Street Art Stroll in Paris, France

 

Hi everyone,
As you might have noticed I am french and I do live in Paris. I am not originally from Paris, I was born in the south-west of France in a small town called Dax. However, I've lived in Paris for more than 20 years, so I consider myself like a true Parisian now.

I love to watch movies and I am really happy when a foreign movie is shot in Paris. But what I really hate is the many stupid clichés about France and Paris. Come on guys, there is no accordion player every 100 meters, I am not wearing a béret and I am not carrying my baguette under my arm all day long!!!

So I wanted to break stereotypes a little bit and show you another Paris, even another Paris than the "City of Love". To be honest, I am not really fond of Paris and I don't find it that romantic, but it's still my city!

Anyway, I live in the south-east of Paris, in the XXth borough. My neighborhood is not touristy except maybe for the "Père Lachaise" (biggest cemetery of Paris where a lot of famous people are buried, like Balzac, Victor Hugo, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison...).

A while ago in my area, there was a building which was going to be demolished. So the city of Paris allowed street artists to tag the walls for a few months before the destruction. For many months, different artists painted those walls.

The building is no more and now became... you'll never guess : buildings of the "Ministry Of The Interior"!
Can you believe by seeing those pictures, what it's become now ? Can you believe that it was in Paris ?

Like I just said, unfortunately you can't visit this particular street anymore but there are plenty of street art spots in Paris, so here are a few :

• Bercy's Skate Park :
I really really love this place. It's a skate park covered with plenty of graffitis. This skate park is in the middle of a huge park and gardens, next to the river Seine and to the "Bibliothèque François Mitterand". There are also a cinema, restaurants and cafés really close by in "Bercy Village".

How to get there : 

- metro : Bercy (line 6 and 14)

- address : Parc de Bercy - 75012 Paris

• Rue Dénoyez :
Also located in the XXth borough, the rue Dénoyez is dedicated to street art. It's really smaller though, I will definitely go there one day and take some pics. It's not very far from the "Père-Lachaise" and the "Buttes-Chaumont". So you can squeeze everything in one day.

How to get there : 

- metro : Belleville (line 2 and 11)

- address : Rue Dénoyez - 75020 Paris

• Le M.U.R. :
Le mur means the wall in english. Yes, it is only a wall provided by an association to artists to showcase their work. The art changes every 2/3 weeks or so. It's not astonishing but it's a nice way to discover street artists and it's just next to a nice café, so you can just chill there for a bit. It's also in the same area.
How to get there : 
- metro : Parmentier, Saint-Maur (line 3)

- address : 107 Rue Oberkampf - 75011 Paris

• Point Éphémère :

It's a place where you can listen to music, have a drink on the rooftop, have a brunch, a diner, and enjoy street art from many different artists. It's located on the Canal Saint-Martin, I'd suggest you to go during spring and summer when people are sitting on the banks of the Seine. It's definitely not a touristy place!

How to get there : 
- metro : Jaurès (line 2,5 and 7 bis)

- address : 200 Quai de Valmy - 75010 Paris

Here you are, I hope you'll like the pics below! Let me know if you have any questions about street art spots in Paris, I'd be happy to help!