Walking in Paris

All of them.

Get Frommers 24 walks in Paris and do some of them -- it gives you a curated walk and explains what you are seeing. We particularly like the one in the 16th that show cases Guimard architecture. There are lots of Paris walks books in addition to this one.

I have box of cards called City Walks: Paris: 50 Adventures on Foot that I bought in 2013. I like it because I can take just one card out and not have to carry a book in my purse. Here are several great walks suggested by Paris Perfect. Rue des Martyrs has been done and done again but you could always do that walk. As said in the first response, all neighborhoods have great walks. For example, I did a random walk from Pere Lachaise to the Palais Garnier and it was terrific.

I have that box of walks as well. Nice - map route on one side, points of interest info on other. Looks like it is still available and reasonable. (stocking stuffer? :-)

https://www.amazon.com/City-Walks-Paris-Revised-Adventures/dp/0811874095/ref=asc_df_0811874095/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343955759661&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=675383659257507572&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011523&hvtargid=pla-465834555241&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=69543897992&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343955759661&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=675383659257507572&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011523&hvtargid=pla-465834555241

Some great walks in May outside the tourist crowds:

1/ The "villages" of Paris
https://www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/histoire-patrimoine/guides/172526-the-most-beautiful-neighborhood-villages-in-paris/lang/en

2/ The covered passages of Paris, starting here with the entrance to Passage Verdeau
https://goo.gl/maps/yUVmAUYfug65rNw59

https://www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/histoire-patrimoine/articles/172520-the-most-beautiful-covered-passages-in-paris/lang/en

There are other passages, less known, near the "faubourg Saint Antoine" or avenue Ledru Rollin (close to place de la Bastille)

4/ In this same area (Bastille) "La Coulée Verte" which starts here:
https://goo.gl/maps/RgRbXQXBf5CQTTeC9

https://www.paris.fr/pages/de-bastille-a-vincennes-par-la-coulee-verte-4932

5/ And of course, the Père Lachaise cemetery.

I'll jump in and say that I have that box of 50 walks also. When I was in Paris for a month I must have used about a dozen of those cards to initiate my walks in different neighborhoods. I usually ended up expanding on them for further exploration. I found them very handy and as someone said the maps on one side of each card meant that I didn't have to carry a whole book or keep looking at a full map of Paris as I walked.

Do you have specific interests?

Like Art Nouveau facades?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Lavirotte
https://www.parisperfect.com/blog/2011/03/art-nouveau-7th-arrondissement/

Last year I got interested in where some of the Roman sights might have been in Paris and developed my own walk based on some research and in catching some Roman references on one of Corey Frye's walking videos. This is a link to his first one so it's not as polished as he is now but he takes you down into a garage with a piece of a Roman Ruin. (And no, I could not get the door open, lol!!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81ue6fum9DE

I also have followed several of his walking routes or mashed a few of them together. I enjoyed walking this area near Trocadero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMp7BtwjajA&t=613s

I also picked some locations for my own Sainte-Genevieve route starting at Sainte-Etienne-du-Mont where there is a relequiry to her (but no longer contains her bones) downhill to the Pont du Tournelle where there is a large statue of Sainte-Genevieve by the sculptor who did the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. Then I headed to the church Saint-Paul and Saint-Louis which has a revolutionary slogan that still shows on one of it's pillars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMp7BtwjajA&t=613s

I usually try to do a walk that connects sights so I'll figure out my sights for a certain day, then look at walking tour videos from Corey or Vero (one of Rick's guides) and pull out some interesting streets or items of interest and put them together for myself. I also like Atlas Obscura for a reference for off-beat things to see, lol!!

I've also used some suggestions from these walking routes from the Paris Visitors Bureau:

https://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/walks-in-paris

We stayed in the 9th, a couple of mins from the Grands Boulevards metro. We found the area around Galeries Lafayette and the Opera Garnier (understandably) very busy and not at all pleasurable to stroll around - although both are worth seeing. But we really enjoyed the area immediately east of there. We had a lovely walk from the Grands Boulevards metro to Pigalle and the area around the Moulin Rouge, via Rue des Martyrs. The area south from the Grands Boulevards to the Seine is also a very pleasant walk.

I would start from Ile St Louis (the little island next to the island where Notre Dame is) and walk west along the river. When you get to Place de la Concorde i would cross the river and walk back along the river to Notre Dame. Then i’d walk north to the Marais (4th arrondissement) and walk all over, then south to the 5th arrondissement (Latin Quarter) and explore all over, then through the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, then walk all through the 6th arrondissement (St Germain area).

All in that order, spread out over 2-3 days. 😊

Lots of good advice above, I'll just add a plug for Paris Walks, offering guided walks in various parts of the city. The advantage over walking on your own is the guide who points out buildings and places you might not have seen as significant, historically or otherwise. Their Montmartre walk, in particular, provides a good introduction to that somewhat confusing neighborhood and an efficient way to see things on your way to Sacre-Coeur at the top of the hill.

Dick and I had the same idea. Walking is definitely better with a guide and Paris Walks goes through some interesting neighborhood. They also point out things that I would have never looked for walking on my own. Money well spent.

Download Rick Steves app and take his Paris historic walk. If you buy his Paris guidebook, you’ll have about four more walks and each one is well worth it. This way you’ll see the best of Paris and not miss a thing.

Get off the 6 metro at Nationale and walk to the Chevarelet stop going around the blocks and up side streets -- there are a couple dozen professional quality murals. Many are visible from the train which runs above ground here, but many are hidden around corners. And once on the ground go ahead and walk down to the river and down the river to the center -- a very nice stroll. Many nice gardens along the way and in summer there are tango dancers -- if you tango you can join in.

I loved walking around near St. Severin church. Tiny little cobble stone streets with views of Notre Dame in one of the oldest parts of Paris.

Merci, JoLui et Pam

• un autre fred

You might check out Annie Sargeant's Join Us In France podcast in preparation and audio tours via the website. The recorded audio walking tours are comprehensive and you carry them in your phone. Easy.

The DK Eyewitness Guidebooks always have a few well mapped out walks to follow.
I photocopied some of them for last time I went to Paris and found some cool neighborhoods that way.
Also, get a bus pass and ride a bus till you see an area you like.
Get off and walk around there.

I suggest doing at least ONE Paris Walks, it is fun to just walk around, but the guides explain what you are actually walking through, what you are seeing, looking up and seeing a detail, getting the history of it and then you start seeing it all over that neighborhood, makes you feel more connected. Another fun walk to do is a food tour (I recommend Paris Secret Food Tour) as you will be in one neighborhood, walking and learning, talking to the different vendors and really getting a feel for that neighborhood and Parisian life.

Two of my favorite walking, market, food streets…

https://www.parisunlocked.com/paris-neighbourhoods/a-full-guide-to-the-passy-neighborhood-in-paris/

https://francetoday.com/culture/shopping-boutiques/parisian-walkways-rue-montorgueil/

The last is a short walk to some of the Covered Passages, which is great activity on a rainy day.