center, then along Rue du Retrait, heir to the neighborhood’s old vineyards. Between murals, the colorful animals of the Mosko collective, a nod to artist Jaber El Mahjoub, Maurice Chevalier’s birthplace, and the Théâtre de Ménilmontant, this area reveals its artistic and working-class soul. You’ll learn how these streets witnessed songs, struggles, neighborhood festivals… and a few nights that got a little too lively.
Reaching Rue Villiers-de-l’Isle-Adam, you’ll pass an old clandestine Resistance printing press and follow in the footsteps of writer Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, who imagined an artificial woman falling in love as early as 1886. Here, fiction, wartime resistance, and dreams of another world intertwine in surprising ways. Place Martin Nadaud then reveals its famous “wooden house,” a façade sculpted entirely in imitation timber and now home to a nursery—a whimsical building that never fails to astonish visitors.
From Rue Sorbier and Rue des Rondeaux, you finally enter Père-Lachaise Cemetery, the vast 19th-century landscaped park inscribed in collective memory. In this open-air museum, you’ll pass the neo-Byzantine crematorium, the plaque of Maria Callas, the tomb of Marcel Proust, Guillaume Apollinaire’s standing stone, Oscar Wilde’s monument, and Édith Piaf’s grave—among thousands of stories carved in stone. You’ll learn why some graves are covered in lipstick kisses, others in pebbles, and how this cemetery became one of the most visited in the world.
During this visit you will :
- explore the 20th arrondissement on foot, from Gambetta to Ménilmontant and all the way to Père-Lachaise;
- discover surprising anecdotes (Gambetta’s balloon escape, Passage des Soupirs, Zadkine’s postmen, clandestine printing, the lives of artists and writers… and stories you won’t find in guidebooks);
- enjoy unique photo spots: Square Édouard-Vaillant, sloping streets, Pavillon Carré de Baudouin, the “wooden” house of Martin Nadaud, and the tree-lined paths of Père-Lachaise;
- experience an immersive, lively, emotional visit—far from checklist-style tours.
More than a walk, this is a journey into a poetic, popular, and profoundly alive Paris—one you’ll leave with images in mind… and stories to tell.
Download the Audio Guide Paris app for free and unlock the full tour of the 20th arrondissement—an authentic, artistic, memory-rich Paris waiting to be revealed.