Exploring Bercy, a Parisian Suburb, Paris, France

In the first half of the 19th century a Parisian wanting a good night out might well have headed to the village of Bercy. Ideally positioned on the banks of the Seine, this village had become the centre of the Paris wine trade and a major European market for wines and spirits.

In 1860 it was annexed by Paris and today is a pleasant suburb enhanced by a lovely park. And it’s still a great place to go for a meal or drink, though relatively little visited by tourists.

On our last visit to Paris we decided to do another of the walks from the Paris Je T’aime website, many of which explore less visited areas of the city. Unsurprisingly, this includes Bercy, and should make for a short but interesting Monday Walk for Jo.

We took the Metro to the station of that name and walked the short distance to the Cinémathèque Française, a striking building designed by Frank Gehry. It was interesting to see the curvaceous shapes, similar to those of Seattle’s MoPOP, here created in concrete.

We then explored Parc Bercy. This consists of three gardens. There is a meadow area (Les Grandes Pelouses), a second area devoted to gardening and flower beds (Les Parterres), and a third romantic garden (Le Jardin Romantique) with fishponds and secluded areas. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).