|
This
is a varied walk themed around the Eiffel Tower, in view for much
of the way.
The walk starts at Radio France, to view the scale replica of the
Statue of Liberty shipped to New York. A
nice walk then along the Allee de Cygnes, a small walkway in the
middle of the River Seine connecting two bridges.
Then its up to the Trocadaro for the classic view of the Eiffel
Tower and much more besides. Then its down to the Eiffel Tower itself
before concluding by visiting the Hotel de Invalides where Napoleon
is buried.
|
|
Like all the walks it is difficult to put a time on it, some people
will do it in a couple of hours, others will take a weekend. Like
all the walks we concentrate on the logistics, there are masses of
guide books and reference material which will cover the history and
background of the places encountered.
We start
the walk on the north bank of the River Seine opposite the large Radio
France building at the northern end of the Pont de Grenelle.
There is no Metro in the immediate vicinity. The simplest way to get
here is by bus. The number 72 follows the north bank of the River
Seine all the way from the Louvre. Alternative buses include the 52
which picks up at the Arc de Triomphe among other places.
The RER stops here too on line C - Avenue du President Kennedy.
|
Make
your way over the Pont De Grenelle and descend halfway, down the steps
to the island in midstream. Double back under the bridge to the western
tip of the 'island' and you have a scale model of the Statue of Liberty.
The original in New York was given by France to the USA as a centenary
present.
The island you are on (Allee des Cygnes) is man-made, built as a harbour
when the surroundings were more industrial. Walk eastwards along the
Allee, you will see the Eiffel Tower ahead of you. There are plenty
of seats along the way and its a particularly agreeable place to pause
and watch the river traffic go by, especially if the sun is out.
At the eastern end of the Allee, climb up to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim
and cross over to the other side of the bridge where there is a fine
view including the Eiffel Tower. You will have noticed that this is
an unusual bridge in that it carries both a road and a metro line.
Now head to the north end of the bridge.
|
Statue
of Liberty Replica |
Allee
des Cygnes
|
At
the north end of the bridge you will see a footbridge that crosses
the busy road below. Take
it.
Keep going
straight, following the metro line, now above you. Take the escalator
up to the Passy Metro Station. At the level of the metro station keep
going up to the top, then straight until you get to the main road.
Turn right, you are now at the Place de Costa Rica, an intersection
of 7 roads. Take the second road, anticlockwise - the Rue Benjamin
Franklin which has a slight incline.
|
The
Rue Benjamin Franklin is fairly mundane, at some time during its length,
cross over to the left hand side of the road.
As you near the top of the road, near the Trocadero keep close to
the buildings. The pavement rises well above the level of the street.
At the junction make a sharp left hand turn. On the other side of
the street is the Passy Cemetery. Walk a little up the road until
opposite the main entrance and cross over into the Cemetery. After
a short visit, turn left on leaving the main gate, passing the flower
shop, you soon come to the Place du Trocadero.
The Place du Trocadero is a major traffic intersection and most people
will be tourists. In the middle of the roundabout is a statue of Marshall
Foch on horseback. Our goal is the large buildings on the right, the
Palais de Chaillot.
The buildings now contain 3 museums, on the left hand side the French
National Museum of Monuments. The right hand side building contains
a relatively small Marine Museum and a Museum of Man.
What most people are here for is the fantastic view from the balcony
between the two buildings, (see picture right). The top picture is
a reverse picture of the Palais, with the balcony between its two
buildings.
Our walk follows a straight line through the Eiffel Tower into the
far distance of the picture. Descend to the gardens of the Trocadero
with its fountains, cross the River Seine and you are underneath the
world famous tower. We have a special Eiffel
Tower page.
Keep going the other side of the Tower, the green area is called the
Champ de Mars. The large building at the very end is the Military
School, it is this we are making for. |
Palais
de Chaillot - Trocadero |
Eiffel
Tower From Palais de Chaillot |
You will probably be tempted into taking more pictures of the Eiffel
Tower on this side with a different backdrop. Near the far end on
the right hand side is a children's recreation area and a strip of
tarmac where small kids are often seen learning to roller skate.
At the far end of the Champs de Mars, turn left at the Military School.
Napoleon went there, today you can only visit by appointment. Keep
to school side (right) of the busy Avenue de Motte-Picquet. At the
end you come to the Place del l'ecole militaire. We want to take the
Avenue de Tourville, 45 degrees right from the Avenue de Motte-Picquet.
Cross to the left hand side of the road, very shortly you will come
to the Hotel des Invalides unmistakable on your left. This is where
our walk ends, we have a special page on Invalides
, housing museums and Napaleon's tomb, the page also deals with onward
public transport options. |
|
