Walk on the parvis de la Défense

A walk to discover the district of La Défense in the Paris suburbs.

An easy walk in the business district of the western suburbs of Paris. The district is worth a visit for its towers and the Grande Arche. It is less known but many works of art are scattered all over the square. For a complete list and locations you can visit the nice little museum of La Défense.

Interest:

good (1 user)

Difficulty:

Duration: 2 h.

Departure point (Google Maps)

Departure

We start from the metro station (M1) "Esplanade de la Défense". If you want to shorten the walk, you can leave directly at the station "La Défense", it is the last station of the line.

The Agam Fountain

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The Agam Fountain — Lovely fountain that works most of the time and waters everyone when it's windy.

The defense of Paris - Barrias

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The defense of Paris - Barrias — The statue gives its name to the district. The woman represents the city of Paris, she is leaning on a cannon and protecting the French flag. At her feet lies a wounded soldier.

The Big Red Stabile - Alexander Calder

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The Big Red Stabile - Alexander Calder — This giant red sculpture has graced the square since 1976. A similar one exists in Chicago. Its size (15 m) and its weight (75t) are imposing. It is also called the red spider. Millions of people pass in front of it without knowing that it is a work of art.

Personnages - Joan Miro

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Personnages - Joan Miro — Another sculpture located on the square. It is signed Joan Miro. It is very representative of the artist's work. It was installed in 1977.

Le grand Toscano - Mitoraj

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Le grand Toscano - Mitoraj — Another beautiful statue located in the neighborhood.

The buildings

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The buildings — For those who are not used to it, it is always impressive to be at the foot of these office buildings. Here the Areva tower. Many large French companies are present on the square (Total, Société Générale, EDF ...)

Le CNIT

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Le CNIT — The CNIT is a shopping mall and a conference center. Its particularity is its triangular shape, the whole building rests on only three points. At the time, it was a technical feat.

The thumb - César

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The thumb - César — A monumental thumb of 12 meters is erected on this square. There are many other versions of this sculpture.

La Grande Arche

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La Grande Arche — This concrete cube is impressive when you get close to it. One can indeed better appreciate its dimensions. The idea was to create a cube open to the world, a symbol of the hope that in the future men will be able to meet!

The other side of the arch

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The other side of the arch — On this side you can see the Parisian suburbs and another sculpture: the luminous trees of Takis, which are trees that rise more than 10 meters high.

View on the Defense

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View on the Defense — The perspective on the whole district is impressive, in the distance you can see the Arc de Triomphe which is exactly in the same axis.

Fin

To take the metro again, just enter the shopping centre and follow the signs.

🚶‍ Practical information 🌳

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