The disused 19th-century Vincennes railway viaduct was successfully reborn as the world's first elevated park, planted with a fragrant profusion of cherry trees, maples, rose trellises, bamboo corridors and lavender. Three storeys above ground, it provides a unique aerial vantage point on the surrounding architecture. Access is via staircase – usually at least one per city block – and lift (elevator; although they're invariably out of service). At street level, the Viaduc des Arts gallery-workshops run along av Daumesnil.
En route, look out for the spectacular art-deco police station at the start of rue de Rambouillet, which is topped with a dozen huge, identical marble caryatids.
The viaduct drops back to street level at the Jardin de Reuilly (1.5km), but it’s possible to follow the line to the Bois de Vincennes. This latter section, known as the Coulée Verte (3km), can also be done on a bike or in-line skates. At square Charles Péguy, behind the ping-pong tables, you can access a 200m section of another abandoned Parisian railway-turned-park, the Petite Ceinture , here known as the Petite Ceinture du 12e , which also has a jardin partagé (community garden).
