Piste cyclable le long du canal de l'Ourcq
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Le canal de l'Ourcq vers Sevran Livry
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Canal de l'Ourcq, cyclistes et métro
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The canal de l'Ourcq

A green corridor marked by Street Art

The Scandibérique route follows a section of the Ourcq Canal between Paris and Claye-Souilly, passing through the French county (département) of Seine-Saint-Denis and the towns of Pantin, Bobigny and Aulnay-sous-Bois. The Canal de l’Ourcq was built in the 19th century to supply the French capital with drinking water as well as to transport goods. The landscapes beside the canal take you from country settings to urban ones and transport you through the centuries, reflecting how Greater Paris has expanded. The Canal de l’Ourcq, once focused around industry, notably linked to transport by waterways, is now devoted to leisure transport, leisure activities and outings.

On this stretch of the Scandibérique, you’ll see several remarkable sights, from La Villette Basin and Park to the restored Grands Moulins, now banking headquarters for BNP Paribas, on the border with Pantin. Further on, the transformation of Les Magasins Généraux and Place de La Pointe have had a major impact on that area. Finally, the stretch of canal up to Bondy has become reputed for Parisian Street Art, with its succession of graffiti and colourful wall paintings. La Bergère Park at Bobigny marks the dividing line with the smaller, greener, more bucolic section of the canal.

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Ermenonville/Ver-sur-Launette / Bondy

12 Ermenonville/Ver-sur-Launette / Bondy

53 km
2 h 44 min
I cycle often
Take in two distinct atmospheres on this Scandibérique stage. Between Ermenonville and Gressy, you ride through vast cereal and sugar beet fields. From Gressy, you follow the towpath track beside the Canal de l’Ourcq, providing a narrow, distinctive setting, quite separate from the string of suburban towns of Tremblay, Villepinte and Sevran along the way. The route leads past La Poudrerie Forest Park, a green haven of 137 hectares, classed as a Natura 2000 area. After Sevran-Livry Forest Park, the route carries on towards Aulnay-sous-Bois, Bondy and Villemomble; along this stretch, the cycle path runs beside the broader section of the Canal de l’Ourcq, surrounded by urban parts.
Bondy / Corbeil-Essonnes

13 Bondy / Corbeil-Essonnes

42 km
3 h 38 min
I cycle often
From Bondy, the Scandibérique leads you boldly southwards along the Seine, through a mix of natural and industrial landscapes, offering a surprising way to cross Paris by bike! At the Rotonde de la Villette, you switch from following the Canal de l’Ourcq to riding beside the Canal St-Martin. Further southeast, the confluence of Seine and Marne Rivers is marked by the startling hotel complex Huatian Chinagora, built along the lines of Beijing’s Forbidden City. Note the industrial heritage visible alongside the cycle path, many old factories converted to new uses: the Saint-Raphaël Factory has become an offshoot of the University of Paris VI, the Eaux de Paris waste-water works a depot for Paris’s spare art works, while the former EDF Coal-fired Power Station, the Rhône-Poulenc Factory and the Hollander Factory are now home to a theatre company and artists’ studios! Reaching Vitry-sur-Seine, admire the Pont du Port à l’Anglais, completed in 1928, replacing the former ferry that linked the banks of the Seine here. At Choisy-le-Roi, take in the old Choisy train station dating from the first half of the 19th century. Note that there’s a ‘service station’ specifically for cyclists on the quays of Choisy’s industrial port!